Quick question, just had my rear main seal done (aftermarket) and two axle seals (OEM) replaced about 3 months ago. I have a little drip here and there in the back of the transmission (belly) where there's a bolt. Any residual motor oil should have dried up by now but its still dripping a bit. But not enough to hit the ground. I know its not my tranny fluid because its been rebuilt about a year ago and the axle seals were replaced along with the rear main seal. And its bright pink not brown (like when it gets old)

My mechanic thinks its the shifter seal or something? Anyone have any idea? If so, is it something I should be worried about right now? Its a very small leak. When I take long drives from Orange County, CA to Las Vegas, NV I loose about maybe a centimeter 1/2 of oil on the dipstick from full after an oil change. But not nearly as much just around town.

By the way, my mechanic now is a different then the one who rebuilt my tranny. (horrible experience) Warrenty expired 1k miles ago on tranny. So anything else like parts or seals or things they should have replaced is not under warrenty. So Ill bite the bullet and fix it myself if I must.

Any replies from you all would be greatly appreciated!

I meant to put 98 Honda Accord Coupe LX 2.3 4Cy

 

If you oil level is dropping, then you still have an oil leak.

Try to see if anything above the transmission is leaking oil. Like the valve cover gasket, distributor (if the 2000 accord has one). The main seal might not have been installed properly.

Just make sure that you keep an eye on you oil. Add oil when the level gets low in the dipstick.

 

It sounds like the tranny dipstick is showing the loss, so it has to be ATF, not the valve cover.

Or is it the engine dipstick that's losing it?

 

I'm sorry, I meant 98 accord. I was thinking of my 2000 integra.
ATF Tranny Fluid is bright pink/red. And the fluid hasn't dropped at all. Whatever is at the belly of the tranny is brown motor oil. Its very little but its still annoying.

It's the engine oil dipstick that looses about 2/3 of oil on a 400 mile trip. But local I hardly loose anything. I replaced the axle seals, rear main seal and the valve cover. New distributor (comes with a new o ring). And I also replaced the camshaft seal, crank seal, balance shaft seal, o ring dip stick seal, oil pan (honda bond) and all belts and hoses. What the hell can it be!!! ARAHHHH!!!

again its not ATF. the fluid has only 6k miles on it and its still pinkish red.

is there such thing as a shifter seal?

thats what my mechanic thinks it is. Unless the aftermarket rear main seal is bad? I had this problem with the other seals by the timing belt when I put aftermarket seals in and they leaked. I had to take everything apart and put OEM seals in and it solved the problem...

Ughh i hope its not the rear main, because that was $$$ pain in the *** job...

 

Yes there is a shifter seal, but it would leak ATF. Not engine oil. Follow the shift cable from the shift lever down to the tranny. It's attached to some kind of lever, whose shaft goes into the tranny. THAT's the shifter seal.

So was the rear main seal OEM or what? Got any warranty on that work (or you did it yourself)? Rear main seal is in a seal mounting plate which is in turn bolted to the block. THAT plate gets sealed (I think) with HondaBond which might be your leak?

Can the oil possibly be leaking from something else (higher elevation) then running downhill & getting blown onto the tranny? Oil pan?

 

yeah, we put aftermarket seals on the whole car. all the seals that were done on the drivers side where the timing belt was done were replaced with OEM seals & belts. their the best.

i know for a fact that the rear main seal was aftermarket. and i brought that specific seal for my mechanic. im not leaking ATF so its not the shifter seal...im just SOL. ill just have to redo it. warranty work? hahaha its to late for that and since i brought in my own seal, im screwed. gotta pay for it again!

to all my fellow accord forum members! dont buy aftermarket seals! especially the eBay ones. learn from my mistakes. the leak isnt to the point where the whole tranny is drenched in oil but its where its noticable if you take a look underneath. do you think this is something I should worry about now or get it redone? there isnt any other areas on the passenger side that can leak oil is there? i know its not the distributor or valve cover gasket...

 

How bad is the leak? Landlord gonna kick you out for leaking oil on the driveway? Do you lose enough oil to get in trouble during any of your driving? Rear main seal is a big job (as you know) so balance that against how bad the leak gets.

Other things that can leak over towards that side...
VTEC spool valve would be visible just below the valvecover on the backside of the head?
Double-check the valvecover & distributor?
Oil pressure switch is above the oil filter, so that would probably drip more towards the other side?

Hang in there for a little while, carry a couple bottles of oil in the trunk, & see who else chimes it. DesertHonda or HondaDude have a lot more shop experience as mechanics. I'm just a DIY guy on my own cars.