I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them
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From: Long Point Beach, ontario, canada
I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them
I was hoping to compile an archive of typical oil leaks that occur on the H23 and H22 engines. I would hope to include, where it will show up *typically, where it would, or could be comming from. What parts are required for repair, or even if adding a sealent (gasket sealer) would be acceptible. I myself don't know proper repair stradegies for these leaks but would read up on them here if I found it to be leaking at a particular spot.
1. Oil cooler "O" ring. (easy to find info on this one thanks to H-T)
2. Oil pan gasket. (shows up various spots) (replacement shown in hanes)
3. Cam seal (seems to flow behind the axle where it meets the transmission)
4. Main seal. (shows up at tip of tranny where it meets the flywheel dust cover.)
5. Valve cover (shows up various spots)
6. Distributor (below distributor)
7. Oil filter (from not being tightened enough or bad gasket/no existant gasket)
8. Oil drain plug gasket (shows up right below oil plug,..well duh??)
If you wish to include coolant leaks by all means, I'm sure it could be found usefull
Thanks for any responses H-T
1. Oil cooler "O" ring. (easy to find info on this one thanks to H-T)
2. Oil pan gasket. (shows up various spots) (replacement shown in hanes)
3. Cam seal (seems to flow behind the axle where it meets the transmission)
4. Main seal. (shows up at tip of tranny where it meets the flywheel dust cover.)
5. Valve cover (shows up various spots)
6. Distributor (below distributor)
7. Oil filter (from not being tightened enough or bad gasket/no existant gasket)
8. Oil drain plug gasket (shows up right below oil plug,..well duh??)
If you wish to include coolant leaks by all means, I'm sure it could be found usefull
Thanks for any responses H-T
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From: Ann Arbor MI
Re: I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them (mattsn
The rubber seals sealing the spark plug holes can leak over time. But it is a very easy fix.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Feb 2007
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From: Long Point Beach, ontario, canada
Re: I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them (mattsn
Is that why/how spark plugs get oil on them? Or get blackened?
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From: chicago, il, usa
Re: I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them (mattsn
not really. that's more of a combustion chamber/cylinder conditions kind of thing. oil in your plug holes would more likely cause some kind of misfiring.
not saying it CAN'T happen, just what's most likely.
not saying it CAN'T happen, just what's most likely.
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Posts: 1,331
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From: houston
Re: I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them (mattsn
since i'm in the mood...
in my everyday travels i cover all of this. so..
#1 rule- keep your engine clean. unless you like wasting time and money, you can't fix an oil leak if you can't tell one location from any other.
drive it for at least 10min then head to a car wash and leave it running. don't worry about all the degreaser crap. they make little if any difference. either it will come off and be shiny or if the aluminum is stained (which means your car is a nasty, neglected pos) its too late for the easy way.
now wash the living **** out of it. don't be afraid of anything, you can hit it all from 2-3 inches away without worry. if you want it to actually get clean you have to be close. the only exception is the dist cap where is seats on the dist. just skim by that. this is why you leave it running. if the motor dies you know to stop. otherwise you will soak the dist and never know it, plan to be there for a while.
you can also dig out your jack and pick it up and spray down the bottom as much as possible (if only you had access to a lift..)
#2 rule- fix oil leaks from the top down. obvious really, but, this is the internet and we know what kind of people are on the internet.
don't go into it trying to get every thing all at once. you aren't really saving yourself any time and just making a potentially long frustrating day.
ie, do your valve cover and dist, wash it all off then watch it for other leaks. do the front seals, wash it all off then watch for other leaks, etc.
now the leak list, assuming your car *is* a nasty neglected pos so i can cover every possibility. i will try to go from most common down:
1-Valve Cover- check on the lip of the cover on whichever side your motor leans. unless it is really bad, it isn't gonna be on the high side and you could miss it. that means H, F, and freak B's stick you neck out and check the back over the intake in the center. the ends alone may not be a VC gasket. and of course check the spark plug boots. this is part of any VC set so check it the same.
VC gaskets can make a complete mess of the entire back of the motor, timing covers, and pan. when fixing it, don't forget to add a dot of silicone in the cam cap corners.
-and- don't forget the cam plugs. those little moon bastards can be forgotten and cause a good mess on their own. their leaks tend to look like the dist, but are easy to see. the bottom of the plug will be noticeably wet. also put a line of silicone around this when you install.
2-Dist, Internal- this can make a nasty mess. the tell tale is the bottom of the dist being soaked all along the seam of the cap and dist housing. if you want to be absolutely sure, pull the cap off and look inside the bottom of the housing. you can see a trail of oil down the middle.
this will get the top of the tranny wet in every direction if let go very long. a trail down the end of the tranny dripping on the passenger side is almost always the dist. it can especially look like a rear main.
sadly the only way you can fix this is another dist. they are rebuildable, but no one sells the seal.
3-Pan Plug/Oil filter- the plug especially. there is no reason to be lazy and not change the aluminum gasket. if you take your car to some chain oil change place there is a 99.9% chance they never change it. there is also a 50/50 chance your pan will be stripped before 100k miles.
if a filter is undertightened.. it falls off. oil filters leak when they are A. overtightened B. been on the car for 10k+ miles
if you take care of your car in the slightest way these should not be an issue. and yet, i still place them at #3. sad isn't it.
4-VTEC Solenoid- these damn things like to leak, and can be hard to stop. go grab some brake cleaner. it has two uses here. for a quick check rather than the car wash, spray off the solenoid and the immediate area around it (preferably warm so the cleaner will dry almost instantly). go for a drive and spend 1 or 2 min in vtec. open it back up and check the bottom of the solenoid. if it leaks at all there will be no doubts.
when changing the gasket, spray the solenoid and the head surface with the cleaner and wipe it down. get it spotless. put the new gasket in the solenoid and to hopefully save you some sanity, with one finger you can smear a thin film of the good grey silicone (or hondabond if you wanna pay for it) on the new gasket. put it on the head and bolt it up before the silicone sets. let the car sit for an hour. if oil gets on silicone before it sets its like you never put any on to begin with.
i'm going to assume some will argue with the silicone but there are times when i have had to. if you really keep it to a thin coat on the rubber gasket itself, with no excess to squirt out, and let it dry, it will work just fine with no problems.
5-Cam Seal(s)- these are just about always the first thing to go bad of all the front timing components. the oil always leaks across the headgasket surface to the back of the block. then straight down the edge of the block/timing cover to the front pan lip. unless your motor is covered in oil, these leaks are easy to see from the bottom.
you better be up for a complete timing belt job if you wanna tackle this yourself. if you have a mechanical tensioner you can cheat, but it isn't worth it. if the cam seals are leaking assume everything else isn't far behind and do it all.
H/F people, if you only see a short line of oil a few inches up the back of the lower timing cover down to the lower lip it is most likely the oil gear housing. a timing belt job just the same.
6-Dist, O-ring- this will do basically the same as above, but tends to not go across the tranny (dripping from the cap falls straight on top of the tranny, while from the o-ring running down the head, the line of the block/tranny keeps it there).
this is a quick easy fix and a cheap part. if there is any question at all just go ahead and do it. make it part of any VC gasket change.
7-Pan gasket- (if you have a newer all aluminum/magnesium oil pan you can skip this. they never leak)
these are irritating. to diagnose and change. this needs to be the last gasket you do. you need to do your absolute best at cleaning up the engine and the oil pan gasket itself. if you have a decent set of jacks get the car as high as possible without killing yourself. spray it all, wipe it down, and lick off the rest. now start the car and prop the throttle at about 1500-2000. then crawl back under it and stare at the gasket. if it is really leaking you may be able to see the even line of 'shine' come out of the gasket uniformly. most of the time a pan gasket leaks, it leaks from just about the whole damn thing at the same time. you can try snugging up the bolts but that rarely works.
fixing it needs to be like the vtec solenoid. keep the surface spotless with brake cleaner and rags. silicone the corners at the crank caps and the seams where the oil pump and rear main housings bolt to the block. you may also want to put dots of silicone or glue (the yellow weather stripping glue works well) on the gasket and put it on the block first. hold it til it sticks, but keep in mind this is only as an install aid. this won't be sealing the pan so don't try lining the whole thing with silicone. it won't work. now lift the pan to the gasket and start a few of the nuts, making sure the pan stays in the 'U' of the gaskets at the ends.
8-Rear crank- this seal is a last ditch effort. the VC and especially the Dist needs to be clean before you can have any reliable hint if this is leaking or not. it usually isn't. if the top of your engine/tranny is clean and your oil pan is wet only on this end rather than all across you may have a leaking rear main. you can remove brackets and covers all you want though, you can't see it. it never gets on the flywheel/drive plate and the pan/block webbing hides it.
this seal requires an educated guess. if you are willing to pull the tranny to find out, then go for it.
Leftovers:
-Oil cooler "O" ring- i honestly only change these extremely rarely. they just don't leak. best way to find out is put a fresh oil filter on, spray the whole back of the block and watch it with the engine running like with the pan.
-Front Crank Seal/Balance Shaft Seal- all these being in the timing cover, they are impossible to see. the crank seal just like its rear big brother doesn't leak often. the balance shaft seal on the other hand can leak a lot and even pop out on older F's and even H's i believe. i wouldn't let a significant oil leak from the front go for fear of toasting the motor.
don't forget to go back together with a balance seal retainer. the honda ones aren't that expensive and are made to cheat. they bolt outside and can be installed without pulling the timing cover.
-Oil Pressure Sender- on top of the oil filter housing. the tight rubber boot keeps in the small leaks for a long time. grab a small knife or razor and slice it open and rip it off. you might just get a good little stream of oil come down if you have an old car. they don't leak often however and when they do it usually isn't enough to make a mess like the other leaks. changing them is not fun, depending on when engine you have.
-VTEC Oil Pressure Sensor- this is a fairly common leak, though it doesn't leak much in volume. i would still catch all the higher gaskets first though, with enough time they can get into everything, including this plug. you should have countless cans of brake cleaner laying around by now so spray it out and give it some time to watch before replacing. simply unplug the sensor and check for wetness inside. good news is honda does sell them seperate from the solenoid. be sure to use some teflon or smear some silicone on the threads when replacing.
-Axle Seals- yes. axles seals. most peoples tranny fluid, whether standard or auto, looks like motor oil. clean around the axle and watch them as well. when they leak it can be a pretty good amount and very deceiving. when they do leak it should be pretty easy to spot though.
and there you go. will probly have to edit this some, but the baby is waking up and i'm tired as it is.
edited. thx to typeSwarrior for one i forgot.
Modified by night at 5:55 PM 12/18/2007
in my everyday travels i cover all of this. so..
#1 rule- keep your engine clean. unless you like wasting time and money, you can't fix an oil leak if you can't tell one location from any other.
drive it for at least 10min then head to a car wash and leave it running. don't worry about all the degreaser crap. they make little if any difference. either it will come off and be shiny or if the aluminum is stained (which means your car is a nasty, neglected pos) its too late for the easy way.
now wash the living **** out of it. don't be afraid of anything, you can hit it all from 2-3 inches away without worry. if you want it to actually get clean you have to be close. the only exception is the dist cap where is seats on the dist. just skim by that. this is why you leave it running. if the motor dies you know to stop. otherwise you will soak the dist and never know it, plan to be there for a while.
you can also dig out your jack and pick it up and spray down the bottom as much as possible (if only you had access to a lift..)
#2 rule- fix oil leaks from the top down. obvious really, but, this is the internet and we know what kind of people are on the internet.
don't go into it trying to get every thing all at once. you aren't really saving yourself any time and just making a potentially long frustrating day.
ie, do your valve cover and dist, wash it all off then watch it for other leaks. do the front seals, wash it all off then watch for other leaks, etc.
now the leak list, assuming your car *is* a nasty neglected pos so i can cover every possibility. i will try to go from most common down:
1-Valve Cover- check on the lip of the cover on whichever side your motor leans. unless it is really bad, it isn't gonna be on the high side and you could miss it. that means H, F, and freak B's stick you neck out and check the back over the intake in the center. the ends alone may not be a VC gasket. and of course check the spark plug boots. this is part of any VC set so check it the same.
VC gaskets can make a complete mess of the entire back of the motor, timing covers, and pan. when fixing it, don't forget to add a dot of silicone in the cam cap corners.
-and- don't forget the cam plugs. those little moon bastards can be forgotten and cause a good mess on their own. their leaks tend to look like the dist, but are easy to see. the bottom of the plug will be noticeably wet. also put a line of silicone around this when you install.
2-Dist, Internal- this can make a nasty mess. the tell tale is the bottom of the dist being soaked all along the seam of the cap and dist housing. if you want to be absolutely sure, pull the cap off and look inside the bottom of the housing. you can see a trail of oil down the middle.
this will get the top of the tranny wet in every direction if let go very long. a trail down the end of the tranny dripping on the passenger side is almost always the dist. it can especially look like a rear main.
sadly the only way you can fix this is another dist. they are rebuildable, but no one sells the seal.
3-Pan Plug/Oil filter- the plug especially. there is no reason to be lazy and not change the aluminum gasket. if you take your car to some chain oil change place there is a 99.9% chance they never change it. there is also a 50/50 chance your pan will be stripped before 100k miles.
if a filter is undertightened.. it falls off. oil filters leak when they are A. overtightened B. been on the car for 10k+ miles
if you take care of your car in the slightest way these should not be an issue. and yet, i still place them at #3. sad isn't it.
4-VTEC Solenoid- these damn things like to leak, and can be hard to stop. go grab some brake cleaner. it has two uses here. for a quick check rather than the car wash, spray off the solenoid and the immediate area around it (preferably warm so the cleaner will dry almost instantly). go for a drive and spend 1 or 2 min in vtec. open it back up and check the bottom of the solenoid. if it leaks at all there will be no doubts.
when changing the gasket, spray the solenoid and the head surface with the cleaner and wipe it down. get it spotless. put the new gasket in the solenoid and to hopefully save you some sanity, with one finger you can smear a thin film of the good grey silicone (or hondabond if you wanna pay for it) on the new gasket. put it on the head and bolt it up before the silicone sets. let the car sit for an hour. if oil gets on silicone before it sets its like you never put any on to begin with.
i'm going to assume some will argue with the silicone but there are times when i have had to. if you really keep it to a thin coat on the rubber gasket itself, with no excess to squirt out, and let it dry, it will work just fine with no problems.
5-Cam Seal(s)- these are just about always the first thing to go bad of all the front timing components. the oil always leaks across the headgasket surface to the back of the block. then straight down the edge of the block/timing cover to the front pan lip. unless your motor is covered in oil, these leaks are easy to see from the bottom.
you better be up for a complete timing belt job if you wanna tackle this yourself. if you have a mechanical tensioner you can cheat, but it isn't worth it. if the cam seals are leaking assume everything else isn't far behind and do it all.
H/F people, if you only see a short line of oil a few inches up the back of the lower timing cover down to the lower lip it is most likely the oil gear housing. a timing belt job just the same.
6-Dist, O-ring- this will do basically the same as above, but tends to not go across the tranny (dripping from the cap falls straight on top of the tranny, while from the o-ring running down the head, the line of the block/tranny keeps it there).
this is a quick easy fix and a cheap part. if there is any question at all just go ahead and do it. make it part of any VC gasket change.
7-Pan gasket- (if you have a newer all aluminum/magnesium oil pan you can skip this. they never leak)
these are irritating. to diagnose and change. this needs to be the last gasket you do. you need to do your absolute best at cleaning up the engine and the oil pan gasket itself. if you have a decent set of jacks get the car as high as possible without killing yourself. spray it all, wipe it down, and lick off the rest. now start the car and prop the throttle at about 1500-2000. then crawl back under it and stare at the gasket. if it is really leaking you may be able to see the even line of 'shine' come out of the gasket uniformly. most of the time a pan gasket leaks, it leaks from just about the whole damn thing at the same time. you can try snugging up the bolts but that rarely works.
fixing it needs to be like the vtec solenoid. keep the surface spotless with brake cleaner and rags. silicone the corners at the crank caps and the seams where the oil pump and rear main housings bolt to the block. you may also want to put dots of silicone or glue (the yellow weather stripping glue works well) on the gasket and put it on the block first. hold it til it sticks, but keep in mind this is only as an install aid. this won't be sealing the pan so don't try lining the whole thing with silicone. it won't work. now lift the pan to the gasket and start a few of the nuts, making sure the pan stays in the 'U' of the gaskets at the ends.
8-Rear crank- this seal is a last ditch effort. the VC and especially the Dist needs to be clean before you can have any reliable hint if this is leaking or not. it usually isn't. if the top of your engine/tranny is clean and your oil pan is wet only on this end rather than all across you may have a leaking rear main. you can remove brackets and covers all you want though, you can't see it. it never gets on the flywheel/drive plate and the pan/block webbing hides it.
this seal requires an educated guess. if you are willing to pull the tranny to find out, then go for it.
Leftovers:
-Oil cooler "O" ring- i honestly only change these extremely rarely. they just don't leak. best way to find out is put a fresh oil filter on, spray the whole back of the block and watch it with the engine running like with the pan.
-Front Crank Seal/Balance Shaft Seal- all these being in the timing cover, they are impossible to see. the crank seal just like its rear big brother doesn't leak often. the balance shaft seal on the other hand can leak a lot and even pop out on older F's and even H's i believe. i wouldn't let a significant oil leak from the front go for fear of toasting the motor.
don't forget to go back together with a balance seal retainer. the honda ones aren't that expensive and are made to cheat. they bolt outside and can be installed without pulling the timing cover.
-Oil Pressure Sender- on top of the oil filter housing. the tight rubber boot keeps in the small leaks for a long time. grab a small knife or razor and slice it open and rip it off. you might just get a good little stream of oil come down if you have an old car. they don't leak often however and when they do it usually isn't enough to make a mess like the other leaks. changing them is not fun, depending on when engine you have.
-VTEC Oil Pressure Sensor- this is a fairly common leak, though it doesn't leak much in volume. i would still catch all the higher gaskets first though, with enough time they can get into everything, including this plug. you should have countless cans of brake cleaner laying around by now so spray it out and give it some time to watch before replacing. simply unplug the sensor and check for wetness inside. good news is honda does sell them seperate from the solenoid. be sure to use some teflon or smear some silicone on the threads when replacing.
-Axle Seals- yes. axles seals. most peoples tranny fluid, whether standard or auto, looks like motor oil. clean around the axle and watch them as well. when they leak it can be a pretty good amount and very deceiving. when they do leak it should be pretty easy to spot though.
and there you go. will probly have to edit this some, but the baby is waking up and i'm tired as it is.
edited. thx to typeSwarrior for one i forgot.
Modified by night at 5:55 PM 12/18/2007
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Joined: Jun 2006
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From: chicago, il, usa
Re: I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them (mattsn
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by night »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the balance shaft seal on the other hand can leak a lot and even pop out on older F's and even H's i believe. i wouldn't let a significant oil leak from the front go for fear of toasting the motor.</TD></TR></TABLE>
good call. if you run balance shafts, the balance shaft seal retainer is a "fix" for it wanting to pop out
good call. if you run balance shafts, the balance shaft seal retainer is a "fix" for it wanting to pop out
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: Lex, KY, USA
Re: I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them (mattsn
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by xxmastermindxx »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
good call. if you run balance shafts, the balance shaft seal retainer is a "fix" for it wanting to pop out </TD></TR></TABLE>
Also if your front balance shaft seal pops out, like mine did two minutes after I started my H22A for the very first time, your timing and balance shaft belts are toast. They will be oil soaked so make sure you replace them. The $10 retainer is cheap insurance
good call. if you run balance shafts, the balance shaft seal retainer is a "fix" for it wanting to pop out
</TD></TR></TABLE>Also if your front balance shaft seal pops out, like mine did two minutes after I started my H22A for the very first time, your timing and balance shaft belts are toast. They will be oil soaked so make sure you replace them. The $10 retainer is cheap insurance
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From: Greensboro/Raleigh, NC, USA
Re: I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them (mattsn
Originally Posted by night
since i'm in the mood...
in my everyday travels i cover all of this. so..
#1 rule- keep your engine clean. unless you like wasting time and money, you can't fix an oil leak if you can't tell one location from any other.
drive it for at least 10min then head to a car wash and leave it running. don't worry about all the degreaser crap. they make little if any difference. either it will come off and be shiny or if the aluminum is stained (which means your car is a nasty, neglected pos) its too late for the easy way.
now wash the living **** out of it. don't be afraid of anything, you can hit it all from 2-3 inches away without worry. if you want it actually clean you have to be close. the only exception is the dist cap where is seats on the dist. just skim by that. this is why you leave it running. if the motor dies you know to stop. otherwise you will soak the dist and never know it, plan to be there for a while.
you can also dig out your jack and lift it up as spray down the bottom as much as possible (if only you had access to a lift..)
#2 rule- fix oil leaks from the top down. obvious really, but, this is the internet and we know what kind of people are on the internet.
don't go into it trying to get every thing all at once. you aren't really saving yourself any time and just making a potentially long frustrating day.
ie, do your valve cover and dist, wash it all off then watch it for other leaks. do the front seals, wash it all off then watch for other leaks, etc.
now the leak list, assuming your car *is* a nasty neglected pos so i can cover every possibility. i will try to go from most common down:
1-Valve Cover- check on the lip of the cover on whichever side your motor leans. unless it is really bad, it isn't gonna be on the high side and you could miss it. that means H, F, and freak B's stick you neck out and check the back over the intake in the center. the ends alone may not be a VC gasket. and of course check the spark plug boots. this is part of any VC set so check it the same.
VC gaskets can make a complete mess of the entire back of the motor, timing covers, and pan. when fixing it, don't forget to add a dot of silicone in the cam cap corners.
-and- don't forget the cam plugs. those little moon bastards can be forgotten and cause a good mess on their own. their leaks tend to look like the dist, but are easy to see. the bottom of the plug will be noticeably wet. also put a line of silicone around this when you install.
2-Dist, Internal- this can make a nasty mess. the tell tale is the bottom of the dist being soaked all along the seam of the cap and dist housing. if you want to be absolutely sure, pull the cap off and look inside the bottom of the housing. you can see a trail of oil down the middle.
this will get the top of the tranny wet in every direction if let go very long. a trail down the end of the tranny dripping on the passenger side is almost always the dist. it can especially look like a rear main.
sadly the only way you can fix this is another dist. they are rebuildable, but no one sells the seal.
3-Pan Plug/Oil filter- the plug especially. there is no reason to be lazy and not change the aluminum gasket. if you take your car to some chain oil change place there is a 99.9% chance they never change it. there is also a 50/50 chance your pan will be stripped before 100k miles.
if a filter is undertightened.. it falls off. oil filters leak when they are A. overtightened B. been on the car for 10k+ miles
if you take care of your car in the slightest way these should not be an issue. and yet, i still place them at #3. sad isn't it.
4-VTEC Solenoid- these damn thing like to leak. and can be hard to stop. go grab some brake cleaner. it has two uses here. for a quick check rather than the car wash, spray off the solenoid and the immediate area around it (preferably warm so the cleaner will drive almost instantly). go for a drive and spend 1 or 2 min in vtec. open it back up and check the bottom of the solenoid. if it leaks at all there will be no doubts.
when changing the gasket, spray the solenoid and the head surface with the cleaner and wipe it down. get it spotless. put the new gasket in it and to hopefully save you some sanity, with one finger you can smear a thin film of the good grey silicone (or hondabond if you wanna pay for it) on the new gasket. put it on the head and bolt it up before the silicone sets. let the car sit for an hour. if oil gets on silicone before it sets its like you never put it on to begin with.
i'm going to assume some will argue with the silicone but there are times when i have had to. if you really keep it to a thin coat on the rubber gasket itself, no excess to squirt out, and let it drive, it will work just fine with no problems.
5-Cam Seal(s)- these are just about always the first thing to go bad of all the front timing components. the oil always leaks across the headgasket surface to the back of the block. then straight down the edge of the block/timing cover to the front pan lip. unless you motor is covered in oil, these leaks are easy to see. from the bottom.
you better be up for a complete timing belt job if you wanna tackle this yourself. if you have a mechanical tensioner you can cheat, but it isn't worth it. if the cam seals are leaking assume everything else isn't far behind and do it all.
H/F people, if you only see a short line of oil a few inches up the back of the lower timing cover down to the lower lip it is most likely the oil gear housing. a timing belt job just the same.
6-Dist, O-ring- this will do basically the same as above, but tends to not go across the tranny (dripping from the cap falls straight on top of the tranny, while from the o-ring running down the head, the line of the block/tranny keeps it there).
this is a quick and easy fix and a cheap part. if there is any question at all just go ahead and do it. make it part of any VC gasket change.
7-Pan gasket- (if you have a newer all aluminum/magnesium oil pan you can skip this. they never leak)
these are irritating. to diagnose and change. this needs to be the last gasket you do. you need to do your absolute best at cleaning up the engine and the oil pan gasket itself. if you have a decent set of jacks get the car as high as possible without killing yourself. spray it all, wipe it down, and lick off the rest. now start the car and prop the throttle at about 1500-2000. then crawl back under it and stare at the gasket. if it is really leaking you may be able to see the even line of 'shine' come out of the gasket uniformly. most of the time a pan gasket leaks, it leaks from just about the whole damn thing at the same time. you can try snugging up the bolts but that rarely works.
fixing it needs to be like the vtec solenoid. keep the surface spotless with brake cleaner and rags. silicone the cornerns at the crank caps. and you may want to put dots of silicone or glue (the yellow weather stripping glue works well) on the gasket and put it on the block first. hold it til it sticks, but keep in mind only as and install aid. this won't be sealing the pan so don't try lining the whole thing with silicone. it won't work. now lift the pan to the gasket and start a few of the nuts, making sure the pan stays in the 'U' of the gaskets at the ends.
8-Rear crank- this seal is a last ditch effort. the VC and especially the Dist needs to be clean before you have any hint if this is leaking or not. it usually isn't. if the top of your engine/tranny is clean and your oil pan is wet only on this end rather than all across you may have a leaking rear main. you can remove brackets and covers all you want though, you can't see it. it never gets on the flywheel/drive plate and the pan/block webbing hide it.
this seal requires an educated guess. if you are willing to pull the tranny to find out, then go for it.
Leftovers:
-Oil cooler "O" ring- i honestly only change these extremely rarely. they just don't leak. best way to find out is put a fresh oil filter on, spray the whole back of the block and watch it as it run like with the pan.
-Front Crank Seal/Balance Shaft Seal- all these being in the timing cover, they are impossible to see. the crank seal just like its rear big brother doesn't leak often. the balance shaft seal on the other hand can leak a lot and even pop out on older F's and even H's i believe. i wouldn't let a significant oil leak from the front go for fear of toasting the motor.
-Axle Seals- yes. axles seals. most peoples tranny fluid, whether standard or auto, looks like motor oil. clean around the axle and watch them as well. when they leak it can be a pretty good amount and very deceiving. when they do leak it should be pretty easy to spot though.
and there you go. will probly have to edit this some, but the baby is waking up and i'm tired as it is.
in my everyday travels i cover all of this. so..
#1 rule- keep your engine clean. unless you like wasting time and money, you can't fix an oil leak if you can't tell one location from any other.
drive it for at least 10min then head to a car wash and leave it running. don't worry about all the degreaser crap. they make little if any difference. either it will come off and be shiny or if the aluminum is stained (which means your car is a nasty, neglected pos) its too late for the easy way.
now wash the living **** out of it. don't be afraid of anything, you can hit it all from 2-3 inches away without worry. if you want it actually clean you have to be close. the only exception is the dist cap where is seats on the dist. just skim by that. this is why you leave it running. if the motor dies you know to stop. otherwise you will soak the dist and never know it, plan to be there for a while.
you can also dig out your jack and lift it up as spray down the bottom as much as possible (if only you had access to a lift..)
#2 rule- fix oil leaks from the top down. obvious really, but, this is the internet and we know what kind of people are on the internet.
don't go into it trying to get every thing all at once. you aren't really saving yourself any time and just making a potentially long frustrating day.
ie, do your valve cover and dist, wash it all off then watch it for other leaks. do the front seals, wash it all off then watch for other leaks, etc.
now the leak list, assuming your car *is* a nasty neglected pos so i can cover every possibility. i will try to go from most common down:
1-Valve Cover- check on the lip of the cover on whichever side your motor leans. unless it is really bad, it isn't gonna be on the high side and you could miss it. that means H, F, and freak B's stick you neck out and check the back over the intake in the center. the ends alone may not be a VC gasket. and of course check the spark plug boots. this is part of any VC set so check it the same.
VC gaskets can make a complete mess of the entire back of the motor, timing covers, and pan. when fixing it, don't forget to add a dot of silicone in the cam cap corners.
-and- don't forget the cam plugs. those little moon bastards can be forgotten and cause a good mess on their own. their leaks tend to look like the dist, but are easy to see. the bottom of the plug will be noticeably wet. also put a line of silicone around this when you install.
2-Dist, Internal- this can make a nasty mess. the tell tale is the bottom of the dist being soaked all along the seam of the cap and dist housing. if you want to be absolutely sure, pull the cap off and look inside the bottom of the housing. you can see a trail of oil down the middle.
this will get the top of the tranny wet in every direction if let go very long. a trail down the end of the tranny dripping on the passenger side is almost always the dist. it can especially look like a rear main.
sadly the only way you can fix this is another dist. they are rebuildable, but no one sells the seal.
3-Pan Plug/Oil filter- the plug especially. there is no reason to be lazy and not change the aluminum gasket. if you take your car to some chain oil change place there is a 99.9% chance they never change it. there is also a 50/50 chance your pan will be stripped before 100k miles.
if a filter is undertightened.. it falls off. oil filters leak when they are A. overtightened B. been on the car for 10k+ miles
if you take care of your car in the slightest way these should not be an issue. and yet, i still place them at #3. sad isn't it.
4-VTEC Solenoid- these damn thing like to leak. and can be hard to stop. go grab some brake cleaner. it has two uses here. for a quick check rather than the car wash, spray off the solenoid and the immediate area around it (preferably warm so the cleaner will drive almost instantly). go for a drive and spend 1 or 2 min in vtec. open it back up and check the bottom of the solenoid. if it leaks at all there will be no doubts.
when changing the gasket, spray the solenoid and the head surface with the cleaner and wipe it down. get it spotless. put the new gasket in it and to hopefully save you some sanity, with one finger you can smear a thin film of the good grey silicone (or hondabond if you wanna pay for it) on the new gasket. put it on the head and bolt it up before the silicone sets. let the car sit for an hour. if oil gets on silicone before it sets its like you never put it on to begin with.
i'm going to assume some will argue with the silicone but there are times when i have had to. if you really keep it to a thin coat on the rubber gasket itself, no excess to squirt out, and let it drive, it will work just fine with no problems.
5-Cam Seal(s)- these are just about always the first thing to go bad of all the front timing components. the oil always leaks across the headgasket surface to the back of the block. then straight down the edge of the block/timing cover to the front pan lip. unless you motor is covered in oil, these leaks are easy to see. from the bottom.
you better be up for a complete timing belt job if you wanna tackle this yourself. if you have a mechanical tensioner you can cheat, but it isn't worth it. if the cam seals are leaking assume everything else isn't far behind and do it all.
H/F people, if you only see a short line of oil a few inches up the back of the lower timing cover down to the lower lip it is most likely the oil gear housing. a timing belt job just the same.
6-Dist, O-ring- this will do basically the same as above, but tends to not go across the tranny (dripping from the cap falls straight on top of the tranny, while from the o-ring running down the head, the line of the block/tranny keeps it there).
this is a quick and easy fix and a cheap part. if there is any question at all just go ahead and do it. make it part of any VC gasket change.
7-Pan gasket- (if you have a newer all aluminum/magnesium oil pan you can skip this. they never leak)
these are irritating. to diagnose and change. this needs to be the last gasket you do. you need to do your absolute best at cleaning up the engine and the oil pan gasket itself. if you have a decent set of jacks get the car as high as possible without killing yourself. spray it all, wipe it down, and lick off the rest. now start the car and prop the throttle at about 1500-2000. then crawl back under it and stare at the gasket. if it is really leaking you may be able to see the even line of 'shine' come out of the gasket uniformly. most of the time a pan gasket leaks, it leaks from just about the whole damn thing at the same time. you can try snugging up the bolts but that rarely works.
fixing it needs to be like the vtec solenoid. keep the surface spotless with brake cleaner and rags. silicone the cornerns at the crank caps. and you may want to put dots of silicone or glue (the yellow weather stripping glue works well) on the gasket and put it on the block first. hold it til it sticks, but keep in mind only as and install aid. this won't be sealing the pan so don't try lining the whole thing with silicone. it won't work. now lift the pan to the gasket and start a few of the nuts, making sure the pan stays in the 'U' of the gaskets at the ends.
8-Rear crank- this seal is a last ditch effort. the VC and especially the Dist needs to be clean before you have any hint if this is leaking or not. it usually isn't. if the top of your engine/tranny is clean and your oil pan is wet only on this end rather than all across you may have a leaking rear main. you can remove brackets and covers all you want though, you can't see it. it never gets on the flywheel/drive plate and the pan/block webbing hide it.
this seal requires an educated guess. if you are willing to pull the tranny to find out, then go for it.
Leftovers:
-Oil cooler "O" ring- i honestly only change these extremely rarely. they just don't leak. best way to find out is put a fresh oil filter on, spray the whole back of the block and watch it as it run like with the pan.
-Front Crank Seal/Balance Shaft Seal- all these being in the timing cover, they are impossible to see. the crank seal just like its rear big brother doesn't leak often. the balance shaft seal on the other hand can leak a lot and even pop out on older F's and even H's i believe. i wouldn't let a significant oil leak from the front go for fear of toasting the motor.
-Axle Seals- yes. axles seals. most peoples tranny fluid, whether standard or auto, looks like motor oil. clean around the axle and watch them as well. when they leak it can be a pretty good amount and very deceiving. when they do leak it should be pretty easy to spot though.
and there you go. will probly have to edit this some, but the baby is waking up and i'm tired as it is.
Thread Starter
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From: Long Point Beach, ontario, canada
Re: I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them (mattsn
Thank you, thats awsome man!
A UV dye is probably a necesity when looking for oil leaks as well as keeping your block clean. I'm unsure of how safe it is personally though.
Thanks for the input everybody
A UV dye is probably a necesity when looking for oil leaks as well as keeping your block clean. I'm unsure of how safe it is personally though.
Thanks for the input everybody
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,331
Likes: 3
From: houston
Re: I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them (mattsn
ya i had a few things in my head to edit in today. yall beat me to the retainer i forgot to mention. plus i fixed some grammatical and typo errors.
i don't like the dye because black lights hurt my eyes. i also have the advantage of working in a shop and having lifts. i can take my time and pressure wash the bottom while standing.
actually we don't use dye for anything but a/c leaks. using the dye all the time gets kinda gimmicky.
i don't like the dye because black lights hurt my eyes. i also have the advantage of working in a shop and having lifts. i can take my time and pressure wash the bottom while standing.
actually we don't use dye for anything but a/c leaks. using the dye all the time gets kinda gimmicky.
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Re: (dumkopf)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dumkopf »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think this should go in the faqs!</TD></TR></TABLE>
X2
The UV dye is the best way IMO to find a leak. Like stated above, keep your motor clean and running well at all times, and ALWAYS WATCH WHERE YOU PARK, Take notice to fresh oil spills where you park, thats the best way to catch a leak right way
X2
The UV dye is the best way IMO to find a leak. Like stated above, keep your motor clean and running well at all times, and ALWAYS WATCH WHERE YOU PARK, Take notice to fresh oil spills where you park, thats the best way to catch a leak right way
Thread Starter
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From: Long Point Beach, ontario, canada
Re: I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them (mattsn
It wouldn't be advised to use it on a motor (Dye)? Aslong of course you don't overfill the crankcase?. Than perhaps an engine (oil) flush and refilled with fresh oil.
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Re: I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them (mattsn
The dye is fine to use on your motor. You can change your oil if you want afterwards. It doesnt change the wieght or the texture that much where you have to worry. Its a 1 oz bottle for 5 quarts of oil.
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From: houston
Re: I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them (mattsn
there is engine oil specific dye. to me if you can see the dye you can see the oil anyway. personal preference i suppose. and depends on how good a place you have to work. if you are cramped up in a garage or something it may help you for the lower leaks.
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From: Long Point Beach, ontario, canada
Re: I was hoping if members could compile a list of Oil Leaks and typical locations for them (mattsn
Yes, I see your point. Its more realistic and practical to clean off the block and look for the oil leak naturally, but like you've adressed that those of us working in less than a full car garage and no lift really need to cheat a bit.
If its safe for the motor, I don't think it would be bad. I'm sure you'd need to run the moter a bit to force the oil past the seals, unless its a consistant leak like from oil cooler or oil pan/plug gaskets.
It would help with leaks from behind the block, and around intake manifold at minimum because those are hard to diagnose without pulling parts off.
If its safe for the motor, I don't think it would be bad. I'm sure you'd need to run the moter a bit to force the oil past the seals, unless its a consistant leak like from oil cooler or oil pan/plug gaskets.
It would help with leaks from behind the block, and around intake manifold at minimum because those are hard to diagnose without pulling parts off.
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