I just got this noticeable oil leak on my 1998 Accord LX this weekend. The oil is definitely coming from the little hole from the transmission cover on the bottom of the engine that I assume is a drain whole for this kind of leakage. The oil only comes out when the engine is started & running. I don't see oil leaking if the engine is not started and there's no oil I can see leaking from the top of the engine. The car has just over 200K miles so I'm Hoping this is a common high-mileage Accord problem and someone knows the fix and how much will it cost me if I had it fixed by a mechanic. I've done other repairs on my Accord so does this fall under a DIY job that I can do myself, and what's the procedure to do it?
Thanks for any help.

 

Well
1 could be just an oil pan gasket-not to bad to do
2 could be rear mail seal- trans need to come out
3 could be coming from the trans -torque converter seal -trans needs to come out

First i would clean it with brake cleaner
And put oil dye in either trans or engine not both
Drive it and check it with a uv light
At least you will know where to start

 

I've already brought the brake cleaner and I'm going to clean the area but I don't have any oil dye or a UV light. I plan on taking off the trans cover to see if I can pin-point the actual leak. I'll let you know what I find. I sure hope it isn't the rear seal because I'm hearing that's an expensive repair that a novice DIY'er shouldn't do.

thanks for the reply and I'll let you know what I find.

 

Parts stores will have the dye and uv lights

 

just because the oil light came on dont mean the engine is shot. could try high mileage oil and see if you cant swell up the seals some. sounds like your mechanic wants the car. I would take it to another mechanic and tell them nothing of what the first one said.

 

So i have another follow-up question. looking in the Haynes manual for the removal of that cover plate (engine stiffener plate) the oil pan butts right up against the rear main seal retainer plate. if i remove that cover plate, will I be able to definitively pin-point the oil leak being either the oil pan gasket or the rear main seal?

 

Check the top of the motor for leaks that run down and appear to be leaks at the rear main and oil pan,cleaning the motor with engine cleaner when engine is warm will cut the grease and make it easier to see any leaks.

 

I pulled off the engine stiffener plate, I cleaned up all the oil residue around the oil pan & I put UV oil dye in the engine & after I ran the engine a few minutes I could clearly see the oil leaking from the half circle lip area of the oil pan where the oil pan butts up against transaxle. When I put the UV light on that area, I clearly see the oil dye. My question is whether this definitively means the leak is the oil pan gasket?

 

If it was rear main seal you should be able to see a trace of dye above the oil pan area

 

That oil pan is easy to do
Just unbolt the exhaust from the manifold and let it hang down
Drain the oil and remove the oil pan
The old gasket might be very hard to remove
From the oil pan