So I bought a prelude about 8 months ago and had a tiny oil leak after oil was changed, I then noticed that eventually it stopped completely and figured it was overfilled or something. 8 months later I go get my oil changed on my 3 month period and get the 50$ package at jiffylube. Didnt look for oil leaks because i didnt suspect them and I park at a different spot in my apartment complex everyday so oilspots were not something i was looking for. I then went to an automotive shop and dropped 650$ on my timing belt/water pump about 2-3 weeks ago. Yesterday I drove home (2 hour drive) and parked my car on our pavement. The next morning I wake up and there is a huge oil spot on my driveway (probably an oil spot the size of a basketball). So I drive to jiffylube and tell them whats up, they top me off and tell me it looks like it is coming from the rear crankshaft seal. So about 20 hours later after having them top it off there is oil leaked probably the size of a cd under my car...I'm completely lost at what to do because I dont have the money for a shop to remove my transmission and replace my rear crankshaft seal...which could be upwards of a few hundered dollars in labor....any advice or opinions would be much appreciated...Thanks
Thats when friends with experiance come in place. Yet I am a rook and i'm still on the learning boat, i'm pretty sure a helms manuel will help me out, and with a full out garage 5 steps from my house will come in handy. But anyway back to the topic... helms manuel ... ?
good luck isnt as easy as it sounds... especially with no experience. lol
its actually not difficult at all. i was very surprised at how straight forward the whole procedure is. i changed my belt all by myself and everything works fine, no timing off by a tooth etc.. i had NO experience with tbelts prior to working on my own car. i just took it apart and did it. im barely 17.
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David
01 SSM SH
93 d15 auto del slo gone and FORGOTTENexcept for a few memories....
Like what can you really do in this situation. There is no use of a bandage for this situation. Your going to need a garage to get to the crankshaft seal. Your ither gunna have to waite it out and collect the cash, or if you got a buddy as a mechanic with his own pro shop and do it youself so you cut the whole labor idea. It sucks that the problem is in the middle of everything.
use someones garage and order a rear main i did this job in two days with a socket set, two floor jacks, 4 jack stands, helms manual, and alot of determination. i have never worked on a car before i did this job. o yea get a torque wrench also and some blue lockit lol and ultra high temp urea grease i used high temp all purpose and nothing bad has happened and go ahead and get some dot 3 brake fluid as you will need to bleed your clutch. if your rear main seal is leaking there is a few things you can look for to make sure losing oil look under your car there is a little rectangular hole this is pretty much the only way oil can come out of your clutch housing. also if your clutch is slipping/squealing can be a sign but it could also be worn out. o yea get a glove while the motor is hot right after you drive it somewhere pull that black plug off thats right beside your h22a4 stamp thats inside your clutch housing you can see your flywheel there (with a flashlight) when my seal and cover assembly went smoke barreled out of this thing but it sounds like mine may have been a bit worse than yours
o yea youll also need a clutch alignment tool they should be very cheap if you can find one and if oil is in your clutch housing you will have to clean the flywheel, pressure plate, clutch disc very well. and usually best to change out your bearing. basically clean up everything in that housing. no oil allowed in there EVER
i keep remembering things you also need 2qt of tranny fluid as you will have to drain this or get a mess. and dont try to add it while its off the car haha its a big stinky mess
i went with Pennzoil synchromesh shifts great ands it fairly cheap unless your automatic then disregard all and either swap to a manual or roll your car down a hill and claim it on insurance.
Last edited by chris112818; 02-24-2010 at 10:34 PM.
Okay guys, so I took it back to the shop that did my timing belt, they said it was their fault and what they did was pinching the gasket or something. SO they got a new gasket for me for free. Oh and by the way my honda emblem was missing when i got my car back...they said it was gone when they got it...hmmm. Anyways I get my car back and they say no oil leaks....later that night I drive to the gym and it leaks exactly as before, Oh and also now my check engine light went on. I had NO leaks prior to this timing belt change. So what do you think about that?
They shouldnt have touched anything having to do with oil when they changed your timing belt...as far as a gasket being pinched..the only gasket I can think that they would have messed with is your Valve Cover gasket.
I say clean up the oil all on the block and/or transmission, drive it around for a few miles, then grab a light and start searching for the leak
They also did Serp belts. I dunno if that helps. I dont know anything about cars really though, All i know is that i never leaked oil prior to this maintenance repair...
They shouldnt have touched anything having to do with oil when they changed your timing belt...as far as a gasket being pinched..the only gasket I can think that they would have messed with is your Valve Cover gasket.
I say clean up the oil all on the block and/or transmission, drive it around for a few miles, then grab a light and start searching for the leak
This isn't necessarily true. If they did a thorough job they would have replaced he cam and balance shaft seals, which can leak like a sieve if not replaced properly.
Ya i guess what makes me so mad and makes me feel like i should be paying for anything is there was no sign of any problem before this service...Now what are the chances that I have this HUGE oil leak almost immediately, if not immediately after the service is done...? Doesn't make sense to me.
Okay so I took it back and they said its leaking in the same spot, they said that they put a Brand new OEM gasket on and that it is most likely the head is warped or something. So he said they will need to take the thing that says honda vtec off and either shave it down so it sits flush or see if they can get a new one if it is too warped. I got a pic of where the oil leak is coming from. It is about 3 or 4 inches down from the arrow in that hole.
has he done a leakdown test? i always do one when i smell oil burning or im leaking oil even if i can see where it is... ive never had a leak from there though...
From the picture you sent with the arrow showing the location of the leak it could be a cam seal. Did they replace any seals when they did the belts? As ion four pointed out an improperly positioned/replaced seal will leak like a sieve. The front balance shaft seal can also cause leaks if you don't have the retaining clip installed, this was a retrofit/honda/service procedure after the seals started popping out. If your car was serviced at Honda the retainer was probably installed, but if it wasn't it might be missing. My 98 recently popped out this seal and dumped 4 qts of oil all over the belts and pulleys in about a mile of driving. Also, from your picture, it is obvious this is not the REAR main seal as it's on the other end of the motor, could be the FRONT main seal. My best guess is either the cam seals or front balance shaft seal, which are oftentimes replaced when doing the belts. If they are leaking as much oil as you describe the recently replaced belts could be oil soaked and need to be replaced again. Finally, the shop that did the belts, and later replaced the OEM valve cover gasket, and now says warped head blah blah, is full of sh*t, it probably is their fault, but they are to lazy to tear it down far enough to check the cam or balance shaft seals. You really need a second opinion from another shop. Good luck, satwilson
if youre finding puddles of oil after your car has sat all night i would think the leak has to be from a low laying seal or maybe something as simple as a loose drain bolt. i mean, i dont think youre gonna get much leaking from a camshaft seal or anything while the engine is not running. next time you notice a puddle under the car get under there and look at the bottom of the bell housing. theres a small drain to allow for fluids that leak into there to escape. if the bottom of the bell housing looks dirty with oil then it may be your rear main seal. i hope its not. even if the drain hole on the bell housing is dirty still check for oil run down from a higher source before you assume its coming from inside the housing. good luck
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haha its a big stinky mess 
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