Rep Power: 0

I am new to hondas. Im usually a toyota guy but took a step in the honda direction because the wagovan is a pretty fly little car. Anyway the car runs great. And I already have found the appeal. One thing that has worried me is an oil leak that seems to leak only when driving. when I arrive at my destination I get maybe 2 drops and thats it. but the under side obviously has a good amount of oil. It appears to me as if the leak is coming from the passenger side axle where it meets the transmission. And when i checked the tranny fluid level it was a quart low. So, I took it to a shop and the mechanic told me it was the axle seal. which I fully believe him and he quoted me at 200. which doesnt sound bad but I have always done my own work and would like to save the cash. Just wondering how much of a pain this is to replace? is this seal known to go?should i just pay the 200? any tips? the previous owner replaced the axles and cv joints not long ago and just seems a bit strange it would go out. And one more question. any way I can tell if the timing belt has been changed? it has 165k and runs smooth as hell. the wagovan may have converted me to honda from yota. sorry for the newb questions. cheers

 
Rep Power: 519

The seal is probably 30 freekin years old. The rubber might be hard as a rock by this time.


I'm sure it has at least once. Does it need it again? There won't be any warning before it lets go and destroys the engine.

If there is no documentation that it's been replaced in the last 7 years, you better plan on it ASAP....along with stuff like front seals and tensioner pulley, and water pump

 
Rep Power: 0

thanks for the reply. well. i decided to take it to the mechanic to fix the transmission axle seal. cost me 125 which was pretty cheap. picked up the car. drove 45 min home. looked under the car and it was covered in fluid. the leak is worse than it was. so i towed it back and the mechanic said he would take a look but i have a bad feeling this is going to be a head ache. the previous owner had it raised and put larger tires on it so im worried that may have affected it. any thoughts. maybe something im over looking.

 
Rep Power: 519

Is it still lifted or raised? Has the suspension been restored to stock now? I doubt that has anything to do with the issue....
Have you checked with the previous owner if they have tried to fix this leak in the past?


A few possibilities come to mind---- but none of us can examine the car.....

So, whomever takes it apart to replace the next seal probably should do more investigating on what the root cause of the leakage is...

Make certain the seal is correct and that its seal lips actually grip the smooth surface on the CV joint end that slides into the trans......
and the differential isn't loose inside the transmission case..

OR

if the leakage cause is found to be that an axle popped out of the trans, that would indicate the snap ring is either not spread out enough or possibly the axle is too short.....or maybe the drivetrain isn't centered.

 
Rep Power: 0

i appreciate the reply. i will have a chat with the mechanic. im starting to wish i had gone ahead and done it myself. at least i could do my own trial and error. im going to let him give it a try one more time and if it fails again im going to give it a crack. the 89 civic calls for 10w-30 in the trans. which is odd to me but it calls for it in the manual. any suggestion on seals? aftermarket? honda? maybe timkin. cheers for the reply

 
Rep Power: 519

Looks like the seals are probably still available through Honda, or at least their parts catalog didn't immediately say obsolete on any of them

Seals are different on each side, and they also differ depending on manual or automatic transmission (so....wonder if simply an incorrect seal was installed?)

If manual trans, yes Hondas used motor oil back then.....
Plain non-synthetic is probably better for shifting purposes, synthetic might be too slick and could cause crunch noises during gear change.
OR you could buy the current manual trans fluid from a dealership.

Hope no damage was done by running low on fluid!