Hey guys, Total newb to car repair here. So I thought I would give cleaning my EGR ports a try for the first time. I watched a ton of YouTube videos about the Honda J series motor EGR port cleaning, read the DIY here, read the Haynes, read the Service manual for this topic, and also opened it up to see what I was up against. I thought I was prepared, but I guess not. I ran into a few issues that I couldn't work past, and was too afraid to do something terrible to my car.

I have a 2002 TL 3.2 with 123k miles, and after taking off the engine cover and the cover to the intake manifold to get to the bolts, there was a ton of oil sitting in with the bolts I have to take out to take off the manifold. Pics below.

My questions are as follows:

How did the oil get in there?
If it got in there, it can clearly get back out - How do i get off the intake manifold to clean the EGR ports without the oil leaving and ending up on the floor?
Is this a clue to a bigger problem?

I saw a couple other threads about this, but no one answered how the oil got in there in the first place. I know extremely little about cars and mechanics, but I'm trying to learn. Any info or sources is welcome.

 

sorry, it didnt work out as intended.

 

The oil ya see is a normal occurrence, don't be overly concerned about it.

The main thing is getting those cruddy EGR passageways free of that built-up carbon shit.
Just make sure that ya get everything clean as possible and orient the gasket properly afterwards.

 

So I can still undo those bolts and the oil will stay put and not drain onto the floor? Is all that crud on the top part of the 2nd image a passageway as well?

 

Oil comes in from the Crank ventilation ducts there isn't a leak or anything its just the reason why a Oil Catch Can comes in handy


Yes if you remove the Intake Manifold straight that oil wont leak anywhere its trapped inside.

 

Thanks for the help guys!

 

Yeppur, that stuff all needs to be cleaned out from the passageways for the EGR to properly flow. Check the "DIY" sticky for tips on cleaning this and other things while you're at it. The motor will be much more responsive afterwards.