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I've had this car for awhile now and I never noticed this before but now around the engine/transmission and at the bottom there is oil. I did a good engine degrease awhile back so I can see where exactly there is oil buildup. For instance at the very top of the valve cover around a bolt I can see oil. On the left side of the engine it is wet with oil, and the bottom it has collected. Is the engine going? It's got 250k, but it's very responsive, doesn't burn oil. I'm guessing the engine itself is fine, just a gasket. Apparently using UV light dye can work to find the leak?
Last edited by civicenthusiast; Feb 8, 2021 at 12:21 AM.
My guess is the cylinder head plug, black cap in the pic below. This is on the end of the cylinder head, passenger side. Honda part number is 12513-P72-003.
for the picture below, that bolt have a rubber grommet that you can change.
Now, if you filled the engine oil and dropped a lot of oil outside the filler cap, that could be where it is coming from.
Ah, Brotatochip also pointed one of the common culprits above
Originally Posted by civicenthusiast
I've had this car for awhile now and I never noticed this before but now around the engine/transmission and at the bottom there is oil. I did a good engine degrease awhile back so I can see where exactly there is oil buildup. For instance at the very top of the valve cover around a bolt I can see oil. On the left side of the engine it is wet with oil, and the bottom it has collected. Is the engine going? It's got 250k, but it's very responsive, doesn't burn oil. I'm guessing the engine itself is fine, just a gasket. Apparently using UV light dye can work to find the leak?
I had to replace the head plug pictured up top on either the 96 or 02 I used to have, cant remember. Pretty much any seals can start leaking at that age/mileage. Replace those head cover bolt grommets too if you wish. Also, IDK what anybody says. Oil with higher flow capabilities/smaller molecules these days also has a better chance at seeping past gaskets. If it was my car I would use a high mileage oil. Iv had good luck with a few different vehicles with it. FWIW
Oil leak? 
