Awooga, finally got my ek.

[XpL0d3r]

Did you make sure to remove the old VC gasket completely from both the cover and the head? In your pics I can see some VC gasket left over.

 

[singlecamgoinham]

Did you make sure to remove the old VC gasket completely from both the cover and the head? In your pics I can see some VC gasket left over.

I did the best I could, spent over an hour trying to get all of it off. It looks like there's some left but not even a rag with brake cleaner and scrubbing could get it off.

 

[Joe Mason]

Maybe some oil got on a stud while you were working and it is just working its way off? I really can't think of anywhere else other than the VC it would be leaking around there. Sometimes you have to use a straight razor to clean the old gasket material off if it's really crusty. Also over torquing the VC bolts can cause a leak. They don't have to be very tight at all. Very easy to over do it.

 

[singlecamgoinham]

Took the cover off again yesterday and scraped all that I could off. Resealed it better than the first time and that stopped the corner leak, now there's a really small one towards the center nut. Here's a picture

 

[Joe Mason]

If you blast that oil off with some brake cleaner will it come back? Also, I think I can see oil leaking from the VC in that pic.

 

[singlecamgoinham]

If you blast that oil off with some brake cleaner will it come back? Also, I think I can see oil leaking from the VC in that pic.

Yeah, i can clean it and after about 10 min of idling it'll start to slowly come back. Oh, that's just the sealant on the VC.

 

[singlecamgoinham]

Got around to taking the headers off to check the gasket.. It was pretty warped. Didn't see any oil coming from the valves or anything which makes me not worry about the valve seals. Gonna order the gasket and replace it, hopefully that takes care of the leaks. Here are some pictures of it (you can kinda see how warped it is in the 2nd picture) :

 

[Joe Mason]

Was/is your motor burning/using an excessive amount of oil?

 

[singlecamgoinham]

Was/is your motor burning/using an excessive amount of oil?

I haven't had a chance to put hardly any miles on it but when I have driven it/ let it idle it doesn't use or lose much. It has stayed at a good level so far.

 

[singlecamgoinham]

Quick update:
Replaced shift shaft seal
Replaced Vtec solenoid gasket
New nrg short hub
New inner/ outer tie rods

The shift shaft seal/ vtec solenoid leaks no more oil now. The bump steer/ slop in the steering wheel is extremely reduced. The driver side inner tie rod was a shame, I'm lucky it didn't separate while I was driving. Got the horn working just in time for inspection and no more wack steering wheel.

Next up:
Crankshaft seal
Possibly rear main seal
Oil pan gasket
Transmission flush
Timing belt/ water pump
Camshaft seal
Driver side axle
Suspension refresh and/ or coils
Find the water leak in the trunk
New hood release cable

 

[singlecamgoinham]

Update:
New camshaft seal
New crankshaft seal
New timing belt/ water pump
Replaced driver side axle
Found the water leak/ am fixing

I thought the oil on the timing side of the block would finally be gone but no. It appears that the cover behind the timing belt below the camshaft has bad seals or isn't seating against the block properly. Put new bolts to seat it properly and if that doesn't work next week guess I'll be ordering new seals..