I have a 1996 accord ex coupe with the 2.2 vtec motor, and it seems to be leaking oil around the oil filter. The first filter that was there actually worked itself loose I found, and the 2nd one I tightened to what I was told, not over tightened and the leak went away for a week or two, then it got worse, it is leaking out all over the axles, and suspension parts, like its spraying out. I have checked tightness, its fine, thought maybe valve cover gasket was bad, changed it, no difference, thought oil pan gasket was bad, checked bolts, found 2 loose, but tightening them seemed to make it leak worse.. My car literally smells like burning oil all them time, and its up to 1/2 a quart or more gone every fill-up, smoke not coming out exhaust, ive checked and tried emissions, and it passes fine. I'm just getting sick of checking for leaks, and people asking me whats burning on my car or having the windows down and being stopped smelling strong burning oil, any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks

 

oh I also forgot, it rarely drips any oil if I let it sit till cold, it leaks only when running under pressure, some times I can actually see it dripping, and if I drive it for more than an hour there is a small puddle of oil about the size of a quarter on the ground

 

Ok what you need to do is buy engine degreaser and spray it where you think the leak is and hose it down real good this way you can tell where the leak is coming from

 

replace the filter with a new one of a different manufacturer, and while the filter is off look above the filter housing to see if there is any oil above the filter. If there is oil above the filter it could be that your oil pressure sending unit is failing. I know on my car, which has the f23 not the f22, that the oil pressure unit is directly above the filter. I have a sensor in there for an oil pressure gauge but for stock cars this is the sensor that trips the oil pressure warning light on your dash.

My sending unit has failed internally once causing oil to leak from it, then dripping down over the oil filter and back of the block and axles until it dropped on to the exhaust and burned off. Its a relatively cheap fix if this is the case.

I would consult the repair manual for your car to locate this sensor.

 

x2 on the oil sending unit. Easier to see when the filter is off, it is above the oil filter.

 

seems obvious but also some filters have a "o-ring" around the top of the filter, sometimes when your not looking those "o-rings" like to jump off and run away.

 

Try and check the VTEC Solenoid. When I first trading for my Accord, it had a bad oil leak like you're talking about. I checked everywhere on the engine and finally sprayed it down with brake cleaner at work and notice my VTEC Solenoid was pouring oil out of it from a crushed and old gasket. It would run down over the filter, down to the axle and sling everywhere under the car. I replaced it and haven't had any leaks since.