Small Oil Leak on 2003 Accord

Has anyone encountered a oil leak that originates somewhere above the Oil Pressure Switch, which is directly above the oil filter? It is leaving small spots of oil on my garage floor. I do have to add maybe 8 to 12 oz. of oil every couple of thousand miles. I can not tell where it is coming from.

Thanks for any help....

On my 1999 a VTEC solenoid is located above the oil filter. Very nasty leak but it is doable.

Good luck,
Sam

e'yup. not uncommon at all to get oil seepage from both the oil pressure switch (OEM p/n: 37240-PT0-014) and from the 'spool valve assembly gasket' (15825-P8A-A01). both are inexpensive OEM parts to replace; and there are plenty of good videos on YouTube that demonstrate the procedure to swap them out.

but... before doing the deed...
consider cleaning that entire area of the engine thoroughly to confirm either or both locations are the actual source of the leak.

generally, the FIRST step to identify points of oil seepage is, start with clean engine surfaces. use a spray bottle and dowse all yucky surfaces with a generous amount of "Purple Power (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002HU5N4O?tag=viglink20501-20)" (mixed per instructions in warm water); wait 10 minutes for the stuff to do its degreasing magic; then rinse off the whole shebang with a garden hose--you might have to do this more than once. after the engine is completely dry, scoot under the engine and use spray talc (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B4CYSTC?tag=viglink20501-20) to thoroughly coat the surfaces of those areas you suspect oil seepage. allow the car to idle a good long while, then climb back under and inspect. repeat as necessary, moving around the engine until the leak becomes apparent.

an optional but much more effective method is to use oil-compatible fluorescent dye (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JFHNTM?tag=viglink20501-20) and a UV flashlight (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0158SOWGG?tag=viglink20501-20). fluorescent dye has a couple advantages over the previous method. the stuff allows you to better identify all sources of oil seepage in one inspection with the UV flashlight. the dye weeps out with the oil, so you will inspect every nook and cranny throughout your engine, and not just the obvious suspects. a leak glows under the UV flashlight and will be very apparent, even in daylight. again, begin with a squeaky clean engine. advisory: anything that fluoresces--like engine coolant--will glow, so make certain you can distinguish any fluorescence you discover.

i also had seeping past the oil pressure switch in my '00 Accord v6. however, with the UV technique, i discovered oil seepage from the 'spool valve assembly gasket' (15825-P8A-A01) AND at the 'camshaft thrust cover o-ring' (91301-P8A-A00)--locations at opposite corners of the engine! both gasket replacement jobs and the oil pressure switch were crazy easy to do. i purchased Honda OEM parts from hondapartsnow.com.

Spool Valve Assembly
(at engine rear, bottom, right--engine front toward bottom right corner)
http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj608/lothianmcadam/IMG_2067.jpg

Camshaft Thrust Cover
(at engine front, top, left--engine front at bottom of image)
http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj608/lothianmcadam/IMG_2065_1.jpg

I made the assumption that the spool valve gasket was the only source of the leak. I ended up replacing the vtec valve assy., after I replaced just the gasket. (The oil pressure switch was also leaking.)

I am now trying to track down a slow oil leak from the upper timing chain cover. I cleaned the engine and drove the car 20 miles and found no leak. 3 days later the area is oily. The valve cover gasket is ok. The power steering pump is ok. It could be leaking from the small 2 bolt cover near the p/steering pump. The bottom edge of this cover is oily. Has anyone else had this same problem?

i recommend you attempt to identify the source(s) of the leak(s) with oil-compatible fluorescent dye and a UV flashlight. within this thread you'll find links to products i've used.

I found the leak. The vtc filter/gasket is leaking. It stands to reason that if the ivtec assy. is leaking, the vtc filter on the other side of the head will be next. Thanks for your help Iothian.

interesting. how'd you find that leak?

i presume the part you refer is 15825-P0A-015 (https://www.hondapartsnow.com/parts-list/2000-honda-accord-4dr_ex-ka-4at/cylinder-head.html?PNC=13)..?

I cleaned the engine again and drove the car on the freeway. I pulled over and checked the engine every so often. I have the tracerline leak kit and I did not use it since I knew the leak was from the top of the engine below the valve cover. I knew that the oil was not power steering nor trans fluid, so it made the job easier. I bought the tracerline kit to find a refrigerant leak on another car. When I inspected that vehicle, I found the high pressure service valve leaking. I fixed the leak and had no need to do more work.

I could not find the part I needed on my usual honda parts site. It is not listed in the cyl. head parts list. It finally dawned on me to check on the ivtec parts list. A while ago when I replaced the ivtec valve assy. I recall seeing a gasket set that had the ivtec vavle and the vtc gaskets in the same set. There is a good reason for this.
Thanks again for your help. Your suggestions caused me to stop and rethink my strategy.

The part I needed is 15845-raa-a01

ah. You have the four cylinder engine. Gotcha.

Glad I was some assistance. By my last count, eight forums exist dedicated to Honda Accords, with umpteen-bazillion general automotive forums. Yet I rarely get useful responses to my dilemma-of-the-moment.