Oil pan gasket replacement

[kgb_agent]

Mobile 1 on the garage floor is not a good thing. This caused me to jack up my NSX instead of drive it yesterday. I had a feeling I knew where the problem was before I started. About three weeks ago I saw some seepage around the oil pan while changing the oil. To my horror, all the nuts around the pan were loose! Some were so loose you could tighten them by hand. So I torqued them all properly (9lb-ft) in the proper sequence. Apparently this caused the gasket, already poking out in places, to distort more and cause leaking.

The dealership is wanting around $200 for the service. That's not too bad, but given the fact that I can get a gasket for $25 I feel I may get some sense of accomplishmant if I do it myself. And that money can go to S-03's.

So my questions are:
(1) How difficult is it to replace the gasket? I have read the FAQ DIY section and searched. I feel compelled to work on my baby myself and leave the dealer to the big stuff. Even though I am a novice I know I will do it right given enough time.

(2) On a stock 1995 NSX-T, does the header have to come off? I have heard yes and no on this question. If so, can I do it myself?

(3) Are there any other parts to order (header O-rings) that I need to buy to prepare to do the job right? (I figure I will order new nuts because some are quite rusty).

Thanks for your help.

Kevin

 

[Briank]

I have done my oil pan gasket, from what I remember taking off the exaust pipe was the worst of the project. I did end up taking off the Cat also, I dont remenber if that was truely necessary or the bolts at the rear of the cat was were easer to get to. There is also a brace from the engine to the trans that needs to be removed to be able drop the pan. Nuts that hold the exaust pipe the the exaust manifold are tight and rusty so a breaker bar and 6 point socket is a must. Also some kind of pentrant lube would help, PBlaster is recomended. On my cats I used heat to get the nuts off and even with that I broke a couple of studs, not a big deal because they are replaceable. You will need new gaskets for the front exaust manifold to the exaust pipe, exaust pipe to the cat and Cat to muffler. New nuts would also be a good idea and anti-seize compound when you put the exaust back together.
I did have a problem finding the proper nuts, standard ones with the right thread have a 17mm hex, the proper nuts have a 14 mm hex, the smaller hex allows better clearance for a socket. I had to speicial order some through work to get the right ones. A honda/acura dealer should have them on hand also.

 

[Jimbo]

PB Blaster is a must.

Also, pick up some Hondabond gasket adhesive at the Honda/Acura dealer. Great stuff that I use on all engines.

-Jim

 

[Larry Bastanza]

A STOCK 1995 does not have a header. Brian's writeup is completely applicable for 1995.

The only difference is that the cats have very different mounting bolts/couplings that are spring loaded. Use PBBlaster as Brian suggests and be patient.

The only blessing is that these mounting bolts are not part of the cat, so you can easily get spares if you break one. I recall one side being a 12mm nut, so they are slightly more fragile

HTH, Good luck
LarryB

 

[PettittsAuto]

FYI from past experience I would not recommend using Hondabond on rubber gaskets. That stuff turns into concrete after awhile and if you have to pull the oil pan off again you might as well throw it away because you will never get the old gasket off. I would recommend either a silicone gasket sealer or gaskacinch. Personally I use gaskacinch to hold the gasket in place and nothing else. The Hondabond works very well when there is no gasket such as some transmission cases and some oil pans such as '91-'95 legends.

Bruce

 

[kgb_agent]

Thanks for all the good info guys!

Larry, exhaust is what I meant. Thanks.