Engine oil leaking?

Hello and welcome to 2CarPros. With that many miles on the car, there are basically limitless possibilities as to what could be leaking. So let's start with getting some pictures uploaded. If you could get pictures of the seal in question, where it came from, the metal attachment that you see leaking, and (last but not least) stick your finger in the oily crud and take a picture of your finger. Then come back here and upload the pictures to this thread using the "Add image or video" button that's below the text input box. Then I'll be able to much better guide you through the diagnostic process.

This guide can help us

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-is-leaking-oil

Thanks for using 2CarPros.

Harry

I have one photo for now. I can't do the finger thing until morning. The grey patch is where the quarter sized hole is. And the curved metal pipe/tube thing is rite in front. I had a rebuilt engine, new radiator and radiator fan put in last year around October. I honestly don't know how many miles is on the rebuilt engine. I didn't ask. I was just glad my car was fixed. And it wasn't something i even thought to ask when it was done.

More about the picture, the black hose where it meets the goldish metal is where one of the leaks are besides where the grey patch is (quarter sized hole) and the seal that broke off was all filled in like a quarter, not like an o-ring.

Okay. The black hose there is a power steering fluid line. It's under pressure when the car is running. It's not uncommon for them to start leaking where the rubber hose meets the metal fitting. The leak would only happen while the car was running. The leak would be really pronounced while turning the wheel all the way. So you might observe that hose while someone else turns the wheel all the way in one direction and holds it there.

The other line there is an A/C line. They can get pretty cool when you're running the air, resulting on condensation building up and then falling or running off. This can create the appearance of a leak, so you have to check around and see if it's just water that's leaked down and gotten all greasy and cruddy looking before it got to the ground .

I think i am totally screwed now. I took my daughter to school and i saw smoke coming from underneath the hood. When i got a chance to look, i now have antifreeze all over the place.

Not necessarily screwed. There's probably a coolant hose somewhere nearby that blew. It must've been leaking just a little. But since it's under pressure, a little leak became a big one. If the car didn't overheat, then that's going to be a small and relatively cheap fix. Poke around and find that leak.

All you have to do is borrow a cooling system pressure tester from the local parts store. When the car is cold, open the hood and refill the cooling system. Then connect the pressure tester, pump the pressure tester, and look for the leak. Take a few pictures and post them here. I'll give you through the process of fixing it yourself if possible.

Try that and we'll go from there. Good luck!

Thank you. I haven't ran the car in two days due to not wanting it to blow up with my kids in the car. Ill wait until Monday to do this test. It is a single parent household and i only have myself to do every thing so your help is super appreciated. I hope you have a great weekend and I will send those pictures on Monday.

I definitely understand being self reliant like that. Do have yourself a nice weekend as well.

Do you think that k seal coolant stuff would work?

Nah, if you saw steam then the leak is probably too big for that. That stuff rarely works anyways, and when it does it's usually a temporary fix. Go borrow that pressure tester and let's identify exactly what's leaking and we'll go from there.

Okay.

So i didn't get to the auto store yesterday because my son stayed home from school. I just got back from Advanced Auto and they told me that pressure test thing is $259.00 to rent. I don't have that at all. We only survive on my sons disability check so funds are limited. But since the car has been sitting since last Thursday I didn't experience any smoking from underneath the hood probably because i didn't run the car long enough to get hot, i am guessing. But still the other leaks and i took a picture of where there is dried antifreeze. My oil was still full and i had to add power steering fluid when i got to Advanced Auto and my coolant was still at the level it was when i parked it last Thursday. So i don't know what to do next.

It looks like the radiator is leaking and you have a seal that is out in the front of the engine in the timing belt area. Also the oil is too full which can push the engine seals out and create the leak. Here is a guide to help walk you through the radiator replacement and diagrams below to help you take the front of the engine apart:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-a-car-radiator

I would do the timing belt and water pump while you are in there. Do all seals as well. Check out the diagrams (below). Please let us know what you find. We are interested to see what it is.

Oh sorry I didn't see that you had responded adospoy. Thanks for cleaning up Ken!

I did want to add that if the radiator is too expensive at your retail stores, you can look on amazon and Ebay (they're usually half of the price at the retail stores). You also might might might have a local radiator shop that can fix the one that you have, so long as the core isn't leaking. Honestly, the radiator repair shop might be the best way to go, as they use better quality parts than the aftermarket companies usually use.

Either way, let us know if we can be of further assistance.

I will update you on the progress. Thank you so much for the help.

Please let us know what you find. We are interested to see what it is. NP HEYMAN we are the team!

I took my 1999 honda accord in for a routine oil change and was told that I need work performed for an oil leak that costs $1600 because they had to drop the engine and transmission to get to it. I haven't had any oil drips/puddles under my car and 5 years ago had timing belt, water pump, oil seals replaced @ 95,000 miles when I got oil leakage then. Four years ago I had replaced valve cover gasket and distributor o-ring, distributor cap, rotor, and ignition wires due to oil leak also. The work done today to fix the oil leak was: rear main oil seal, balancer shaft seal, cam journal seal, distributor o ring seal (again), retainer, and oil pan gasket. How many more oil leaks can I expect? The car is ten years old and I would have liked to keep it longer because it only has 152,000 miles on it, but now I may need to go new car shopping instead.

Hi there,

I would be asking for a full report on what is actually leaking, and then go get a second opinion. i do often wonder about work shops that say you must spends up big with out giving any real details.

mark (mhpautos)

Engine Mechanical problem
1999 Honda Accord 4 cyl Automatic 108000 miles

It appears there is a oil leak underneath the pan. I've been told it could the oil pan or worse, crankshaft repair/replace. What would it be a reasonable cost for fixing this?
I'll be taking the car in tomorrow for check up.
This auto repair shop replaced the radiator last week and mentioned to me the thermostat? Is that part of the radiatior, they should have checked and fixed?
Am I being taken?
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Lil-

Best to have the engine washed and checked for oil leak
oil may come from many places
checking oil pan and drain plug would be 1st
thermostat is located on the engine and not in the radiator or its area
but we always replaced thermostat when radiator replaced

I have an oil leak from behind my distributor housing, my current manual (I only have one of the two) does not cover anything on the ingnition system. I'am tempted to pull it replace the O ring behind it, but where do I shine my timing light after this task?? I do not see the same old rubber cover cover like my older Accords had in the transmission housing. I can't find the timing port hole!! Does my car have one?? Any Help? Thanks in Advance!!

Tony

Hi tony,

The timing mark is found on the crank pulley.

One trick that you can use is to mark the mating points of the distributor and head with a scriber and when reinstalling, it goes back to the same position.

Hi I have a question about CA smog check. My wife took my honda accord to a jiffy lube and got an oil change, but they for got to put the oil in. To make a long story short she ran the car for a long time with no problems until the vtec check engine code came up, well now I have a car that blows a little bit of oil out the exhaust when I step on it and I go through a quart of oil in about a month or so. I am going to go get it smogged but not sure of will it affect my passing??

Absolutely. I would wager that you will not come close to passing. What did or is Jiffy doing about the situation. If they did that to my car, they would be putting in a new engine. Period.

I had my 1999 Accord serviced for the 150K mile (with oiil change) and also the mechanic performed work on the EGR valve due to the "check engine" light being on. He installed a kit that he said was a service bulletin a few years back. The check engine light is out and car seemed to be running fine. I drove from his shop to home and the next morning found oil spots on the driveway. I took the car back and he did a quick look under and said it's the rear main seal...that the seal has hardened. I just find it ironic that the seal "hardened" the same day I had maintenance performed...any suggestions. He said it would be $600 to change the rear main seal.

I looked to see where the leak was coming from and its directly above the bolt that connects the transmission to the engine..coming from under a cover plate.

It always seems coincidental when u bring your car to the shop and bring it home and now something else is wrong; not to say that there aren't any crooks out there because there are. But I would bring it somewhere else for a quick look , it shouldn't cost anything. tell them your story . he probably didn't tighten the oil screw good enough. keep me posted

My car is going through a great deal of oil. I don't see any leaking onto the road.

Hi SLW,

When oil goes missing without traces of leakages, it most probaly is being consumed while engine is working and this would often produce some grey smoke , especially when engine is not fully warmed up.

The item that would most likely cause the problem would be the valve seals.

On my car listed above after an oil change next day was a puddle of oil on basement floor. It was under car left front drivers side by the front tire. The oil level was where it should be. I took to mechanic and he said my oil pump was leaking and a thousand dollar job. Took to another mechanic and he said he saw small amount of oil that could be coming from timing belt cover. Since the oil leak first happened I have seen no more leaks anywhere and there is no oil spewed in the engine and oil level is good. How did first guy see oil pump was leaking and second guy not see it? Car has 173,000 miles on it. Does not burn oil either. Second mechanic also said whoever changed oil and filter could have put too much oil in and that it leaked out. He told me also that when oil is changed sometimes some will run out from filter and they try to clean it all up with a shop rag but sometimes they don’t get all of it. He said maybe the first guy saw that. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

I would tend to agree with the second mechanic because the fact that you don't see any more issues. If there are no issues then we don't want to make something out of nothing. The explanation given makes sense and aligns with what we are seeing now so maybe the first mechanic was having a bad day or just wasn't very good at what they do.

Either way, this is why I strongly recommend getting a second opinion any time we are asked to spend a large amount of money. Especially when it doesn't quite add up.

Let me know if you have other questions. Thanks

Thank you so much. I am 77 and don’t want to be taken advantage of. You also eased my mind. In this crazy world today it is nice to know there are still wonderful caring people in it! Thanks again!!!

Thank you for your kind words. We are glad to help. Please come back next time you have some questions. Thanks

LX model. Engine oil is dripping from engine near oil pan. Problem developed rapidly. Entire rear surface of engine is covered with oil. Leaking two to three quarts a day. Replaced valve cover gasket and distributor o'ring that were leaking. They are not leaking anymore. Leaking occurs (from somewhere) when engine is running. Where is the oil pressure sensor located? Are there any other external oil lines or sensors? What other areas could be the source of such a severe leak?

Hi and thanks for using 2CarPros.

The oil pressure switch is near the oil filter behind the engine. I attached a picture of its location. Check that first. Also, make sure the oil filter isn't leaking. It is easy to double gasket the filter and it will cause a leak. Last, check to make sure oil isn't coming from the oil pan or crankshaft main seals.

Let me know what you find.

Take care,
Joe

The area shown in your picture looks like where the oil is dripping. This problem came on suddenly about three weeks ago. Last oil change was three months ago. So the two events may not be related, but will check. To me, it sounds more like an oil line, hose, sensor or fitting came loose or cracked, I'll check oil filter, drain plug and sensor tomorrow. Can main seals go bad suddenly (and leak two or three quarts a day) or are they more likely to wear out gradually?

Welcome back:

The main seals usually slowly get worse. However, the pressure switch is another story. It is plastic and steel crimped together. Often times the crimp will come loose and oil will leak.

Let me know what you find. There are no oil lines or hoses related to the engine oil on this car. However, that doesn't mean someone hasn't installed an aftermarket oil cooler or something similar.

I have a feeling it's the oil pressure switch. Let me know. I'm interested in knowing if that is correct.

Take care,
Joe

This morning my son and a mechanic friend discovered oil rapidly dripping from the vtec (VVT) valve or solenoid at the gasket(s). We'll replace both gaskets tonight. The engine is running great, so we are assuming the vtec valve is operating correctly and does not need to be replaced now. However, I read that there are screens inside the vtec valve that may get blocked. We will look for that and clean with brake cleaner if needed. Do you have any concerns about this plan?

I have a 1999 Honda Accord whith 156,000 miles on it which all of a sudden starting leaking oil majorly. Not just a little leak slowly just all at once a large anount of oil came out of my car. I also am having a problem with the car stalling out for no reason at different times. I will be driving and it will stall and then it won;t happen again for a while and then it will do it again. Any suggestions?

By the way, I thought it was the ignition switch recall so I had it replaced and it still stalls for no apparent reason. My car is a manual transmission if that helps at all.

Thanks

Welcome back:

I attached a picture of what I feel you are referring to. Please confirm it is correct. As far as a filter, letter B in the picture shows its location. Be very careful cleaning it. Brake cleaner may be a bit aggressive, so be careful.

If the screen isn't plugged, leave it alone. On the other hand, if it is, after cleaning, change the engine oil and filter.

Let me know if this helps.

Joe