Head gasket on a 91 Integra

At the last oil change, the Jiffylube guy told my daughter that we had
a small oil leak. I noticed some oil grunge on either end of the seal
between the top of the engine and what comes below. Is this the head
gasket? Ballpark figure for what the dealer will charge to replace?
This car never needed oil between changes. This weekend there was no
oil on the stick (3K miles since last change). I added a qt and it
brought it most way to the top mark. Phew! She's got 126K miles.

 

Nothing to worry about.... move along.





How to turn off 'Maintenance Required" light:

1. Hold trip/reset button on dash
2. Turn key to "ON" or start engine
3. Hold button til light goes out

 

It's just a minor leak around the valve cover gasket. It won't have
detectable level drop on the dip stick. You could replace it yourself for
like $20. Quite easy to replace, considering that you only have to remove
four of the small nut on top the the valve cover. If you see oil dripping,
then it's necessary. Otherwise, wipe the area clean and close the hood.

 

Sounds like just the valve cover gasket - also check inside the spark plug
holes for leaks past the seals there. On the distributor end, there's also
a rubber plug at the end of the exhaust camshaft which tends to leak and
need replaced every so often.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??

 

Thanks to all for the info. Cheers