Below are 2 pictures I took of the front part of my engine head. The first one I'm pointing to the spot with a black stick. Notice the slight discoloration.

This second one is just under different light and camera setting:

The blotch seems to be oil and it "seems" to be seeping through the metal itself because it is completely isolated by clean metal (so it's not leaking from the valve cover gasket). It started out as about a 1 inch diameter blob and has grown to what you see in the pics in about 4-6 months.
When the car was about 1.5 years old, this area was covered in a light film of oil that had attracted the usual dirt and crud. The area at this time was almost the entire front of the head surface. When I sprayed WD-40 on it, it wiped off completely clean and left no indication that it was ever there.
The current discoloration has been about 6 months (maybe less) since that cleaning. I see no evidence that any oil has sprayed or squirted onto that area but I could just not be seeing it. I surmize that in another year or so, it will look just like it did before I cleaned it and just as large an area.
Anyone else have this peculiarity? Any explanations or ideas as to what it might be or where it could be coming from?

 

Looks like the left profile of Jesus praying. I think you may have a miracle there!

 

mines similar.

 

Honda replaced a number of heads some time ago because of 'porous castings' that did not hold oil. As I recall they were somewhat worse than yours, but in exactly the same spot. It is clearly a defect.

 

The same thing happened to me. I would wipe it and then see it reappear a short time later. Took it to the dealer and they saw it and told me to come back when it reappears. Sure enough a few days later I brought it back and they took apart the head and replaced the casting. No more oil spot.

 

'02. 15,000 KM's. Nada.

 

Are only the early Model Years affected or do people with MY 02 have them as well? I have a bit of a leak where the head meets the block on the seam. Forgive the large picture. I've cleaned it up so lets see if it continues to have a small leak or has stopped.

 

Anyone else have these blotches or leaks?

 

That is common and I was told it is nothing to worry about.. the dealer that saw mine was only willing to clean it off and call it normal. Truthfully, it does not accumulate very quickly.. and annual engine wash makes it a non-issue.

 

I have a blotch near the head gasket, along with some slight leakage, on my early MY'00.... But (knock wood) the engine's been running fine, and I'm certainly not going to change anything.