I noticed oil on my garage floor from my 2002 Honda Accord V6 and thought the dealer hadn’t tightened the oil pan bolt. The dealer charged me $61.00 to diagnose that the dripping oil came from a main bearing cap side bolt. It seems the bolt threads, aren’t sealed at the factory and to fix the problem the dealer will remove the bolt, clean it, then apply Hondabond HT Silicone Gasket to the threads and washer contact area. I have to leave the car for 24 hrs for the sealer to dry before staring the engine. The cost is $250.00 for the bolt to be removed, cleaned, sealed and replaced. Is this a recall item? Will other similar bolts do this at $250.00 each? Any help here?
Did this start leaking after you had some repairs done? Do you mean the rear main seal is leaking? The main bearings are under the oil pan. It’s hard to understand what you’re describing.
I noticed the oil leak as I stated. I explained the diagnostic just as the inspection to fix states. Please focus on my questions.
I also stated in the topic ENGINE oil leak which has nothing to do with ‘rear main seal’, does it?
The #4s are main bearing cap side bolts.
They lie above the oil pan as shown.
I would replace the bolt as well as sealing it. Some bearing bolts take a permanent strain when torqued to specs and cannot be reused.
BTW, was it this forum that was discussing left-handed threads the other day? FWIW, items #3 above are left-handed threaded.
Sealing the leak is not difficult if the bolts can be reached. Any good sealant should work.
I wouldn’t be too crass with oblivion’s questions as the original post did come across a bit murky.
Find someone else to do this and you do not need to use an overpriced sealer from the dealer either. Any shop should be able to handle this for less than 250 dollars.
The odds of something like this leading to a Recall is about slim and none. Most Recalls are based on things directly related to safety; fire hazard, door locks, seat belts, suspension, brakes, etc, etc.
If you can see the bolt and get to it Racaya…WHy in the world are you going to pay the DEALERSHIP of all places to do such a simple operation? Just curious…seems like you could handle this in about 30 minutes, NO?
Thanks for the comments and direction. I put the car in for the work this morning at the dealer that I have gone to for 15yrs. I do plan to send a letter to Honda to vent my frustration and expense. My attempt to explain the repairs admittedly is just not too easy for me when all I thought was that it was the oil drain plug leaking. I might add that I purchased the 100,000 mi warranty when I bought it, and as soon as the car odometer passed the warranty period I noticed the odometer digital read-out started to fade in-and-out making it difficult to know what my mileage is. I expect it to go out completely unless I can come up with the $400+ to fix it. Oh and also the clock light (which I bought from Honda Service for around $5.00 thinking I could replace it but couldn’t figure it out) has some kind of short in it so that I can’t read the clock unless I bang on the dash around it and if I bang it right it will light up. The dealership estimated the cost to fix it about $100+ Don’t think that I am complaining just hate these tech things going out in a few years of use unlike years ago when things lasted a lifetime.
I can appreciate loyalty, but why keep getting ripped off?
There’s no need to get routine work on an out-of-warranty car at the dealership.
I don’t really think Honda should get any blame here. Your car is 10 years old with over a 100k miles and every car that has ever been manufactured or ever will be manufactured will go through age and wear problems. Honda are no exception.
Personally, I consider an automobile an amazing piece of technology even if it for the most part a disposable consumer item. Given the stresses a car is subjected to (most unseen and unnoticed by the driver) it’s stunning that any car stays in one piece for more than 500 miles.
Buy a new house and over time it degrades with electrical faults, plumbing problems, failing paint and roof shingles, and in some cases even cracked slabs and walls. The car principle is the same thing.
An interesting thing about the house analogy is that a house just sits there while a car goes speeding and bouncing down the road, bumping (or crashing) into things and just keeps on going for years. Houses and cars will always eventually need repairs with age and wear. Speaking of age and wear, if you haven’t had your timing belt replaced, you are overdue for this important maintenance item. Failure to replace your timing belt at specified intervals could lead to timing belt failure and catastrophic engine damage that will cost thousands to repair.
As for oblivion’s question about the rear main seal, it was pertinent to your post. I also did not know that the V6 in the Accord had main bearing caps with side bolts. Few engines do, so it’s uncommon to hear of this. All engines have a rear main seal that can leak with age and be difficult to pinpoint, hence the question and confusion. Please refrain from being crass and condescending towards those who are trying to help you. Some sites (and contributors) charge money via PayPal for answering questions like this. This site and these contributors do not, so be grateful.
There is a sucker born every minute…How true it is…
Possibly the OP is too self absorbed to recognize that the “focus” is on his poor attitude and not his problem.