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Hi All,
Reaching out for advice, think i'm getting the run around.
Had an awesome mechanic for several years who did all major work on my 94 Civic EX. He lost his business so i used the closer mechanic who did my oil changes and minor stuff but the business was sold and i have been still going to them for oil changes (i've had this car for a long time!). It has been mainly a back up car and normally is garaged. A few years ago it was driven on the interstate after sitting for a few months (it gets biannual oil changes) and when the engine got hot it smelled like burning oil. Never has done this in all the years it was driven as a primary vehicle. Took to the mechanic and told it needed new oil pan (plug was leaking and largest one had been used most recently). Replaced oil pan. Smell continued. Within a year (still primarily garaged car with occasional short trips) oil noticed leaking under car on driver side. Went to mechanic and could not find source of leak. New mechanic has looked at my car several times over the last 4-5 years looking for the source of the oil leak. Last time i went in (last summer) told it was probably the engine was shot. But when i was checking out, the new, chatty owner, who doesn't really know much about cars, is talking to me and i'm telling him my frustration not finding the source. He says "we can't really diagnose an oil leak unless we do a flush and put dye in there to find it". Well, i first thought it was weird that they had seen the car several times and never mentioned that.
I finally tried a different mechanic today for a second opinion. They had it for a very brief time, did the oil change, and told me the leak was coming from the oil pan/gasket, and said that they could tell it was a newer pan and to go to the mechanic who installed it to get it fixed.
So....i'm not so sure it's from the oil pan. Would an oil pan leak cause the burning oil smell?? I have replaced oil pans on both my Civics (had a 2004 as well) and never had the burning oil smell from that. Any gurus have any ideas? The shop today seemed legit in that they didn't offer a quote to fix it and referred me to a shop in town that fixes older Hondas. So i didn't feel scammed, but i wonder if they didn't look hard enough or if it's really that simple and my previous long time mechanic kept missing it?
Thanks for your advice!

 
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are you losing oil?
Any signs of oil around the engine?

 
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Losing very little oil while it sits in garage. The mechanic's last diagnostic was that it was coming from "somewhere" in the engine, not sure where, and that it was not fixable.

 
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If you're so willing, jack it up and grab a roll of paper towels and a bottle of simple green and/or maybe a can or 5 of brake cleaner. Clean up as much oil as you possibly can, and as far as you can reach. I'd personally lay down a cardboard box to save the concrete from getting stained.

After you've cleaned it up, drive like normal for a day or 2, then get under the car again and look for new oil dripping somewhere, and trace it up as high as possible. At the very least, you'll be able to find out where the leak is coming from, hopefully.

I'm currently in the middle of doing that whole procedure to my friend's 2008 civic

 
Rep Power: 222

Do this