Hunting for a D15B4 oil leak - looking for guidance

D15B4 oil leak post

I have bought a 1990 GL Civic Hatch for my son for what was an absolute bargain off the side of the road... DIY spray job, tarting up the interior with a heap of TLC and replacing some of the easy bits thanks to many a Saturday morning wandering around Boss Wrecking in Hemmant QLD with a tool box and a can or two of coke has been some of the most rewarding and relaxing time i have spent in years. I previously wanted to do something like this but never actually considered I could do... having not a bone in my body mechanicals minded... 3 months on I'm loving the project and the Man Cave (garage)

I now however have come to a screaming halt and despite all my enthusiasm, I'm stuck...

At 250k's on the dial, the old girl has the expected signs of oil leaks and after many cans of degreaser, just as many toilet brushes for getting the grime off the engine I'm now tackling with the task of finding the origin of the leak... and then fixing it.

Here is the rundown of what has been done so far and I'm looking for advice as to what to do next without having to succumb to taking it to a mechanic and parting with stupid amounts of money (she only cost $400)... Everything else is good and ready for roadworthy according to the look-lover which I got from the local mechanic when I through it may have just been a couple of hundred buck job. His inspection was thorough and if managed to fix everything else...

- Sitting doing nothing, there are no leaks.
- After a run of the engine, there is a leak which comes from the righ hand side of the sump the drips off the timing cover... which eventually stops
- Total quantity of the leak is probably only about a tea spoon or so but for full roadworthy, it needs to be fixed according to everyone I speak to (currently unregistered)
- Rocker cover (aka tappet cover) gasket replaced (using the blue goo gasket stuff as well as a new gasket)*
- Dizzy O rings replaced*
- Sump nuts tightened... Some were a little loose but nothing drastic
- Head gasket from visual inspection looks good*
- Spark plugs all clean (no oil)
- Stuff under the rocker cover (mechanical bits) all a nice bronze color and in good nick*

* these bits were done with the assistance of a friends son who is a 2nd year apprentice mechanic but 18 year olds only have a certain amount of patience on a weekend in helping out an old fart like me. Total confidence in the work he did though

A bit of time spent under the car up on ramps had me wondering about the sump gasket and the timing belt cover and how that fits onto the sump assembly.

The rocker cover seemed to cover the white plastic timing belt cover and the whole assembly seemed to fit nicely together. Now that the underbelly is totally clean, I can see where the leak is dripping from... And I'm thinking that the sump gasket is either old and cracked (old rocker cover and dizzy O ring gaskets that were replaced were in not the best condition) that this may be a cause... Also, looking really closely, it looks like there is a gap between the bottom of the same timing cover at the bottom of the sump tray thing. Slight poke with a screwdriver and there is definitely a gasket there but not sure of whether it should be the same as the top of the engine where the timing belt cover is assembled as part of the rocker cover when it is correctly assembled... Or whether it has "popped out" from the sump cover as there was no gasket goo evident on the rocker cover gasket when it was replaced (said young Toby while he was getting blue shyte all over the place in putting the new rocker cover gasket on)

Just thinking that maybe the sump gasket/seal has popped out over the years and it is only when the engine has been running and the oil is sorting it's way back down into the sump that it leaks out this non perfect seal (told you I was not mechanically minded)

So my question... replacing the sump gasket... Any gotcha's as it looks like it should be the simple case of draining the oil, undoing the dozen or so 10mm nuts, dropping the sump cover and doing the gasket/goo procedure that was done on the top end... Also, anything else that any of the forum punters would suggest be investigated...

Oh and if anyone can PM me a D15B4 workshop manual would be extremely helpful if anyone has one...

Cheers!

Did u also replace the cam seal?

These are common to fail and leak.

Replacing the sump gasket is pretty straight forward as u mentioned.

Just make sure u remove anything that is blocking the removal of the sump out. Etc.

Once out, give it a good clean and make sure the surface is nice and smooth prior to installing the new gasket.

Welcome to the forums.

Could possibly be the rear main seal or sump gasket.

Have a look at this How To guide for some idea of what's involved: http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=1980272

Welcome to OzHonda

In regards to your oil leaks, with the older Honda's it is fairly common to find the sump gasket, rear main seal, camshaft & crankshaft seals to be leaking.

If you are going to replace the sump gasket yourself, make sure you clean down the surface area that the gasket will be touching, and when re-tightening the 10mm bolts, use a 1/4in ratchet and 10mm socket so that you don't over torque the rubber gasket, as over tightening from using a 3/8 or 1/2in ratchet will cause oil leaks fairly soon after it being replaced.

In order to replace the camshaft & crankshaft seals, you will need to remove the timing belt & cam gears. If you have never done a timing belt replacement before, I would recommend getting your local mechanic to do it, as if the timing is not set correctly, you run the risk of valves hitting pistons. Once the timing belt comes off, I would replace camshaft & crankshaft seals, as well as water pump & timing belt (for peace of mind as you don't know the last time they were replaced and saves you money by not replacing timing belt at a later date).

In regards to the rear main seal, removal of the gearbox will be required to get to it. If it is a manual, inspect the condition of the clutch assembly while the gearbox is out and if there is minimal lining left on the clutch plate, replacement of the clutch should be carried out as well (again for peace of mind and save money).

Best of luck with the repairs and have fun with your Civc

dorikin, I appreciate the link as pictures really do say a thousand words. Think I will go the sump gasket first and see how it goes.

stndrn, thanks for the comments about not too tight as in my novice thinking... the tighter the less chance it has of leaking... hmmmm... assume using a 1/4"ratchet means that you wont be able to at get it hard enough that you would with a 3/8 or 1/2... note to self, don't be swinging on the ratchet it like a old bugger about to bust a foofle valve... :-)

Dumb question... I assume the Camshaft seal is different to the rocker cover gasket?

Also, I'm still hunting for the D15B4 workshop manual as well... any idea's where i can find one?

Cheers!

Here is the service manual.

http://hondatech.info/downloads/Auto/Manuals/Concerto/

They are the same motor with the earlier carby concertos non-injected.

Hope this helps

Yes the camshaft seal is different to the rocker cover gasket

Thansk IV73CI...

novice question coming... should I stress out that the manual is for D15B2 whereas mine is a D15B4?

The D15B4 is 1.5L dual Carb (and I think SOHC) version where the Concerto manual has 1.4L dual carb D14A1 or the 1.5L FI (assume this is Fuel Injected) D15B2... assuming as it is the same manual for both, does that mean the inside bits (capacity, bore stroke, pistons, other stuff) is the main difference between the 1.4 & 1.5 and the theory & procedures woud all be the same? From the quick glance I have had so far, I see there is separate bits in the pdf for Carby & FI procedures but the main engine part seems to be one...

Awesome help and Cheers!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MDE888

Thansk IV73CI...

novice question coming... should I stress out that the manual is for D15B2 whereas mine is a D15B4?

The D15B4 is 1.5L dual Carb (and I think SOHC) version where the Concerto manual has 1.4L dual carb D14A1 or the 1.5L FI (assume this is Fuel Injected) D15B2... assuming as it is the same manual for both, does that mean the inside bits (capacity, bore stroke, pistons, other stuff) is the main difference between the 1.4 & 1.5 and the theory & procedures woud all be the same? From the quick glance I have had so far, I see there is separate bits in the pdf for Carby & FI procedures but the main engine part seems to be one...

Awesome help and Cheers!

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No need to stress pops...

The digitz at the end usually represents manufacturing code.

Whats important is the first 4digitz of the engine code.

If ur engine is carby dual 1.4 (example) ... Then go by the same engine capacity/details in the SM. (service manual)

1.5L carby or efi...Internals should be designed the same and even at times uses same size pistons, bore, etc etc between carby and efi.

But 1.4L and 1.5L internals specs would be slightly different but same design/locations of the pistons, bores, sump etc. doesnt matter if its carby or efi

I wouldn't put blue goo on your sump gasket, most gaskets are designed to not have 'blue goo' put on them, it makes the mating surface uneven and can cause leaks. If you're using a new gasket, then just make sure you're torquing it correctly and in sequence and forget about the goo.