I'm planning on seafoaming the oil system and fuel system before my next oil change (1 month or 2). But last time at the dealership they had mentioned I would need a new Oil Pump because of a leak they saw. When I pressed her about the diagnosis (and pointing out that the pump itself is probably not leaking itself) she looked unconfortable (not sure if it's because i caught her or because she was getting into the technical aspects and wasnt to comfrotable with the specifics) and stated that there were a lot of hoses and gaskets that would need to be done too.

If I seafoam my oil system, it has the possibility to make this very small leak into a much larger one, right?

I don't have any leaks in my fuel system, but is it possible that the crud that Seafoam takes care of is what is plugging the soon-to-be-leaks?

A bit of history: I got this car from an older lady via the dealer ship about 5.5 years ago. I've done major maintenance (timing belt, new transmission), but not done minor work like changing hoses or seafoaming.
I'm young and still have a small loan on the car because I'm dumb. But I'd like for it to last for the next 3 - 4 years.

 

buy 2 cans of seafoam, put 1 can in just under half tank of gas
Repeat with the 2nd can when next tank is down to just under half so you maintain
a 2 oz per gal fuel ratio for max cleaning effect

Seafoam this way will do all the internal parts cleaning over a few weeks
rather than the vac port method = better for noobs to use only gas tank and it gets places the vac port misses
You still have to clean the TB air plate by itself

your oil leak is likely the orings on the oil pump- another ziner has the same problem
But it could be as easy as a loose clamp or leaking line

If it was a service writer or the desk girl who takes your money- they don't really know about cars and only have a line of info in front of them to tell you = its 900 dollars sir- when would you like to schedule?

The actual tech or a service manager who personally saw the car with the tech- should have come explained the problem to you
Bet they didn't even clean it off to say exactly where its leaking= saw some oil,,,, and its a desperate time of year for shops!!

At this point you should clean off the oil, and monitor the level- note amount of loss every few days
Place cardboard under the engine at night to see how much drips versus getting pumped out under pressure while driving

Its possible the PCV valve on rear valve cover is clogged- pop that off its line and shake- ball inside should move like a spray paint can- clean it or replace
That vents crankcase pressure - which will find another escape route like the rear main seal or other oil seals when its not venting!, 10 bucks aftermarket or 20 at dealer

you are overdue for the egr passage and port cleaning of the intake manifold- easy with our diy sections help
Service throttle body and idle air control while its all off the car
Its only scary the first time

 

since this would be the 1st time seafoam of the oil---- first install a new oil filter of any brand- cheap one is fine
add 1/2 can to the engine oil and drive 50 to 100 miles for max effect
change oil and filter with engine warm so crud stays liquefied

the reason for the new filter is to catch the huge amount of crud heading its way
An old filter may be near its capacity already- when its full it goes into bypass mode and allows all the oil to go right past the filter without stopping = not the desired result

 

Hey, Thanks. I'll do the fuel line soon. But I will probably wait for the oil one when it gets closer to the time to change it. Noob question: Can I take off the oil filter without dumping the oil everywhere? I was under the assumption that was changed when the oil was emptied.

It wasn't the secretary-like lady behind the counter. This was the lady (only one there) that makes the appointments and comes in to tell me what the damage will be. She seemed to be educated enough on other items, but maybe i caught her off guard with my questions.

I'll keep an eye on the oil leak. The service person who takes my keys and does the damage report (same lady from above) said that I wasn't losing enough to neccessitate putting in extra between changes.

One last question, what is the official name of that Vac-Line that I read people putting the seafoam into? I'm going to try to google it so I can find its exact location.

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! you are a noob so stay away from the Master vac port- not vac line- required
that's for techs and those needing instant cleaning of PART of the whole system.
again- techs= who need to de-carbon a seriously loaded up engine use master vac

FOR YOU= 2 times thru the gas is way BETTER than vac port!
that's per seafoams head tech guy!!

at the dealer: you dealt with a service advisor/writer who is not required to know jack about cars or repairs- they read what a paper says and tell you how much!

Please note the title of service WRITER and that may involve generating a good story that is 90% fiction supported by 10% fact ---told to you -the customer

 

the oil filter does not drain out when you remove the pan drain plug

It always has oil in it, and yes- some small amount will spill out as its turned and snuck out thru the bottom
The same amount that occurs during a regular filter change~

the filter is located above the oil pan- so gravity doesn't pull out the entire engines contents thru filter port

 

Excellent. Thanks for the info. I will not put it in my oil system.

When I have questions or want more info about things that the Service Writer tells me, whould I ask for the Tech? Or their manager?

 

Seafoam is a great product to help clean both the fuel and oil. It's been used and recommended by many 'Ziners without having any issues. However, if your car's motor is leaking oil of any significance, the leak's source should be found and repaired. Seafoam won't hurt or fix an existing problem which may be causing a leak.

 

the way things work in the dealer:
Car IN- writer accepts car- paperwork to Dispatcher who runs the shop schedule and assigns to a tech
Tech: notifies Dispatch of any UpSell items, needed repairs or concerns
Dispatch tells Writer who gets approval from customer

Service Manager deals with phone calls most of the day- not in the shop itself watching the techs work
has to go ask the tech whats going on if specific problem-
BUT
they are the responsible party when survey results get less than all 10s, Acura is going to have someone's head~
And they are supposed to be avail to you at car pickup to answer any questions and resolve any complaints-
before you leave

I would ask for the actual TECH to answer my question.
Often they will put- or have car on the lift to show you something underneath such as wheel bearing or oil leak- broken mounts etc

 

many dealers want nothing to do with a car older than 10 years! (beside oil changes and maybe brakes)

Luckily many ex-dealer techs with all the factory schooling have moved to private shops
for the stuff you cant handle at home