Leaking axles....help with source??

CleanGSR · Post by **CleanGSR** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 12:58 am

I believe that I have an axle leaking on the driver's side near the tranny. I'm looking at the diagrams and how-to from the Honda Repair manual and it looks pretty simple to remove the axle. Is there anything in the axle in that area that would be prone to leaking? Not sure what to go about replacing first since there's a good bit of oil under there, I can't tell exactly where the source is.

Couple noobie questions...

1. Is the axle the same as the driveshaft as it's called in the Honda Repair Manual??

2. You have one one each side obviously....so where is the intermediate shaft in relation to the driveshafts/axles??

Sorry for such noob questions but I'd appreciate the help.

JustRob · Post by **JustRob** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 5:31 am

To answer your first question, yes. And to answer your second question, assuming you still have the stock D15B1 in your hatch, there is no intermediate shaft. Now are you leaking oil or grease? To see if your axle is leaking grease, check around the CV boots for cracks or rips. If there are any, just replace the entire axle. It's only $60 and is easier then just replacing a boot. Plus you'll get a warrenty with them most of the time. If it's oil that you're leaking, check the axle seal on the transmission, oil pan gasket, rear main gasket, or even the valve cover gasket or distributor O-Ring. Those are the most common places for oil leaks on Hondas.

CleanGSR · Post by **CleanGSR** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 1:07 pm

Thanks, I'll check those things out. It's definitely leaking some oil since you can smell it burning after driving for awhile because it's dripping on the exhaust. I think it might be leaking some grease too though cause some of the areas underneath were pretty thick with gunk. Since it's so cheap I might just replace the axle and the axle seal and go from there. Thanks for the help. I was suprised that it is leaking since it only has 50,000 miles but I guess maybe the age plays a part too.

Spork · Post by **Spork** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:44 pm

also having a motor sit around for a while on the oilpan can be bad news for oilpan gaskets regardless of the mileage of the motor

CleanGSR · Post by **CleanGSR** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:49 pm

I'm about 99% sure that the motor has never been out of this car, it was just driven very, very little for the first 16-17 years of it's life. I think I'll get underthere with some degreaser and a pressure washer and clean it all up, then I should be able to better pinpoint the source within the next couple days after that since it won't be oil splattered all over under there.

Spork · Post by **Spork** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:51 pm

oh yeah, I get you and that forcefed guy mixed up since you both appeared with red hatches at about the same time; his is B-swapped.