Hi,

1993 Honda Accord LX 220k miles. Runs great but this oil leak has me down. The leak is on the drivers side running down the middle of the oil pan. Not sure where its coming from going to try dye next.
I replaced the Cam, Crankshaft and Oil pump seals earlier in the year when I did the timing belts last weekend I tackled the oil pan gasket (which is done).
Still leaks and leaves me shaking my head and a bit despondant.

Did I put a seal in badly? Taking all that apart would be a major job..

Sorry, my questoin is where else can it leak from above the oil pan
near the middle?

I know lower the timing belt cover has a gash in it, from maybe a belt break, but that much oil should not be in there anyway.
I am loosing a good 5 tablespoons or about a quart a week.

Any ideas help etc..
Thanks,
Bob

 

I hear you: mysterious oil leaks are frustrating. I looked at your past posts and you've been fighting an oil leak for awhile. If you're sure that the oil filter, valve cover gasket, and oil pressure sender aren't leaking then most likely the leak is coming from under the timing belt cover. A leak under the TB cover tends to wind its way over to the middle of the back of the oil pan. A PITA, I know, but the only positive way to diagnose an under-the-cover leak is to remove the covers, put the crankshaft pulley back on, then run the engine to see which seal the oil is leaking out of. Don't put the alternator or power steering belts on when you run the engine; it won't hurt to run it for ten minutes w/o a charging system, and it's safer to poke your head underneath without the belts in the way.

Good luck.

 

Dont I have to take the tensioner bolt off to get the bottom cover off ?
Or cover come off without taking that off?

 

No, the cover will come off with the tensioner bolt (actually a closed-end nut if I remember correctly) in place. I've always tensioned the TB and balance shaft belts then put the covers back on. The lower cover is a pain but since the left motor mount is off you can adjust the engine up and down with a floor jack under the oil pan to get the cover back on. Stick a piece of wood on the floor jack saddle so the pan isn't damaged.

 

Thanks, will try to do that in a week when it cools again. We are going over 90 this weekend and I am not much for that heat in the garage.
Have you tried oil dye? I am going to give that a try as well.
Bob

 

No, never tried dye. Had a new aftermarket balance shaft seal leak on me once and drip out in the same spot yours, back of the pan. With the covers off and the engine running, a flashlight showed the seal getting wet with oil where it contacts the shaft. It was a pretty small leak but it was visible. It took about five minutes of running for a single drip of oil to move from the balance shaft to the back of the pan. If you're losing a quart per week then I'd think the location of the leak would be really noticeable with the covers off.

IDK if it was a cheap/bad seal or if I somehow screwed up putting it on. Since that experience I only use OEM seals and polish the shafts with 1000 grit emery paper before installing them.