kickasstimus

Hello,

A friend has a D17 civic, a 2002 EX, sedan, auto. There are a couple of issues with the car.

1) It has an oil leak at the rear cam seal. I'd like to replace it with an aluminum plug and be done with it. Can anyone recommend one? Are the ones available for the B-series engines compatible?

2) Occasionally, the oil light will come on. Most recently, within 2 weeks of an oil change. The car has 134k miles. I suspect that it's related to the bad rear cam seal but I'm open to suggestions.

3) It will need a new A/C compressor. Recommendations?

Any other gotchas for this year/motor/trans? It'll be a commuter car so reliability is the highest priority.

Thanks.

mikey1

1 - are you talking about the plug at the end of the cam where the distributor would be? if yes, i would just replace it with a new one and maybe put a bit of high temp silicone on it

2 - not likely related to number 1, assuming the oil level if fine, it could be a problem with the oil pump, oil filter, or the oil sensor

3 - that will be VERY expensive, i would look for one at a scrap yard, but only if it came with a warranty

does the oil light come on at a particular time? engine hot or cold, etc etc....or just randomly? and how long does it stay on for?

driving a car with the oil light on can be very dangerous, and could do alot of damage, what grade of oil are you using?



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kickasstimus

Yes, the rear cam seal. I suppose the plastic one will work. I was trying to track down an aluminum one simply because it's a more robust part.

Unknown on the oil level. I haven't check it yet. That is, I haven't gone to the car to check it since I was told about this. I'm guessing that the leak at the rear cam seal is somewhat severe; about 1qt every 2 weeks. Since the engine only has 4qts, losing 25% of the oil would probably turn on the light. Oil is Mobil 1 5w-20.

Yes, the compressor will be expensive. I've been quoted ~$200 rebuilt with a warranty from the various parts stores. I can drop it in and vacuum/dry the lines without much fuss.

Yes, driving w/o oil is bad. However, I once drove a chevy van around with zero oil in the pan. It seized up a few minutes after I got home. I soaked it in as much diesel fuel as I could pour in to the crankcase. I let it sit for a week, drained all that mess out of it, filled it with 5qts of 40wt, and went on about my business ... for another 75k miles. (with regular changes and a new oil pan). It's bad, but not necessarily catastrophic. That being said, I don't recommend it.

ezone

Plastic or aluminum is irrelevant. It's the rubber O ring that leaks. You buy the plastic cap from Honda to get it, about $10 in the USA and it will probably last another 100k or so.



Holy poop, how many miles are on the car?

If the oil pressure warning light comes on while driving, the FIRST thing to do is shut the engine off and check the oil level.

Handy pic of the GRAVY BOAT light:




25% oil loss won't turn on the light unless the engine is in really sad shapr or something.
The engine holds about 3.5 quarts when an oil change is done.....
The red idiot light comes on when oil pressure drops below about 5PSI or so. The light might not come on until 3 quarts are missing, each engine varies and conditions vary.
An EX will almost always set VTEC codes before so much oil is gone as to let the red light come on.

Too much oil can cause the low pressure light to come on. Believe it or not.

Pressure switch failures have become pretty rare, but they still do from time to time.



The VTEC valve is famous for profuse oil leaks too.

Wait wait wait.... You can drop a compressor in without much fuss, but you haven't opened the hood to look for oil leaks and oil level?



Aftermarket remans suck donkey *****. You'll be sorry when you have to replace it every other year (far too many don't even last a year), or when it grenades and trashes the whole system..

What exactly is wrong with the original unit?
Honda sells all the clutch parts separate if you need them. I'd much rather keep the original compressor when possible.


If I got lucky enough to dodge a bullet, I wouldn't keep standing in front of the gun.

kinakoes2

Oil starvation on old, far-understressed 2V/cyl engines with <40hp/liter and tolerances that are yawning-loose compared to modern motors, can more gracefully tolerate starvation. But even the relatively-vanilla Civic EX motor is pushing 76 hp/liter -- still quite understressed, but almost double what a typical parts store SBC will put out off the shelf. Even an ancient Ford SPI SOHC motor (2V/cyl)is at 55hp/liter... and they'll lock up and score pistons if you even think about running low oil level... +1 on not tempting fate.

kickasstimus

I made a mistake, it's an LX not an EX. So, no VTEC.

134k on the car.

I'm an engineer and have rebuilt many engines from motorcycles to high-hp mountain motors. I hadn't checked the oil because the car isn't mine. It belongs to my friend and I simply hadn't had time to go by and pop the hood.

The oil light comes on intermittently. Since posting, the light is off again and I have checked the oil level; it's within spec. I'm going to run a gauge to the dashboard. If it's the oil pressure, we'll see it. If it's the sending unit, we'll be able to eliminate that as well.

Yeah, remans suck. But, they aren't expensive and they come with a warranty. That being said, it is a clutch problem. The pressure is fine but the clutch will not engage. If rebuilding it is an option, then I'm all for it.

The next item on the list though, ahead of the A/C, is the timing belt. It may have been changed but we don't know. Out of an abundance of caution, the belt, water pump, springs, etc are all being changed.

ezone

An oil pressure switch is almost dirt cheap. Probably worth it to just pop it in and see how it goes.
Um, make sure nobody got the wire caught under the oil filter, if that's even possible.

Jumper the clutch right to the battery, see if it really doesn't work. The cars have issues with relays, the HVAC controller, and occasionally the MICU (body computer) that will keep the AC from engaging, among every other thing electrical in the AC system LOL.


HTH