new 89 Prelude owner...oil leak and advice?

[classicjag]

Hello all,

I bought an '89 Prelude Si this week, it has just over 200k on the odometer. Bought it from a guy who has owned it since new so I was glad to know the entire mechanical history of the car. It's a 5-speed manual, and I really like it so far. I had an '88 Accord back in college and always liked the Preludes. I took it in for an oil change and fluid top-off today and I was told it had an oil leak. No surprise there, but they said it was bad. Oil all over the underside of the engine, and they also told me the oil pan had a hole that was about rusted through. Not a huge deal since I can get a new oil pan and gasket, but of course that might not even be where she's leaking from (just one of the many places I'm sure).

The engine runs like a top, fires right up and drives nice. All electrics still work good and so I'd like to save the car but don't want to sink a lot of extra money into it. I basically bought it to save gas instead of driving my truck, so the more money I put into it the less it was worth buying I also wouldn't mind putting a quart of oil or so in between oil changes, but the mechanic warned me that it was leaking and spraying back onto the exhaust under the engine and could possibly catch fire

I'm going to take the car to a good mechanic this week and find where the leak is coming from, but if it's just mainly the oil pan, do you guys know a good parts supplier? I found a couple on ebay, but other than that my searches didn't turn up much.

I value the opinion of other Prelude owners who have been there and done that, so any advice and/or suggestions would be welcome!

Thanks,
classicjag

[spiffyguido]

First of all, congratulations on your purchase, and welcome to PreludeDriver.com. We're very happy you found us. No doubt, you'll enjoy your Prelude.

Oil leaks are common when a car gets old. Most leaks on Preludes either originate at the head gasket or the oil pan. If you're lucky, it'll just be the oil pan. If it's the head gasket, no big deal, but you'll have to pop the head off to switch it. I've also seen oil leaks around the cam ends, and even from the valve cover but these are less common. You're on the right track already by trying to find the source of the leak. Narrow that down, then go from there.

As for parts, most people on here will tell you to stick to genuine Honda parts. I always put genuine Honda parts in my lude, and I've never once been dissapointed by the quality so this is a good way to go. If you're in the US, the prices are www.hondaautomotiveparts.com are hard to beat. www.hondapartsdeals.com is another one. If you're outside the U.S., you can watch ebay, otherwise, just do as I do and head down to your local Honda dealer.

Hope that helps.

[classicjag]

Thanks for the tips Spiffy. I also hope it's just basically the oil pan, because while I'd love nothing more than to have a completely rebuilt Prelude it's just not in the budget right now

I'll post an update when I find anything out, I'm gonna try to take it in early next week.

Thanks!

[spiffyguido]

Sounds great.

We're looking forward to an update.

[classicjag]

Anyone have any ideas about whether there really is much danger of the oil leak causing a fire? I've seen engines slathered in all kinds of oil for years, and the top of mine is very clean. It's apparently just coming out from underneath somewhere. The mechanic indicated that the spraying oil could somehow catch fire and I don't want to risk that, so I decided to park it over the weekend instead of taking it on a 2-hr trip.

I'm sure there is always that possibility, but how real is that risk and is driving it for short trips around town in the meantime safe? I know it's hard to tell since you can't really see the extent of the actual leak or where it's going, but I just didn't know oil hitting a hot engine or exhaust could cause a fire.

Thanks!

[spiffyguido]

It's not outside the realm of possibility, but I've never seen this happen, nor would I really worry about it. Oil actually doesn't ignite that well on it's own, and certainly not as a liquid. If there was a fine mist coming in contact with a flame or very high heat source, you might have cause for concern, but if you just have a drip or two coming in contact with your exhaust, chances are you'll only get a bad smell.

That said, where fire is concerned, you can never be too careful. Use your judgment, but don't panic over what a mechanic tells you. Engines are always coated in oil, and they seem fine. I spill oil all over my exhaust every time I change my oil, and it's never been a problem.

[classicjag]

Alright, took it to a very nice mechanic today. The news of course is that it's leaking everywhere...rear main seal, front main seal, oil pan, etc. I expected this from a 200k car. Good news is that he said it's nothing serious...just small leaks typical of the mileage. He said it was fine to drive, just check the oil level every now and then. Risk of fire extremely minimal, which was the news I wanted to hear.

It's not often we get the news we want, but today I did. I just wanted to get 10k out of this car without any major cash spent, so I'm a step closer to that goal. I'd love to have it in top condition, but like I said the budget doesn't really allow for that. Just for kicks I asked how much it would be to replace those seals. Since the front seal requires removal of the timing belt he recommended replacing it while it was off, and said it would be $300-$400 for the front main seal with timing belt replacement, and then of course there would be separate charges for the rear and oil pan seals. Even he thought it wasn't worth doing all things considered, so I'm going to drive it nice and enjoy it.

Thanks for the advice earlier, I'll probably be lurking here more than contributing since I'm still very new to these cars. Thanks!

[spiffyguido]

Glad everything worked out to your liking.

Stay in touch, and don't be afraid to post more questions. We're always happy to help new Prelude owners on this board.

[classicjag]

Thanks for all the input Spiffy...and gorgeous car by the way!

[spiffyguido]

Thank you, kindly.