I recently took my Honda to the dealership for routine oil change and was told my oil pump is leaking and would need replaced. However, I park my car in the garage daily and have never noticed any oil leaked onto the sealed floor of the garage. Is it possible for it to be leaking without actually dripping onto the floor? Has anyone else had this problem with their oil pump going bad? I have 148,000 miles and baby the car as much as possible. Have always completed routine maintenance on time and in full. Is there a way to know that it is going bad? (Do not trust the dealership and don’t want to throw money at the car unless necessary).
Yes, it’s possible to have a leak and no puddles on the floor. When in motion oil dripping is often blown back with the oil ending up staining the bottom of the car or ending up on the road.
Whether it’s leaking or not I do not know but it’s also possible the leak could be something else (oil pressure sender, crank seal, etc) and the pump is getting the blame.
About all I can suggest is getting another opinion or two and see if they come up with the same diagnosis.
It also may be a very small leak, a seep. Dealers, in such a case, mostly recommend replacement. But the amount of oil lost could be small.
I’d get a second opinion. And also check your oil level frequently until you get an idea of how much is leaking.
A lot cheaper to put in a quart of oil every, say, 2000 miles.
Yes you can have an oil leak that doesn’t leave drips, but that would be a small leak. There is a seal on the oil pump that is known to leak at the age of your vehicle. Earlier Honda’s had a timing belt so You would usually have this seal replaced during the timing belt service. If your Honda is a 4 cylinder, then you have a timing chain that does not need to be changed for the normal service life of the engine.
Monitor the loss of oil. You should check it when you buy gas. If you only lose a quart every couple thousand miles, the cost to replace the seal will not be worth it. The good news is that the seal doesn’t usually get much worse over time.
Methinks some dealer was “Fishing”…If you knew how many vehicles have an item just “Seeping Oil” but not a proper drippy leak…you might lose sleep over it. As long as it isnt seeping to the extent that it will coat the T belt in oil… You could probably drive the vehicle thata way for years if not until you are tired of driving it… Some Seals Seep…Some Pour…thats just what they do over time. LOL… Being a mechanic…that last sentence doesnt apply to my vehicles…jk…i bet something is seeping under my hood as I type this…
Blackbird
@blackbettymcginn, I guess this is a 4 cylinder Accord. The 6 cylinder has a timing belt and the water pump is almost always replaced with the timing belt at 105,000 miles/7 years.
"I guess this is a 4 cylinder Accord. The 6 cylinder has a timing belt and the water pump is almost always replaced with the timing belt at 105,000 miles/7 years."
That is correct, but the OP is referring to the oil pump, not the water pump…
I should have pointed out that oil pump itself is most likely OK, its just that seal. It’s a $10 seal that costs $700 to replace, unless it is the seal on the front of the timing chain case, then that is pretty easy to change and should not cost over $100 to change, but $100 still buys a lot of oil.
If it gets to losing a quart per 500 miles or less, and its the front seal, then it is worth replacing. When it gets that bad, you will see drops in your parking spot.
I’ve never had a problem with a leaking oil pump myself. I don’t think any of my vehicles has had an oil pump that could leak externally. If they leaked, they’d leak inside the engine where it wouldn’t be possible to tell unless they leaked so much it affected the oil pressure. And that’s never happened.
hmm. apparently on your Accor, the oil pump is designed w/a seal between it and the the outside world. There’s a couple of reasons to be concerned. The first is if the leak causes you to lose oil. Low oil if not spotted when it happens could damage the engine. The second is if the oil is leaking onto something that would be damaged if it got oil on it, like the timing belt.
I think your best bet is to get a second opinion from a well recommended local inde shop. I expect they’ll tell you to take a wait and see approach. I wouldn’t use a dealer for this type of routine service on an 07 Accord.