97 lx bad cam seal????
 

i went to midas for an oil change, and they did a routine check of the car and the worker there said i have 2 oil leaks, the oil pan gasket and cam seal is bad!!! i knew the oil pan was bad but cam seal is a suprise to me.

i had the car state inspected and completely checked in feb. and my shop said the car looks good besides the oil pan and a leak at on of the bolts that hold the valve cover on...

my question is can the guy at midas be wrong and if hes right is it worth fixing due to how hard to fix and cost???
i like the honda but im limited on cash so i dunno what to do at this point. i intend on pulling the timing cover and inspect myself but its raining here for the next 7 days, the first break in weather im going to run out and pull the cover to inspect.

Yes pull the cover and inspect yourself......of course keep an eye on the oil level util all leaks are fixed.

Well i already check the oil once a week, dont notice real oil loss until the end of the 3000 miles the only dripping leak was only coming from the oil drain plug, as it had a bad seal, the oil pan gets build up, but no leakage as of yet, and do i have to change the valve cover gasket if i remove the cover??? Its reletively new, within a year... if weather persists i will pull the timing cover today and inspect, take pics etc. But right now the car runs fine no belt whining or issues, its been great so far with minimal repairs.

You can re-use the vc gasket, might add a dab of silicone to the "cam humps" on final install.

What I would do is remove the vc and get the top tb cover off. Install vc temp - don't worry with the silicone here.

Then start the car and look at the cam seal real close for leaks.....of course if it is not leaking and there is oil coming from behind the cover. There are other places (balance shaft seal, crank and oil pump) it could be coming from.

Which makes me now back up and ask this, are you sure there is oil leaking from behind the cover? So instead of pulling the cover just yet, get under it - safety - and look for leaks. Also look at the top - belt end - of the engine for signs of leaks......take pics of anything you find.

"Oil leaking from behind the cover" are your refering to timing cover, because i never noticed a leak ther just the midas guy, when running i might take an hd video or pics dunno which yet...

Yes if any of the seals or oil pump o-ring behind the timing covers is leaking there will be some oil coming out the bottom timing cover.

There are times where the cam seal, if leaking, oil will leak out onto the block about where the two come together on the firewall side of the engine.

here are 3 pics...
1st is from above, youll see exhaust manifold to the left
Attachment 18070

next pic is under car belt side front...


Attachment 18071

last is belt side rear...

Attachment 18072

im letting the car cool down for a little while and take the vc and tb covers off and ill take pics of that also...

Before takeing the cover off, get a pic from the top - belt side - rear......please if you can.

Now.

Pic one looks like normal build up from an oil pan leak.

Two could be "drippage" from three.

I'm beginning to worry that this might be from a valve cover leak, yes I know you replaced it but those corners where the head makes a 90 degree turn to the "cam hump" are usually a place where leaks happen.

ill do that now.