VTEC Soleniod Valve

I've been tracking an oil leak that I think I've found; (or at least some of it) coming from the O Ring on the VTEC Solenoid Valve. I removed the valve and added RTV sealant since no one locally has the replacement O Ring. I'm having trouble locating it online as well. I think the part is #36172-P08-005 (found another post on the web). I'll be monitoring the oil level and watching for leaks to see if I got it. In the mean time, anyone know of a good place for parts?

What year/submodel civic do you have? The Civic SI uses a different O ring than say the EX. I have a 2000 Civic EX and the part number for that O ring is 15825-P2M-005. Reading your post made me wonder if perhaps that's where my oil is leaking. I don't have a puddle or anything in my driveway, but I'm definitely loosing oil somewhere. Last oil change I noticed oil running down the outside of the oil pan between the motor and the transmission. Couldn't really pinpoint the origin of the leak, however. Does this sound similar to what you are experiencing? In the meantime, I've just been keeping an eye on the oil level and adding it as needed. Would be nice to fix it for good. Thanks.

I'm not sure on a 2000, but I think 96-2000 are the same. The VTEC Soleniod valve on my 96 EX is on the upper left part of the engine close to the distributor. My whole engine is covered in oil form the leak and it has ran down in various places. I also noticed on mine that the previous owner didn't tighten the oil filter enough. I also removed the oil pan, put a new gasket on, and made sure to add the RTV sealant in the correct areas (per Haynes and Honda Tech bulletin). To keep a check on things I degreased the underside spotless to be able to see where leaks are coming from. I haven't seen any yet or noted any oil loss since.

My approach to oil leaks are to go down the punch list: Filter, pan gasket, drain plug, oil pressure sensor, VTEC Solenoid, etc...If oil is going down but no leak, could be common for higher mileage car, could be worn rings or even a head gasket. Try cleaning yours up and keeping an eye on it.

Here is the VTEC solenoid gasket you need: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-OEM-Civic-EX-HX-SOHC-D16Y8-VTEC-Solenoid-Gasket-P2M_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem588659203cQQitemZ38 0211109948QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAcce ssories
I ordered one yesterday. Got it for half what the dealer charges. Don't know if that's exactly where my leak is coming from, but can't hurt to have this on hand just in case. Might take a look at your distributor o ring and see if you have any leakage there. I stopped by the Honda dealer and picked one up yesterday for under $4. Again, don't know if that's the problem, but never hurts to have too many extra parts. The part number for that distributor o ring is 30110-PA1-732. Hope this helps. Thanks for the tips. I'm hoping if can track this leak down soon.

Thanks bro. That's a great price on the gasket. I haven't gotten around to degreasing the top side of the engine to be sure I have my leak stopped. When I do this weekend, I'll watch around the distributor too. Good luck with your leak too.

I think I do have some oil coming from the O ring area. I'm going to replace it during my next oil change. I noticed today that the civics use the 10w30 engine oil for tranny fluid. The check/fill & drain plug on the tranny are in the area you described. You may want to check them to be sure they're tight. Just thought I'd throw that in. ;)