[mknmike]

Pics of the broken PCV valve, and a few of my ridgeline that I was able to replace in minutes without breaking the PCV valve thank God.

And where oil is clearly starting to come out of the ridgeline motor but not making it to the ground since the RL doesn’t make a mess in the driveway.

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[mknmike]

This video showing the leaks near the crank pulley/oil filter/oil pan could either be needing an oil pump reseal (essentially a TB replacement with a bunch of extra work to reseal the oil pump), or could be the rocker arm control solenoid assembly filter/gasket (easiest and likely first thing to check - what the oil filter is attached to).

This sounds like there’s a thread out there somewhere on replacing this. I will have to study up.

Leaks suck.

Edit: I see the 2009+ has a service bulletin for this: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10172366-0001.pdf

And a thread on the gen2 pilots, but yet to find anything for my 2007: Oil leak next to oil dipstick ROCKER ARM OIL CONTROL...

 

[mknmike]

I think you're probably overthinking it. With a new PCV valve it should be fine, I doubt any passages are clogged enough to cause an issue.

I hope you are right. I’m trying to research to see if I may have leaks in other locations besides the valve cover gasket. Feeling like a really screwed up not replacing the PCV earlier.

 

[RonnieJ]

You looked at one piece of the puzzle on those EGR systems The channels on top were redesigned so they wouldn't build up with carbon, but the ports between the channels and the EGR still does. Many overlook it, and clean the channels and still have the problem, and can't figure out why. It is a circular system. Exhaust to EGR to intake, to cylinder, to exhaust again. Carbon usually builds up between the EGR and the Intake. It is less likely on the later models to clog on both though, but still clogs.

You are correct. I checked mine when taking off the intake plenum last year when doing a valve adjustment on the rear (Bank 1). There was minimal buildup, certainly nothing that completely clogged it up. It did not look like what I've seen on the 03-05 Pilots, similar engines on the Odyssey.

 

[RonnieJ]

Leaks suck.

You've been busy, I love it.
What I'd probably recommend now, to see exactly where the leaks are coming from, it to clean the engine a bit. I'd use something like Simple Green Motorsports cleaner (white and blue bottle), which is safe on aluminum. Spray it all over the areas that have oil on them, then lightly rinse them off with a hose (spray, not stream). Use the vehicle for a few days, then look to see exactly where any remaining leaks are originating from. You don't want to chase anything that may have been resolved with what you just replaced. It will also help determine the rate of leakage and/or seepage. Seepage you can leave with, leaks that drip on the driveway not so much.

One of the other areas I saw in your videos, where engine and transmission meet, there is a black inspection plate, held on by 1 or 2 10mm bolts. Pull that off and you'll see the bottom of the flywheel. If it is covered in oil, that may be an indication of a rear main seal leak. If not, it may be oil pan or something else above dripping down through there.

 

[mknmike]

You've been busy, I love it.
What I'd probably recommend now, to see exactly where the leaks are coming from, it to clean the engine a bit. I'd use something like Simple Green Motorsports cleaner (white and blue bottle), which is safe on aluminum. Spray it all over the areas that have oil on them, then lightly rinse them off with a hose (spray, not stream). Use the vehicle for a few days, then look to see exactly where any remaining leaks are originating from. You don't want to chase anything that may have been resolved with what you just replaced. It will also help determine the rate of leakage and/or seepage. Seepage you can leave with, leaks that drip on the driveway not so much.

One of the other areas I saw in your videos, where engine and transmission meet, there is a black inspection plate, held on by 1 or 2 10mm bolts. Pull that off and you'll see the bottom of the flywheel. If it is covered in oil, that may be an indication of a rear main seal leak. If not, it may be oil pan or something else above dripping down through there.

Yes, very very busy, and not with cars. My MB hobby has been sidelined for nearly 2 years now due to work on houses. Lots going on in life with quite literally very major projects going on at three houses at the same time, essentially three 5-figure projects going on at the same time. My oil seals are not the only thing rupturing right now, wallets and brains too. Gotta keep it all heading in the right direction. God forbid I’m hit by a bus. Slow and steady wins the race. Gotta make sure I don’t make too many bad major life decisions.

Yeah. On cleaning the engine, I learned that 10w40 can be the safest cleaner. So I try to just wipe things down first.

Oh how I hope I didn’t blow out the rear main seal. That would suck a real donkey dong.

 

[mknmike]

I’m confident it’s not the rear main seal. The ring gear and flywheel are totally dry. There is a shiny film in there, and the viewport edges were wet, but that all.

The main spots I’m seeing oil come down are between the AC bracket and the motor and behind the crank pulley. I can’t really see above either. I can wipe below each of them, and I guess that’s what I will continue to do. I idled the car in the driveway a while and then took it out for a romping. I’m guessing that the oil that has collected above is still working it’s way down. I hope that’s the case anyway.

This is where things are soaked, in front of, and on the crank pulley side of the oil pan.

 

[mknmike]

So I get under the car this morning after it’s sat all night…

While the car has been sitting, it’s been dripping down the corner where the AC compressor meets up with the crank pulley. I still hope this is all coming from the outside of the engine and it’s going to just stop. Romping on the car last night didn’t produce nearly as much oil on the pan (zero actually) as just letting the car sit for 8 hours. The majority of the oil should be in the pan when the car is at rest overnight. Right? So maybe this is all from a valve cover leak that is now fixed. Right?

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[mknmike]

Sprayed some dollar store degreaser on some spots and wiped off the oil pan again and then hosed down the motor with the garden setting while the car was running and then took it out for a drive to dry it off before putting the plastic cover back on. I guess I won’t know for at least another eight hours whether I’ve got that drip continuing. My friend with the 6000 Shop says his dad’s civic or accord has a similar leak behind the crank pulley that they’ve never been able to diagnose. Hopefully mine doesn’t have that same persistent problem


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[royalbiggster]

Put some ATP AT-205 in. You should do this regardless. It is a preventative maintenance, and will fix any leaks due to dried up seals. Will not fix holes, tears, ect... It is a plasticizer, and not a petroleum based re-sealer. Which means it will not damage the rubber and make it swell. It reconditions it. You will have no ill effects using this. Do Not use petroleum based sealers. They will cause damage.

 

[mknmike]

Put some ATP AT-205 in. You should do this regardless. It is a preventative maintenance, and will fix any leaks due to dried up seals. Will not fix holes, tears, ect... It is a plasticizer, and not a petroleum based re-sealer. Which means it will not damage the rubber and make it swell. It reconditions it. You will have no ill effects using this. Do Not use petroleum based sealers. They will cause damage.

I am a fan of testing every little change along the way to determine what has solved the problem. So I will certainly do this if the leak does not stop. However, I will likely wait until the next oil change to assure it has the longest possible time to work on the seals. I did discuss this with my mechanic friend too.

He doesn’t feel as strongly as I do that the PCV valve could possibly CAUSE a leak, but rather that cars that have PCV issues are also cars that have weak old seals already anyway. He doesn’t think Hondas are famous for lots of blow by and lots of crank case pressure. I’m a bit of a believer in the positive crank case pressure pushing the oil over the edge of those seals. What do I know? Very little honestly.

 

[RonnieJ]

Drips coming from AC compressor area may be the oil pump seepage. Outside of the PCV valve and valve cover gasket, I can't think of anything else above that area that could leak oil.
If you had more leaks dropping from the rear on that side, in the area of the oil filter housing, I'd say it was the gasket for that solenoid.
But when I had seepage/leakage on mine, pretty much that whole side had a nice coating of oil on it, but no drip marks in the driveway.
Had I known what I know now, the second TB change at 200k I would have resealed the oil pump while I was at it, knowing I was going to attempt to keep the vehicle for 300k-400k.
Either way, as you can see, you do need to hose down all areas with degreaser, lightly spray off, then see if you can find out exactly where that oil is coming from.
On mine, I was worried the leaking oil pump would contaminate the TB, but found that it was leaking from the engine side of the oil pump, and the lower TB cover has a rubber gasket on it that was keeping it from getting into the TB area. Resealed the oil pump and replaced the crank seal, which was easy enough to remove once the oil pump was off the car. I didn't touch the cam seals, as they were fine, but have them if they are leaking in a couple years when I get to do the job again at 300k.

 

[mknmike]

Drips coming from AC compressor area may be the oil pump seepage. Outside of the PCV valve and valve cover gasket, I can't think of anything else above that area that could leak oil.
If you had more leaks dropping from the rear on that side, in the area of the oil filter housing, I'd say it was the gasket for that solenoid.
But when I had seepage/leakage on mine, pretty much that whole side had a nice coating of oil on it, but no drip marks in the driveway.
Had I known what I know now, the second TB change at 200k I would have resealed the oil pump while I was at it, knowing I was going to attempt to keep the vehicle for 300k-400k.
Either way, as you can see, you do need to hose down all areas with degreaser, lightly spray off, then see if you can find out exactly where that oil is coming from.
On mine, I was worried the leaking oil pump would contaminate the TB, but found that it was leaking from the engine side of the oil pump, and the lower TB cover has a rubber gasket on it that was keeping it from getting into the TB area. Resealed the oil pump and replaced the crank seal, which was easy enough to remove once the oil pump was off the car. I didn't touch the cam seals, as they were fine, but have them if they are leaking in a couple years when I get to do the job again at 300k.

View attachment 165225 View attachment 165226

Thanks a ton for the pics. I would have called the oil pump a timing case cover, I guess bc I’m an idiot. I wouldn’t think to call that an oil pump. Does it have a tube that picks up oil from the pan?

The oil filter and the variable timing solenoid stuff are at the back of the engine, and it seems my latest has come down from the front of the motor. I understand it can work it’s way across though.

My wife had to take the pilot for the evening. So rather than waiting ~8 hours, I went under to look. Fortunately all looks good, but ironically o found a crack in the oil pan, maybe a layer of paint (if it’s painted), but either way, it’s a crack in the outer coating. It doesn’t seem to be leaking here at all and never has appeared to leak here.

Close up of the (ironic) crack.

Some streams from the washing earlier today are apparent on the oil pan…

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Here’s the best shot of one of the most oily areas before, looking nice and dry.

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[RonnieJ]

Yes, there is an oil pickup tube coming off the bottom of the oil pump, in the oil pan. That is not your issue here. As mentioned, I can't think of anything else on the passenger front side of the engine, above the AC compressor, that could be leaking at this point, assuming the pcv valve and valve cover gasket was done properly, other than the oil pump. If it was the rear on that side, you would be able to see a mess around the rocker arm oil control solenoid, which is a gasket that does get hard with age and leaks.

I'd say give it a few hundred miles to gauge the extent of the current leak, and where it could be coming from. Can't remember your mileage, or when the TB was last done, but if you were doing that in the near future, you would be able to expose everything around the oil pump to see where it is leaking from. If that is the case, a reseal would be needed. If the leak isn't that bad any longer, and you can live with some minor drip marks, just keep on going with it.

Outside of valve cover gaskets, there are the cam cover caps on the other side of the engine, but I didn't see any leaks from there on your vehicle. You would see the front cap right behind the EGR valve. Your issue is from the passenger side though, and I don't remember much else over there besides what I already mentioned.

 

[mknmike]

Yes, there is an oil pickup tube coming off the bottom of the oil pump, in the oil pan. That is not your issue here. As mentioned, I can't think of anything else on the passenger front side of the engine, above the AC compressor, that could be leaking at this point, assuming the pcv valve and valve cover gasket was done properly, other than the oil pump. If it was the rear on that side, you would be able to see a mess around the rocker arm oil control solenoid, which is a gasket that does get hard with age and leaks.

I'd say give it a few hundred miles to gauge the extent of the current leak, and where it could be coming from. Can't remember your mileage, or when the TB was last done, but if you were doing that in the near future, you would be able to expose everything around the oil pump to see where it is leaking from. If that is the case, a reseal would be needed. If the leak isn't that bad any longer, and you can live with some minor drip marks, just keep on going with it.

Outside of valve cover gaskets, there are the cam cover caps on the other side of the engine, but I didn't see any leaks from there on your vehicle. You would see the front cap right behind the EGR valve. Your issue is from the passenger side though, and I don't remember much else over there besides what I already mentioned.

I am still hoping that the leak is gone now after doing the PCV and valve cover gasket. The oil I had yesterday and this morning could have all been leftovers on the outside of the engine from before the gasket/PCV replacement and the wash down today. Got my fingers crossed.

He car has about 160k miles on it and the TB was done around 100k. So I’ve got a ways to go before it’s due again.


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[royalbiggster]

I agree with you that pressure caused your leaks along with time and heat.
It's funny. Your 2 pictures with your finger in them prompted a 18+ warning on them. lol. You obviously have some very sexy fingers. Too sexy for this site.

 

[mknmike]

I agree with you that pressure caused your leaks along with time and heat.
It's funny. Your 2 pictures with your finger in them prompted a 18+ warning on them. lol. You obviously have some very sexy fingers. Too sexy for this site.

LOL. That’s funny.

I’m going to have to clean up my driveway with some dish soap and a scrub brush tomorrow if this oil leak is gone. I sure hope it is.

My mechanic friend suggested cleaning out the crack in the oil pan and preventatively packing it with JB Weld so corrosion on the outside doesn’t eat it’s way in or weaken the pan any more than it might already have been weakened.

I guess this is the old car kind of stuff you run into after 15+ years and 160k plus miles.

Besides some old MB that have never been reliable go-to vehicles (yet) I think the only car I’ve had with more miles is probably the 1982 Isuzu Pup that I bought with about 192,000 miles and had it to about 200k miles. I hope this pilot makes it a lot longer than that. These cars seem to be aging pretty well, and I’d even consider buying another. Finding something new and good to buy is quite a chore to find the best great deal (while paying for school for the kids).

This thread is showing my process of buying a bit more time.

Thank you all for the help!

 

[mknmike]

Still dry! Yippee!!

This may be the first time I’ve ever solved an oil leak.

 

[plplplpl]

Put some ATP AT-205 in. You should do this regardless. It is a preventative maintenance, and will fix any leaks due to dried up seals. Will not fix holes, tears, ect... It is a plasticizer, and not a petroleum based re-sealer. Which means it will not damage the rubber and make it swell. It reconditions it. You will have no ill effects using this. Do Not use petroleum based sealers. They will cause damage.

It took you up to post #50 to finally recommend AT-205? I would have gone that easy route a long time ago, but that's me.


Seriously, kudos for solving (I hope) this oil leak the old-fashioned way, by eaaarning it.

 

[royalbiggster]

I

It took you up to post #50 to finally recommend AT-205? I would have gone that easy route a long time ago, but that's me.


Seriously, kudos for solving (I hope) this oil leak the old-fashioned way, by eaaarning it.

I mentioned it 3 times. Post #8, #40, and #50. lol.