Cynikal.Mindset

I've been driving around with what appears to be oil leaking from the distributor side of the engine at the head gasket...nothing in the coolant and no coolant in the oil.

is this possible? where are the oil passages on the block going to the head?

its not the cam seal, or distributor seal and I really cant get in to see anything else that might be leaking in there.

I've driven about 15,000km like this making sure my oil is topped up etc. vtec still works, car runs fine and still pulls hard... any insight?

Engine: B17A

btownEG

The same **** was happening with my D series

Pretty much what my problem was, my valve cover gasket was kinda leaking, and the oil would just kinda gather in certain spots around the top of the block. I thought the same, head gasket. But i took some brake clean to it. cleaned the area. then just drove for a day and it was coming from the valve cover gasket

chris_v2

Honestly Matt, out of all the headgaskets i've seen go on hondas (and ive seen many) I've never seen oil leak externally.

Try engine degreasing the area or parts cleaner to make it nice and clean. Then drive a day or for an hour or so. Then re-check. You should see where its starting before you rip off the head. I know you said you know its not the cam end seal or dizzy o-ring, but double check!

Cynikal.Mindset

i've brake cleaned it many times...and it always seems to pool at tha front corner of the block between the head...but then I also see the oil further back along the side of the block...are there any oil sensors etc along that side of the head or something that I should be looking for?

living in an apartment sucks as I cant do any work myself really...I'll have to take another look again and really try to get in there and see where its coming from but thast why I asked where the oil passages on the block to the head were, maybe I could narrow it down etc

LEITNER

try the vtec solenoid o-ring...pretty sure thats where your leak is...

Cynikal.Mindset

I'll check all that stuff again but I have never seen anything dripping off the head or leaking down the head just at the headgasket...its been pissing me off since I put this used engine in...damn b17's are hard to come by

zeeman

iTrader: (1)

i had the same problem on many DOHC VTEC engines, i always replace the dizzy o-ring, cam seal and vtec solenoid gasket, until the leak stops.....its pretty much always one of those 3, from my experiences.

LEITNER

do you still have the old engine? if you do...wanna sell it?

Cynikal.Mindset

yea I have the old engine still well a guy I know has it at his shop...the head is siezed up via the cams...bottom end is fine other than the pooched oil pump which caused the failure up top

I'm gonna replace the dizzy o-ring, cam seal and vtec solenoid gasket and hopefully that takes care of it cuz I cant see any leaks coming from there but I'll give it a whirl anyways

LEITNER

the cam siezed? thats one i have never seen before on a b series...i will give you $100.

kIeRaN

couple months ago i saw a 96 civic with an oil leak coming from right where the head meets the block, turned out that one of the headbolts had snapped causing that corner of the head to not be sitting tight against the block.

btownEG

If a bolt had snapped, creating a passage way for oil to leak out, then you'd also have coolant coming out, Plus the engine would be running on 3 cylinders because there'd be no compression in that one cylinder.
Which i believe is quite noticable when theres no compression in a cylinder.

Cynikal.Mindset

I looked and looked and looked some more...and it appears it might be coming from the vtec solenoid seal or the dist o-ring...so cam seal, o-ring and seal are gonna get replaced in the near future and then brake clean the whole area and hope for no more leaks...i'm pretty damn sure the headbolt aint broke cuz she still pulls hard

oh and the old engine is gone steve...you wouldnt happen to know anybody with a ys1 short gear laying around...my s1 has a couple annoying "ghost" grinds....maybe some syncro mesh will resolve those

LEITNER

dude i will check round for a ys-1