[carolinaridgeline]

^^^Thanks! About 34k, my daily commute is only about 6-miles ^^^

Wow, nice commute. Thanks

 

[rollinhonda]

I'm a bit hesitant to use a stop leak type additive in the oil. There may be unintended consequences. That being said, I might consider using some Sea Foam just prior to an oil change.

Valvoline MaxLife motor oil may be a better 'it can't hurt' solution.

 

[speedlever]

Summary of the fix beginning with a picture of the main bearing cap side bolts by coolbob:

 

[Ridge066]

Has anyone done this procedure on their own? Removed a main bearing cap side bolt, seal it and re-install? I have one leaking right above the oil drain plug, I can get a wrench on it but right behind it is the drive shaft so not sure how much room I have to remove the bolt. Wondering I should just have the dealer fix it instead of messing with it in the driveway.

 

[moorer11]

I just completed this job, that is I removed the right "rear" side cap bolt, and sealed. Indeed, you have to pull out the driveshaft for clearance, which adds a lot to the job and is non-trivial but do-able. At the end of the day, I'm not convinced that there was evidence on the side-cap bolt I removed that this is the source of my leak ('99 Accord V6, BTW)...sigh.

 

[coolbob]

Update - Bottom of engine is still dry, no leak whatsoever.

 

[news2u]

Update - Bottom of engine is still dry, no leak whatsoever.

Good for you. Had the same issue crop up in 2014 around about 111K miles. My mechanic pulled the bolt and sealed it. Charged me $30. Haven't had a problem since. He may have mentioned there was a bulletin on it, but I don't remember.

 

[noneill88]

Has anyone done this procedure on their own? Removed a main bearing cap side bolt, seal it and re-install? I have one leaking right above the oil drain plug, I can get a wrench on it but right behind it is the drive shaft so not sure how much room I have to remove the bolt. Wondering I should just have the dealer fix it instead of messing with it in the driveway.

have you fixed your issue yet? i have a similar issue i believe with the bolt above the drain plug. i really dont want to pull the axle again since replacing the bearing a month ago. there is also oil along the passenger side of the oil pan. Is this what yours looked like? also do you know of a service bulletin number i can reference at the shop? Shouldnt they be doing this for free since it is a honda issue?

 

[laserguy]

Good thread, not easy to find, but I'm glad I did.

I have this issue now, I need to read and try to visualize where and how to go after this fix myself.

About over a month ago I stared noticing drips of oil on the ground, it never leaked, lost or burned oil, except for the power steering fluid.

I degreased all the bottom as much as possible, leak only shows with drips ( about 4-6 in line) at the bottom.
I removed the wheels a few days ago to see if there was a steering rack leak, and signs there.

Currently if I put a carton under, I would see about 8-11 drops some on the same spot but not all.

I still think it's power steering fluid for these reasons

1. It does no smell like oil ( motor oil smells like gas)
2. It's not red, not tranny oil.
3. I do not seem to notice any loss of oil level

The strange thing, I don't even notice loss of power steering fluid either, just relying on the smell knowing the oil does not smell strong or if it smells it's more like PS fluid.


Any thoughts or suggestions as far as the smell and the visual imperfection?

 

[speedlever]

Is it safe to assume you ruled out the rear main seal?

Have you ruled out coolant?

And of course, the main bearing side cap bolts that this thread is about?

Can you elaborate on your no loss of fluid comment above (except for the PS fluid?). What's up with the PS fluid leak?

 

[laserguy]

Is it safe to assume you ruled out the rear main seal?

Have you ruled out coolant?

And of course, the main bearing side cap bolts that this thread is about?

Can you elaborate on your no loss of fluid comment above (except for the PS fluid?). What's up with the PS fluid leak?

Thanks speed! Once I noticed no signs of PS leaks under the hood or the steering rack. I thought it was the rear seal for sure, that could be the issue assuming the oil does not smell either, that is what I'm confused about.
Looking at it it could motor oil or ps fluid, based on, no smell and little viscosity I narrowed it to ps fluid.

The ps fluid level took many months to get low before I had to top it off but I kept it near the minimum, now with visual mess on the ground it may take less and I'll keep an eye on the other fluids. Antifreeze fluid I do also have to top it off every few months and I doubt that's the leak I'm having since its blue.


If the rear seal oil does not smell then you will be correct, about that being the issue.

 

[laserguy]

I saw many threads about the rear seal leak, most if not all were inconclusive, no follow up, replaced but not fixed, op did not follow up or some were fixed after different repairs were done. Same for Pilots doing searches.

This thread caught my attention, cheaper easier fix and makes me wonder how many rear seals were replaced when this was what needed to be done.

As far as my leak?
Am I the only one that just wants to rely on the smell to find the source? Even though I degreased everything, I may need to take a closer look. I pulled each dip stick, smell it. PS smells different totally different. Either I have a PS leak, or the engine oil coming from the bottom does not smell. Do the transfer case oil has anything to do with this? I doubt it, unless I'm missing something, or don't know it.

 

[laserguy]

I think I made some progress as far as the smell with some extra help.

The oil leaking near the black plate cover does not smell the same as the power steering fluid, both having a not very strong smell that can create some confusion

The one from the oil dipstick smells sntronger like gas, the one from the leak I'm trying to identify has a different smell than all of them but matches the color to the one on the dipstick.

It looks like it is going to be the motor oil. Minutes after washed my hand and ate pasta salad, I went to the garage and opened a quart of oil that had some left. I smelled it and it did not have the gas smell, from the dipstick, my memory is not accurate but I can assure that It may be similar to the one from the leak. My bad, never rely on matching the oil dipstick smell.

My question, if I remove the black plate cover at the bottom, will I be able to see if it's the rear seal leaking?

 

[Carsmak]

Not sure about the rear main seal being able to be seen unless you have one of those borescope/endoscopic cameras, that @speedlever has discussed before. I am looking at these,
Swisstek Endoscopes-Your Choice $14.99–$24.99 + $5 shipping (an Amazon Company)

I'm now following your thread, I removed that cover, maybe 4-5 years ago and gave it a light sanding as it had some surface rust and then painted it black again, but no oil on it the last oil change back in June.

 

[speedlever]

I think I made some progress as far as the smell with some extra help.

The oil leaking near the black plate cover does not smell the same as the power steering fluid, both having a not very strong smell that can create some confusion

The one from the oil dipstick smells sntronger like gas, the one from the leak I'm trying to identify has a different smell than all of them but matches the color to the one on the dipstick.

It looks like it is going to be the motor oil. Minutes after washed my hand and ate pasta salad, I went to the garage and opened a quart of oil that had some left. I smelled it and it did not have the gas smell, from the dipstick, my memory is not accurate but I can assure that It may be similar to the one from the leak. My bad, never rely on matching the oil dipstick smell.

My question, if I remove the black plate cover at the bottom, will I be able to see if it's the rear seal leaking?

You might find some of these references useful:
https://www.google.com/search?q=sit...9i57j69i58.16352j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[ZachRidgeline]

Are one of these bolts directly above the oil pan straight up from the drain bolt? I believe I have a leak there because there is oil around the rim of the oil pan above the drain bolt.

 

[noneill88]

Are one of these bolts directly above the oil pan straight up from the drain bolt? I believe I have a leak there because there is oil around the rim of the oil pan above the drain bolt.

That's the bolt.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[ZachRidgeline]

That's the bolt.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Awesome. Happy to hear of a leak that's a free fix with materials on hand!!

 

[noneill88]

Awesome. Happy to hear of a leak that's a free fix with materials on hand!!

An advisement, I haven't seen many forums with steps involved but if you have any questions let me know. If it's the same one on the engine block as mine was, you'll have to take out the axle to be able to take the bolt out and seal it. Easy enough I did it in a day but needed a trip to the shop for CV grease and a new strap for the CV boot because mine came off lol. Good luck and God bless.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[ZachRidgeline]

An advisement, I haven't seen many forums with steps involved but if you have any questions let me know. If it's the same one on the engine block as mine was, you'll have to take out the axle to be able to take the bolt out and seal it. Easy enough I did it in a day but needed a trip to the shop for CV grease and a new strap for the CV boot because mine came off lol. Good luck and God bless.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Oh no! haha, I thought I could just pop it off. It's the one closest to the timing belt. I can crawl underneath and see it.