Oil Leak Narrowed Down - Front Main Crank Seal

[H22a-Accord]

This post is a spawn from my other post "Opinions Wanted - Oil Leak - JDM H22a" where I got some great info.

I have narrowed the problem down to the Front Crank Seal.

I called T&T about 10 minutes ago:

They said that for a 95 honda prelude SR-V, the cost to replace would be approximately $500. My first question; Is my 95 JDM H22a going to be parallel to the regular 95 prelude SR-V as far as crank seals go? (the guy that answered the phone didn't seem to know very much, if anything at all, on the subject.)

My second reason for posting:

Would anyone mind sharing their wisdom on how this scenario gets dealt with normally in Honda's, or more specifically the JDM H22a?

I'm also trying to get an idea of what needs to come off of the engine in order to get at the crank seals...as usually I can do most of the work on the car myself.

If anyone can answer either of these questions, I would really appreciate it.

any estimates of (cost/time/parts/tools/precautions) would help alot. (and does this job enable me to replace other parts for relatively no extra labour?)

[BlkMaxima]

Why did you need a new thread?

Seriously?

[Mr_ET]

It's not something that is very fun to change.

You need to take off the driver side engine mount, all the timing belt cover off, remove the crank pulley and then change the seal making sure not to scratch or mark anything. It's probably something that takes 3-5 hours to do depending on your level of knowledge and the tools you have access to.

btw I know you just joined so I won't be too hard on you but you don't need 2 threads to talk about the same thing, you could have just updated the other one.

[H22a-Accord]

ahhhh, edit...I see.

Good to know, and thanks for the info Mr_ET.

[ryder_23]

you also have to remove the timing belt itself...and the parts will be the same as usdm. I honestly, cant think of anything different from the jdm h22a vs usdm h22a, now the h22a4 the crank position sensor n such is on the oil pump, but other then that seals will all be the same.

[SkittleFreak]

wow...changing my front crank seal on my 240 cost $10 and maybe about 3-4 hours. Good luck to you!

[H22a-Accord]

So I have decided to attempt the timing belt removal myself.

Had a problem with removing a valve cover bolt/nut though. One of those nuts just turns; it still has about 2-4 lbf/ft of resistance when i turn it. Doesnt matter if i'm loosening or tightening; it just spins.

I know this sounds like its stripped....but the bolt is still snuggly holding the valve cover down.

I'm looking for the least damaging idea that will allow me to get the nut off.

My first thought was to look around the garage for a tool of destruction, and go to town ...but i decided that someone on beyond might have a more reasonable approach.

[jdmakkord]

Originally posted by H22a-Accord
So I have decided to attempt the timing belt removal myself.

Had a problem with removing a valve cover bolt/nut though. One of those nuts just turns; it still has about 2-4 lbf/ft of resistance when i turn it. Doesnt matter if i'm loosening or tightening; it just spins.

I know this sounds like its stripped....but the bolt is still snuggly holding the valve cover down.

I'm looking for the least damaging idea that will allow me to get the nut off.

My first thought was to look around the garage for a tool of destruction, and go to town ...but i decided that someone on beyond might have a more reasonable approach.

Doing the timing belt/and anything in that area with the motor in the car is a pain. Do it right, and get a professional to do it. Last thing you need is to reinstall the t-belt wrong and do more damage than you started with.

PS I've got a oem sir spoiler for the 94/95 accord. Pm me for details if you are interested.

[H22a-Accord]

it's true it will be a pain, but I already have almost everything off; accesory belts, PS Pump, Alternator connections, valve cover(minus one bolt), motor mount, oil dipstick rod, middle timing cover. I just gotta find the tool for holding the crank pulley to get the bottom cover off.

I have the Honda book, torque specs and parts/gaskets that need to be replaced. also have 2x step-by-step procedurals with excellent pics. I NEVER look at the book or picture and say to myself...."what's this part?" or "What does this mean?" (this would be the point i take it to a professional.)

In my opinion, the only thing that I'm afraid of is the auto-tensioner, which I am going to buy new, along with the auto-tensioner clamp thing for proper installation.

I am making my own timing marks before disassembly of the T-belt but i can also line the dots up for TDC on the pulleys/gears np. I also know how to allign the balance shafts.

By now, I am used to working with no space with this chubby H-series, but if you can think of anything else inside the timing cover that I should be considering...please lemme know, as I AM doing this myself.

P.s. often-times I find I do a far more maticulous job than many so called "professionals". In fact...I am doing this myself partly because I want to know that it is done properly.

[vtec]

i had the same problem with my valve cover on the h22. i was in a rush so i decided to just drill that 10mm nut off, which will mess up the threads on that stud. After removing the valve cover i replaced that stud.

[jdmakkord]

Originally posted by H22a-Accord
it's true it will be a pain, but I already have almost everything off; accesory belts, PS Pump, Alternator connections, valve cover(minus one bolt), motor mount, oil dipstick rod, middle timing cover. I just gotta find the tool for holding the crank pulley to get the bottom cover off.

I have the Honda book, torque specs and parts/gaskets that need to be replaced. also have 2x step-by-step procedurals with excellent pics. I NEVER look at the book or picture and say to myself...."what's this part?" or "What does this mean?" (this would be the point i take it to a professional.)

In my opinion, the only thing that I'm afraid of is the auto-tensioner, which I am going to buy new, along with the auto-tensioner clamp thing for proper installation.

I am making my own timing marks before disassembly of the T-belt but i can also line the dots up for TDC on the pulleys/gears np. I also know how to allign the balance shafts.

By now, I am used to working with no space with this chubby H-series, but if you can think of anything else inside the timing cover that I should be considering...please lemme know, as I AM doing this myself.

P.s. often-times I find I do a far more maticulous job than many so called "professionals". In fact...I am doing this myself partly because I want to know that it is done properly.

Do the manual tensioner conversion while you are in there. It will cost the same in parts as a new auto tensioner, and will last a hell of a longer time, and less prone to failure.

[H22a-Accord]

I just may do that Manual tensioner conversion, but I have a funny feeling that Honda put the auto-tensioner on this engine for a very good reason. I will do more research and let you know what and why I decide to do what I do with the timing belt tensioner.

I am posting to update though:

I finally got that damn crank pulley bolt off...to make a long story short....i was jumping on the 24" breaker bar like a trampoline.

Man, what a relief. Anyway, I have the pulley bolt off and both timing covers removed.

Now this is the part where you guys come in:

I notice (im guessing) oil residue, lightly caked inside the lower timing cover. I will edit this post with pictures some time tomorrow.

My timing belt is tense and seems to be in good form.

but my balancer belt has quite a bit of play in it; When I press the balancer belt in with my finger there is approximately .7cm of free motion before it resists my finger at all...somehow this doesnt seem right to me. Lemme know what you guys think about this. (Note: the balancer belt has some (oil) residue on it)

Not that it matters now...but the balancer belt tensioning adjustment assembly (spring and arm) was just dangling...the pivot bolt was spun out about half way and the part of the arm that touches the balancer tensioning pulley was off basically. (not that this makes a difference now...but damn...it sure could have, lol)

I will be removing the balancer belt and timing belt tomorrow in order to finally see the front main crank seal.

Till then, I would really appreciate it if you guys lemme know what you think about that balancer belt tension; especially if you have experience.

[jdmakkord]

If any of the belts have been soaked with oil at all, replace them. I wouldn't risk them snapping down the road. With the tensioner in place, there should be constant pressure on the belt, if you find slack, either the tensioner is shot, or the belt is.

[H22a-Accord]

I got the front main seal out this morning. It is clearly the culprit of the oil leak; This pic is descent enough that you can see where the inner rubber piece has pulled away from the middle metal piece.



I called my buddy at acura to order:

-Front main seal (boned)
-Front main seal retainer (pried on it a bit when removing)
-Timing belt (oily)
-Balancer belt (much more oily and possibly stretched)
-Balancer belt crank pulley/gear (it was just a bit lose on the crank)
-Auto-tensioner (not manual tensioner...just because I would worry about it doing something different than the automatic one)
-Auto-tensioner "stopper" (used for reinstallation of auto-tensioner)
-Valve cover gasket (plug ring gaskets too)
-Timing cover gaskets (they were pretty gross)

The little things:
-Auto-tensioner maintenance bolt gasket (suggests replacement every time)
-Dipstick O-ring (suggests replacement every time)
-12mm Rear balance shaft maintenance bolt washer (suggests replacement every time)
-Crank pulley Key (mine is slightly worn)

My question for the forum is, what else should I be considering for replacement? (water pump? balance shaft seals? and how much extra money/tools/time is it going to cost for these things if I decide to change them?

By the way, if anyone is going to be doing a H22 Timing Belt or anything like that, while the engine is in the car, I have come up with some really good tricks for getting this VERY tightly spaced job done. Lemme know if your interested.