Honda Odyssey Forum banner
21 - 32 of 32 Posts
Discussion starter · #21 ·
You are correct . Crankcase pressure can push seal and gasket physically out of place . Also can force fluid between the gasket and mechanical surfaces.

I also like to point out I am not a mechanic . But I have been a gear head since I was young (long time ago). I have rebuilt several engines. (see my avatar) That is my Buick Grand national . I have allot of experience with the Buick V6. They leak oil just sitting there :) . I do not claim to know everything . But I do have a basic understanding

I have seen engines that blew head gaskets and literally push the seals right out of the engine(s) . Pressuring the crankcase.

Blow-by on these engines (Honda) . I don't know . But a good question. I am not seeing any blow by on my van when I have the oil cap off. But it could be something to check. A leak down test would answer that question.

In my case with the Honda . The rear main seal is dry and in place. The whole area under the inspection cover is dry. Which leads me to believe that it is not the rear main seal. But I could be wrong .

Block porosity is a real issue with these engines (see above link) and would explain allot .

Again I do not claim to know everything , But try to share my experiences to help others.


I like the plywood idea , if you have room for it .
 
I've had 4 of these vans and helped a friend buy one. I have not experienced engine failure of any kind.
Critical thinking was employed selecting the ones I have had. So, there may be some selection bias for
good survivors.

An acquaintance offered us an '03 at around 2011 [we did not buy].
It was fully loaded with trailer hitch, leather seats, and automatic doors.
It had been 3500 since previous change.
That van had coffee color oil on a 100k engine.

My hypothesis was that it had been used at a greater work load at steady
highway speeds for most of it's life-cycle: perhaps just the weight of the
accessories could be enough to cause oil burning.

Whereas, the '04 I have now I bought at 200k miles because it did not have automatic
doors nor roof rack=black handle model. It had spent most of its life presumably with lower workload at steady
speed.

It was leaking oil from the oil filter thingy accessible behind the passenger front wheel.
I replaced that gasket and it has been nearly bulletproof for the 3rd 100k miles: oil changes
optional.

Seems like I try to keep my eye on the color of the oil. Maybe it's some sort of magic.
 
What is this called. Is that the rear cam cover for the back head.

I'm going to check this out later , This could be the issue . The head on the front of the engine , was leaking and I replaced it . Bet this one is . This has not been changed
Automotive lighting Motor vehicle Automotive design Automotive exterior Automotive tire

It's called a camshaft cap. If you changed the seal for that part, you probably already found it's an O-ring.

Both of my Odysseys (Gen 2's) developed really bad RMS (rear mail seal) leaks a number of years ago. ATP AT-205 stopped them. I did check the heads back then, no leaks from either the camshaft end caps or the valve cover gaskets.

Now, my remaining Gen 2, a 2002 EX, is leaking from one of these camshaft caps, but it's the one on the forward head. It's leaking a bit, and the oil draining down the engine would have looked like another RMS leak had I not done the same check I did last time (check for oil leaks around the cylinder heads first).

Just got the replacement O-ring seal in the mail (Honda p/n 91301-P8A-A00) and will most likely replace it this weekend.

OF
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2011.2017.odyssey
Discussion starter · #24 ·
Both rear cam seals on mine are not leaking . But when I was snooping around I did notice the front oil filter housing was wet also , replacing gaskets / O-ring in that this weekend .

But also on mine the rear main seal is dry , flex plate and torque convertor are dry. so is the back of the block looking up though the inspection cover . But I get oil seepage between the engine- transmission seam .

Porosity ?

There not bad leaks , but annoying.
 
Just finished replacing that cam cap O-ring on the forward cylinder head. The original O-ring from the factory felt like the plastic anti-tamper ring on the cap for a gallon of milk. The OEM replacement part felt the way an O-ring should.

12mm socket to remove the EGR valve first (it's in the way) and then the bolts retaining the cap (same socket size).

OF
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2011.2017.odyssey
Discussion starter · #27 ·
I replaced the oil filter houing gaskets yesterday. They are on the same condition you just mentioned.

Still have a small leak at the back of the engine .
Where the engine and transmission meet.

Pulled the inspection cover again and it is dry in there. The top of the block is also dry.

It has to be coming from where the rear engine seal housing bolts to the block. The torque converter and flex plate and the actual rear main seal are dry.

It could also be the block porosity.

I have at205 reseal but have been hesitant about using it.
Its been leaking for years. Don't know why its on my mind now.

But...
 
It's the only re-sealer I've ever used ... and it works.

OF
 
Discussion starter · #30 ·
I am surprised , I shouldn't be but........

Fixed that now the upper alternator bracket broke, replaced that with a Dorman 926-099 (The only thing I could get my hands on Yesterday . $40.00 I see it on ebay now for half :( .

It seem beefier that OE that broke. and the lower alternator bolt was loose , tight now .
 
I currently put in half of a bottle with each oil change on my 2002 EX Odyssey as a preventative measure once that severe rear main seal leak had completely gone away.

That problem originally occurred many years ago, and I was using a full bottle of AT-205 over the course of a few annual oil changes, then switched to what is essentially a little less than 1 ounce per quart. Van has almost 220,000 miles of really hard miles.

OF
 
21 - 32 of 32 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top