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Sorry to link to Reddit, but the website won't allow me to upload the video here. I have a bad oil leak somewhere near the top of the engine. I already changed the cam plug near the EGR valve, so it isn't coming from there. I was thinking of just getting some ATP AT-205 and hoping that it'll revitalize the seals, but idk.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cartalk/comments/uuqa2g/need_help_with_oil_leak_2003_civic_ex/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

 
Rep Power: 366

for videos, you use a photo/video hosting site like imgur

I really don't see what you are trying to show in the video anyway

why do you think it is not the valve cover gasket?

also, when filling oil, did you spill some on the valve cover?
the only other thing on that side is the VTEC valve, but on the firewall side (you said EX, right?)

are you really leaking oil? How much/miles?

 
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I don’t think it’s the valve cover because there is no visible oil coming out of the valve cover. In the video you can see the oil seeping down the engine in real time. It’s quite a bit also. The leak is well below the valve cover.

 
Rep Power: 366

you will need to remove engine and check for cracks, the only thing below the valve cover is the headgasket, which usually does not leak oil

what about my other questions? (they were intended to lead you away from removing the engine)

 
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or go down to replace the head gasket

below that, it is a cracked block

 
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That’s what I fear. A cracked block. Though I don’t know that would happen on this car. It’s not modded or anything.

 
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It could also be a botched headgasket replacement and somebody did damage the block/head mating surface

you will need at the least to remove up to head to find out

 
Rep Power: 222

Clean the engine thoroughly. Check the valve cover, cam plug, and VTEC solenoid. I know you've replaced some of that but clean it, and check again

 
Rep Power: 99

Check out posts #33 and #34 in my head gasket thread:

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/3...acement-2.html

These pics should help you see possible sources of leakage. I've had a leaking cam plug before also. The oil didn't drip down toward the front of the car like that. Rather it pooled in the area underneath and just sat there. It's like a small cavity that will contain fluid.
If it were the valve cover gasket, you'd be able to see it dripping right down from the gasket. So it's unlikely the valve cover gasket (unless you shot that video on an incline and the oil is running down from the backside.
The VTEC solenoid gasket would probably leak only on the firewall side, so you wouldn't see the oil like in the video.

Only option left that I can see is the water outlet / thermostat housing area. There are a total of three ports that this gasket seals. The two toward the front the car are coolant passanges, but that doesn't look like a coolant leak (unless your coolant is oily, is it?). However, I believe the port toward the firewall side is an oil passage that feeds the VTEC solenoid. If I'm right on that, than it could be the gasket has failed around that oil passage.

Refer to the pics in my thread to see what I'm talking about (I believe it's pic 6 in post #33 that shows the outlet ports on the cylinder head, and pic 1 in post #34 that shows the area where it will leak onto the block/transmission area.

 
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Okay, TY. I’ll check it out.as far as I can tell my coolant isn’t oily. But I do seem to be losing coolant and my engine smells like coolant.

 
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Is the overflow bottle filling with coolant?

 
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Yes, I was mistaken. I thought it was losing coolant but it isn’t. I just couldn’t see the coolant through the bottle because it’s well past the max line.

 
Rep Power: 222

Needs a headgasket, use only OEM

 
Rep Power: 366

looks like you are going to need to remove the head anyway...

 
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Yeah, looks like it unfortunately. I was hoping ATP AT-205 would work, but since it isn’t it most likely isn’t a rubber gasket problem.