One Oil Leak After Another!

[HondaBoy]

damn, thats what it seems like on my 3gee. this shit is pissing me off like crazy. seems every time i replace something it fucks up later on. its really just these damn oil leaks. guess i shouldnt complain too much though, nothing mechanically has bothered me too many times. anyway, whats leaking now, again actually, is the oil filter base gasket. its a few bucks at the dealership. they usually have em in stock. even then i'll be willing to wait. so last time i replaced the gasket, when putting the oil filter base back on, i didnt get new bolts. it has 3 flange bolts that have to be torqued. they over stretched, one broke, so 2 are holding the base on the block. i think its been less than a year that i replaced that shit. anyway, this time i made a parts list. i really want to take the intake manifold off because its a real bitch getting parts through the little bit of space under the car. here's the parts list...
1- intake manifold gasket
11- 8mm flange nuts for manifold
3- flanges bolots for oil filter base
1-oil filter base gasket
1- 7qt. bottle Castrol 10W30
1- Honda oil filter
i think that's all i'm going to need. any other parts maybe on the intake manifold that will have to be replaced besides the gasket and flange nuts? i'm getting new hardware because of previous things going wrong with original hardware.

[lostforawhile]

yea you are def going to need to fix that bolt,you've seen the gasket before,it requires even torque all the way across it or it will continue to leak. make sure you use a torque wrench too,it doesn't take much,too much will also squeeze out that o ring. also put some threadlocker on the bolts before you put them back in,don't use red or you'll never get them out again. use locktite blue.

[HondaBoy]

yeah, i was actually going to ask that about the thread lock. which one to use and what not. i have some of the blue stuff left. i hope i dont have to drill out the broken bolt. if so, i'm prepared for that. that's my main reason on taking the intake manifold off. and you i'm sure know what a hell of a time you have manouvering around at the back side of the engine. dunno if i'm going to do it tomorrow or not. i want to because i'd like to take my car out since its friday night. if all things go well at the dealership, i'll hopefully get it done tomorrow before the evening. i just hope i dont end up having to replace anything like the hoses that run from the oil pan through the baffle thing to the pcv. it doesnt even leak that bad, but it does eventually drip right onto the down pipe and smokes. did that before for the longest time, not going to have that again. i love this car, so that's about the only reason i'm going to get right on this. plus its my dependable daily driver, beside little crap like this.

oh, its been since april when i put a new gasket on there. that was like exactly 6 months of no leaks.

[nswst8]

I didn't torqe mine, just snugged them all down. But I did use thread lock.
Sound like you just got alittle over anxiuos when putting it back together.

[carotman]

If only the head snapped off the bolt, you should be able to get it out without any problem. Once the filter base is removed, the bolt should protrude a bit out of the engine block.

[POS carb]

vise grips!!
carot's right, there's a good chance it is poking out, if not then I can only think of those "screw-out" bits for reversible drills, and its going to be a pain in the ass to drill the pilot hole

[CHonda]

tough break dude ..

on that same note, rather than posting/starting a new thread, i gotta quik question for Hondaboy or anyone in here that can help..i think i may have the exact same problem but wanna consult some others before i go attempt it myself.

Anyway, on my 3G i just fixed the tranny, drive shafts (both), all upper control arms and all ball joints. When I got the car back, I noticed it was appearing to be smoking slightly but i thought it was just excess oil on the intake manifold from the shop burning off ... i was wrong .. :uh: the problem has worsened now .. there is no longer a question of the smoke, it just what/where/why is there smoke ...

i havent driven the car in about 3 weeks because of university and the smoke plus i've had no time to attempt to fix it until now ...
I've done the research and narrowed it down to either the intake manifold, exhaust manifold, or cylinder head. this is where i require the assistance....

1) .... i've checked/monitored the oil level and it looks fine (just a tiny bit over the 2 dots (see link) .. someone told me this would not cause that kind problem .. true or false?
http://img465.imageshack.us/img465/5150/oillevel7pe.jpg

2) Here is an actual pic of my engine bay with the rising smoke circled in red ..?.. is it safe to say its the exhaust manifold or the gaskets within?...i say thar because it appears as if it is leaking oil or something near the exhaust manifold..i also took a quik clip with my digi cam .. see link at bottom bottom of post
http://img465.imageshack.us/img465/5005/actualpic0hl.jpg

3) If it is that, the ehaust manifold as source of leak, I am wondering if the items circled in the picture below is all I would need to replace to resolve the issue??
http://img490.imageshack.us/img490/5637/gasketstoreplace6cu.jpg

any input is greatly appreciated... thanx dudes
link to small video clip

http://s37.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2Y9DFASTKW7C81R4RQA97C3LAX

[carotman]

Looks like your valve cover gasket is leaking.

[CHonda]

valve cover gasket huh .. anyone else agree or disagree ....?..
from the manual, it looks like the other set of gaskets from where the exhaust manifold is ..
(the 3rd link in my previous posting)

here is a better picture with the area defined better ..
http://img486.imageshack.us/img486/4650/actualpic0ym.jpg


am I wrong, and is that basically what needs to get done.?..the valve cover gasket
(thanx for the quik reply by the way carotman)

is that a major/expensive repair .. or can the gasket be replaced relatively easy by someone slightly mechanically inclined ..? im in canada too... any price estimations?

[lostforawhile]

tough break dude ..
on that same note, rather than posting/starting a new thread, i gotta quik question for Hondaboy or anyone in here that can help..i think i may have the exact same problem but wanna consult some others before i go attempt it myself.
Anyway, on my 3G i just fixed the tranny, drive shafts (both), all upper control arms and all ball joints. When I got the car back, I noticed it was appearing to be smoking slightly but i thought it was just excess oil on the intake manifold from the shop burning off ... i was wrong .. :uh: the problem has worsened now .. there is no longer a question of the smoke, it just what/where/why is there smoke ...
i havent driven the car in about 3 weeks because of university and the smoke plus i've had no time to attempt to fix it until now ...
I've done the research and narrowed it down to either the intake manifold, exhaust manifold, or cylinder head. this is where i require the assistance....
1) .... i've checked/monitored the oil level and it looks fine (just a tiny bit over the 2 dots (see link) .. someone told me this would not cause that kind problem .. true or false?
http://img465.imageshack.us/img465/5150/oillevel7pe.jpg
2) Here is an actual pic of my engine bay with the rising smoke circled in red ..?.. is it safe to say its the exhaust manifold or the gaskets within?...i say thar because it appears as if it is leaking oil or something near the exhaust manifold..i also took a quik clip with my digi cam .. see link at bottom bottom of post
http://img465.imageshack.us/img465/5005/actualpic0hl.jpg
3) If it is that, the ehaust manifold as source of leak, I am wondering if the items circled in the picture below is all I would need to replace to resolve the issue??
http://img490.imageshack.us/img490/5637/gasketstoreplace6cu.jpg
any input is greatly appreciated... thanx dudes
link to small video clip
http://s37.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2Y9DFASTKW7C81R4RQA97C3LAXok before you take off the exaust manifold i would say you need to replace your valve cover gasket,from looking at the video i would say oil is leaking all over your manifold. this is a very common problem in these cars. I see burned oil all over the top of the manifold for one thing. take off the valve cover,clean off all the old crud on it,clean al of the crud off the cyl head where the gasket goes,be careful of the aluminum,and replace that gasket.they did overfill your oil,it's supposed to be between the two marks,the upper and lower,according to my book. that might have made it worse. you need to fix this I've seen a lot of burned three gs because of this. also clean off the crud on the exaust manifold,you might want to take off the shroud to do this. that oily mess can ignite. it's cast iron so you can use a wire brush or something like it. also before you install the valve cover put some silicone on the round parts at both ends of the cylinder head,in the corners. this seals the corners of the gasket

[Blkblurr]

Looks like the valve cover gasket to me as well. It's really the only source of oil above the exhuast manifold. The head gasket could leak but you would almost always have other more serious problems if it leaked that much.

[HondaBoy]

CHonda, looks like your valve cover gasket is leaking some. its an easy fix and a cheap thing to replace. you should be able to find a new valve cover gasket at any auto parts store. that's something i've found to be in stock at every store i go to since its the same for a few other engines in 2nd gen accord and some preludes with single cam heads.

as for my 3gee, yesterday it started smoking more meaning its leaking worse. its also been much cooler than it usually is, that happened last time when it got kinda cold. anyway, i think i'm just going to let it sit for a few days until my parts come in. shouldnt take too much longer, i ordered on friday 21st. said parts usually come in 3 work days. most times thats right unless the delivery truck breaks down like last time! i'm hoping i dont have to drill the bolt out, i was thinking i will because it was more than just the head of the bolt that broke off. man dealership prices are bullshit! they way overcharged on the bolts. like $2 each for bolts listed for $0.17!!!

anyway, what do y'all think? is it worth it to remove the intake manifold? remember i have a carb with only a few vac lines, no emissions control BS. oh, and last time when i put the filter base back on i used my torque wrench. i remember when i took the bolts off, they made that poping noise that usually indicates they are in need of replacement. it says something about that in one of my repair manuals.

[lostforawhile]

don't feel bad, i had just replaced my crank and cam seal when i did my timing belt and valve stem seals,now it's %^##(*&^%%%&))___ leaking again,all those parts i just replaced now have to be replaced over. it's dripping oil at the bottom of the belt cover again. I'm gonna pull the crank pulley off and make sure it's not the oil pan again.for once I hope it is.

[88Accord-DX]

On any seals besides on the head gasket & valve stem seals, exhaust manifold gasket. I like to use a little extra silicone gasket sealer on rear main seals, water pump, intake & front cover & front crank seals, oil pan. Just a little extra insurance.

[NastyNate]

ya my car was doing that smoken crap after i did my 5 speed swap. but i got under the car and noticed it was the oil pan to i just tighened the bolts and it has stoped the smoking. also i have a leaky vaulve gaskit and thats not cousing the smoke in my case. just something to look at if it does not stop after the vaulve cover

[lostforawhile]

It's probably that valve cover gasket,just remember about puttint the silicone in the corners,where the round parts are on the head,do this right before you put the valve cover back on,and don't over torgue it,or it will leak also. just snug down those nuts,remember it's like an o ring. if you squeeze it too much it'll leak

[88Accord-DX]

It's probably that valve cover gasket,just remember about puttint the silicone in the corners, just snug down those nuts,remember it's like an o ring. if you squeeze it too much it'll leak
That is true, just put silicone around the corners to hold it it place.
Finger tight them at first, then torque them to about 7 lbs. evenly.. (Chiltons recommends)

[lostforawhile]

what i meant was on the four corners on the cylinder head,where it goes from flat to round. it always leaks at the corners so it needs a bit of silicone there.

[HondaBoy]

ayt, those sumbitches made me wait a full week. good thing the bolts came today. and this is some bs, i had to get 10 bolts to get them. you cant just get 3. came out to $11.77 for 10 flange bolts! but, they are brand new ones that arent going to break when torqueing them down. here they are. i hope they were worth it. i'll tell yall how this goes. i hope to god i dont run into any more problems!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/HondaBoySi87/dfcf7e5a.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/HondaBoySi87/059013a0.jpg

[HondaBoy]

well, i successfully got all the bolts out. the top one was the one that had originally snapped off last time. come to find out, the lower right one had done this too. i thought that might be the cause because the filter base was somewhat cocked to the side, not sitting where it should when i looked down at it from the top of the engine. must have happened a few weeks ago, thats when the leak started. i'm thinking it could have been because of the rough roads i drive on. and i've put a lot of miles on it since doing this procedure before. anyway, i'm taking a little break. so i thought i'd show y'all the bolts that are left. you can see how much of them snapped off. lucky for me there was just enough sticking out that vise grips got it. i didnt think i'd be able to fit them in that small space, but i managed. anyway, check out these pix.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/HondaBoySi87/ba2e7ae9.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/HondaBoySi87/5238fdb6.jpg

[HondaBoy]

well, so far, no leaks from the filter base. i only torqued those bolts down to about 10 ft/lbs. since i couldnt find what to torque that down to i thought that'd be good. the real pain in the ass is that pressure sensor on top of the filter base. getting a wrench on it isnt easy with the little bit of space there is to work in. and a ratchet, pretty much forget that. i think its a 24mm socket used on it, it didnt really fit on there good because there's so little space. anyway, all is well with no oil leaks. its still got some oil puddled on the back of the engine so it smokes a little, i can just rinse it off. after not driving my car for a few days, the valve cover gasket is leaking from the middle. not noticeably i guess since it doesnt do it when i've been driving it every day. that gasket isnt that old, less that 3 years old, but has been taken off and reused with sealant put on it a few times. i should just go ahead and change it out when i get a chance.