I just noticed some oil leaking from the corner of my head gasket. Does that mean I need to replace the gasket or what? Heres a pic.

 

does your tail pipe emit smoke yet? any sign of carbon on back of the car?

if there are no other signs of the head gasket going an oil leak isn't a huge deal. just be sure to check the oil on a weekly or bi weekly schedule depending upon your driving habbits and distances.

That looks like fresh oil . .. did you spill some when you were topping that off? id wipe it down and have a look in a day or two of driving. . .

 

I haven't driven the car in about a month. Been doing repairs on it. I just got it a little over a month ago. I thought everything was good so I changed the oil and filter and started her up then it was smoking a tiny bit from the header and then my radiator started blowing air out where the metal latches onto the black plastic on the radiator. So now gotta replace those. But it was dry the other day. So its coming out a little bit even with the car not being started. Im about to have it towed to a shop and have them do everything. Sick of messing with it when im not a advanced mechanic. Just know little stuff.

 

Oh and yes there is a little bit of black stuff around the tail pipe. That happened before I took it apart bc it kept dying and stalling out.

 

What car and engine?

Can you take a panned-back picture that shows where in the engine bay you are focusing. I see fresh oil above the corner area, suggesting that the oil leak may be from the distributor, VTEC solenoid, or valve cover.

 

2000 si b16a2 and yea I will take a pic later panned back. I dont think it's from the valve cover but who knows.

 

The Vtec solenoid is directly above where oil is pooling and is prone to leaking on si's. I would check that for leaks first.

 

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I really don't think it's coming from anywhere else idk. Looks so fresh right there at the head gasket.

 

it looks fresh because it pools there. you clearly have a cam seal leak at the minimum. do that and the vtec solenoid gasket.

 

Ok sounds good. Thanks. I have a mechanic come look at it this evening.

 

I would suspect oil leaking from the headgasket if the leak was on the rear center of the engine where the oil jet is. Otherwise I think oil is just dripping down passively inside the headgasket passages back into the crankcase (no real pressure to cause a leak there).
Most likely that oil is seeping down from above (vtec solenoid, valve cover gasket, dist. o-ring, cam end retainers/plugs etc.).
Open your oil fill cap and start the engine and inspect for oil sloshing around in the top end/valve train/rockers etc. just to make sure you've got good pressure up top.

 

Not too long ago, i had a tiny *** oil leak right between the corner where you're leaking and that first header bolt. Too much crankcase pressure was the cause. A new valve cover breather filter solved it......maybe not the cause here but just throwing that out there! My oil wasnt pooled tho, it looked sprayed like it was forced out.....

 

Thanks guys. I cant start the car bc last time it was started the radiator blew. The little metal clamps that are attatched to the black plastic at the top of the radiator started blowing out air. When I get my skunk2 radiator installed I will check that though.

 

Pressure might build if both ends of the PCV system are plugged. I'd expect the dipstick to get blown out or leak near the top. Excessive blowby will also cause oil to seep in a high mileage engine.

 

Like if the vacuum lines are plugged up? They shouldn't be. The dipstick wasnt in at that time

 

like no like your PCV system

 

How could I fix this? Seafoam?

 

And thanks for the sarcasm. Nothing but dicks on here.

 

I have oil there in the same spot, it's my vtec leaking down.

 

something I forgot to add ( since I can't Fudging edit for some reason )

there is no oil pressure in that area. that is where the oil drain from the head goes back to the oil pan.

no pressure, so inorder for oil to leak out of that from the head gasket, your head would have to literally be not torqued down at all.

 

Im gonna change my cam seal and vtec solenoid and see if that clears it up.