Looks like I have a pretty bad oil leak coming from the rear main of my 93 1.6 EX with AT. Car has 174,000 Before I pull the engine, I would greatly appreciate knowing the answers to the following questions:

1) Will replacing the seal (assuming it is the source of the leak) likely stop the leak, or could there be enough wear that the seal wouldn't matter?

2) I have access to a cherry picker. What are the best points to attach to, to pull the engine/trans?

3) Ovbiously, I will have to remove both CV shafts to do this. Can I remove BOTH CV shafts without anything inside the trans getting out of line?

4) OEM Honda seal is best?

5) Any other tips/tricks/advice?

Thank you so much in advance!

 

I'd take the transmission out and leave the engine in. After unbolting it from the engine, the transmission lowers out the bottom. Pulling the CV shafts out doesn't displace anything inside the transmission. Undo the lower ball joints and swing the wheel hubs outward to make space to get the axles out of the transmission. It should not be necessary to remove the axles entirely from the car.

 

Removing the axles isn't a big deal to me.

It will be a bigger deal getting the trans out. How does a "shade tree" mechanic get the trans out from the bottom of the car? How much clearance do I need? How heavy?

 

Put the front of the car up on jack stands. Support the engine from the bottom (jack and block under the oil pan) and the transmission with a hoist from the top. Realize that you don't actually have to get the transmission completely clear of the car to work on the engine oil seal.

 

Thank you.

But if I'm going to all the trouble to separate the engine and trans, why wouldn't I just go ahead and clear it from the car?

 

I'm saying set it on the ground under the car. If the car isn't jacked up high enough you might not be able to get the transmission out from underneath but that doesn't matter here.

 

so upon more research, I found out there is a detachable unit that the seal sits in, and it cannot be removed unless you remove the oil pan.

so, if I do not remove the oil pan, I assume I can still change the seal? And is it likely that there's a leak in the gasket of the detachable unit?

 

I had a 94 1.6 liter with 200K and it appeared to have a significant leak between the trans and the engine. It turned out to be the spool valve (VTEC) seals leaking and the oil gathered down in that area. I think it was less than 20.00 at the dealer for a kit. If you have a VTEC give this a look, you may get lucky as did I. If not, follow what MK says, I learned that a long time ago.

Ed Fisher
Dallas, Tx