Oil pan leaking?

[Somewhere in VA]

How do you know its the oil pan leaking? I have a 98 accord LX 4 cyl. The oil is not dripping, but you can see oil on the pan, on the pan bolts. I removed the trans. cover to see if oil was coming from front main seal, but torque conv. was dry.

My mileage is 145k. Is it normal for this age/mileage to need a new oil pan gasket?

Topic

[Bill]

Take a good look around to see if the oil is dropping down from the top of the engine and collecting on the pan rail. If it’s resonably dry then make sure the oil is not coming from the front crankshaft seal or other behind the timing belt cover. If it appears dry then replace the oil pan gasket.

[MARK FELDSTEIN]

Aside from looking around the bottom of the engine, to isolate the leak, unless you can see something obvious, I’d start by cleaning off whatever you can down there, paying a lot of attention to the pan itself, the oil filter (checking around the seal for a bad gasket there) and those other areas previously mentioned.

After you get it cleaned off, take it for a drive. When you get back, take another look around with an adequate light to help you. A leak can start in the front of the engine and just get wind-blown to other areas and accumulate where it meets the most resistance which may look like the source of the drip but it’s being blown or running there from elsewhere. Those may also include drips you see underneath after it’s been parked awhile.

If you end up replacing the pan gasket, take it easy on the fasteners and apply the proper specified torque and fastening pattern. And also when tightening your oil filter, do it by hand not using a wrench. Snug is usually enough to get it to seal. Over tightening is no bueno. Don’t forget your eye protection. B)
Sparks

[JesseTech2000]

I would clean it all up with brake cleaner, add some oil dye, crank it and let it run, then watch it with a black light and yellow lens glasses and see where it comes from.

[Somewhere in VA]

If I add oil dye to the clean oil, can I leave that in after I find the leak and apply the fix (change pan gasket etc.) I could continue to check for leaks after the fix to see if there are more leaks.

EDIT: Ok the instructions say its safe to keep in until next oil change.

[Somewhere in VA]

I planning to do the oil pan gasket. It looks like the front pipe will need to come out. The bolts from front pipe to cat. are completely rusted, and therefore, I’ll be sawing them off and replacing them along with the gasket. Is it necessary to replace the gasket from exhaust manifold to front pipe ?

[Bill]

If you disconnect it i would replace the gasket.

[crawford]

Myself I found valve cover gaskets would leak all the way around engine then down to the pan good luck

[Author]

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