Hello, just bought a 2002 Acura TL Type S on the 10th of Jan, 2013... bought the "Total Care Package" and recently (a week later) found a oil spot on my drive way. I took it to a local shop and had them take a look at it. They said it was leaking in two different spots, the first spot was the oil pan (gasket) and the second spot was coming from the "Timing Belt Gasket. their recomm. was to replace oil pan gasket and timing cover gasket. Does the TB gasket sound correct, being it's a dry belt?

 

My mechamic found that the oil pressure switch ($10.00 at Autozone) need to be replaced, It is above the oil filter.. The other oil leak may be rear main seal.

 

Hey Mojofilter, congrats on getting a TL !
They are basically solid cars except for a few personality quirks, which any 10 year old car with 100k might have.
First off, attempt to find out as much as you can about the previous maintenance history. Things like trannys and T-belt replacement are the big $ items.

What all does the "Total Care Package" cover ? Concerning the oil leak, if it's only an occasional spot.......don't be suckered into expensive repairs without a second opinion. The best thing to do, if you're able, is to check it out yourself. With the car's front end safely supported, try to locate the source of the leak. Could simply be the oil pan's drain plug !

If it's really grubby underneath, clean everything up with a degreaser. This will help pin point the leak. Lay a piece of cardboard down and it'll indicate the general vicinity of the leak. After eliminating the obvious lower sources, check further up on the motor. Some things may require professional inspection, but try to rule out the ez simple stuff first.

 

Ok, since I paid for the Total Care Package from the Honda dealership in Santa Monica, I took it to a local Honda dealership and after they put some dye in the oil to see exactly where the multiple leaks were coming from, they were able to find out that the oil pump was leaking along with the oil gasket.

 

Yep, when ya pay extra bucks for maintenance warranty packages, make use of it !!!
If they cover this, then your added expense for the package just paid off.

 

Ok, here's the lowdow....So, I finally got word back from Honda here in Santa Maria CA, they found out the Oil Pump Assembly was leaking and needed to be replaced, along with the oil pan due to a stripped oil pan/drain plug being the cause of the second leak.....then I asked the guy since the timing belt is going to be off, would there be a problem if I got the parts for a timing belt/ water pump and the rest of that whole job would be possible without labor charge, he said yes, but he told me that the oil pan replacement wasn't going be be covered due to the Total Car saying that it was due to wear and tear of oil changes, I scratched my head at that one... then he calls me back to tell me that the job for the Timing belt/ water pump and other belts, fixing the oil pump assembly (which is covered minus the oil filter which was not covered) and the oil pan for the striped drain plug/striped oil pan (cause the Honda warranty I got won't cover that due to wear and tear of oil changes) would cost me 1100.00, that's to include the 250.00 deductible. So i basically paid for the timing belt parts 400+, the oil pan parts and labor which was like 400+. Then I get a phone call from him again, mind you this is a week after I turned my car in to the shop, telling me that my Total Care I purchased won't cover the warranty on the parts because it's a Honda dealership doing the work and not an Acura shop....So I told him,"So what your telling me is I have to drive an hour away to have my car re- diagnosed at an Acura dealership?", he was like yeah sorry, then he was like, let me talk to my Manager to see if we can drop the fee for the diagnostic, man I was getting pissed, anyways he calls back and tells me that the Manager was new and wanted to show how he wanted to take care of the customers, he told me that they The Honda Dealership/manager) would warranty the work for 1 year/12000 miles. So long story short, should get my 02 TL Type S Friday, new Oil Pump, New Oil Pan, New Timing Belt and other belts. Thanks for all the help those who posted.

 

Hey Mojofilter, as long as you're happy with the results, I'm sure that they were too ! Got one of the leaks fixed free, but by the way it worked out ya paid more than enough of your fair share for the work done, IMO.

 

I'm confused because I thought the oil pump was internal. How can that leak externally??

 

Every shop including dealer has a way to rip every customer off. It doesn't matter what type of warranty you have, they will find a way to charge you, PERIOD. It doesn't matter where you went to, make sure it is clearly spelled out on the paper. You want it to be clear, No More, No Less. It appears seldom honest businesses can survive in this world. They can tell you, 'stripped thread' is abused or mis-handled, chick ching. Anything that is covered, they will do a lousy fix, so it wont last. They can't fix anything that they dont see the customers pay. The word 'cover under warranty' means NO FIX to them.

Dont get tricked when they said 'free'; such as free inspections; everything is suggested to be replaced, newer is better - of cousre, and the total costs is worth the price of a new car, but "Fixing is Better", they think so. The moment you leave the shop, dont be surprised how rats have been nesting in your car.

 

Oil pump is not internal. It is somewhat like water pump. Mounted behind the crank pulley. It is suggested to use lidquid gasket when replaced, which is not efficient IMO.

 

The oil pump housing to oil pan junction is sealed with a sealer, but there is a small molded rubber gasket between the oil pump housing and the engine block. I'd recommend doing it with the timing belt on our cars, as I'm starting to see a few that are leaking on 10 -12 year old honda/acura v6 engines. My daughters 00 tl started leaking about 6 months after the second timing belt replacement, my wife's 03 is still ok.

 

I heard Hondabond makes good gaskets.

 

Yeah, that's good stuff. I guess if they use it from the factory, it must work for the better part of the car's life. But, as TLer just posted a recommendation to replace the oil pump's seal when doing the T-belt service the second time around.

Good info, while one's working in the area ! Wonder if the pump itself should be replaced also ?

 

TLer, did you fixed the oil pump leak? I believe mine is leaking and have been reading on it. Any tips on removing the oil pump and re-seal? Timing Belt job is simple for me, but haven't touch the oil pump before.

 

No, I didn't, it's only a nuisance, mess type leak right now. If you can do a timing belt, you shouldn't have any problem. If you go to one of the oe acura dealers online and look at the parts blow-up you'll get a pretty good idea how it goes. Basically, remove the timing belt and the lower timing belt gear and a few bolts that hold the housing to the block. You may need a puller to get the crank gear off. Sometimes penetrating oil and gentle taps with a brass hammer will do. I'm pretty sure you have to drop the oil pan to clear the pick up tube and screen. Make sure that's where it's leaking as there are lots of things in that immediate area that also leak; oil pressure switch, vtec pressure switch, vtec solenoid, and a gasket (screen) between the oil filter adapter and the oil pump housing.