1992 Honda Accord Oil

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simbabeat

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Jun 8, 2014
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Tennessee
Hey guys. I'm new here, and I want a few suggestions.

I've been using Mobil Super 5000 HM 10w-30 and a Bosch oil filter in my 1992 Honda Accord for about a year now. She has 132,000 on her and is in absolutely perfect condition. It was a family car, hence the low mileage. I've had it for two years and I'm putting about 15,000 on it a year. It calls for 5w-30 but I've been using 10w-30 in it as I like a thicker oil to prevent leaks.

So here's what I'm asking. I'm not asking for a "best" oil. (I read the sticky) But I do kinda want something nicer than the Mobil super. I used Mobil 1 HM for a while but it leaked more than I would like. I'm dropping the pan this week and doing a new gasket for the second time, but I'm sure it'll still be a bit wet in some places. I tried Lucss oil Stop leak but it didn't do [censored].

The manual calls for API SG. I'm an easy driver, occasionally sporty. I live in Tennessee and it's pretty much humid year round here. I'm pretty opposed to doing anything synthetic as in my experience, they do tend to be more prone to leaks.

So here, what do you all think would be a good stop leak product and an oil that would be a step up from Mobil Super 5000 HM 10w-30? Thanks in advance!
 
Valvoline Maxlife usually is the BITOG favorite. I'd recommend Quaker State Defy. On the other hand, the Mobil oil is pretty good...perhaps you should give it a little more time before changing to another oil. 5W-30 or 10W-30 should do you well.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Could your leak be a seal instead of the gasket?


I know the dampness I see in the spark plug wells is from a seal underneath the rocker arm assembly.
 
Originally Posted By: simbabeat
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Could your leak be a seal instead of the gasket?


I know the dampness I see in the spark plug wells is from a seal underneath the rocker arm assembly.


That's a gasket, not a seal. It's an O-ring.
The only cure for leaking spark plug tubes, a known problem with the 2.2s through their end in 2007, is to replace the gaskets.
No oil will help with this.
There is also a seal retainer for the balance shaft, IIRC, which should have been installed when the timing belt was changed. This seal can otherwise work its way lose resulting in the loss of engine oil as well as oiling up the timing belt, making replacement necessary.
Is the spark plug tube leak the only notable one on your Accord?
These are typically oil-tight engines even when old.
If you have no evidence of front or rear leaks at the cranksaft, there's no reason that you couldn't run any oil in this car, including a synthetic.
This sounds like a very nice old Accord.
Have you done the timing belt service?
A timing belt failure is fatal to these engines. There is no cheap or easy fix if it happens.
 
Replace the gaskets, then go with Maxlife/Defy/MS5K and you will on your way to 200k. I ran all three of those (at different times) in the '91 Accord I used to have, and there was no noticeable differences between the three. Buy what is on sale.
 
Originally Posted By: simbabeat
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Could your leak be a seal instead of the gasket?


I know the dampness I see in the spark plug wells is from a seal underneath the rocker arm assembly.


Those are from the valve cover gasket o-rings that go in between the top of the spark plug tubes and the valve cover. If it's like my Acura, which I'm pretty sure it is, you can just buy the 4 little o-rings from the dealership and they're extremely easy to replace. If I can do it, anyone can.
smile.gif
Mine were seeping into the spark plug tubes when I first got the car but the o-rings fixed it right up. If you have any other leaks from gaskets that are tougher to get to (oil pan, etc.) try a high mileage oil like Valvoline MaxLife and it should slow/stop them. BTW, 10W-30 isn't always thicker than a 5W-30. They are both within a 30-grade range at operating temperature. The number before the "W" relates to the winter temperature flow.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Originally Posted By: simbabeat
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Could your leak be a seal instead of the gasket?


I know the dampness I see in the spark plug wells is from a seal underneath the rocker arm assembly.


That's a gasket, not a seal. It's an O-ring.
The only cure for leaking spark plug tubes, a known problem with the 2.2s through their end in 2007, is to replace the gaskets.
No oil will help with this.
There is also a seal retainer for the balance shaft, IIRC, which should have been installed when the timing belt was changed. This seal can otherwise work its way lose resulting in the loss of engine oil as well as oiling up the timing belt, making replacement necessary.
Is the spark plug tube leak the only notable one on your Accord?
These are typically oil-tight engines even when old.
If you have no evidence of front or rear leaks at the cranksaft, there's no reason that you couldn't run any oil in this car, including a synthetic.
This sounds like a very nice old Accord.
Have you done the timing belt service?
A timing belt failure is fatal to these engines. There is no cheap or easy fix if it happens.


The f22a engine has two spark plug gaskets. One underneath the valve cover on top of the wells, and one underneath the rocker arm assembly. I replaced the upper ones easily, but I'm not comfortable taking off the rocker arm assembly to do the lower ones. I got this car at 102k from a family member. He had no documentation for me (very unorganized). The timing belt should have been done at 90k, so I'll probably have it done soon just to be safe. There's no reason to let that go in a car with only 132k.

Seems like the consensus here is maxlife HM. I think I'll replace the pan gasket, try that oil and if the pan gasket doesn't leak, I'll go back to my beloved Mobil 1.

But should I really not do any type of stop leak at all?

Would it be safe to use a 10w-40 in this car to help prevent a leak?
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: simbabeat

The f22a engine has two spark plug gaskets. One underneath the valve cover on top of the wells, and one underneath the rocker arm assembly. I replaced the upper ones easily, but I'm not comfortable taking off the rocker arm assembly to do the lower ones. I got this car at 102k from a family member. He had no documentation for me (very unorganized). The timing belt should have been done at 90k, so I'll probably have it done soon just to be safe. There's no reason to let that go in a car with only 132k.


Yea, the plug hole weeping is a minor PITA. I use long, fat cotton/stick swabs to mop up the oil each time I fill the gas tank.

Timing belt service life is also time limited to a degree. If the belt is anywhere near a decade old, I'd change it sooner than later. DIY belt change isn't half as bad as you might think. The only special tool required is a good air gun to rattle the crank pulley bolt. No need to remove the alternator - the belt will do. Do to pull the dipstick for easier cover removal. Mind the o-ring on the bottom of dipstick assembly - it can stick, then fall off and get lost. The maze of pulleys and timing belts is a bit intimidating at first sight, but is not actually all that hard to work on. You _must_ use the bolt-hole methon when setting the rear balance shaft timing. Don't rely on pulley rotation, since there is a 3:4 gearset between pulley and shaft - aligning to pulley marks is a 4:1 [censored]. Mis-timed balance shafts will not hut anything - there are no interference issues - but you'll sure feel the buzz. (Don't ask me how I know. LOL)

Check the two belt-tensioner idler wheels while you're in there. If they feel dry (very little spin resistance) or display more than fractional slop, go ahead and change them.

May as well do the water pump too. No need to remove the inner/upper cover. It's a MAJOR pain to extract without removing the cam pulley, and you'll likely tear up the dumb seals on the engine side of the cover. The top water pump bolts can be hard to see, but they can be reached with this cover in place.

The engine mount bracket has no less than 4 bolts, all of which need to be located and removed.

Quote:

Seems like the consensus here is maxlife HM. I think I'll replace the pan gasket, try that oil and if the pan gasket doesn't leak, I'll go back to my beloved Mobil 1.

But should I really not do any type of stop leak at all?

Would it be safe to use a 10w-40 in this car to help prevent a leak?


I don't know about Maxlife, but you may as well try a HM oil. Maybe, just maybe, the marketing [censored] about 'extra seal conditioner' will pan out.

Stop leak? FWLIW, I'm not a fan of pouring coagulant into my car's 'blood' supply.

xw-40 is 100% 'safe' in that it will not begin to harm the engine. A few Arizona summers ago, I ran Delvac 15-40 with zero issues. But... slightly thicker oil not do much for your leak. It may slow the leak...slightly. If a seal or gasket is damaged or aged, fixing it will be the only reliable way to stop the bleeding.
 
Last edited:
You have replaced the timing belt, but put up with wiping out the spark plug wells every fill-up? Those o-rings aren't that hard to replace and once done you will have nice dry wells. The o-rings on my Accord were like hard plastic when I took them out.

Originally Posted By: Geonerd
Yea, the plug hole weeping is a minor PITA. I use long, fat cotton/stick swabs to mop up the oil each time I fill the gas tank.
 
You're so modest
wink.gif


If that seal comes out "loss of engine oil" although technically correct, is an understatement.

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
There is also a seal retainer for the balance shaft, IIRC, which should have been installed when the timing belt was changed. This seal can otherwise work its way lose resulting in the loss of engine oil as well as oiling up the timing belt, making replacement necessary.
 
Originally Posted By: kschachn
You have replaced the timing belt, but put up with wiping out the spark plug wells every fill-up? Those o-rings aren't that hard to replace and once done you will have nice dry wells. The o-rings on my Accord were like hard plastic when I took them out.

Originally Posted By: Geonerd
Yea, the plug hole weeping is a minor PITA. I use long, fat cotton/stick swabs to mop up the oil each time I fill the gas tank.


No I have NOT replaced the T-Belt
 
Originally Posted By: simbabeat
No I have NOT replaced the T-Belt


You really want to do that before your pistons hit the valves. It's not the easiest timing belt I have ever done, but I've done two of them so it's possible. It's just a tight motor (space wise) to work on.

I suggest that you change the water pump and all of the oil seals while you are in there. If you need any pointers cb7tuner.com is a great resource.

I have also replaced the "tube seals" for the spark plug wells. They aren't hard at all, you just need to readjust your valves when you are done.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: kschachn
You have replaced the timing belt, but put up with wiping out the spark plug wells every fill-up? Those o-rings aren't that hard to replace and once done you will have nice dry wells. The o-rings on my Accord were like hard plastic when I took them out.


The o-rings that are easy to replace are the on the valve cover. The ones that frequently contribute to oil in the plug wells are beneath the cam towers and are a bit more work.



OP, I made it to 375k on my 92 before I got rid of it. Low oil consumption and some slap were about the only issues. Still pulled great and was getting 35+ MPG. Good lump if you take care of it.
 
Yeah, those are the ones. The seals on the valve cover are traditional oil seal type, not o-rings. The valve arms come off as a set and it isn't that bad. A couple hour job including adjusting the valve clearances. As long as you are careful and leave the bolts in place, it doesn't fly apart. There are little retainer ears that hold the o-ring in place when you turn it back over for re-installation.

I'd replaced those easier cover seals twice trying to stop my leak before I found out about the o-rings.

Originally Posted By: jtfmdyk
Originally Posted By: kschachn
You have replaced the timing belt, but put up with wiping out the spark plug wells every fill-up? Those o-rings aren't that hard to replace and once done you will have nice dry wells. The o-rings on my Accord were like hard plastic when I took them out.

The o-rings that are easy to replace are the on the valve cover. The ones that frequently contribute to oil in the plug wells are beneath the cam towers and are a bit more work.

 
It was Geonerd that said he did. I was saying that if he is capable of doing that job he is certainly capable of replacing those o-rings.

Aisin sells a kit for the timing belt, idlers and water pump. Although they are not OEM for Honda (but they are for many Toyotas), I can tell you from personal experience that the Aisin kit is top-notch quality. It was at least as good or better than the Honda OEM.

Originally Posted By: simbabeat
Originally Posted By: kschachn
You have replaced the timing belt, but put up with wiping out the spark plug wells every fill-up? Those o-rings aren't that hard to replace and once done you will have nice dry wells. The o-rings on my Accord were like hard plastic when I took them out.

Originally Posted By: Geonerd
Yea, the plug hole weeping is a minor PITA. I use long, fat cotton/stick swabs to mop up the oil each time I fill the gas tank.


No I have NOT replaced the T-Belt
 
If the o-rings under the rocker arms are anything like mine were (hard and brittle), I doubt any variety of motor oil would help that.

Originally Posted By: CELICA_XX
I've been running Pennzoil HM 5W-30 in this exact same car for a family member.

All leaks have stopped.
 
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