oily spark plugs

I'm not sure what you mean by the above statement.

If you have to ask, then ...

Well, if you really want to bite into this project, then you can follow the
procedures in the factory service manual. If you don't have one specific
for your car, then you can get one from http://www.helminc.com. If you
don't have one and don't wish to invest in what I consider to be a basic
tool for servicing your car, then you can follow some of the procedures
outlined for other models available from
http://www.honda.co.uk/owner/workshopmanuals2.html. The manual for the
'95-'97 Civic is pretty close. Here's the page for removal
http://tinyurl.com/cccll and here's the page for installation
http://tinyurl.com/cvwjg. Some additional notes: the removal page does not
describe it well but when it indicates to loosen the valve adjusting screws
I've found it best to loosen them to the point where the bottom of the
adjusting screw is flush with the bottom of the rocker arm, furthermore, on
installation ignore the information about the oil control orifice. On the
'91 Civic this orifice is in the block between the block and cylinder head.
Lastly, if you're willing to jump through the necessary hoops (you must
register and provide a valid email address), then
http://www.hondahookup.com/manuals/ has a manual available listed as being
for an '88-'90 Civic. I haven't used this manual so I know nothing about
the quality of the information it it.

Eric

 

I meant should I go to a 91 Honda Civic manual and look up the procedure for
removing the camshaft, rocker arms, etc., then come up with some steps of my
own for getting at these seals.

Which is exactly what you ended up advising in your "response."

I checked Majestic's online parts site. I checked my 91 Civic's Chilton's
manual. I did not find a "cam tower" listed in either. Nor do I see it
listed in the pdf file url below from the UK site.

I know what a cam is. I know what a camshaft is. I suppose a "cam tower" is
the whole assembly or its supports.

But please don't trouble yourself in answering a question from someone
honest, trying to learn. That's not the purpose of newsgroups.

Corrupted; doesn't work.

I have a 91 Civic Chilton's manual (which I use a lot and duplicates much of
Helm) that covers camshaft/rocker arms etc. removal and installation.

Thanks, and I promise to be a better teacher than you.

 

I have the Helm manual for the '92-'95 Civic.

As near as I can tell, the D15B's camshaft is central to (and under) two
rocker arms, which are held by castings bolted to the head. Honda calls
these castings "cam holders". The rocker arms pass through these cam
holders. These are the parts Eric is calling the "cam towers". They're held
in place by three 8mm bolts.

The cam's holders have large holes in them at one end that the spark plugs
pass through on their way to their threads in the head. Since the cam
holders are bolted to the head, there is necessarily a seam where they
meet, and thus the gasket in question.

There are six "cam holders". The middle four have the spark plug holes.

If you remove the bolts on all the cam holders, you will also release the
rocker arms themselves. Essentially, to replace the gaskets under the cam
holders, you need to unbolt and remove the cam holders. I can't tell from
here, but it looks like you'd end up releasing the camshaft as well.

I've taken the liberty of extracting one page from my manual:
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/misc/civic_92-95_d15b8_rocker_arm_parts.pdf

 

It worked for me and brought up
http://www.honda.co.uk/owner/CivicManual/pdf/6-36.pdf

Mike

 

Huh. Still doesn't work here at my computer.

No matter. Autozone's free repair guides and my Chilton's have it for my 91
Civic.

Thanks.

 

Yes, the trick is to not remove the bolts, just undo them. Afterwards,
remove the assembly complete with the bolts in place. The bolts will hold
it together so that you don't wind up having to deal with individual rocker
arms, shafts, and springs.

Eric

 

It works on my computer using Mozilla 1.7.11 and Acrobat 4.

 

Thanks for the intelligent explanation. It's making a lot more sense now, as
follows:

The step-by-step 1991 Civic Chilton and Autozone written instructions call
these "camshaft holders" but on the 1991 Civic drawing, they are called
"bearing caps." They look exactly the same in the two drawings (the 1992's
and the 1991's) but just use two different names, for some reason.

There are six "camshaft holders/bearing caps" altogether, with according to
Majestic and like you say, three 8 mm bolts for the four middle "camshaft
holders" (or "bearing caps"), and two bolts each for the end ones. I
couldn't actually find the camshaft holders/bearing caps listed at
Majestic's site, though I'm pretty sure a drawing of them appears under
"cylinder head."

The instructions for removing the rocker arms/shafts likewise say to keep
the "rocker arm bolts" in place to hold the assembly together.

Obviously once I get under the valve cover more of this will make sense, but
I wanted to be prepared. I haven't messed much with things under there,
apart from putting in the new camshaft seal yada last year and checking the
valve lash once also about a year ago.

Thanks again. I hope to start on this before the end of the month and may
post an update. I am pretty certain these lower spark plug tube gaskets are
why a oil is accumulating in two or three of my 1991 Civic's spark plug
tubes. It's not more than a tablespoon every six months, it seems, but I
don't like it, and I want to keep the car... you know, "another five years."

 

Another thing to keep in mind: Camshaft distortion.

If undoing the "cam holders" ends up releasing the camshaft as well, you'll
have to be careful to undo the bolts evenly all around, to prevent uneven
loading on the camshaft, which may bend it. Those valve springs are awfully
strong.

Good luck.

As an aside, I notice the D15Z engine uses Toyota-like tubes set into the
head for the spark plug wells, which would eliminate the problem the D15B
has.

 

Okay. Given the subsequent installation torquing sequence for the "cam
holders/bearing caps," I can see what you're gettin at.

For the 96-2000 Civics (which appear to use a D15Z engine), Majestic online
parts site indeed does not show these gaskets (between cam holder and
cylinder head). The tubes extend much further, so to speak, as you know but
for the record.

 

Oops. That should be "camSHAFT holders/bearing caps."

In case some newbie is reading the archives a few years from now...

 

I have a 91 Accord with 200k miles on it. I had the same problem and
got the gaskets changed more problem. Not sure of the cost because I
also had other work done while it was in the shop. I would get the
gaskets changed.

Daniel G