Issues with B18CR swap.


B

BlueGhost

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Sep 15, 2014
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Hi,

I have a few issues with my swap and looking for some advice.

1. There seems to be an oil leak from the crankshaft oil seal which drools all the way down to the sump pan and then hits the tarmac. I have been meaning to change the seal for quite some time but I've been amazed that my oil level never seems to drop below the max mark? I've covered 500 miles thus far with this problem and when i leave it on my drive or on the road and have a look underneath the morning after i can see oil marks on the road. Why doesn't my oil level seem to drop? It's a bit worrying and has put me off driving the car. Can someone please explain this?

2. I've having problems shifting into gears, they can be hard to find. Especially third and sometimes first. There is some gear crunching in fifth but not as bad as it can be and only happen in high revs. The mechanic who did the engine swap for me said he removed the gearbox and checked the clutch was fine before carrying out the swap. Could he have messed something up in the process which could be causing these problems?

Any advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks
 
Are you sure your not leaking gear oil? That would explain both of your issues
 
1. The only possible explanation is that the oil leak is smaller than it looks, a very small amount of oil can make a lot of mess... If your dipstick says it's fine then it's fine. Still get it changed tho, just one less thing to worry about.
2. It is unlikely that issue is related to whatever your mechanic did, more likely either shift forks or synchros on their way out...
 
@BlueGhost

1. crank pulley side or flywheel side oil leak?

2. Gear problems could be your slave or master cylinder pull back the boot on the slave and check for leaking and possibly re-bleed the clutch!
 
1st
which side crank seal? I'm guessing it's the flywheel side as that's the most likely to leak, it shouldn't drip though because the seal is higher than the level of the oil at rest....
2nd
All of your problems are when shifting forward, so I'd be looking for a bent shift rod..
If the clutch was the issue then it would effect all your gears not just afew...
 
Bit of a theme going on here!

Is this the official new ek9.org way of posting?

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2.............
 
b16 mini said:
Are you sure your not leaking gear oil? That would explain both of your issues
Click to expand...
Hi There,
Doesn't seem to be the gearbox oil as the oil would be substantially thicker than engine oil. I did have my doubts but a local mechanic told me that it was definitely the engine oil leaking from the crankshaft seal.
 
oifovo said:
1. The only possible explanation is that the oil leak is smaller than it looks, a very small amount of oil can make a lot of mess... If your dipstick says it's fine then it's fine. Still get it changed tho, just one less thing to worry about.
2. It is unlikely that issue is related to whatever your mechanic did, more likely either shift forks or synchros on their way out...
Click to expand...

1. To measure how much oil was leaking, I left a bowl under the car and i can say that half a teaspoon of oil leaks over night. I was worried because it has been leaking for 4 months now and the oil level hasn't changed at all...

2. I will check the shift forks to be sure. I wanted to be sure that anything my mechanic did with the clutch wouldn't have messed up the gears...

Cheers for the help!
 
RyanSi said:
@BlueGhost

1. crank pulley side or flywheel side oil leak?

2. Gear problems could be your slave or master cylinder pull back the boot on the slave and check for leaking and possibly re-bleed the clutch!
Click to expand...

1. I'm not too sure...I'm not well versed with the mechanics of my car but if it helps, it's coming from the gearbox side. There is a metal plate between the gearbox and sump pan, the leak comes from under there. So i would say it's the flywheel side.

2. I'll give this a check this weekend! Cheers!
 
Honda mtf is quite thin may be your input shaft seal in the box if your engine oil isn't dropping in level! If the box has been losing oil it will be on its road out very soon bearings don't last long low on oil
 
After reassembly my big crank seal was leaking... drip...drip...drip while running. What comes out after you cut the engine is just what runs down. It sounds like your leak is very slow and only when you druve the car.

I solved my issue by swapping my brand new oil seal out for one from a low mileage b16b (already fitted to a housing)!

Its a gearbox off job and half dropped sump though.
 
- Its definately worth seeing how much fluid it takes to fill tje gearbox first. Its easy to do.
 
I shall be checking what has been mentioned above and also what JohnTurbo has suggested. I will check the gearbox oil level, drain it and then put some Honda MTF which i presume can be bought direct from Honda?
 
BlueGhost said:
Hi There,
Doesn't seem to be the gearbox oil as the oil would be substantially thicker than engine oil. I did have my doubts but a local mechanic told me that it was definitely the engine oil leaking from the crankshaft seal.
Click to expand...

1. Honda gearbox oil is not that thick. It's actually equivalent to 10w 40 if I remember correctly.

2. Definitely worth double checking
 
Could also be sump gasket leak in that area.
Assuming it was refitted, remove the gearbox brace(big aluminium brace under the car braces engine to gearbox)
This will allow you to shine a torch up next to the flywheel and hopefully see a trail of oil from the crank seal. If not you'll be able to see the sump from all areas aswell.
Unfortunately it's a manifold off(or atleast down) job
 
jesse888 said:
Could also be sump gasket leak in that area.
Assuming it was refitted, remove the gearbox brace(big aluminium brace under the car braces engine to gearbox)
This will allow you to shine a torch up next to the flywheel and hopefully see a trail of oil from the crank seal. If not you'll be able to see the sump from all areas aswell.
Unfortunately it's a manifold off(or atleast down) job
Click to expand...


Yes Jesse, this coincides with what my mechanic said. He said I could remove the metal plate (brace or whatever) and have a look to see where it's coming from. And since it's a manifold off job I won't be doing it myself, he seems to know his Hondas very well.
Cheers guys for the help.
 
No worries.
No doubt you'll find it when that brace gets removed.
If not then thoroughly clean everything, go for a drive and then back on the ramp to check for runs etc. follow the runs back to origin.
 
You cant see as much as you would like with that off. Small mirror helps. Oil spidering out on back of flywheel was my sign.
 
Remove the wheel wheel cover/ brace and you can see if theres oil inside the bell housing. Can be done with the gearbox left on
 
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