I bought my 2002 Honda Civic EX about 3 years ago with 118k miles on it. This car has been great. Only a few small mechnical issues I've been able to fix myself with the knowledge gained on this forum. Thank you!

My civic now has 150k miles on it and it recently started leaking oil. I notice about 2 new drops of oil on my garage floor per day. I'm not exactly sure where it's coming from yet. When I pop the hood there is a considerable amount of grease and grime on the entire engine.

I change my own oil every 3000 miles. I have noticed that it seems to leak more as I'm getting closer to the 3000 mile mark and its time for a change again. Maybe that's just my crazy brain noticing it more...

Two questions.

1. What is the easiest and cheapest way to clean the engine off?

2. Are there common places to get an oil leak on these cars? I'm going to get under there and look soon and I'm curious if there are known trouble places.

Thanks so much!

 

I use simple green and a stiff paintbrush w/ bucket of warm water to clean off the block. Gotta be careful of any electrical connections so dont hose it down.

Two easy places to check would be the valve cover gasket and oil pan gasket.

 

this is not my video but it is the same spot where I have a leak. I bought the replacement black plastic piece from Advanced Auto for only $5!

Cylinder Head Cap replacement : 7th gen Honda Civic Auto - YouTube