Just wondering- burning rich - Honda Prelude Forum

chris112818 · 02-03-2010, 10:35 PM

Alright i have a 2001 base manual and the rear main seal went to hell due to a pressure plate bolt being in the clutch housing. (just imagine that bolt bouncing around in there

) I'm going to get fix it next week. I'm really just wondering if this rear main seal would cause me to burn rich. when i first got the car (with no problems) i had no noticeable black smoke even at high rpms (7k) but since the seal went i get horrible black SMOG at around 4k which i dare not to go until shes fixed, but would the seal cause this? i was thinking because oil was getting into the clutch housing, then leaking onto the exhaust any insight will be helpful, and after its fixed ill tell results.

KraserK · 02-04-2010, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris112818

Alright i have a 2001 base manual and the rear main seal went to hell due to a pressure plate bolt being in the clutch housing. (just imagine that bolt bouncing around in there

) I'm going to get fix it next week. I'm really just wondering if this rear main seal would cause me to burn rich. when i first got the car (with no problems) i had no noticeable black smoke even at high rpms (7k) but since the seal went i get horrible black SMOG at around 4k which i dare not to go until shes fixed, but would the seal cause this? i was thinking because oil was getting into the clutch housing, then leaking onto the exhaust any insight will be helpful, and after its fixed ill tell results.

Seems like something you should try out. Seal could cause it. I suggest you service your car. Get the mechanic to check it at the same time. How did you get a pressure plate bolt going around? that's not good.

dontbuyprelude · 02-04-2010, 07:30 AM

to be perfectly honsest, i dont see how a leaking rear main would cause you to run rich. if anything a leaking seal would cause you to lose about .5-1 qt a day (guess) and would smell bad when oil would drip onto your exhaust pipe. i would look for other possible causes of running rich. (plugs, wires, cap, rotor, correct plug gap, FPR?, etc.) we need someone knowledgable like bouckarooo to chime in, he seems to know his stuff

indylude18 · 02-04-2010, 07:39 AM

You have two completely separate problems here. A bad rear main seal would cause you to lose oil very quickly, but it would have no effect on your A/F ratio. Also, if you were burning oil because the rear main leak, the smoke would be bluish-gray, not black. Chances are that the car has been running rich since you bought. The stock tune is way too rich.

chris112818 · 02-05-2010, 12:48 AM

thanks for the replies. the smoke isnt bluish gray at all so thats why i was thinking im burning rich. when i did drive it only 150 miles i checked the oil every 15 miles tedious but i love my lude and i dont want her dead she was losing and burning oil (on the engine block, and exhaust) but i never noticed the burning rich problem until my seal went. and as soon as it happened i get a thick black coat of carbon on my white back bumper all the way up to spoiler. im baffled as to why i started burning rich after the seal went as i would have thought it couldnt affect A/F ratio. I am personally doing all the work myself (i have a feeling the shop i let work on my car put the bolt in there) either that or that bolts been in there for 31k miles and just hit the seal and clutch 150 miles ago. after i get the tranny back on i plan to replace fuel filter, air filter, dist. cap, rotor, spark plugs. ill keep updated every few days as soon as i get the parts ill be putting them on. stupid shipping...