Hi, I got an 08 RDX Tech in mid June. Just several days after the delivery, I noticed some oil in my garage. Took it to the dealer and I had to wait for a month in order to get some parts required (some sealant and gasket?), since it was in back order and needed to be order from Japan. However, that did not solve the problem. My RDX is in again for oil leak. This time they have to change something (engine block?). I'm not sure what is it but I guess something that holds the oil? Anyone had something similar? Let me know how the problem was fixed so I can tell the dealer.

 

Uhm, if they mentioned engine block, that's rather serious! That's like replacing the engine! Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Could be the oil pan... that holds the engine oil.

 

I dropped by the dealer today and asked about the status of my RDX. Hopefully it should be done by Wednesday or Thrusday. They told me that they are actually going to replace the bottom portion of the engine block. I'm not sure how serious is that since it never happen such thing to me.



This is my guess of what they are going to change. If not, it might even be a portion higher.

 

that engine just looks so complicated, if you can when you pick it up ask them exactly what was wrong with the old engine.

 

Am I missing something? I thought an engine block was a all or nothing thing. Not parts.

 

Any time a dealer replaces a major portion of the motor like the "bottom end" as mentioned by RaffN, it is a serious issue. I must say that I've never heard of a shop replacing the "bottom portion of the engine block" though so I'm quite curious.

To the original poster, can you please update us when you get your RDX back and let us know exactly what they ended up replacing or fixing to solve your oil leak?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Thanks.

 

Hey guys, I got my RDX back on Thrusday. So it took 4-5 business day. Here is what they replace

A OIL LEAKING FROM ENGINE AREA
CAUSE: AS PER SAMPLE
111105 REPLACE CYLINDER BLOCK ASSEMBLY
9 WPA
1 10002-RWC-A00 SHORT BLOCK
1 06110-RWC-A00 GSKT KIT C/HEAD
2 CA66688 ANTIFREEZE
6 CA67007 5W30 SYNTHETIC OIL
3 CA66932 SOLVENT/DEGREASER
2 68161-18572 ULTRA FLANGE SEAL
1 15302-RWC-A01 PACKING
1 15303-RWC-A01 PACKING
1 19222-RAD-003 W/PUMP GSKT
1 19352-RWC-A01 SEAL
2 19322-PCX-003 0-RING
1 19322-RWC-A01 SEAL
1 91212-RNA-A01 OIL SEAL
1 91302-PNA-004 O-RING
1 11103-RAA-A01 PLATE
FC:
PART#: 10002-RWC-A00
COUNT:
CLAIM TYPE: W


This is copy directly from the invoice. Can anyone tell me if that is something serious they did to my RDX. One time I passed by the dealer, I saw the whole powertrain out of the engine bay.

 

I was searching at acuraautomotiveparts.org and found out that the first item replaced (10002-RWC-A00) is most of the engine. It is item #1 in the picture.



Close to $3000 USD for parts for a 2 month old car. Is it a lemon? Should I ask the dealer to buy it back?

 

Thanks for the update RaffN. I knew it was going to be something major like this when you said the dealer was going to replace the bottom end of the motor. The description following part# 10002 - short block basically confirms this as short block means everything from the head down. This includes the block, oil pan, pistons, crank, etc.

Did the dealer ever explain to you why they needed to perform such a major repair for a simple oil leak? I obviously don't know the particulars but it sounds like overkill for an oil leak. There had to be another problem that made them do all this work.

Choosing whether or not to ask the dealer to buy the car back from you is completely a personal decision you must make. Factually speaking, as long as the work was done thouroughly and professionally (meaning they didn't have an unsupervised apprentice mechanic do the work), you should have no problems related to this work.

You just have to decide whether or not you will be able to forget this issue and be comfortable owning and driving this vehicle. If not, and it continually sticks in your mind like a thorn, then you've got your answer.

I'd be interested to find out exactly why the dealer chose to go this route.

 

I dropped by the dealer today to ask the reason why they decided to change the short block. They told me that it could be a defective short block. They told Acura of Canada about the oil leak, and Acura told the dealer to change the short block and send it back to them so they can investigate further about that issue.

 

I've never heard of a dealership actually replacing the short-block assembly. My 3 experiences with this in the past (2 Fords, 1 Toyota) lead to an entire long-block swap with a factory unit instead of having a dealership tech crack the engine open to do major surgery on it. I guess there is always a first, but once an engine is apart like that it's never the same.

My guess is that the block had a crack in it somewhere...maybe where the oil pan bolts up. Hard to say, but I do have agree with the statement above. You might want to look into having them buy it back if it's an option. Perhaps at least inquire. Something just doesn't seem right.

 

The oil leak is in the lower block. It is caused by porosity in the aluminum block casting. As the motor heats up and the heat is much warmer in a turbo motor, these tiny holes in the aluminum expand letting the oil escape. This is a defect in the aluminum.

 

I also agree that once you open and replaced engine blocks it will never be the same. Its better to buy new engine rather overhaul the old engine..

 

I would tend to disagree, I've swapped quite a few Acura short blocks & heads w/o any issues whatsoever.

I know a buddy of mine who is a Toyota tech that has also done the same for warranty purposes etc...