s2kdriver80

When I left my place this morning, there was nothing on the floor of the garage. When I pulled out of my parking spot at work to go to lunch, I saw a small puddle of oil where the car was parked. I have ~162k miles on my 2003 now.

What are the main causes for this happening? Oil filter not screwed on tight? I don't think this can be the case since I had my oil change a week and a half ago. I'd think the leak would have happened immediately after the oil change. Leaky gasket somewhere? Is there a known part that wears out/fails on the S2000's engine as the car ages? What else? And worst case, what would the repair involve? Thanks.

Ldo

Did you pop the hood or jack the car up to see where the leak is coming from?

s2kdriver80

I popped the hood to look around, can't tell where the leak is coming from at that vantage point.

steven975

rear seal, oil leaking out of the engine/transmission joining area?

If the front-passenger side, I'd look at the VTEC solenoid gasket.

daktruckie99

Sometimes when I change my oil I get a little spillage on the undertray. At some point it comes out and causes a little puddle. See if the oil follows the car over your next couple journeys.

This assuming your puddle is small, if you have a 2 quart puddle check under the car immediately.

SIIK2NR

Loose Oil Filter
Vtec solenoid
Drain bolt
Oil cap
Dip stick popout

s2kdriver80

Thanks guys.

The leak appears to be under the engine, slightly toward the passenger side. It isn't the oil cap nor the top of the dipstick. When I open the hood, everything is clean. Btw, checked the dipstick for good measure and I have full oil - 5 hashes on the stick. It doesn't look like I lost much so far.

Ok, so here is the weird part. I got home from work and parked in the garage. I just went into the garage (been ~6 hours now since parked) and not a single drop on the floor wtf?! And no, the small puddle I found when I left for lunch and when I left work to go home were not from another car - the puddle was from my car.

So I tried to determine what was different in this case and I could think of two things. My garage floor is level and my parking spaces at work are slightly inclined upward. Maybe the oil concentrated toward the back of the engine is causing the leak? The other difference is that I did not go into VTEC on my trip home, whereas I went past 6k rpm a few times on my way to work in the morning and when I was out during lunch. So... either parking on uneven ground and/or driving hard causes the leaks. I will see what happens tomorrow.

21337R

I'm hesitant to say this but I know that being paranoid is part of owning this car. Are you positive that it was oil and not condensation from the A/C? The time of year is certainly right. If not, I didn't mean to insult your intelligence. I just know how easy it is to jump to conclusions.

Other than that, the only other thing that pops into my mind is the oil filter gasket. I've never had it happen but apparently it does. The rubber gasket on the oil filter can stick to the block and then prevent the new filter from sealing correctly.

s2kdriver80

No problem. I smelled it and took a paper towel to confirm the fresh yellowish brownish motor oil from the recent oil change. Haven't used the AC recently. I'm using the Honda PCX filter and the same tech at the dealer who has always worked on my car did the oil change. As weird as it seems, the two reasons for the leak are - parking on incline causes leak and/or driving hard causes leak - both are not normal of course.

fatjoe10

Paranoia and mechanics don't mix well no matter what car you're into. The s2000 is no different from many of nowadays cars. Throw it on a lift and have someone competent look at it from the bottom and you'll sleep better.