Dropping the oil pan on 2001 MDX

[NewMDXOwner]

I have an oil leak coming around the edges of the pan, so I am going to take care of it by dropping the oil pan to reseal it.

I would appreciate any tips if you have done it before. Please help!

I just jacked up the front of the car and took a look-see underneath. It appears all we need to do is to remove the front part of the exhaust (before the cat) and the stiffener plate, which ties together the left-right parts of the sub-frame. It looks like there is enough clearance to remove the oil pan without removing the sub-frame. If worse comes to worst, we may have to loosen the engine mounts and jack up the engine a little to gain some clearance, but the sub-frame can stay.

I will take pictures and post them as I go along. Hopefully that would help the next guy who has to go through this ordeal.

[HTL Motorsports]

Originally Posted by NewMDXOwner

I have an oil leak coming around the edges of the pan, so I am going to take care of it by dropping the oil pan to reseal it.

I would appreciate any tips if you have done it before. Please help!

I just jacked up the front of the car and took a look-see underneath. It appears all we need to do is to remove the front part of the exhaust (before the cat) and the stiffener plate, which ties together the left-right parts of the sub-frame. It looks like there is enough clearance to remove the oil pan without removing the sub-frame. If worse comes to worst, we may have to loosen the engine mounts and jack up the engine a little to gain some clearance, but the sub-frame can stay.

I will take pictures and post them as I go along. Hopefully that would help the next guy who has to go through this ordeal.

You're wasting your timing... Most likely your rear main seal or front main seal is leaking oil..

I never see "liquid gasket oil pan leak in my life !

[NewMDXOwner]

Originally Posted by HTL Motorsports

You're wasting your timing... Most likely your rear main seal or front main seal is leaking oil..

I never see "liquid gasket oil pan leak in my life !

That's what I thought at first, but I looked at the front below the timing cover and it's dry. I open up the Torque Converter Inspection Plate and stuck my finger inside, and that was dry too. So it's neither the front nor the rear main seals. This is one peculiar leak, it's right at the middle of the pan, around the bolt edges, definitely not at the main seals. I suspect it could come from above where the oil filter adapter is bolted onto the block, so I was thinking about changing that seal too while the oil pan is out, but I have no idea what kind of Pandora's box I am going to open with that one. Do you have any advice?

Thanks

[HTL Motorsports]

do not remove your oil pan once again


leak you have is from oil filter housing seal

[las4444]

Originally Posted by HTL Motorsports

You're wasting your timing... Most likely your rear main seal or front main seal is leaking oil..

I never see "liquid gasket oil pan leak in my life !

I have to agree with this. Been down this road. I have what sounds to be the same leak as you around the oil filter housing. My rear main leaks as well, but not anywhere bad enough to address. We are just trying to help save you the misery of fixing the pan only to discover you have the same leak.

[NewMDXOwner]

Thank you HTL Motorsports and Las4444, I appreciate the advices. That's why I have been holding off until I heard more advices from experienced people.

Actually, doing the oil filter housing appears to be much less work than dropping the oil pan, so I definitely will do that first and report back so others won't jump into the oil pan thingy, which looks to be a royal PIA and a big waste of time.

Thanks again and best regards.

[SuperTech]

I have seen the spool valve seal (the oil filter housing), the oil pan, the oil pump, and the rear main seal all leak independently from one another.

I have also seen many misdiagnosed oil leaks. People think it's the pan when it's really the oil pump and so on. Other than the spool valve, nothing is really easy to "just guess" with. And the oil pump or rear main can be sometimes impossible to pinpoint without taking lots of stuff out of the way.

[NewMDXOwner]

Supertech,

I am the first one to admit, I'm shooting in the dark.

Thanks for pointing out the possibilities. I will do a more thorough inspection to see if I can pinpoint the leak before I do anything.

[HTL Motorsports]

do the easy one first... oil filter housing seal ...only few bolts holding it...

2nd...front main seal..

3rd...rear main seal

Hardest one last !

[SuperTech]

Just so you all know, this is what an oil pump leak looks like. You have to get the lower timing belt cover off to see it. Otherwise, it wicks along and fools you into thinking its a spool valve seal and/or oil pan leaking. This is a J35A5 engine on a 2003-06 MDX. The silicone gasket seal is applied super super thin at the factory, and it usually gives up near the top somewhere. This one is right on the bolt hole.

[NewMDXOwner]

Thank you Supertech. I think you nailed it. I removed the timing cover and it looks like it is the oil pump that's leaking. On the left is what you posted and on the right is what mine looks like.

Now I know I would have to reseal that but I have a few questions:

1) Does the water pump have to come out too or can it stay?

2) Does the leak come from the edges around the pump or does it come through the bolts in the picture?

3) Would it be OK to use Hondabond as the sealant?

4) I plan to replace the front seal while I am at it, but at around 160k miles, would the crankshaft be worn out enough to create a leak on its own with the new seal? Does Acura/Honda have a repair sleeve kit for it?

Thanks again to all of you who helped. I would have wasted a lot of time without you guys going out of your ways to help.



Here are more pictures with the timing belt and the oil filter adapter removed. It is clear that the front seal is OK but oil is leaking past the bolt heads. Any suggestions. This is beginning to scare me, since it seems we have to drop the oil pan in order to remove the oil pump. That would be bad indeed!

[SuperTech]

Water pump can stay in place.

Oil pump has to come down. So be sure to get the o-ring for the pick up tube...it doesn't come with the oil pump assembly.

Don't use Hondabond HT. You want to use Ultra Flange 2 sealant. Also a dealer item.

A new crank seal comes with the oil pump assembly. If there's any residue/tarnish on the crank, just gently remove it with a scotchbrite pad.

[NewMDXOwner]

Thanks Supertech. One more question. In the service manual I saw that the oil pickup screen is bolted to the oil pump with two bolts. Besides that, there is another bolt to the block that seems to be hidden way inside the oil pan. Does that mean I have to drop the oil pan in order to do this properly? That's going to be rough!

[SuperTech]

You have to drop the pan.

So be glad you checked the pump first. It'd drive you up the wall to go through the hassle of resealing the oil pan only to still have the leak and wind up dropping it again to do the pump.

[NewMDXOwner]

Yes, thank you so much Supertech. I would have been so pissed of at myself.