# Car drippng oil



## ChuckTin (Nov 17, 2014)

Are you sure it isn't the valve cover gasket?


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

papereater said:


> People,
> 
> 
> 2001 Civic EX, 1.7L, original owner. 145,000 miles. Car has been slowly, progressively leaking oil over say, 3 years. Now it's getting bad enough to do something. No sign of milkshake oil under the oil cap. Oil seeps from right front corner cylinder head. Probably needs new gasket. But is it possible to have a bad gasket that seeps oil and not allows coolant in to mix/contaminate the oil? Why dont I see milkshake oil under cap?


The lack of water in the oil only means you have no water in the oil. You can still have oil leak, just not where the water is.


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## ZZZZZ (Oct 1, 2014)

Have you checked the PCV valve?

That was the source of my oil leak.

It's an inexpensive part, mine was $1.95. About 30 seconds to remove and replace.

Don't know about Hondas.
.
.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

First check to see if the leak is above the head, or below the head.

Valve cover gaskets leak often.

Head gaskets do occasionally leak around the oil channels, and not into the coolant passages.

Research the drip, closer. 

Sometimes you won't be able to tell, until you take things apart, then you are doing major repairs.


ED


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## Brainbucket (Mar 30, 2015)

Check valve cover gasket. I have worked on a lot of Hondas and never encountered a leaky head gasket unless it was overheated. Not saying that it can't happen. Clean the crap out of it, then run it and watch. You will see where it's coming from. Unless it's under pressure and spewing out, oil leaks run down and if the fan is on or air driving it backwards. Might need a mechanics mirror to see it. Happy hunting. :vs_cool:


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

Brainbucket said:


> Clean the crap out of it, then run it and watch.


This. Clean _everything_. Oil drips from top to bottom, but once it leaves the top, it can be blown around by the radiator fan and/or just driving airflow. So you could have a leak in front of the engine but oil at the bottom of the back of the engine.


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## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

OK, people, good tips. I just "heard" that Honda civics (and all cars??) can not leak oil from a bad head gasket, only coolant. Is that true? If so, at least I know I dont have to change it!! 

But they are notorious for leaking around the cam shaft seal. I should clean it all well, like was suggested above , and then see. 

Thing is, I just had the valve cover gasket done about a years ago. Would that have included the cam seal?


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## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

ChuckTin said:


> Are you sure it isn't the valve cover gasket?


Thanks, Chuck, but had it redone a years or so ago. Unless they didnt do it right(?). Like I said, I will look closer and advise asap.......


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

papereater said:


> OK, people, good tips. I just "heard" that Honda civics (and all cars??) can not leak oil from a bad head gasket, only coolant. Is that true? If so, at least I know I dont have to change it!!
> 
> But they are notorious for leaking around the cam shaft seal. I should clean it all well, like was suggested above , and then see.
> 
> Thing is, I just had the valve cover gasket done about a years ago. Would that have included the cam seal?


Puckey!

How do you think that oil get up to lubricate the rocker arms, and upper valve assembly?

It's pumped through the block, the HEAD GASKET, the head, and into the valve rockers.

And many have a Rubber O ring between the head and block, in the gasket, that seals it, so maybe it got displaced by inattentive repairman.

So wherever you heard that, don't ask them anything more, they be full of it. 

As for the cam seal, it depends on the particular brand of engine, but anybody decent should have changed it as a general precaution.


ED


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## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

de-nagorg said:


> Puckey!
> 
> How do you think that oil get up to lubricate the rocker arms, and upper valve assembly?
> 
> ...


Wow, Ed, am I glad I posted that (wrong) idea! Sheesh- Thats what I get for browsing a Honda forum! I thought that was a bit dumb! Thanks for clearing that up. Looks like Im looking at a new gasket. Im still not sure why no milkshake oil. Maybe its hard to see it on the upside down of the civic oil filler cap. Not much surface. Also I need to check my rad coolant level- it's hard to see it down that goofy narrow filler tube.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

papereater said:


> Wow, Ed, am I glad I posted that (wrong) idea! Sheesh- Thats what I get for browsing a Honda forum! I thought that was a bit dumb! Thanks for clearing that up. Looks like Im looking at a new gasket. Im still not sure why no milkshake oil. Maybe its hard to see it on the upside down of the civic oil filler cap. Not much surface. Also I need to check my rad coolant level- it's hard to see it down that goofy narrow filler tube.


 With a head gasket you can have a water leak. an oil leak or a compression leak or any combination of the three,
So they may have different symptoms.
Water in the oil is only one
Blue exhaust might be oil and compression leak
white exhaust might be water and compression leak.
Low compression might be just a compression leak


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## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

Finally got that picture,

I nknow its difficult to see underneath, but I cant get any other photo angle, the rad hose housing is in the way. Oil leak is bottom of cylinder, where meets the trans housing. 

Civic youtubes explain how civics are famous for leaking from the camshaft plastic cover, where there used to be a distributor there. Honda decided to just cap it with a round plug. But I dont see any oil puddles beneath it (another angle, from top-back).


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

I haven't worked on many cars for 30 years but I don't think I have ever seen a head gasket only dripping oil, I would suspect something else there that has oil passing thru it.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

I think that you have found the " where the oil is dripping and puddling at", not where the drip is occurring.

What is above and forward from this point?

A dripping camshaft cover, above this would be my guess at this time, but need to see the whole thing, too far away to view in person, too complicated to post a video, of all around inspection, 

All I can suggest is to look up from here to anything loose, or cracked, or misaligned, or faulty.



ED


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

papereater said:


> People,
> 
> 
> 2001 Civic EX, 1.7L, original owner. 145,000 miles. Car has been slowly, progressively leaking oil over say, 3 years. Now it's getting bad enough to do something. No sign of milkshake oil under the oil cap. Oil seeps from right front corner cylinder head. Probably needs new gasket. But is it possible to have a bad gasket that seeps oil and not allows coolant in to mix/contaminate the oil? Why dont I see milkshake oil under cap?



Are you sure 8it is not the head seal and not the head gasket, they have a hole in the end from a different modal.


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## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

Good deal, Ed and Neal. Plug is cheap- $5, and easy to pop in. I will also clean/wash the entire area, then with new plug installed watch if it happens again! Easy, right? 

If it happens again, more likely head gasket, although, to me, just because one eliminates one cause is not concrete evidence. I have to tread carefully before yanking head gasket, what a project.


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## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

Nealtw said:


> Are you sure 8it is not the head seal and not the head gasket, they have a hole in the end from a different modal.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUngJP43H-M
> 
> ...


Right, Neal! Thats what Im hoping it is. They call it the cam shaft "plug", usually, head "seal" is OK too. It is where the distributor used to go on older models. I will install a new one there first, then see if it continues leaking. 

Thaks for posting those useful videos.


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## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

Update: What about the idea of removing the bulky air filter housing, and associated big black tube as well as the EGR valve, to provide access to view that part of the engine, then start the engine and run for just a bit, and while running view the leak as it actually seeps out? Can I do any serious damage to the engine?

That way, with all the junk out of the way, I can view the plug, and cylinder head are both at the same time. Can it run OK with EGR disconnected?



I dont think it needs to run more than say, 3-4 minutes, at the rate the oil is seeping out.*

Am out of ideas, and this one is last chance to verify the seepage. I tried talc, but inconclusive- talc just gets soaked with oil, leaves no clear path of seepage source.**


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

A few minutes running without these, will cause very little harm, but the electronics, might not allow it to start without everything hooked up.

And it surely will cause an fault code to be created, that you will need to clear up before too long. 

They are not designed to run with anything disconnected.



ED


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## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

de-nagorg said:


> A few minutes running without these, will cause very little harm, but the electronics, might not allow it to start without everything hooked up.
> 
> And it surely will cause an fault code to be created, that you will need to clear up before too long.
> 
> ...


Awww, shucks. Good tip, Ed. I know that some cars, when produce a ECM code deletes the code if all is plugged back in next time car is started or at least, after say, 2 starts (?). Still, not knowing, hate to go in that direction.


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## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

OK, I think I now have produced scientific evidence that the head gasket is bad- oil in the coolant. I removed the overflow reservoir, shook it up a bit first, poured it into a glass beaker. It looked like choc milkshake. Then, after settling for 3-4 minutes, the 2 fluids separated. Brown oil on top (felt it with my finger), and greenish coolant on bottom. 

is there any other way this can happen, people? Is this scientific evidence? Would you proceed to replace head gasket?


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Still could be a cracked block, head, or intake manifold gasket on some engines, not sure about your particular engine at the moment.

But disassembly and investigation is in order. 

Sounds like you are in for a major repair though. 

I hope that everything turns out for the better. 

ED


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