Oil leak in my 98 mazda protege

there are only but a few leak points, on this water cooled engine.

1. valve cover gasket tops list.
2. the 2 distributor o-rings, leaks down bell housing.
3. or the distributor base housing not mounted and sealed by the book. (need book?)
4. front cam seal (cover off look)?
5. front crank seal (or the bolt was never set to 94ft/lbs, torque. 17mm head bolt.
6. pan never leaks its glued on day one in the Cami factory with RTV, unless prev. owner fiddled with it. (new oil pump done wrong)
7. last it the rear oil seal, rear to leak.

there are only 2 way sto find leaks, get it clean, drive short distance.
see what leaks.
or
use the dye kit, a kit with UV lamp and dye, pack.

id do a #! valve cover, the 60k mile inspection , adds one, and most of these cars get on 60k service, ever , so the gaskets are all hard.
and useless on every one ive ever seen.

see oll behind here>?
http://www.fixkick.com/t-belt/sneak-a-peek.html

what engine.? lots of engines, used. and 21 models of civic, USA.
its usually.
1: valve cover, (yes, most can leak from top down behind the belt.
2: cam seals
3: crank end seal
4: oil pump seals.
6: oil pan ( last choice)

finding oil leaks takes hard work , clean, it find it .
or use the dye kits.

gravity and wind, allows it to go where ever IT wants.
so it must be clean first to find it.. see?
or use the dye kits, it shows a live leak best.

ever look here?
http://estore.honda.com/honda/parts/view-honda-parts-catalog-detail.asp?m=1997-civic-2-dx-4at&sn=&b=E++09&dl=

question, at the 60k mile service points. you check lash, settings.
with a new timing belt. and at such point, a new valve cover gasket gets fitted, did you? if yes, its not leaking if not>????
the front edge of the VC gasket, leaks down behind what i call
the VC leak hidder, tin pan. plate. behind the cam cog
is a plate, and the VC leaks down from there to the cam seal
then down front of engine, then past crank seal the, to cover.
seen this on all most all OHC engines...
cause, nobody does the 60k or does it and uses the old gaskets.
id look there first. but id dont have service history.
start high work down due to gravity.....
the FSM is here.
see that too. "free" too
http://hondatech.info/downloads/Auto/Manuals/Civic/

probably gaskets are not sealed properly you have to redo it or try and cleaned it remove all the oil that sorrounds the engine and try to seal with a high temp silicon

Dear Sir,
Here is the oil leaking Problem Identifying Technique

Engine oil leaks from the valve cover gasket are common.

The intake manifold plenum gasket may leak and cause increased oil consumption/burning and a spark knock during acceleration; the gasket should be replaced.

External oil leaks from valve cover gaskets, intake gaskets (front or rear), and the rear crankshaft (rear main) seal area are common. The rear main seal is an unlikely source. Normally, the bearing cap mating surfaces (as well as the sealing surface between the oil pan and bearing cap) are the source for the leaks.

Engine oil leaks at the distributor can be misdiagnosed as leaks from theintake manifold seal, oil pan gasket, or rear crankshaft (rear main) seal. A revised distributor is available if oil is found inside the distributor.

If the oil filter casing shows signs of distortion from excessive oil pressure, theoil pump should be replaced.

Often misdiagnosed as a leaking oil filter gasket, the oil filter adapter can seep from between the adapter and engine block.

Carbon buildup on the top of the piston is common. As the buildup increases with mileage and over time, symptoms may vary from light ticking, to ticking/hammering, to hammering/knocking noises. Fuel injector cleaner often solves the problem.

I think it helps to analyse u r Problem

The timing cover itself does not seal any oil from leaking. It is just a cover to prevent debris from getting into the timing belt and ruining it.

To find the oil leak you will need to remove the timing cover and inspect the seals behind the cam gear, crank gear, and oil pump drive gear, and the oil pump to block seal. The most common leaks on these are the cam gear.

I’m happy to assist further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/jeremy_d728a59f986299fa

List of possible locations for engine oil leaks:

Valve cover gasket
can,crank and oil pump seals.
rear main seal
oil pan gasket
Transmission oil leaks
Vents, dipstick,torque converter ( need to examine shell to pin point whether its the oil pump or a converter seal)transmission gasket,axle seals, drain plug.

If you haven't had the timing belt replace (60,000 miles is the suggested service intervale) this is an overlap of having the timing belt replaced.
If the timing belt is not due for replacement and its the cam shaft seal that is leaking. Its a pretty easy fix. Remove the top timing belt cover , and the crankshaft sensor wiring you may have to remove the front engine mount . Set #1 piston at TDC, Loosen tensioner w/ spring slip off belt. **Remove sprocket pull out old seal with a sharp pick. Greese and install new seal make sure its flush with its bore . Reistall sprocket. Slide belt over Cam sprocket tighten tensioner. Install cover and mount (if applicable) Check timing marks by turning crank two revolutions.
** If CamSprocket Bolt is difficult to remove then remove valve cover and use a 21mm wrench to hold the Camshaft while you crack off Cam Sprocket Bolt.
You will see the groves on the Camshaft where you can place a wrench to hold the shaft.
After you replaced the seal replace the valve cover gasket ONLY IF YOU HAD TO REMOVE THE COVER TO HOLD THE CAM WHILE REMOVING ITS BOLT.

This is about as major as it gets.

In order from most common to lease:
rear crank seal
valve cover gaskets
oil pan gasket
front crank seal
oil sending unit
head gasket

More than likely it would be the front seals, oil pump front shaft seal and gasket ( "o" ring), Cam seal, crank seal one of those. Have to remove timing belt in order to change these seals. I would change out all the seals and put a new timing belt on it. Depending on how many miles you have on your car I would consider a water pump as well because the timing belt also needs to be removed to replace this part. In other words... Costly repair, but instead of replacing the seals and solving the leak and then 2 weeks later the timing belt snaps, then you just paid twice for the labor. Check oil pan gasket first b4 you spend money on seals.

There are two slots in the valve cover right by the cam shaft sprocket that have to be honda bonded or black rtv. look closely at the valve cover right above the gasket underneath the timing belt cover. Hope that helps.