Took the car to the DIY car wash and washed the outside as well as extensively under the hood. I am amazed at how good the the engine compartment looks now -- about as good as it did after I detatailed the compartment for at least two hours before I did the timing belt job almost 7 years ago.

When we brought the car to a halt in the garage after taking the car for the wash, I left the engine running and lifted the hood all the way back to get a really good look at the area of the engine block just below the driver's side rear corner of the valve cover. Sure enough, there was fresh oil present on the little shelf. If my eyes didn't trick me, I think I could see oil leaking from that corner of the valve cover down to the little platform in the engine block a few inches below it.

I then waited an hour or so, went back into the garage, lifted the hood and cleaned the little platform shown below. I then tightened the four valve cover screws and started the engine. I observed no oil leaking out of the valve cover and, significantly, no oil leaking from the back edge of the top timing cover.

I then snapped the following photo:


I have placed a piece of cardboard that has a garbage bag over it under the car to catch any drips. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that merely tightening the valve cover fasteners has stopped the leak. (Wouldn't that be nice?) If it hasn't stopped it, I'll replace the cover gasket, observe the result and, if necessary, remove the top cover to see if it is the cam shaft seal that has failed, etc.

 

Glad it is looking good.....I'm more and more towards the VC gasket....Hoping for the best for you.

 

Thanks.

There is still some minor leak, but tightening the cover dramatically reduced the rate. Tomorrow or Wednesday I guess I'll bite the bullet for the VC gasket and some Hondabond and see what replacing the gasket does. That's a pretty easy and inexpensive fix, if it works.

 

Finally got to it today. I replaced the valve cover gasket, along with tube seals and top washers/seals. The old tube seals had leaked quite a bit. There was maybe a quarter of an inch of oil around one of the plugs.

The cam seal was, unfortunately, also leaking, so I replaced that, too. I followed deserthonda's procedure and took particular care not to drop camshaft key. It was difficult to install the new seal because it was hard to align the new seal in the opening and press evenly all the way around with the plastic edge of the lower cover so close to the shaft and seal area. But I finally managed to do it. I hope the thing doesn't come popping out of there, because I don't relish the thought of doing the job over again.

When it came time to put the timing belt back on the sprocket, I could not manage to slip it back completely on. I could put it partically on from about 7 o'clock to 1 o'clock, but no more. I did not want to loosen the adjusting nut if I could avoid it, so I sought a solution.

I was almost certain I had the belt tooth in the correct valley of the cam sprocket, so I had my wife rotate the crank clockwise using a socket, extension and breaker bar, while I used a socket wrench on the cam sproket to rotate it clockwise very slowly. After the cam sprocket rotated less than 1/4 turn, the belt slipped all the way on the sprocket and I confirmed that the proper tooth of the belt was indeed in the proper valley of the cam sprocket.

I re-assembled everything and now not a single drop of oil has fallen on the floor after a 20 minute drive, so I believe I was successful in stopping the leak.

Now if we do decide to sell the car, we will not have to sell a car that is leaking oil. Good!

Thanks for the advice, guys.

 

Glad you got it....I was wondering yesterday how it was going....Thanks for the update.

 

I am assisting someone vai email who is at the point of installing the balance belt.

I have a question about the hole in the REAR balance shaft -- the one that is accessed by removing the access bolt on the firewall-side of the engine block, and the one into which you insert a rod or dowel or drill bit in order to ensure that the shaft is in the correct rotational orientation.

Does the hole go all the way through the shaft, or does it go only part way through?

The reason I ask the question is that if the hole goes all the way through, by inserting the rod into the hole from the wrong "end", that would position the shaft exactly 180 degrees incorrectly.

If the hole goes only part way through, the shaft MUST be in the correct postion in order to get the rod into it.

Anybody know whether that hole goes all the way through or not?

Thanks.

 

Look at the pics closely. It appears to only have a hole on one side. The hole is not through centerline of balance shaft. It is below centerline. When rotated 180, it is not accessible at all.

PM your email address for a writeup I found some time ago about rear balance shaft alignment. It is tricky to get right.

good luck

 

Here is a pic - thanks to "someone else".....yea it is upside down but you get the idea.....just a TX said, it is "off center" so it can't be locked 180 out.

 

Many thanks to Texas and poorman.

 

Another quick question for the forum to help another member, because my memory of the job is not perfect.

When the bolt that holds the balance belt tensioner is installed and tightened (the bolt that the pink arrow on the drawing in post 33 is pointing to), does/should that prevent the tensioner from pivoting freely, or is there a "shoulder" that the tensioner pivots on, again, even after the bolt is tightened?

Thanks.