Set adrift in a Technical Bliss (for Engine gurus-please explain)

[egincivic97]

Car type : Honda Civic '97 Sedan Automatic

Recently sent the car for inspection in a Honda Service Center because local repair guys refuse to touch the problem (engine oil leaks primarily)...Said it's too complicated and sensitive for them :-)

Anyway, below is a summary of the findings...I'm typing this as per what the paper show
Surprised to discover some other problems though :-D
KIndly enlighten me if you have the time to explain...thanks in advance !!!

for ENGINE OIL LEAKS :
Head cover packing set
Parts cleaner
Distributor ring
Cam Shaft Oil leak
Timing belt
Tensioner bearing


for POWER STEERING CONCERN :
Gear box reman
Overhaul Vane pump
Steering suction hose
Return hose
Oil tank hose
Joint return hose
PSF
Parts cleaner

for ATF LEAK CONCERN (they put urgent)
Shifting solenoid
Drive Shaft oil seal left
Drive Shaft oil seal right
Shifting rod oil seal
Rear crank shaft oil seal
Input shaft oil seal
ATF flushing

*COOLING SYSTEM EVALUATION AFTER CORRECTION OF ENGINE OIL LEAKS *

All of these for approx. $ 1,150 (converted from Phil. Peso)

Engine oil leaks done, my priority, 1 day job

The rest of the list i have to see

Am i in deep trouble ?

 

[XpL0d3r]

It looks like they wanted to service way more than just your leaky parts...

for ENGINE OIL LEAKS :
Head cover packing set - get a new valve cover gasket
Parts cleaner - cheap
Distributor ring - cheap
Cam Shaft Oil leak - replace cam seals
Timing belt - if it's old, replace it. if not, don't bother.
Tensioner bearing - same with the timing belt, though I've never had to replace this.

for POWER STEERING CONCERN :
Gear box reman - wtf?
Overhaul Vane pump - if your power steering pump is leaking, get a new pump.
Steering suction hose
Return hose - cheap if needed to be replaced
Oil tank hose - cheap if needed to be replaced
Joint return hose - I think this is the U hose. Cheap
PSF - cheap
Parts cleaner - you'll already have this from your engine rebuild parts list

for ATF LEAK CONCERN (they put urgent)
Shifting solenoid - not sure what this is
Drive Shaft oil seal left - easy to replace if the transmission is out
Drive Shaft oil seal right - easy to replace if the transmission is out
Shifting rod oil seal
Rear crank shaft oil seal
Input shaft oil seal
ATF flushing

It sounds like they didn't know the issue and want to just start throwing random seal replacements in there.

If the transmission is shifting fine and there's no visible leaks - don't worry about it. If there are, at this point it'd be cheaper just to replace the trans altogether.

How badly are you leaking oil? Any smoke or weird smell? Is the check engine light on?

 

[egincivic97]

It looks like they wanted to service way more than just your leaky parts...
Isnt it the normal practice on Service Centers of any brand ...just joking hehehe

for ENGINE OIL LEAKS :
Head cover packing set - get a new valve cover gasket
Parts cleaner - cheap
Distributor ring - cheap
Cam Shaft Oil leak - replace cam seals
Timing belt - if it's old, replace it. if not, don't bother. IThis was replaced 3 yrs ago already i think
Tensioner bearing - same with the timing belt, though I've never had to replace this.
All these items done costed me around $260 parts and labor, Hope the service done finally rectified the problem, local repair shops did it twice before but oil leak still persist

for POWER STEERING CONCERN :
Gear box reman - wtf? Yeah wtf really, they are charging $440 just for these
Overhaul Vane pump - if your power steering pump is leaking, get a new pump.
Steering suction hose
Return hose - cheap if needed to be replaced
Oil tank hose - cheap if needed to be replaced
Joint return hose - I think this is the U hose. Cheap
PSF - cheap
Parts cleaner - you'll already have this from your engine rebuild parts list
No intention yet on having these stuffs done, power steering still working smoothly


for ATF LEAK CONCERN (they put urgent)
Shifting solenoid - not sure what this is
Drive Shaft oil seal left - easy to replace if the transmission is out
Drive Shaft oil seal right - easy to replace if the transmission is out
Shifting rod oil seal
Rear crank shaft oil seal
Input shaft oil seal
ATF flushing
This will be next in line,they said it is critical specially during long trips, the transmission might dry up without knowing and it would be a bigger problem for sure

It sounds like they didn't know the issue and want to just start throwing random seal replacements in there.

If the transmission is shifting fine and there's no visible leaks - don't worry about it. If there are, at this point it'd be cheaper just to replace the trans altogether.
Actually there's a slight kick from 1st to 2nd gear, after that is smooth, reverse engages immediately, there's no visible leak (but maybe because i only see the top part hehe

How badly are you leaking oil?....If you mean from the engine, it's coming from the distributor area, drops only comes out but after some time it makes the engine looks dirty, not nice to see..As for the tranny, i dont see anything as i've mentioned earlier

Any smoke or weird smell?....Nope, nothing at all

Is the check engine light on?...Nope also

Thanks a lot for your time !!!..really appreciate it

 

[lethal6]

This is extremely common for a shop. They are just going through a typical inspection and documenting everything they see. The choice to replace is up to you, they aren't holding a gun to your head.

Most of it looks like typical leaky neglected POS diagnosis. I can't imagine what that thing looks like in the engine bay and underneath if everything is leaking bad enough for them to document like they did.

The gear box reman is a common failure of communication. I see a lot of it in your posts so far. I am guessing that they are talking about putting in a re-manufactured power steering pump or possibly a re-manufactured steering rack. Yours must be leaking like a water faucet and they are assuming like anyone would of a neglected vehicle, that it has been leaking for a long time and has dried up and the internals are near failure.

The shift solenoid is internal of an automatic transmission. In layman's terms, it is what tells the car when and where to shift. I am guessing yours shifts terribly or they noticed that you have shifting problems leading them to this diagnosis.

I don't see random throwing of seals. I see (without physically seeing the vehicle and how bad the condition is) a shop that is seeing a vehicle that is leaking all over the place and they are recommending the replacement of all the major seals. If you are going to drop the trans and reseal, why not do them all while you are in there? Same goes for the engine.

Like I said, they aren't holding a gun to your head. You don't have to do any of the work. The fact that you took it to multiple shops leads me to believe that you aren't comfortable doing the work yourself so I would suggest letting them handle it all. Or don't do any of it and let it leak to it's hearts desire.

P.S. If you have gone to 2 different shops and the leak is still there, you need to reevaluate the shops you are going to.

P.S.S. Everything listed here is a very easy fix, even for the basic of home mechanics. Including the shift solenoid.