1998 Accord, 4 cyl, Auto trans, 225,000 miles

There is a small oil leak on this car. I had the oil pan gasket redone last Christmas holiday (not at a dealership).

There is no exhaust smoke. I have to add almost 1 quart of oil per month.
I can see oil on the cover plate/or bracket that covers the oilpan on the passenger side. The rest of the pan seems fine ( nothing on the driverside where the serpentine belts are).

IS there anywhere else the oil can leak on the passenger side of oil pan, other than the oil pan itself? I am wondering if the guy that redid the gasket missed a spot on the passenger side of the oil pan? Or is there a place on the passenger side of the engine where oil can leak?

 

Not sure what you mean by the "cover plate". Is that the sheet-metal covering the bottom part of the bellhousing? Where you would see the torque converter if you took it off?

Possibilities to think about:
- Rear main seal. That would leak out the bottom of the bellhousing.
- Oil pressure switch. Back-side of the block near the oil filter.
- Oil filter. That would come & go with oil changes.
- VTEC spool valve. That would run down the back of the block.

Besides, I really don't know whether burning 1 quart per month (per how many miles?) is enough to make visible smoke.

 

The metal part I am talking about is about 1/4" thick, 5 inches wide, and 1' long. It is curved and covers the passenger side of the oil pan. I think there are 4 bolts holding it in place. If you remove this, then you can see the rest of the oil pan.

1) I know the oil is not coming from the oil filter or pressure switch.
2) The rest of the engine is dry (top and driver side).
3) Now that you mention Rear Bearing seal, that could be a possibility. If so, how big of a deal is this to fix? Do I need to take it to the dealer or can place like Maaco this this? Any idea how much it might cost?

Attached is a picture off the internet. the red arrow points to the metal where I see oil on it.

 

That's a stiffener bracket that bolts to the bellhousing and the engine block. It had to be removed in order to get the bolts around that end of the oil pan. It doesn't actually seal anything, but it gets in the way of tightening the oilpan bolts around that end of the pan.

It sorta makes an upside-down arch under that end of the pan, and it covers up an opening where you would see the torque converter. If the rear crankshaft seal were leaking, I think it would leak out from the low point of that bracket/arch. Not on that surface where you're pointing.

So I think the oilpan bolts around that end are awkward to reach, so maybe it is the pan that's leaking. If it was the headgasket leaking, you'd be able to see oil coming down along the block. I can't think of anyplace else.

 

Replacing the rear main seal is expensive, because the transmission has to be removed. Once the transmission is removed, replacing the seal is pretty easy.

It sounds like your issue is either the oil pan leaking under that cover or possibly the rear main seal. Any good shop can fix the rear main seal or the oil pan leak. I'd personally have them check the installation of the oi pan gasket first, because this would be much less expensive repair. Or take it back to the original shop that replaced the gasket.

 

I will take it back to the shop and have them double check it. Hopefully they just need to tighten the bolts over there...( under the "stiffener bracket")

Or is this something I can do? Just remove the stiffener and look in there? If the rear seal is leaking, I should see oil running down to the stiffener?

Is it possible to just tighten the oilpan bolts just 1/4 of a turn and that might be enough (about 10 ft lbs?)?

 

The official manual says sealant without a gasket. If they did that, and allowed that side to begin drying before installing & tightening, then it might require taking it off & starting over.

But I've heard of people using a gasket in which case tightening it might work.