First, it blows the front idler shaft seal and barfs mucho oil.
Replaced that one, and the crank and cam seals. The cam seal isn't awfully tight, and it's a shallow hole. Sure enough, it blows the cam seal, idling in the drive.
I don't see anyone mentioning this in 6 months of posts on aah. Did NAPA give me the wrong seal? It's the exact match of the front idler shaft seal. PCV? Excess oil pressure?
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PCV is a good candidate, since it regulates pressure / vacuum.
'Curly'
Looks like there's an oil passage right behind the cam seal.
I've never had a problem using OEM seals. Clean the seal bore, then apply a thin coat of ultra gray silicone to the outer lip of the seal, and apply silicone grease to the inner lip where it rides on the seal journal of the cam. Also make sure that you've installed the seal retainer for the counter balance shaft seal. It's an updated part from Honda that guarantees that the newly installed seal won't pop back out. Without it, you might experience the same problem once again. By the way, make sure you don't install the cam seal too far in the bore. The face of the seal should be flush with the inner bevel of the bore in the head.
Eric
PCV, I'm sure. The '80s Volvos, which have an unconventional crankcase ventilation system, often pop out the rear main seal and front cam seal when the ventilation system plugs up. I didn't even think to clean out the 3/8 inch hoses on mine; I lost three quarts of oil in as many miles on the freeway when they plugged up, but the seals stayed put. Whew!
Volvo guys just pry the seals back in from the side, and they stay put once the crankcase pressure is corrected.
Mike
Thanks, all.
Turns out NAPA supplied the wrong cam seal in the gasket set. Testing Honda-supplied seal tomorrow. And the bracket fix for the front balance shaft seal.
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