leaking oil! normal?

[89civic]

Hi, just recently i jacked my car up and noticed that the was fluid all over the bottom of the transmission, it doesnt drip or anything but is this ment to be there, when i bought the car is didnt have any leaks anywhere. is this bad?

[EuroDude]

Sounds like a slow oil leak from somewhere. It could be the gearbox, but could also be an engine oil leak above the tranny such as the CAM seal or head gasket.


Get some degreaser and degrease the engine and tranny then check it the next day to locate the leak location. I guess you could apply some talcum powder around suspect areas to see the leak easier.

Be careful when degreasing, i.e. cover up electrical plugs, spark plugs, battery, fusebox, the distributor, etc.. check out the DIY engine cleaning thread in the DIY section.

[civiceg9]

Is this an auto gearbox?
if it is an auto gearbox just get it service and they will fit a new seal, filter(if apply), adjustments and new ATF oil.

[ECU-MAN]

the only thing you can change on a auto is the aluminum crush washer on the drain bolt. filter is in the gear box, seals are a 5 hours job. ( tranny out ).

if the oil is red ( ATF ) then its posibly leaking from the housing gasket and or the torque converter seal or the selector seal.

some times ( easy fix ) the drive shaft seals leak.

[89civic]

Is this an auto gearbox?
if it is an auto gearbox just get it service and they will fit a new seal, filter(if apply), adjustments and new ATF oil.
hi, nah its a manual, can they still service it?

[PIS01]

Sounds like a slow oil leak from somewhere. It could be the gearbox, but could also be an engine oil leak above the tranny such as the CAM seal or head gasket.


Get some degreaser and degrease the engine and tranny then check it the next day to locate the leak location. I guess you could apply some talcum powder around suspect areas to see the leak easier.

Be careful when degreasing, i.e. cover up electrical plugs, spark plugs, battery, fusebox, the distributor, etc.. check out the DIY engine cleaning thread in the DIY section.

I agree oil may leak from the cam seal or water pump seal. due to the seal getting old become hard, then no more function to stop leaking oil. but its abit expensive to fix it. u need to take the head out and put a new seal again. the cost more on labour. if not very serious just refill the eng oil every 2 weeks. remember to keep checking the oil level otherwise may cause damage in your eng.

[PIS01]

or you can buy some silicone sprayer to soften the seal. it may get help.

[MoonSha]

I get a bit of oil leaking from a bolt near the tranny, when I first bought the car it looked like what you described. The whole visible transmission and all the area around it (including the engine type engraving) were covered in oil. After I got it cleaned it was clean for a while but now I've noticed a trickle from this bolt, maybe replacing the washers will fix it.

[89civic]

thanks, i checked it out this morning and it is all around the right hand drive shaft input to the box, but its above it aswell on the box but its not on the engine! im gonna clean it all today and find out where its coming from. ant tips on what else i should do? there was a couple of drips on the garage floor but didnt smell like anything.

[civiceg9]

Wash the engine and see where it leaks as we
can't see it, it could be anything or bring it to your mechanic.

Another budget option is to make it leak more slower(or stop) would be to do this
1x bottle of 20-50w oil,
1x bottle engine stop leak.
Change the oil and add a bottle of stop leak.
fill it in and see if you have anymore leak over the next few days.

[89civic]

Wash the engine and see where it leaks as we
can't see it, it could be anything or bring it to your mechanic.

Another budget option is to make it leak more slower(or stop) would be to do this
1x bottle of 20-50w oil,
1x bottle engine stop leak.
Change the oil and add a bottle of stop leak.
fill it in and see if you have anymore leak over the next few days.
Thanks, i washed the engine yesterday and not much oil came off the gearbox, it is really thick stuff. will the mechanic charge me to look at it?
what do u mean about the budget options, do iput all them oils in the gearbox?

[**Ghost**]

if its really thick it may be the grease from ur CV joints have u checked

[BiGANG]

hey guys sorry to hijack the thread but its kinda related. My mate borrowed my car and drove over a silent cop when taking the corner coming to my place. Anyway there is a hairline crack about 1cm long rite at the bottom of the gearbox housing. Do i need to get a new housing or is there a way to stop iit leaking. Its only really slow but it just sh*ts me off coz its got no other leaks and i like it that way.

[civiceg9]

I mean if the engine is leaking and you don't want to fix it
then use the budget option, it will make it leak either more slow or stop.

What thick stuff is the oil, is it like grease (dark colour sticky cream/oil)

A mechanic should be able to just have a quick look shouldn't be charging you if just have a quick look.

[89civic]

if its really thick it may be the grease from ur CV joints have u checked
It never was there(the grease) it is thick but its above the cv joint too, can it get up there from them or would it be something dripping and dirt has built up?