Dipstick Flange Oring Repair

[jesilvas]

This is another one of those leaks, but not very well documented on how to repair here. So I tried to do my best.
It really isn't hard. Here's what I did and what I WOULD do next.
Parts:



Corresponding PNs



I jacked it up a ways because there's not a lot of room for me and a creeper on a 2wd stock tires/rims. More than a Honda though
You can drain the oil if you want, but it is not up to this level just at rest. Only the rods sling it up there. So oil in or out, whatever.



You'll be working with the starter. So DO THIS!



Don't judge my corrosion



The culprit



Go ahead and remove the dipstick tube. Idr what bolt size this was, but it's one of those common metric socket sizes. Either 8mm or 10mm IIRC.



Once unbolted, just pull/push it up and out of the flange. It's not bad.
If you look at where the tube went into the flange, there's a little o ring on the end. Just make sure you remove it and put on a new one before you put this back together.

[jesilvas]

This was my tool set up to pull the starter and what size went where. This is it clean btw.

I would go ahead and undo both electrical connections first. I only did the big one, and once the starter was loose, it was hard holding it (it's heavier than I expected) and trying to take off the little nut.





This one was for the starter bolts. Now I could do it quick, but there was so much dirt/oil/gunk up there that I had to video while my fingers were up there figure out what I was touching



Once it's out.



Another angle. I hadn't pulled the dipstick tube yet, but it wouldn't matter which order you did that in.



What was left after cleaning the majority of gunk off the starter.

[jesilvas]

Now it's "fun." Also, at this point, remember or mark or something, which way your flange points. There's a little ear in the pan and two grooves in the flange that the ear fit into. Either makes it to where the flange opening points straight up, or forward at an angle. I had to undo it the first time and fix it cause mine was pointing forward, but I reinstalled it into the wrong notch.

This is my idea to keep the flange up beside the hole. It actually worked really well. Only almost lost it once, but I'll get to that in a minute. The common oil galley cleaning brush probably would work better than this, and I'll explain why.



Once I loosed the flange nut, I realized that the nut wouldn't fit over the vice grips
So, I had to hand off the flange, so to speak. This is the point where my needle nose opened right as I was clamping down the big VGs. Scared the daylights outta me. After you take off the old flange, line up the new one and hand off again.







In that last pic and this one, you can see a groove on the flange where it will meet the pan. An oring fits in there.



There's only a few more pics, but it's all reverse at this point. Basically, you take the big oring, and get it to stay in that groove as you pull the flange tight up against the pan and thread on the new nut. HA. Yea right. It's annoying. AND you gotta remember to get the little ear in the pan lined up into the correct notch in the flange like it was before.
I'll admit, I still have a slight leak, but way less than before. Now is when I wish I would known this: Use some appropriate RTV silicone/gasket maker for two things. First, it's sticky and would probably help hold the oring into that little groove. Two, it'll help seal better if it doesn't make the groove cause I don't think mine is in there.
Then as you put the new nut on, I've read to use some thread locker, and I did just cause I read it on the internet
But I'd also use some of the same gasket maker on the outside right around where the flange threads meet the pan and just where ever else you think would help.
After that, put it all back together, along with a new o ring on the dipstick tube itself. And make sure to install it right. The little v in the oring faces out, not inward.

[jesilvas]

And finally, what everything looked like as it came out.

The dipstick tube o ring had a little blowout it looked like, but wasn't leaking from there.



You can see how the flange oring was NOT round anymore.



And obviously the flange nut wasn't flat either. And to be honest, my new one is probably warped too. I was so mad at it the second time after it leaked, that sucker was torqued down hard



But it's ok, because this is what I plan to permanently fix it with