93 accord lx oil leak
 

hi,
looking for help diagnosing an oil leak on my 93 accord lx 4 cylinder automatic.
the leak is slow but steady, if i don't add oil i suppose it might be down to
one quart within a month of daily driving, maybe 6 weeks.

i've found that oil seems to be everywhere starting high up with oil leaking down
and covering the backside of the engine and dripping down to eventually cover
the bottom of the pan with oil. oil will also leak onto the exhaust while i am at
a stop causing a burning smell at times.

i recently replaced the valve cover gasket to fix oil leaking into the plug sockets
and this is not the source of my leak, as there is no oil around the cover.

there is oil under the distributor and that may be one problem, but i still don't
think that explains the amount of oil on the backside of the engine? i have seen
posts mentioning the oil pressure switch, anyway to check this with the engine running?
basically i don't want to go replacing seals without identifying the leak.

other than the leak the engine runs fine.

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

Pull back the rubber boot to the oil pressure switch. If it has a bunch oil in it, replace it. It is an inexpensive part that you can get from the dealership. Also repair the distributor oil leak by replacing the o-ring.

Tracing an oil leak can be a pain. Repair the leaks that you have found. Try to clean the block as best as you can. Drive the car a couple of days, then look for oil. Oil will only leak down, so try to find the highest point on the block to get an idea of the source. You can always have some dye added to the oil and have a mechanic look at it. It can't be too expensive to diagnose.

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

I agree with PAhonda. If you pick up some engine degreaser at your local auto parts store you should get a good look at where the leak(s) are. I have used Gunk brand and it worked well.
Good luck.

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

Dang Slusher, it's been almost a year since you posted. Where you been?

I also agree with the above 2 posts. You are probably going to have to clean the engine to find the exact source of the leak.

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

OK,
definite leak at the oil pressure switch, i'll replace that and distributor o-ring
and see if that helps the problem.

how much can the oil pressure switch leak? could it be responsible for the
majority of my leak?

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

It could be the major source of your oil leak. Fix the two leaks and monitor your oil loss.

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

so i need a little help with the distributor o-ring,
does it just get placed against the distributor body and then
squeezed between the distributor and head?

i pulled of the distributor and don't see any sign of an old o ring

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

Look at the pic on this link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/90-91...spagenameZWDVW

The black o-ring is near the bottom of the pic.

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

oh ok,
i guess on mine that would be the part that is now so hard it
can't be recognized as rubber any longer, i'll have to scrape it out
to get the new one in that groove.

thanks

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

replaced both the distributor o-ring and the oil pressure switch, now i'll
just keep a close eye on the oil level the next few days to see if that
helped the problem. thanks to those who helped me out.

for anyone interested, the cost of parts from my local honda dealer:
oil pressure switch=$13.55
distributor o-ring=$4.45

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

So after replacing the oil pressure switch and distributor o-ring
i still have a very consistent oil leak. It makes its way down to
the bottom of the belt cover and drips off of that and onto the
ground directly below the belts. I'm pretty sure it's not coming
all the way down from the valve cover as I can't witness a leak
there. I've attached a photo of the point where it drips, i know
this may be useless because it could be coming from higher up,
but the photos are just in case someone has seen this same drip
pattern/location. Based on the location and what I've read on this
forum it seems the camshaft seal or the crankshaft seal are two likely
culprits, ...based on the oil gathered near the base of the upper timing
cover i'm thinking camshaft seal, is there a way to really check this,
i.e., can i remove the upper timing cover easily to verify the leak?




[IMG]local://upfiles/15185/A0757D7BB3504F9DB75ED89DDBD61A99.jpg[/IMG]

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

The upper cover is easy. Remove the valve cover then the upper timing belt cover. I think that there is a DIY writeup about the cam seal. You might want to check that out. Also if the timing belt is soaked in oil, then I would suggest changing it. Oil will drastically reduce the belt life and you don't want that thing to snap.

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

After removing the valve cover and looking at the top of the timing belt I now
see that it is completely dry. I'm assuming if either the cam seal or crankshaft seal
were causing the leak that the timing belt would be coated in oil. So in the case of
my leak that ends up dripping under the belts i'm guessing it's happening somewhere
at the valve cover where i can't see it, or maybe i just have a bad oil pan gasket
that pools and always drips on the left side. Any thoughts on this theory?

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

Any resolution to this leak? I have a '90 accord with the exact same leak. Mine seems to be coming from even higher up, but always from the backside of the engine. I can see oil on the intake manifold bolt in the middle. Any chance of oil coming from that high up??

Thanks,
Fax

PS I have already done the timing cover so I too don't think it is from there. I also get oil dripping off of the oil filter, but that and the oil under the belts I think is just run off from higher up.

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

I would start a new post if this doesn't answer your question, because there were several leaks that were mentioned by the original poster.

If you are getting oil on the bolt that hold intake manifold on to the cylinder head, then the leak has to be at that level or higher.

I would suggest to inspect the back part valve cover, because that is about the only thing that could leak oil that far up on the engine. If you get oil in the spark plug tubes, you can change out those gaskets on top of the valve cover when you are doing the lower valve cover seal.

I would also check for oil stains from underneath the distributor and the oil pressure sending unit, because those are the usual suspects for oil leaks.

Good Luck.

RE: 93 accord lx oil leak
 

I think I've got it. I wiped the whole back of the engine down with a rag so there was no fluid oil anywhere. I had to get the engine running and crawl back under, there was a slow drip from where the wires come out of the sender unit. I'll order one tomorrow and let u all know if that kills the leak. If it does I'll be kicking myself because I have had this leak for a year or more, for a $15 part.