Blown Gasket
 

How do I know if I have a blown head gasket or valve cover gasket?? And how quickly should i replace it. It's a pretty slow leak. But I dont feel right having my car leaking and looking ugly.

What are the symptoms of the alleged bad gasket?

oil leak... part of the left side of my motor has oil all over it...

Pictures would help.

I have a small leak between the head and block on mine that even a fresh head gasket and head resurfacing couldn't remedy. I have noticed most blocks have a mild leak around where the engine code is.

I've heard this before too. Apparently most B series have this problem. Luckily I haven't had this problem yet, since the rebuild.

Cam seal is also a possibility.

Yea its kinda around and towards the bottom of the distributtor... right around where it says B18C1. I'll take some pics to show yhou guys...

'left side" as you look at the engine from the front of the car or left side as you sit in the car driving it?? The distributor end is the RIGHT side of the engine :)

Change the valve cover gasket with the "kit" that includes plug tube seals, grommets, etc.... and change the O-ring on the distributor base... those leak a lot, too.

Put a small dab of Hondabond in the corners of the VCG when you install it.

I just use Driver or Passenger side to avoid confusion from the dyslexic.

Change the cam seal too. If it's still loosing oil, clean the engine off and you should get a better idea of where the leak is.

ok well here are some pics i said i was gonna post. What do you guys think? any more pics to break it down a lil more?http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...3/IMG_1215.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...3/IMG_1219.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...3/IMG_1218.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...3/IMG_1217.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...3/IMG_1216.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...3/IMG_1215.jpg

Mine leaks from there too. It isn't too big of a deal depending on the flow rate of the leak. If it is only a few drops every couple days, I wouldn't worry about it. When you replace the gasket, chances are you will have to have the deck and head resurfaced to prevent it from leaking in the future.

yup i have a leak there too. it's not too bad but does get annoying having to deal with.

so where exactly is the leak coming from?? Is it a blown head gasket or much worse than that?

It is coming from in between the block and head. It isn't a blown gasket, though. I have been trying to troubleshoot mine, so I replaced the headgasket, had the head resurfaced and it still leaks. The last thing I can think of to do is have the deck resurfaced.

I had this same exact leak when I bought my gsr. I replaced my head gasket because I had to, and the leak stopped after that, I suppose I got lucky.

Is it just me or does it look like its leaking from the vtec solenoid? I believe theres an seal there which you might want to check out. Maybe i'm looking to far into it but it looks like theres oil stains higher up than the headgasket. good luck

EDIT: Sorry not the vtec solenoid itself but in between it and the cam. Im not positive about vtec engines but I know my ls leaked form that plug like a sieve.

I agree, the Vtec Solenoid and Cam Plug are contributing to the problem. However, I doubt replacement would make a noticeable difference, as It's obvious that the head gasket is also leaking.

Good eye. It does look like the leak originated from the vtec solenoid gasket or the cam seal. Since it still looks like the stock cam seal, it would be a wise investment to purchase a Golden Eagle cam seal to prevent any further leaks.

hmmmm i guess i might as well do that. How much does one run for?

Less than $30 shipped for tha Cam seal.

http://www.accountwizard.com/clients...lass=Cam+Seals

My money is on the vtec solenoid and cam seal. I had the same leak about 4 months ago. Replaced both and now the leak is completely gone.

Yea I guess I can try changing that first.... So is it my vtec solenoid or cam seal. Is this any hard to do? Anybody have any DIY on how to do this?

Vtec solenoid is easy, cam seal is not difficult at all, it just takes time if you've never done it before, but you should be able to handle it. :)

Cam seal replacement DIY:

http://www.team-integra.net/sections...?ArticleID=576


For the Vtec Solenoid replacement:
1. Unbolt the Vtec solenoid- have a rag ready for oil dripping out
2. Remove the oil screen/gasket, notice the way its installed.
3. Wipe the solenoid and surrounding area to detect future leaks.
4. Install the screen correctly on the solenoid and bolt the solenoid back to the head, DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN BOLTS, these will break easily.*
5. Check you oil level, refill if necessary.

*Use recommended torque specs.

Is the Golden Eagle cam seal better than the Skunk2 cam seal??

Does our motor have 2 cam seals or one?? If it has 2, where is the other located? And would it be wise to change both of them if I'm going to be changing the leaking one?

I am using the Golden Eagle one and haven't had issues. I didn't know Skunk2 even made a cam seal. Go with whatever is cheapest...it will still be a whole lot better than a plastic OEM one.

It has one cam seal. The other seal is an o-ring on the distributor. It probably wouldn't hurt to replace that while you are down there as well.

Do you know how much the o-ring goes for?

About $1.75 or so. The part number is 30110-PA1-732.