Fixing Oil Filter Base

[HondaBoy]

ok, i'm getting ready to finally fix my oil filter base that's leaking from the gasket. i'm pretty tired of leaving oil spots on the driveway and having smoke come up from my down pipe from oil leaking on it. so, anyway, i have the gasket. i've actually had it for some time now, maybe since last summer? i dunno. anyway i thought i'd get it done today, but all the stuff i had to go get took too long. i had to get oil, filter, and recycle my oil catch pan that was about to overflow. i'll be taking pictures of it because many people dont know what it looks like and stuff. hopefully this will go well and fix the oil leak plauging my 3gee. here's the gasket to be replaced. i've already fixed the oil pan gasket and PCV breather hose, so those arent what are leaking.
http://photobucket.com/albums/v260/HondaBoySi87/th_a6f187e4.jpghttp://photobucket.com/albums/v260/HondaBoySi87/th_ca2ad25e.jpg

[AccordEpicenter]

i think its a more common spot to get an oil leak than people realize. I changed mine and it was all hard and brittle...

[HondaBoy]

yeah, every gasket i've replaced was hard and brittle. ok i replaced the oil pan gasket once. a few months later i changed it again because i thought may i'd done it wrong, but no that wasnt it. anyway, the gasket that was on there was less than 3 months old i think and it was brittle and broke apart in places. i'm sure the heat from the bottom end has something to do with that, my valve cover gasket was sort of soft when i took it off last and sealed back up nice, it wasnt more than 2 years old. hopefully i'll have some energy to fix this thing tomorrow. i'll have to get the jack stands out from under my jetta.

[md21722]

Mine leaked badly enough that the car dripped from 5 different spots when I parked it and smelled as it burned off the exhaust pipe!!

[md21722]

I thought it was easy enough to do with the car on ramps.

Brian

[HondaBoy]

its 3 bolts right? and i dont have to take the screwed in part of the sensor out? i dont wanna have to undo the threaded part if possible. i'll check and see if its leaking too. if so, i guess some new sealant on the threads wont be hard. hopefully the sensor will pop off real nice and easy. i'm going to go ahead and change the oil too, i think its gone about 3500-4000 miles, although i didnt change it too long ago. damn i drive a lot. if this doesnt fix the oil leak i'm going to be pissed! well, off i go to work on the car.

[md21722]

The sensor will usually leak thru the top where the electrical connection is. I think you will have to remove it to get the top bolt out. Not a lot of oil will be lose removing the base, I didn't change my oil afterwards.

[HondaBoy]

yeah, i did have to take the sensor's threaded part out. it was a 24mm wrench i had to use. i tried using a socket, but the top connector that the plug fits on is in the way. so i had to use an open end wrech. after getting the threaded sensor part off, it was easy as shit! i had to scrape the old rubber gasket off the side of the block. it was stuck on pretty well. didnt leave anything on the filter base itself. i'm going to use some teflon tape on the threads of the sensor. looks like that's what it originally had. the reason i'm changing my oil is because it just needs to be changed anyway. not really a hassle to do, so i'll get that done while i'm all dirty. better now than another day i suppose.

[DBMaster]

Mine was leaking from the pan gasket AND the filter base gasket two years ago. It is apprently VERY common according to my local Honda expert shop.

Another common spot is the oil pump and/or oil pump gasket. I had also grown tires of the ever larger oil spots in the garage. I am leaving the oil pump replacement for my next timing belt job - at 260,000 miles. I have 30,000 miles to go.

[HondaBoy]

here's what this bitch looks like. oh, another thing. i'd recommend getting 3 new bolts for it instead of using the old ones. the top one, right above the sensor broke off. dont know what the hell i'm going to do now. although, its not leaking at all and the pressure is good. i'd have to probley pull the engine, drill the bolt out, and then put a new one in. hopefully 2 bolts will hold up. if not i guess i'll have to park the 3gee until i can pull the engine.

i just thought, instead of pulling the engine out, why not just undo the intake manifold. that'd make it possible to work from above and free up a good amount of space. maybe if it starts leaking or something, i can just do that and save the hassle of pulling the whole engine just to drill out a bolt.
http://photobucket.com/albums/v260/HondaBoySi87/th_fb3619d0.jpghttp://photobucket.com/albums/v260/HondaBoySi87/th_86489102.jpghttp://photobucket.com/albums/v260/HondaBoySi87/th_ec637608.jpg
http://photobucket.com/albums/v260/HondaBoySi87/th_69514548.jpghttp://photobucket.com/albums/v260/HondaBoySi87/th_ce223594.jpg

[FerretGirl]

Looks like I'm going to have to replace the oil filter base seal, since you just did it, any advice? Is there an easy way to get up in there, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot to take off to get out of the way, just a blind reach. Did you have to replace the sensor while you were at it?

[HondaBoy]

i myself thought it was going to be a harder job than it turned out to be. even though there is little space to work, it is fairly easy to fit tools up into the area. i used a 3/8's ratchet with a medium extension and of course the 10mm socket. for the sensor, you can use a flat head screw driver to help pry the plug in part off, i twisted on mine and it came off. then i used a 24mm open end wrench to get the screw in part of the sensor out. you have to take the screw on part of the sensor out of the filter base before taking the 3 bolts off.

a word of advise. order 3 new bolts, the part is 31 in the picture. and also you'll need that part 10 which is a gasket. i've found it helpful to print out a picture like the one below when i order things in the dealership, just to make sure.
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/catimgs/13SE00_A05.gif

[FerretGirl]

Thanks hondaboy, sorry I didn't realize you had replied. Turned out it was just the o-ring on the filter that blew. Weird since I drove it for a week and then it blew all of a sudden, no idea when it was changed since I just bought the car. Anyway, seems to still have an annoying oil drip from somewhere, so I may do the filter base gasket just in case. Since you make it sound so easy! Either that it's just the drain plug, but not sure why that would leak now, I changed the washer and it's on tight. Hmmm... Damn car! Now I have other issues anyway... dies at low idle, etc.... so I read on!
Cynthia

[HondaBoy]

mine started dying at low idles, as if it was flooding. a few times it started doing that it was just a busted vacuum hose, easy to replace. in cold weather it'll sometimes do it right after i've started it, A20A1 said it could be my EFE place, that's between the carb and manifold. but its usually really hot here some i'm not worrying about that. i've had to fix a lot of things on my car, just easy bolt on stuff. most gaskets i've replaced, all the hoses of the radiator, just little crap. the engine, thats still doing good. i think i might need to adjust my valves now. i'll probley see about that. i'm planning on getting a performance head anyway, so i'm not worried about keeping this one tip top since the parts are getting replaced. as of now, i have no oil leaking anywhere onto the ground, makes the driveway look a lot nicer.

[FerretGirl]

Nice that you've stopped your oil drips. So I thought my whole drip was the blown filter gasket, but now I have the slow drip that leaves small puddles everywhere I go. So I guess I'll do that base gasket after all. Damn. Anyway, adjusted the A/F and idle, etc on the carb, but still having tough starts and hard idles. Going to adjust the timing today. I'll check those vaccuum hoses too. At least Hondas are easy to work on, it's frustrating since I just bought the car, didn't plan on getting dirty so soon!
Thanks for all your tips. :)

[HondaBoy]

after i had the timing belt replaced, the timing was properly set. i noticed much nicer idle. mine idles what i'd consider slightly rough during humid air conditions outside. when its dry air outside it idles really smoother. i think this car is pretty easy to work on compared to some other cars. would be nice if there was a bit more space to work in, but its nothing to really complain about i guess. my car also idles a little rough when the alternator is under load, like when i have my lights on and stereo turned up. i've wondered if a newer alternator can help that? now, i think my car is leaking a little tranny fluid, its needing a rebuild which i'm probley going to get soon. its either that or its still dripping a bit of oil. i also have an oil leak from the distributor O ring, its really slight so i dont worry about it. i do have the O ring to replace it though, just havent gotten around to that. maybe thats whats dripping down. it really doesnt leave spots that are that noticeable and not all the time. its like one tiny dime sized spot, i'm not leaving puddles of oil, so i wont have to be checking it and topping up the oil anymore. that should save me some money.

[FerretGirl]

Seems the older they get the more they leak! Now my drain plug is still leaking, and a good little puddle every day. So when I was replacing the washer I noticed there was oil dripping from around the pan too, all the bolts were loose, so I'm assuming I should replace the pan gasket. The book says you need to hoist the engine a little to get everything out of the way... just what I needed!