Driver's side oil leak questions...
 

Hey all, I bought a '95 Civic EX for next to nothing... 169,000 on the clock (just getting broken in for a Honda, right?). It was leaking/burning oil when I got it, which I traced a large portion of the problem to the VTEC Solenoid seals. Replaced them last night and things are better, but still had a few drips.

This evening I got the car up on ramps and had a look - it's leaking from around the driver's side of the motor, so I'm guessing from the looks of things we're talking cam seal or crankshaft seal. Not knowing the previous service record of the car, I was going to do the timing belt and water pump just so I sleep better at night. Should I do the seals as well since I appear to have leakage around there or should I wait until I get in there and investigate? I know it's one of those "if it ain't broke don't fix it" kinds of things, but with this many miles I'm a little paranoid!

If I am going to remove the cam seal when I do the water pump, can I just unbolt the sprocket and pop it out with a corkscrew or something as I've seen mentioned before? How do I keep the cam gear from rotating the cam and knocking the timing off while I'm at it?

Usually the crank seal is leaking. Don't mess with the cam seal unless it is leaking. Replacement is indeed just to take the cam gear off and pry the seal out. The gear is keyed to the camshaft so it only goes on one way. There are marks on the gear so you can put the engine back in time before putting the timing belt. So you don't have to worry about turning the shaft during the process (Actually the crank should NOT be at TDC while you do that, so the valves don't crash when turning the cam).

Thanks for the info. I was poking around just now and noticed that I may or may not be missing a bolt in my valve cover... If you look at the pic, in the bottom right by the timing belt cover, there's an empty hole. Should that have a bolt there? I can see the sealant around there and it doesn't appear to be leaking, but the random hole is causing a little concern. Also, the bolt directly above that hole had a little oil around it - not much, just a little. Can I leak there? If so, it should be quick and easy to replace that one, I would think. Will probably do the rest at that point..

Also is it possible to just unbolt the top half of the timing cover and check down there to see if the cam seal is leaking? Seems like it would maybe unbolt and slide down and out without having to remove the valve cover. Wouldn't hurt to inspect the timing belt as well...

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_20GpioTFsDk/TU...-00-29_760.jpg

Note that the oil leak could also be coming from the valve cover or the oil pan. I'd start by replacing those two gaskets.

And yes, if you remove the valve cover and the upper timing belt cover, you will be able to see whether the cam seal is leaking.

Yeah, I was thinking it could be the valve cover as well, but if it is leaking, the leak area is being covered by the timing cover, and the oil is running down through that area making it look like the cam or crank seals. So that's why I wanted to pop that cover off and have a look-see. I'll report back.

From what you are saying, I also would not rule out an oil pan gasket leak, which is very common. I had one on the left side that dripped out of the lower timing belt cover weep hole, giving the appearance of a crank or cam seal leak.

Thanks. I'm not ruling anything out at this point! I'll definitely check it while I'm in there.

I couldn't believe how much was leaking out of the VTEC Solenoid... You could literally sit there and watch it drip while the motor ran! When I pulled the gasket out (especially the roundish top one) it literally fell apart into about a dozen pieces. No wonder it couldn't keep things sealed up! That solved the vast majority of my problem, and now I'm left with this little drip.

RonJ, do you know if I should have a bolt in that empty hole? I don't think it's contributing to the leak, but I'll see if I can pinpoint it in my Haynes manual. Thanks again for all the advice. I love the heck out of this little Civic!

That bolt hole is empty in both my 97 Civic DX and 00 Civic EX.

The hole was for a ground wire that goes from the corner of the valve cover to the radiator support near the left headlight. The wire really isn't essential.

For both of my Civics, there is an engine ground wire that connects the radiator support to the head below the valve cover bolt hole being discussed. So I think that bolt hole probably serves a different purpose, though it's unknown to me.