94 Honda Accord gasket

[repeated_love]

Hey guys,

I have a 94 Honda Accord EXi non VTEC. About 2 weeks ago I did an oil change with my old man. I used cheapo Western Gulf fuel and replaced the oil filter as well. Since then there has been a smell of burning engine oil.

I checked the fuel level now after 2 weeks and it is half way between the 2 dots. I put some cardboard under the car to find a leak but this seemed pointless as the under body of the engine bay is mostly covered. It may have been the oil filter, sump plug or something else.

I noticed under the hood though under the head there is a 50 cent piece sized oil stain. It is smack bag in the middle under the head and on that cover that says "hot do not touch" with a picture of a hand.

The oil on the dipstick looks ok however I haven't done basic checks for leaks around the sump plug or oil filter. If it is the head then I just need to replace the gasket right? I had a quick look in the forums and it could also be a few other things that need replacing such as O rings etc.

Thing is I couldn't find a DIY write up so if need be I will make a request unless someone can reference3 me to one.

Another thing is will I do further damage if I continue to drive the car as is? I will continue to check oil level. I have spare oil but it is a different grade, will mixing 2 different grade oils be bad?

[YBJLS4]

if the problem occured after u did ur service, do it again properly and get some Honda OEM service parts.

what grade did u put in? and what grade do u want to mix it with?

best thing to do is stop asking questions on ozhonda and go to a reputable mechanic and get it checked out.

[Troy]

I noticed under the hood though under the head there is a 50 cent piece sized oil stain. It is smack bag in the middle under the head and on that cover that says "hot do not touch" with a picture of a hand.

This is the exhaust shield. If you spilled some oil there during the service it will smell for quite a long time.

Fully clean and degrease the oil, wash it all off. Check everywhere for anywhere else it was spilled. Then give it another day and the smell should all be gone.

Honestly just get under the car and check everywhere. Wipe it all up. If you changed the oil yourself and the filter you'll know where they are to look around for anything leaking.

I have mixed oil grades before, it is not ideal but I had no other choice at the time. It was only for a short while and then I replaced the whole lot as soon as I could.

I have even given a neighbour a whole bottle of sump oil (used) that I hadn't taken to the dump yet. His car was giving him some major hassles and he was completely out of oil. He just wanted it to get it going and then down to the auto shop for some good stuff. I offered to drive him but he just wanted the sump oil. All was fine!

[aaronng]

What was the viscosity of the Gulf Western oil?

[repeated_love]

thanks for the advice. i know i should take it into a mechanic but ozhonda forums is not a bad place to start. it is a sunday afterall and i dont know of a decent mechanic, i just go to kmart.

ive found some useful cost saving advice on this forum such as how to do an auto trans flush. if i went to a mechanic 300-400.

yeah it seems that shield is what the oil has spilled on. i cant really see it leaking from the head. i guess i should get a compression test or something done.

i will have to get under the car and chek everything again. as for the oil... the gulf western is 25-60 and the valvoline i was going to use is 20-50. the car has blown 2 heads and has had an engine put in from over east. probably over 200k. it is rattling a bit with this cheapo gulf western crap.

i did notice aarong youve recommended the mobil stuff in previous threads. i might have to pop into a store and get some.

on another note, i just did a rev in the car while in park. it blew out a bit of light browny/black smoke when i reved to 6k. i checked the radiator cap, there was a bit of white residue not sure if this is just gunk. however the radiator coolant was murky brown/green.