[Flowersinthesky]

Hey guys, I just did a head gasket replacement and I didn't write up my findings because after the job my car started leaking insane amounts of oil.

I think I just found the culprit, it has some leakage behind the tensioner but a very large leak right behind the oil filter. The complete underside of the car is covered with oil. Any ideas?

It doesn't look like it's from the oil filter itself, but that rusted bracket thing right behind it had new oil dripping off after I parked to check it.

 

[eprom]

check the oil pressure sensor it is just above the oil filter.
you can see it in your picture

 

[Willie Williford]

1 quart a week is unheard of. Clean everything off and while up on a ramp, run the heck out of it and check for leaks. IMHO

 

[Sasha]

Hey guys, I just did a head gasket replacement and I didn't write up my findings because after the job my car started leaking insane amounts of oil.

I think I just found the culprit, it has some leakage behind the tensioner but a very large leak right behind the oil filter. The complete underside of the car is covered with oil. Any ideas?

It doesn't look like it's from the oil filter itself, but that rusted bracket thing right behind it had new oil dripping off after I parked to check it. View attachment 96510

1 quart a week is unheard of. Clean everything off and while up on a ramp, run the heck out of it and check for leaks. IMHO

I had a similar issue - it was the o-ring(s) in the oil cooler - they get stiff and leak like crazy. Not too hard ro replace, but the coolant hoses that attach to it will likely be shot as well, and have to be replaced after you replace the o-rings. They hoses were inexpensive aftermarket replacements.

 

[Flowersinthesky]

Put in on a car it, cleaned everything,. Then drive it around for a while and rechecked. It's definitely the oil cooler inside o ring. I was reading a few threads and people mentioning I have to take the IMA motor off and transmission. Is that true? If it is, some major help or points in the right direction would be appreciated.

 

[Sasha]

Put in on a car it, cleaned everything,. Then drive it around for a while and rechecked. It's definitely the oil cooler inside o ring. I was reading a few threads and people mentioning I have to take the IMA motor off and transmission. Is that true? If it is, some major help or points in the right direction would be appreciated.

The cooler and o-rings are shown on the lower right on this page:

Oil Pump - Oil Strainer - 2001 Honda Insight 3 Door DX (A/C) KA 5MT

Shop in the parts listing - 2001 Honda Insight 3 Door DX (A/C) KA 5MT Oil Pump - Oil Strainer. Discounted prices and Hassle-Free Return on genuine Honda parts.

www.hondapartsnow.com

I think I just took off the oil filter, disconnected and plugged the two radiator hoses that connect to the cooler, took out the large central bolt (#11) with socket, cleaned everything up and replaced the two o-rings (#16)
(the old ones were very hard), and put it back together. The hoses were old and leaked after the operation, so I might plan on replacing those as well, and be careful to watch for overheating when you first start running again if the coolant flow is not right. I don't remember the part numbers for the hoses, but they were aftermarket and not too expensive - you'll have to research those. They are/were available the right length and shape. Or the ones already on the car may be OK. Mine weren't and they leaked after being re-connected.

 

[Joule]

Sasha nailed this one. Couple observations: The coolant hoses going into the oil cooler get softened by the leaking oil and will eventually start leaking coolant. I don’t have huge hands and was able to replace the one that really needed it without removing anything other than the oil cooler and hoses. Long pliers, both straight and another set with an angled tip came in very handy. I got my hands up in there, but it wasn’t pretty and at one point I thought it might be the EMTs getting me out from under the car because my hand was trapped (and I am not really kidding about that).

 

[Flowersinthesky]

Okay awesome thank you guys so much!

I just put in a new head gasket, this leak didnt exist before that repair. Is there anyway this is related??

I wonder if coolant mixed with the oil(which it did) and got in contact with the oring, with could have made it fail?

 

[Joule]

I suppose that is a possibility, but the coolant and oil are pretty well isolated there. What I saw was more typical o-ring failure with age. Rubber parts lose their elasticity and a rounded o-ring becomes compressed with flat sides. The rigidity and flattening of the seal allow oil to seep past the seal the o-ring was intended to provide. Weeping oil then softens the end of the coolant line where it attaches to the oil cooler, causing the rubber coolant hose to ovalize at the connection point to the oil cooler, which causes a coolant leak in a cascading failure.

This is but one of the several reasons why engine oil leaks should be attended to asap. They aren’t fine wine. Engine oil leaks do not get better with time.

 

[coreyosaur]

Thanks, mine has a slow front crank seal leak and oil cooler leak, but it appears from the little clamp/strap/crimp or whatever this is. Hope the oring fixes my leak too 🙂 looks like you need 2x, and mine might be leaking from the one closest to the filter.

 

[Joule]

Yes. Quantity 2x required.

 

[Bull Dog]

Replace both O-rings. You would be a fool not to.

 

[Willie Williford]

I still can't fathom a loss of a quart of oil a week.

 

[Balto]

I still can't fathom a loss of a quart of oil a week.

My Volvo was losing about a quart every 50 miles recently. The front main had failed and especially under boost it was dumping oil everywhere.

[EDIT]: When I drove it from San Bernardino to Apple valley to the shop(which required going up the pass) I lost 2.5qt of oil because of how much boost I was using

 

[Willie Williford]

But that ain't an Insight. Blown seals are different than leaking o rings.
That also means you had a lot of ring "blow by" in the volvo.

 

[Scotty1969]

I still can't fathom a loss of a quart of oil a week.

I can. Had this exact problem. One of the o-rings failed and I was losing oil like crazy. The good news is those are the same o-rings as some other high production models so they are easy to get.

 

[Flowersinthesky]

Hey guys!

Just took the oil cooler apart and found one really bad oring. Sadly, I only replaced one out of two because the kit I bought online only had 1 oring that worked for my car, very disappointing. This is the kit I got. Have been driving for one day with no issues.

It says on the online schematics that the orings (3) are the same size, but in practice they are not the same size at all. This is the measurement of the space inside the oil cooler extender piece (number 2 in the schematic) that I still need to put a new oring in.
4mm gap
60mm ID
68mm OD
2.54mm depth

Luckily, the oring that didnt come in the kit wasn't worn that bad, I cleaned it and put it back in.

So, my end question is where can I get an oring for this cooler, does a kit exist?

Thank yall so much for your help!

 

[Bull Dog]

It's the same O-Ring for both pieces.