ok here’s the deal. I went for an oil change couple of days ago. And I had noticed that I was either burning oil or loosing oil somehow prior to that. The guy showed me that my washer on the oil drain bolt was messed and somehow there’s this dent right next to the exhaust pipe on the oil pan. I freaked out but he said that no oil is leaking. Couple of days pass and yesterday i check my oil and there’s almost no oil there. Now im pissed as hell. So this morning I checked the oil and started the car. Everything was fine but then white smoke started coming from underneath the car, that im guessing is the oil burning. Also there’s a lot of black stuff, im guessing oil, around where the transmission connects to the engine. Is my headgasket leaking or something? Someone can help me out with this. I’m really freaking out here. Im gonna take some pics and post em also.
How many miles do you have on your car? Did he put organic or synthetic oil in when you got your oil changed? If you have synthetic in there and you have leaks its gunna leak more than if you have organic oil in it.
And take your car back and tell him to put a new washer on the oil drain plug because it is required that they do that because they are supposed to change the washer whenever they change the oil (or at least they are at the honda dealers they have to)
When the washer gets over tightened it squeezes up against the bolt and then oil can get out because part of the washer is bent. So the washer may be causing some oil loss.
Ask “The_Oz” … he’s the oil man around here.
Superthug,
I suggest following this format:
http://www.g2ic.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39217
I applaud Guitaraus for posting pics of his problem as it gave him well-mannered responses rather than the :search: smilie (yes, I’ve told people to search before too - I’m no more, no less). Pictures do say a 1000 words and he didn’t really had to say much to describe his problem.
So, in your case. If you can, get some pics of your underside, the oil pan drain bolt, the bent exhaust pipe, and any oil residue formation (very important).
I have a hard time diagnosing people’s problems without some visual aid. But from your description, it sounds like a headgasket has been blown (not 100% certain though).
So, get some pics if you can. And also, run a search on “oil” and you’ll see some Oil leak threads that might help you out.
Integra Style Synthetic is not any thinner than dino of the same viscosity weight…if that’s what you’re thinking.
Regards,
Oz
Originally posted by The_Oz
[B]Superthug,
Integra Style Synthetic is not any thinner than dino of the same viscosity weight…if that’s what you’re thinking.
[/B]
its not any thinner? my interpretation was that synthetic oil molecules are smaller than conventional oil. i’ve heard quite a few times of people switching to synthetic and then leaking a good deal more oil. i’m pretty sure thats why happened when my dad tried it on his motorcycle. makes sense to me, smaller moleculesm = they can squeeze through smaller places that larger ones cant —or is this a complete myth?
Re: Keep loosing oil plz help
Originally posted by superthug
ok here’s the deal. I went for an oil change couple of days ago. And I had noticed that I was either burning oil or loosing oil somehow prior to that. The guy showed me that my washer on the oil drain bolt was messed and somehow there’s this dent right next to the exhaust pipe on the oil pan. I freaked out but he said that no oil is leaking. Couple of days pass and yesterday i check my oil and there’s almost no oil there. Now im pissed as hell. So this morning I checked the oil and started the car. Everything was fine but then white smoke started coming from underneath the car, that im guessing is the oil burning. Also there’s a lot of black stuff, im guessing oil, around where the transmission connects to the engine. Is my headgasket leaking or something? Someone can help me out with this. I’m really freaking out here. Im gonna take some pics and post em also.
I had a serious oil leak last week and it turned out to be my oil pressure sender. Clean your engine bay first. That’s the only way I found mine.
Originally posted by 91IntegGS
its not any thinner? my interpretation was that synthetic oil molecules are smaller than conventional oil. i’ve heard quite a few times of people switching to synthetic and then leaking a good deal more oil. i’m pretty sure thats why happened when my dad tried it on his motorcycle. makes sense to me, smaller moleculesm = they can squeeze through smaller places that larger ones cant —or is this a complete myth?
Hmmm…alright, let me explain. And if you don’t understand it, then just ask away.
Back in the 70s, it was true that Group IV PAO synthetics such as AMSOIL and Mobil did cause major leakage in motors. But, before I get into that a bit deeper, let me explain to you SAE Grades.
SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) developed a standard in order to measure an oil’s thickness dependant under exposed temperatures (much like how we are trained to know how long 1 inch is). Typically, normal engine operating temperatures are around 100C (212F)…typically. At this temperature, the oil’s thickness is measured. If the test shows that the oil flows like a 30weight, then it is classified as a 30weight, and so on and so forth. So, I ask you, if you take a 30weight dino oil and compare it with a 30weight synthetic oil…which one is thicker or thinner?
Having said that, the oil viscosity chart is a bit confusing to explain. An oil’s weight is actually measured in Centistrokes (cST) which is referred to as Kinematic Viscosity. Basically, the higher the value, the thicker the oil, the higher the weight. A “weight” is actually a range of cST values. A cST range of 9.4 cST to 12.2 cST falls under the 30 weight range (cST numbers are approximate). So, if the oil was tested at 100C (212F) and showed a Kinematic Viscosity between 9.4cST-12.2cST, it then can be classified as a 30weight.
Alright, so back to this “myth” that synthetics are thinner than dino oils. The synthetic basestock PAO (poly alpha olefin - category Group IV) had a natural tendency to shrink certain types of seals. This created the basis in that “synthetics are thinner”. Now, Ester (category Group V) is also a synthetic, BUT it doesn’t shrink seals…rather it swells them. Over the years, companies developed ways to combat PAO and Ester’s natural tendencies against seals. Some have mixed both PAO and Ester to negate the disadvantage.
And, to tell you the truth, dino oils are actually “thinner” in a different sense of the word 
Hope that answers your question.
Regards,
Oz
Originally posted by The_Oz
[B]Hmmm…alright, let me explain. And if you don’t understand it, then just ask away.
Back in the 70s, it was true that Group IV PAO synthetics such as AMSOIL and Mobil did cause major leakage in motors. But, before I get into that a bit deeper, let me explain to you SAE Grades.
SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) developed a standard in order to measure an oil’s thickness dependant under exposed temperatures (much like how we are trained to know how long 1 inch is). Typically, normal engine operating temperatures are around 100C (212F)…typically. At this temperature, the oil’s thickness is measured. If the test shows that the oil flows like a 30weight, then it is classified as a 30weight, and so on and so forth. So, I ask you, if you take a 30weight dino oil and compare it with a 30weight synthetic oil…which one is thicker or thinner?
Having said that, the oil viscosity chart is a bit confusing to explain. An oil’s weight is actually measured in Centistrokes (cST) which is referred to as Kinematic Viscosity. Basically, the higher the value, the thicker the oil, the higher the weight. A “weight” is actually a range of cST values. A cST range of 9.4 cST to 12.2 cST falls under the 30 weight range (cST numbers are approximate). So, if the oil was tested at 100C (212F) and showed a Kinematic Viscosity between 9.4cST-12.2cST, it then can be classified as a 30weight.
Alright, so back to this “myth” that synthetics are thinner than dino oils. The synthetic basestock PAO (poly alpha olefin - category Group IV) had a natural tendency to shrink certain types of seals. This created the basis in that “synthetics are thinner”. Now, Ester (category Group V) is also a synthetic, BUT it doesn’t shrink seals…rather it swells them. Over the years, companies developed ways to combat PAO and Ester’s natural tendencies against seals. Some have mixed both PAO and Ester to negate the disadvantage.
And, to tell you the truth, dino oils are actually “thinner” in a different sense of the word
Hope that answers your question.
Regards,
Oz [/B]
wow, ARCHIVETHIS
I’ve cleaned where the transmission meets the engine and drove around today. Checked the area again, and the oil looked like it was coming from the valve cover and resting there. But im not jumping to conclusions, still doesn’t explain the smoke that was coming from the bottom of the engine. I’m going to take some pictures tomorrow morning. Thanks for your reply guyz.
Originally posted by superthug
I’ve cleaned where the transmission meets the engine and drove around today. Checked the area again, and the oil looked like it was coming from the valve cover and resting there. But im not jumping to conclusions, still doesn’t explain the smoke that was coming from the bottom of the engine. I’m going to take some pictures tomorrow morning. Thanks for your reply guyz.
Valve cover and resting there? That would be on the top of the engine and should be dripping down, ain’t it? :think:
Anyway, how much smoke are we talking about here? Don’t forget that oil resting on a hot surface like the block or the exhaust manifold will evaporate it. And when it does, you’ll see some white smoke evaporation.
I guess we’ll wait for the pics.
Regards,
Oz
Here’s the pictures
BTW I don’t feel the car being weaker because of the oil leak, it drives fine.
superthug,
We need some eye-level pics of the cam seal and if you could possibly take a picture underneath the distributor. By the look of these pics, it seems that you have the same problem as Guitaraus. Go to the thread that I provided you, and perhaps run through the list that G2Guru made for Guitaraus.
Regards,
Oz