Massive engine oil leakage?

Tiny
JERBES
  • MEMBER
  • 1991 HONDA ACCORD
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • MANUAL
  • 150,000 MILES
1991 Honda Accord. We have a MASSIVE oil leak at the front end of the crankshaft that started a couple of days ago. About 4 seconds after starting the engine a stream of oil an 1/8 inch thick comes out of what looks to be a small vent just above the oil pan under the front of the crank at a rate of about a 1/3 cup a minute. Is this a totally failed crank front oil seal or something else?
Saturday, December 12th, 2009 AT 2:51 PM

56 Replies

Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Hi jerbes

Could be the front crankshaft seal or an oil pump housing seal/gasket-inspect This guide will help us find it

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-is-leaking-oil

Please run down this guide and report back.
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Saturday, December 12th, 2009 AT 9:58 PM
Tiny
JERBES
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It is hard to believe that even a totally missing crank oil seal would leak that much oil. It's not drip drip drip but a steady stream of oil coming out of the vent at the bottom of lower timing belt cover at idle. Where is the oil pump on this engine and would a leaking oil pump housing gasket leak into the space between the engine block and the timing belt cover?
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Saturday, December 12th, 2009 AT 10:15 PM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
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The oil pump is in front of the engine block and its behind the front cover of the engine where the crankshaft meets the crankshaft pulley thru the cover.
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Saturday, December 12th, 2009 AT 10:46 PM
Tiny
JERBES
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  • 3 POSTS
Well, we got around to fixing it now that the weather is tolerable. It wasn't the front crankshaft seal and it wasn't the oil pump housing seal gasket either, so both your guesses were wrong.
It was the seal on front counterbalance shaft that caused the massive leaking. The seal had popped out from the oil pressure behind it and was riding on the shaft. There was no seal retaining fork installed, which I now understand was a recall on later model Accords. We replaced the front counterbalance shaft seal along with a seal retainer fork, the crankshaft seal, the timing belt, the countershaft belt and put in a new water pump just in case.
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Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 AT 12:58 PM
Tiny
LYNCH187
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1991 HONDA ACCORD
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • MANUAL
  • 265,889 MILES
I have a 1991 honda accord 2.2 liter sohc it has 265,889 miles I have a real bad oil leak in the front of the engine it poors out
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:54 AM (Merged)
Tiny
OBXAUTOMEDIC
  • MECHANIC
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Does it look like it is coming from behind the bottom pulley? If so it is the front engine seal and or the oil pan gasket
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:54 AM (Merged)
Tiny
CROSSBONEZ18
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
  • 1991 HONDA ACCORD
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 269,000 MILES
I have a 1991 Honda Accord that is leaking a little bit of oil after starting. Then it will overheat after driving for a while? What could the malfunction be?
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:54 AM (Merged)
Tiny
KHLOW2008
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Oil leaks are mostly due to bad seals or gaskets.

Overheating is due to lack of coolant in system. Have you checked the coolant level in radiator?
Are the cooling fans working?
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:54 AM (Merged)
Tiny
CROSSBONEZ18
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I was looking at the car today, Coolant is fine! I noticed that one fan would kick in but the other did not even after I cut off the engine. However, the oil leak is large enough that it leaves puddles on the ground. Black puddles of oil, but my oil levels stay the same. I really don't know what the oil is leaking from. But the fan might be the problem with the overheating! I also heard that a cracked engine block could be my problem, is that true?
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:54 AM (Merged)
Tiny
KHLOW2008
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If coolant level is good, it has nothing to do with engine problems. Most probably the fan not working or a stuck thermostat would cause overheating. Both fans should work simultaneously and the one not working is most likely due to a bad fan motor.

Black colored oil should be from the engine. I would suggest checking for leaks and best way is to jack up vehicle and get under it to have a visual inspection. Monitor the oil level, it might not drop too fast though you might notice leaks.
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:54 AM (Merged)
Tiny
ALASKAJIMD
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  • 1991 HONDA ACCORD
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 136,000 MILES
My car is leaking major oil only when its in drive its coming from the driver side where the belts are at. Its going through oil to where if you drive it its already empty by the time you go around the block. I check the timing seal and thats fine where else would I need to look. Will this be a lot of work and how much are usually the repairs on these vehicles.
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:54 AM (Merged)
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
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Hi alaskajimd,

At the front of the engine, there are :
1. Camshaft oil seal.
2. Crankshaft oil seal
3. Front balancer oil seal.
4. Rear balancer oil seal and O ring.
5. Valve cover gasket.

Any of the above can cause the leaking and the most likely condition is that one of the seals has popped itself from its seat.

You would need to remove the timing belt cover to check the source and the job would depend on what needs to be replaced. With so much oil being dispensed, I believe the timng belt and related parts needs to be replaced as well.

Wihout understanding the extend of the damage, it would not be possible to provide any estimated repairs and prices ranges region to region so it is bets to get some local quotes.
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:54 AM (Merged)
Tiny
DPATT
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1991 HONDA ACCORD
I took the car in for an oil change and was told there was a leak. To find it the engine would have to be cleaned. Every since the oil change there is smoke coming from the hood when driving it.
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:54 AM (Merged)
Tiny
BRUCE HUNT
  • MECHANIC
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A little vague there aren't you? What causes a toilet to leak? It varies but with better information it can be diagnosed.

Now about the car. Put some clean cardboard under the car and not the proximity to the engine of where the oil leak appears. You could have a hose problem, an oil pump problem, a valve cover gasket problem and any number of other things as well. You need to figure out which end of the vehicle is causing the problem.
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:54 AM (Merged)
Tiny
CODY-ODY
  • MECHANIC
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These vehicles had a tendancy to pop their balancer shaft seals. This is under the timing belt cover.
There are countless other places where they could leak but without more information its hard to be more specific.
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:54 AM (Merged)
Tiny
KNBOND1
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
  • HONDA ACCORD
Yes, I seem to have an oil leak coming from the left side of the engine on my 1991 Honda Accord Ex, manual with 142000 miles on it. I was wondering if it can be the front main seal or is it the timing cover seals? If that is the case, should the timing belt be changed beacuse of it? And are the front main seal and the timing cover seals related to this? Thanks.
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:56 AM (Merged)
Tiny
BRUCE HUNT
  • MECHANIC
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I take it the engine is the 2.2L. I would guess that the problem is with either the seal or the oil pump. I would go for the oil pump. That is under the timing belt cover. I would take off the covers and check to see if the oil leak is coming from the oil pump area. Replace the oil pump, water pump and timing belt.
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:56 AM (Merged)
Tiny
JMSMITH1954
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  • 1 POST
  • 1990 HONDA ACCORD
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 168,000 MILES
Just pulled off sparkplug wire to change plugs and it has oil in covering all but the top of the sparkplug?
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:56 AM (Merged)
Tiny
DON OLIVER
  • MEMBER
  • 101 POSTS
Easy fix. Buy a valve cover gasket. A complete gasket will have the seals that seal the spark plug tubes from the oil under the valve cover. Good luck
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:56 AM (Merged)
Tiny
SAMMYLYNN42
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
My honda aI got a oil leake that leaves a puddle while park and slings oil all over my belt when I drive
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Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 AT 11:56 AM (Merged)

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