In search of technical and practical advise. My MY2000 has approx. 4,000mi. I followed the break-in instructions provided by the dealer. I had the oil changed at my local Honda dealer at appox. 3,200mi.

Enjoying a beautiful topless day this weekend when I looked in rearview and noted clouds of billowing blue/white smoke out of rear-end. Pulled over immediately and shut down engine - - - oil lamp illuminated between first sign of smoke and shut down. Opened hood and discovered oil throughout the engine compartment, underbody, front-wheel brake assemblies, front tires, etc. Additionally, there was significant oil leaking on the pavement.

Dealer indicates a seal failed between the engine block and engine cooler. My questions are:

1) Is this unusual?
2) Could I have damaged the engine by running it with significant oil loss?
3) What should I be on the lookout for when I pick up the car?
4) Should I expect the dealer to clean the engine compartment, underbody, brake assemblies, etc. to

 

If you hadnt touched it then its their fault and they should clean it all up. Now you need to check for engine damage, just to be safe.

I didnt realize we had an engine oil cooler, unless its internal. I have only seen oil sprayed out of a filler cap. That was at least what Ive seen to be a major oil loss situation besides throwing a rod or such through the oil pan.

I would want a reputable shop to at least check the main/rod bearings, its a shame they have to pull the pan for that though. Getting into it further would be to check the oil pump rotor, but since its a new engine and HOPEFULLY you were off the gas and turning the key when the oil light came on, you may be safe. its one of those things where it could go either way. But if you dont have an engine failure soon, then maybe you'll just have a shortened life of the engine.

I would be VERY PO'D!!

OH yeah, if it was a seal, its under warranty.

[Edited by cmnsnse on 05-14-2001 at 03:07 PM]

 

Someone from Sweden, I think, had an oil seal go bad and leak oil into the coolant.

cde had a catastrophic oil loss that was blamed on a faulty or damaged oil filter.

Yours is the first sudden loss of oil with oil spraying all over the engine compartment.

I think you should presume that your engine was severely damaged until you find out otherwise. Remember that of the twelve of us who had short block replacements with the tap tap tap sound, several had very low oil at diagnosis but none ever had the oil light come on. To the best of my knowledge, yours is the first time anyone has seen the oil light come on, with the exception of those who change their own oil seeing the light come on just after a change when they start up the engine.

On the good side, Honda has been excellent at getting those of us with failed engines up and running again. Usually it takes about two to three weeks from when they make the decision to replace the short block or the short block and the head. None of us have paid a penny out of pocket for it.

Keep us posted.

Barry

 

FYI... that little metal spacer between the oil filter and engine block is a coolant-to-oil heat exchanger. Most Honda/acura VTEC engines have them.

 

Chances are there is no damage. While the oil loss was rapid, the car was warm and fully lubricated when it happened. The fact that you were in the process of shutting thigns down (no load on th eengine) when the oil lamp illuminated is a good thing. The residual oil films on all the parts in the engine should have been enough to protect you even though oil pressure eventually went to zero.

That said, even if there is no apparent damage (compression, leak down, etc are all normal), you should ask your dealer to contact the regional representative about giving you some extended coverage on the engine. The fact that you had a sudden oil loss _could_ accelerate wear, but you'll never get them to replace an engine that is running fine. The simple fact that you'll have a receipt detailing the original issue should be enough to get the ball rolling should you have problems later. I would also expect any issues to show up within 10-20k miles, so if they doubled your engine warranty, you'd be in good shape.

UL

 

Update . . . . Allan Haggai was right on the spot with his description of my