I know I haven't been around for a while, but grad school and work have me pretty busy. I haven't even had much time to drive, but I did take my car to my girlfriend's place in San Diego this Thanksgiving. It ran fine as always until this morning...
I was dropping a friend off and just about to get back on the highway for another uneventful 430 mile drive home when the oil pressure light came on. OH NO. I pulled over and turned off the car. When I looked under the bumper, I saw a massive pile of Mobil 1 Synthethic and a trail of solid oil leading back to my friend's house. Solid. Not drops. I got her towed back to my GF's place and persuaded her to let me steal her parking spot for a few weeks. I can't even get back until at least december 16th. Anyway, I didn't have time or a jack to do a thorough inspection, but the entire driver side undercarriage is soaked in oil. The whole block appears to be soaked too. The car was running just fine when all of this happened, which I find a bit strange. It's definately coming out the driver's side of the engine, but I couldn't figure out where. I managed to check the filter gasket, and it is fine. This is definitely a pressure leak, as the stuff is everywhere. The car has never leaked a drop of oil in it's life until today. It only leaks If I run the car, and then it won't hold it at all. It was weird to see how the car moved when I backed into the spot via a solid oil trail. Still, it was more disturbing.
The car is a 96 Si (h23, no 4ws)
So, I am in a tight spot. The value of this car is fast decreasing, and it has some other issues. I am worried I'll soon have to sell/part out the car.
A couple of questions.
Does anybody have any ideas?
Has this happened to anyone else?
Does anyone know a cheap or reliable honda mechanic in san diego where I can at least get a diagnostic and a quote?
I am thinking cam or main seal, but it was tough to see through all the oil, and I had to hop on a really expensive plane home so as not to miss work.
Sorry to frame the weekend with sadness, but I am hard up. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Jeremy
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Nothing is legal in this state.
main seal is on the passenger side, sounds to me that it is possible your oil drain plug worked its way loose and fell out, that would be the first thing i check...
I'm 90% sure it's your front balance shaft seal. They are prone to popping out, & when it pops out it creates a steady trail of oil on the ground. I would buy a new seal for that balance shaft & get a bracket that honda made to help prevent the seal from popping out. I think for some reason the bracket only shows up in the accord parts lists at dealerships, so if they can't find it under Preludes look under Accord (it was part of a "recall").
The gasket between the oil cooler and the block has probably hardened and cracked. $2 part and 15 minute fix
The oil cooler gasket wouldn't cause the immediate & rapid loss of oil like he described.
The front balance shaft is a definite possibility - so is the main seal, a cam seal, drain plug . . . Not much to suggest other than getting a better look to try and narrow it down.
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I would have to agree 100% with XLR8R. These seals do pop out, and to replace them, you might as well do the timing belt as well. I know mine popped out after doing an oil change. According to the dealer, using aftermarket filters can lead to an excessive amount of pressure in the crankcase which will blow the balancer shaft seal out. The cure is to replace the seal, put on the retaining plate, and use honda filters. Unfortunately, a timing belt job ain't quick. Good luck
Hey folks. I have an update for you. I managed to isolate the problem to the balancer shaft seal--props to those who pointed it out. I have gotten the car to a local independent japanese auto shop and they should have it done by Wednesday. The mechanic even showed me the retainer plate he plans to put over the seal (score 1 for accord, I guess), so I'm pretty happy. I should be up and running in a couple of days. Thanks for all your thoughts.
Happy Holidays,
Jeremy
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Nothing is legal in this state.
Am I eleigible for recall service? The car is well out of warranty and I am definitely not the first owner. Just asking, I've never had the option of recall service before.
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Nothing is legal in this state.
Well this was a couple of years ago but I remember getting notice in the mail to bring my car in to have it serviced. Heres a link to what it looked like. http://www.autosafety.org/HondaOilSeal.pdf
After looking over it again it's too late for you to do anything. I guess the previous owners didn't take care of it.
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