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Hey everyone!
I have a 1986 Honda Accord 2.0i (A20A4 engine) with 175k km (110k miles). Manual transmission. I have it since August 2014 and ran it during 6000km without any problems. But a few weeks ago I noticed a sudden oil consumption (the car never burned any oil or coolant). Since it doesn’t smoke or leak, I opened the radiator cap and yes, it had some brown oil cream coating the inners of the radiator…
I added about 1l (1 quart) of oil to the engine to top it off, but since then the oil level remains stable again. The coolant level never changed.
Now, I think because this is a sudden problem, it may be the oil cooler gone bad. It happened to me on another Honda also. But it can also be a leaky head gasket. What do you guys think? How can I diagnose a bad oil cooler?
Thanks in advance! B)
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Maybe somebody in the trade who works on Hondas and knows which is more common will chime in. It could also be a cracked block or head.
I seen and heard of ATF coolers built into radiator. Never heard of oil coolers. It’s your head gasket, buddy.
[quote=”ukrkoz” post=129641]I seen and heard of ATF coolers built into radiator. Never heard of oil coolers. It’s your head gasket, buddy.[/quote]
Yeah, an oil cooler seemed normal to me because both of my cars have them. However, they are both turbocharged.
Like others have said it is your Head Gasket.
I know you didn’t mention it but, PLEASE NO NOT USE STOP LEAK OR ANY OTHER MECHANIC IN A CAN PRODUCT. Fix it Right in the First Place.
Well, thanks for your advice but my car has an OEM sandwich oil cooler were the oil filter is tightened… If I wasn’t on mobile I would show you the OEM Honda parte number.
I had a 1990 CRX that had a bad oil cooler and only noticed when I saw that the headgasket was in good condition. Just don’t want to spend 400€ unecessarely again.
i wonder if you could have the oil cooler removed temporarily. Usually the cooler is made to fit in place of the oil filter. You’d have to cross connect the water lines and find the shorter piece the filter threads onto without a cooler. Then if the problem continues, it is not the cooler. Check with the dealer before tearing things apart.
BTW, I admire makers that supply an oil cooler. Not only does oil need to be the correct viscosity, it works best at the correct temperature. Without a cooler there is no temperature control. However, I wouldn’t be afraid to drive without the cooler, most vehicles get by without one.
That’s a good idea barney! I was going to remove the oil cooler to see if it has any visible leaking signs, but if I can screw the oil filter again without the cooler I will drive it for a while without it. I drive the car pretty gentle, I’m sure I’m not going to have any problems.
Yeah, Honda in the 80’s and 90’s had top notch engineering. That’s why I love them! 😛
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