Cam seal, vtec solenoid seal or head gasket??

tbeesh

the great
So I'm kind of upset because I just bought this gsr, and recently noticed a smell of oil in the cabin. So I checked the motor and as presumed there is some oil on the block. I degreased the engine when I bought the car, so this is new oil. I wiped it off about a week ago, and didn't really notice anything significant until today. There is a decent amount of oil on the block and around the vtec solenoid. I'm really not sure if its coming from the head gasket or leaking all the way down from the cam seal or vtec seal. Can you guys tell from these pics? I'm not great with cars, but I am willing to learn.


Any advice would be appreciated, my mechanic friend quoted me $500 today with parts, so I'm hoping its not the head gasket.



 

dc2GS-R

Super Moderator
Well it's not the headgasket. If the headgasket were to leak anything, it would be coolant. It's kind of hard to tell from that picture if it is the cam seal or VTEC solenoid, but both are prone to leaking with age.
 

tbeesh

the great
ya i think i'll just change both as well as the valve cover gasket and spark plug gaskets.



I'll let you know how it goes.


Thanks much for the info + writeup
 


Samurai_Blue

Yolo Whippin'
i use hondabond or the right stuff. the right stuff seals in 1min. the right stuff is also its name if you were confused. its the cam seal cap thats leaking
 

ssbp dc2

New Member
Niiice I have the exact same leak. Haha maybe a common problem with our teggys
 


tbeesh

the great
just ordered a blox cam seal and a bunch of OEM honda parts from delray

12341-PR3-000 GASKET, HEAD COVER 1 $8.21 $8.21
15825-P08-005 FILTER ASSY., SPOOL VALVE 1 $13.41 $13.41
90442-P30-000 WASHER, HEAD COVER 2 $3.28 $6.56
12342-PT2-000 GASKET B, HEAD COVER 4 $2.04 $8.16


only got two washers because the others are in good shape.


I'll post up when I install everything,


Thanks for all the help guys :D
 

tbeesh

the great
oh and 1 more question, where do i put the hondabond on the valve cover gasket and cam seal? All over the valve cover gasket and just on the edge of the cam seal or what?
 

mirrorimg

Well-Known Member
The manual says to put it on the humps, but I usually put a thin film all around the gasket.

Look under the motor on the oil pan, and around the header bracket. The oil is probably dripping all the way down and burning on the header, hence the oil smell.

That VTEC solenoid o-ring is probably your culprit.
 
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