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Puking oil. Not wonderful. No idea where coming from.
Hi all.
Short version: Are there any oil lines to look at behind the motor area - pretty much around the filter area??
Been meaning to search and post here about squeak-squeak-squeak noise coming from the PS pump / belt area... and my non working A/C.
But unfortunately I have a bigger fish to fry.
My car is leaking oil. A lot now. It's not pouring, but it is slathered all over the underneath of car. I've lost at least 2 qts since and oil and filter change I did a few weeks ago.
I noticed what I was terming a 'metallic' smell the past couple of drives at rush hour into city. I have a terrible stuffed up nose (3 weeks) cold so I assumed it was my nose playing tricks on me after seeing no leaks under car and coolant level looked good.
This a.m. when I parked and looked back I saw little wisps of smoke coming from the hood. Crap. not good.
I popped the hood and figure out what the 'metallic' smell was - burning oil.
After trying to tighten the oil filter in the streets of Boston with a sub par filter wrench it simply seemed tight - I guessed.
I drove home and properly jacked up (w jack stands too) the car so I could really get under it with a light.
I checked the drain plug - it's in very tight.
The filter actually seemed quite tight.
It's soaked all around the area - although the new yellow Purolator Pure One filter looked a tiny little bit oiled but not horrible.
It's sprayed oil as high as the upper PS to the rack line, and soaked the suspension on passenger side, the underside around it, the lower 2 PS lines etc etc...
I CANNOT figure out where leak is coming from. I pulled the filter to see if there was like a rock stuck in the seal or something - nope. Looked proper.
There were some small minor intents around the new oil filter where I slight dented it in with my sub par filter wrench in the rain in the streets of Boston when I did the last oil change.
But I don't see any punctures in the filter container. Still, since it's off as a vote of no confidence I'm calling in a favor and getting driven to the store now to get a new one.
By the way, not seeing any leaks anywhere then, but my oil level was down to about 2 qts after about 8000 miles.
I might have shortchanged the oil somewhat on last swap - I cannot recall, but vaguely remember doing something stupid that was 'temporary' and probably forgot all about it.
Are there any oil lines to look at behind the motor area - pretty much around the filter area??
The drain pan looks mostly fine. Could been a tiny bit of splatter or super minor weep in one spot - but it's not causing this. Most of drain pan seal area is dry.
Oil Drain bolt plug area is dry.
Thanks for any ideas or help forum people!!
I knew my old Integra pretty well, but still feel pretty new to this TSX. They have oil coolers on them right? Is there some oil pressure line or fitting that cracked or let go?
By the way, the old gasket was not left behind and doubled up on the new filter. It was installed as it should be - unless somehow there was a tiny gap somewhere or a pinhole in the filter housing (doesn't seem to be either case).
I guess that's the only thing it could be around there? Except if I hadn't tightened the oil drain bolt or the filter itself. But I did tighten them. I've done a lot of changes and never had an issue.
Could a failed gasket puke that much oil? My underside was soaked big time driving 38 miles home yesterday. Was much more than when I parked that morning.
The pics don't really do the volume of oil there justice. It's much more in person.
So another video calls this the "Honda VTEC Solenoid Gasket (oil)"
Says it's a common problem that a tiny filter in there gets clogged and leaks past the gasket.
Honda part # 15815-RAA-A02
Seem likely the cause? Nearby dealer has it in stock for $6 and it looks to be (3) 10mm bolts and electrical connectors to swap.
So as far as I can tell there are three potential leak spots above the oil filter area that would soak the passenger side like this:
1) VTEC oil pressure sensor (which is on top of #2 on this list)
2) VTEC oil solenoid
3) (non VTEC) oil pressure sensor.
I bought parts for #2 and #3. #1 is clearly not leaking at all. There seems to be some very slight wet near the (#2 listed) VTEC oil solenoid but I am pretty sure it's not causing this leak. It's pretty dry looking all around and in this pic as you see it over the rubber boot covered #3 oil pressure sensor.
I don't know if the lower located oil pressure sensor #3 in list, could make this much oil leak around.
But it does have a stripe of oil under it. When I bought the part it did not come with a boot cover, and I've read they typically rip or disintegrate upon removal so not sure what to do there.
I just hate to be 'that guy' that doesn't know what the real problem is and just starts throwing new parts at the problem. this is the boot for the non VTEC oil pressure sensor. See the wet oil which has soaked the passenger lower side other view. Can this cause so much oil to leak? oily mess
Hmm. Well that did nothing. or something not good.
I raised up the car on jack stands and ran the engine until full warm up temps and was under the car.
The thing I suspected most was bone dry the entire time (the Non VTEC oil pressure switch).
So was the VTEC solenoid area and the VTEC oil pressure switch.
I decided maybe I should rev the motor a bunch into the VTEC range to see if it would do anything. Stabbing the throttle up the rev range it was like running into a wall at 5000 rpms 3 times. It would not rev past 5000, like an ignition cut / or big time bog down motor thing. My parents said they saw smoke out the back but when asked later they say they think it was grey colored. There was water condensation out both exhaust pipes only.
I dunno about this at all anymore. I dried off all the surfaces that were wet with oil and will keep an eye on it. The engine starts fine, idles cold and hot fine, and was driving fine as of last time I drove it.
After the oil change, I lost about 2 quarts of oil in 800 miles or less. That's a pretty big leak, and yet now I'm not seeing it. There was no oil below the car driving it in, testing it, and it sitting right now.
You should check your oil level every week when car is cold and top off when necessary. My experience is that it takes a while (when hot and turning off engine) for oil to drain down. Many times cant get accurate reading. That is why I check oil first thing in morning before starting car.
Make sure oil is always topped off to top mark on dipstick. If you run low on oil, you can stretch the timing chain and also mess up the timing chain tensioner. Keep us posted. Good luck.
No resolution to this.
It's not leaking from the higher points in the motor. I cannot locate the leak.
Best I can tell its perhaps coming from behind the timing cover down low - maybe a crank pulley oil seal ???? Is that likely or possible?
ALSO, bad news I think.
My CEL has been on for about 7 months straight now (solid on)and intermittent (solid on, or not on at all) 1 year before that.
I checked the codes and it was the rear 02 sensor after the cat. I have not installed new cats, I've not done anything in regard to that error code.
Two days ago the car was running well, and the CEL went out, completely OFF for the first time since November.
The next day the CEL was blinking. And it's for the most part kept blinking. once or twice it went solid briefly.
The engine has a rough idle, sounds like a lawn mower, power output seems like 20-40% down as a guesstimate.
Well, I've already driven it probably 200 miles at least in that state.
I guess the blinking CEL is very bad??
It sounds bogged down particularly at lower RPMs and sounds a little more normal after 2500 rpm. But it is sluggish and has a droned out low engine sound when given a fair bit of throttle.
It sounds bogged down particularly at lower RPMs and sounds a little more normal after 2500 rpm. But it is sluggish and has a droned out low engine sound when given a fair bit of throttle.
(More info: 214K current mileage. 6MT transmission. Iridium spark plugs done around 100K miles, valves adjusted at 162K).
Oh, and also since the blinking / flashing CEL has been on my mileage has sucked.
I have been averaging 28 mpg typical since I've had it the past two years.
I am getting half that since the blinking started. A full tank of gas? 110 miles and it's now at half tank on gauge.
Thanks for comment!
Is that common or a thing? Any thoughts on how hard that might be to replace a crank pulley seal?
I had to remove a crank pulley bolt off my Acura Integra to do the timing belt. It had never been removed and was the hardest and worst thing to remove.
It laughed at heat (cherry red), cheater bars, three impact guns including one pro auto mechanic's one.
The only thing that finally got it off was a very specifically placed 3 foot cheater bar using a body builders friend's leg pressing the cheater bar to break free that damn pulley bolt with the car jacked about 3 feet up in the air. It was a 3 person job to remove.
I read later that Acura messed up and installed the crank pulley bolt in at 600 ft / lbs at the factory and it tightened up running the engine (you could not use the starter to break it free either as it was the wrong direction).
Anyway... having nightmares and elevated pulse. This pulley bolt has never been removed.
Have you done the TB service on this car yet? There are specific tools to remove Honda crank pulley bolts that you could employ that would have saved your butt!
You have to take off the TB timing cover to examine those pulleys. If you haven't done the job yet, i'd recommend doing that. Sounds like it's something funky with your heads so probably do a valve adjustment at the same time.
The TB has never been replaced.
The valves were adjusted at 167K - it now has 214K.
Thanks for suggestions. Looks like I will have to get under that cover to see what's going on.
But first, I have to solve the more major concern - the 3rd cylinder misfire cause.
Oh, and sorry! One maybe dumb question... I thought these were timing chains?? And therefore long service life and rarely if ever break?
Are they actually belts?? oh geez... :/
wow. I didn't even know they made a V6 TSX! Yep, mines an I4 version. Maybe I should add that to my sig.
So.... if I4 that could be like the Accord I4 2.4L and have a chain? (oh please oh please!)
thanks!!! I will def. look into all this.
I am chasing a bad spark plug or coil right now. The wiring looks fine to the injectors and the coil looking around.
I see all kinds of bad incorrect data online. I assume though, standing at front of the car looking at engine, the cylinder numbers are 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
So I would be inspecting the 2nd from driver side wheel = cylinder #3
(and not what the top google hit some idiot posted saying it's the other way around 4-3-2-1 )
04-27-2017, 08:04 PM
So you definitely could not have a v6 
