Erik B wrote:
> I have a '94 Civic LX sedan with approx 200K on it. I say
> approximately because the speedometer only works about half the time,
> which results in the odometer working only half the time as well.
> Right now it's reading close to 196K, but I think it's closer to
> 200K. That's not much of a problem for me, though I will take care of
> it eventually (after new tires, after a new AC condenser, etc.,
> etc.) What needs immediate attention is an oil leak, or, more
> specifically, several leaks. I wouldn't call them full-blown leaks,
> either, because there is very little oil on the floor of my garage.
> It seems to be more like seepage from certain areas. I think they are
> more of what I call "pressure leaks," meaning it's only because of
> driving at high speeds all the time and hard acceleration that the oil
> is forced out of specific areas. The majority of my driving is done
> on the highway, and it seems like I'm dropping about one quart of oil
> every 400-500 miles, which is pretty severe in my opinion. The head
> gasket is in good shape, I don't lose coolant, and there is no oil
> (blue/grey smoke) in the exhaust except under very hard (near red
> line) acceleration. Again, there is very little oil on the floor of
> my garage and if I park at a shop or somebody else's driveway, there
> is never any oil on the ground from my car. This is why I feel the
> leaks are pressure related.
>
> The first thing I did was replace the oil pan gasket. The last time I
> changed my oil (a week ago) I noticed there was an oily, sandy mix
> that started below the gasket and went down, but nothing above the
> gasket. I figured it could use a good cleaning anyways. That was
> accomplished yesterday. The process was a bit frustrating and took
> several hours, but so far so good.
>
> This picture, and hopefully you all can view it, shows the next item
> on my to-do list:
> http://www.swoape.org/ejbock/auto/ci...butor_leak.jpg

that's not a distributor leak, that's an oil filler cap leak, and you're
not a honda cap. buy the correct one [new or junkyard] and it won't leak.

and that's not a bad leak btw.

>
> The distributor obviously has a leak, which causes that oily, sandy
> mess to accumulate on other engine parts. From what I've read here,
> this is caused by a worn bearing seal, and if that has failed, the
> bearing itself is probably shot. I will be ordering both parts today
> and will replace them next weekend. My only concern is reinstallation
> of the distributor. One post I read mentioned to be mindful of the
> timing when putting the distributor back on. I've never done
> distributor work on my Civic before, so could somebody elaborate more
> on this process, and more specifically, what to do so I don't jack up
> the timing?
>
> This next picture shows the underside of my hood:
> http://www.swoape.org/ejbock/auto/ci..._oil_spray.jpg
> Here's the area directly below the spray, shot from the side of the
> car:
> http://www.swoape.org/ejbock/auto/ci...ray_source.jpg

looks like power steering pump seal. but it's not serious enough to
merit stripdown yet. just keep an eye on the fluid level.


>
> It's like oil is being sprayed up there and I have no idea how it gets
> there because I don't see any oil or anything in that second picture.
> I'm looking for any suggestions here!
>
> One final item, and I don't know if it's related to the oil leaks or
> not, but I seem to get quite a bit of soot on the bumper above the
> tail pipe. I have to wipe down the bumper once a week because it's a
> white car and the soot shows very easily! Is this another oil problem
> or is it related more to fuel/oxygen and a sensor that might need to
> be replaced?
>
> Thanks!

that's not an oil problem, that's a combustion/injection problem.
judging by general conditions, you could probably benefit from new
plugs, plug leads and distributor cap. in addition, you /definitely/
need to fix the speedo problem. most likely a sender unit. without
that, the injection system goes into default mode and it's probably
injecting rich. that'll ruin your cat, not just leave smuts on your
bumper. read the fault code from your ecu and fix accordingly.

one last thing about oil leaks - the oil you use is important. some
brands skimp on seal conditioners. i've had good luck with castrol
keeping leaks under control because it has good conditioners. [but that
won't compensate for using the wrong filler cap.]