wez_acuranewb1

Hey y'all, . I just inherited a 97 2.2cl Automatic with 85K on it and am having some questions that I hope you guys can answer or point me in the right direction. I got this car recently after my cousin passed away unexpectedly, so I really have no idea of the history of the car.

Shortly after I got it, I noticed a small oil leak around where the transmission meets the engine, so I am figuring it is a gasket or seal that needs replacing. I searched the site regarding this and found out that the rear main seal goes out on these cars. Well, I'm not really a mechanic and have experience limited to replacing a starter/brakes/oil changes. I haven't done more than look under the hood and underneath the car to see where the oil is coming from and its not really clear where it is. There is oil on the sub-frame and all over the transmission. Right now, I've got it up on ramps and going to clean the area now. Before I go through the process of finding the leak, is there anything I should look at or problem spots I should check?

Also, the transmission has a tendancy to shift a bit hard when going from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd. I checked the trans and the fluid is at the correct level, but it is amost brown like oil. I'm going to do a fluid change on it and want to know if there is any brands you all recommend besides the OEM fluid? Thanks for reading and Thanks in Advance for any help!

timeizmoney22

Don't have much advice other than only use Honda ATFz-1 fluid.

TrueNorth

Hey, just a shot in the dark, but my 2.2cl has had a similar problem and it ended up being the oil pressure switch. I have replaced it twice now in the last few years, so maybe it could be considered a "problem spot".

wez_acuranewb1

Well it looks like ATF Z-1 is discontinued, I ended up purchasing the DW-1 which the dealer said was direct replacement for all honda/acura. They said they gave me a deal on a case- paid about 90 bucks before tax.

TrueNorth: I think you might be right about the Oil Pressure Switch.

I cleaned the majority of the oil that was on the engine and trans and it looked to be coming from the filter. I changed the oil and did a drain and fill on the transmission, and filter seemed a bit loose. I thought maybe it was just leaking from the filter or the gasket on the filter might not be on all the way, but when I started the car after changing oil it was still leaking. I put it back on ramps and could see it was coming from somewhere above the oil filter. Is the oil switch somewhere near that area or am I way off? also is there anything else that could be leaking in that general area? Thanks in advance

typeR

that is the rear main seal leaking it happens because inadequate venting of crank case pressure modiying your valve cover is an option and maintaining the PCV valve

TrueNorth

You're bang on. The Oil Pressure Switch is located just above the filter.

I think our stock part # is 37240-P2F-A01 but when I went to the stealership they didn't have it, they gave me a replacement part # 37240-PTO-014 instead, it seems to have worked just fine.

wez_acuranewb1

Well, I replaced the oil pressure switch with part no. 37240-pt0-014. I didnt have any yellow teflon tape, so I used some hondabond sealant on the threads. The car isn't leak free, however. I think it might be developing a slow leak from the distributor gasket or possibly the vtec solenoid gaskets, because there was a bit of oil build-up on the valve cover and on top of the transmission. I sprayed brake cleaner all over the block so I could tell if it was leaking at all, and haven't seen anything leak out from there yet we will see if it stays that way.

Also, I will make a note that I looked at autozone for the oil pressure switch and they had a part in stock, so I took the original switch out and took it with me to autozone. The one they have there has the wrong thread and the socket size is also way off- like 1 1/16" instead of the 24mm (I used 15/16" socket since i didnt have metric deep sockets). I imagine if you went to autozone and bought the part and tried to screw it in you would cross thread the hole and ruin the inside diameter threads. Just a note of warning for other Newbs out there I'm starting to figure out that its better off to buy from the dealer if you can stand it.

After reading through a bunch of threads here and at honda-tech forums, I also ordered the vtec solenoid gasket/filter for the block and also the gasket for the sub assembly, it was 10 bucks and 3 bucks at the dealer. I guess I'll probably have to replace them at some point since they are problem spots on our cars.

Thanks for all of your help guys, I'll be back if there is anymore problems I cant figure out.

chompbp

hey man, was looking the post and I may have the same problem leak on my car. Hope it works for me, But I wanted to comment on your hard shifts you were experiencing. Not sure if you got that resolved with the fluid changed, but I had the same issue with mine. The fix was replacing the Speed sensor on the transmission. I was lucky enough to find one at a pull-a-part for 10 bucks instead of 180 bucks new. Put that guy in and BOOM runs like a champ. Minus the oil leak I am trying to pinpoint, but has nice smooth shifts now. Thanks for the info and I hope what i provided is helpful as well.