Jim Grant's Tech Tips
88
Acura Integra, Lot’a Oil Usage
Q: My newly purchased ‘88 Acura Integra
uses a lot of oil and there are oily black deposits on the tailpipe. I
replaced the valve cover gasket and PCV valve, changed the oil and filter,
and cleaned all the old oil off the front of the engine. Now, the only
fresh oil is coming out halfway down the front of the engine on either
side of the manifold at the head gasket seam. I found a service bulletin
that says the head gasket on 1986-89 Acura Integra models deteriorate
around the oil drain holes in the head gasket giving the appearance of
a cam seal leak. My question is do you know of a quick fix for this problem?
Maybe drill out the return hole and install a sleeve or just slap some
Bondo on the front of the engine. I've seen a gob of Bondo fix a big hole
in a radiator which has a much higher pressure.
A: I
don’t have a quick fix for the head gasket. But I find the Bondo idea
very entertaining! I would like a picture of the repair. But the fact
of the matter is, if you have oil droplets coming out of the tail pipe
no amount of Bondo on the engine is going to cure your oil consumption
problem. The purchase you’ve made is going to cost you a lot more money
than you planned on if you want the vehicle right. Good luck
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