If the leak is from the transmission, then it is leaking transmission fluid, so keep a close eye on the transmission fluid level. If the leak is grease from the CV joint, then you will likely need to replace the CV joint.

 

You should be able to tell if it is coming from the CV joint because it grease will be slung off the axle onto the body, transmission and engine from the leaking area. It will look like a line of black grease.

 

The 3rd is definitely going to be a pain in the butt! Seems almost easier just to remove the water pipe and tstat housing then I can get right at the 3rd bolt.

What did you use/do poorman to tackle the 3rd bolt?

That seal isn't my main concern. My main concern is replacing the inner axle seal. The leak is getting worse.

 

A pitch for genuine Honda seals; I wouldn't use anything else for that dirty, under-the-car repair because I wouldn't want to repeat the experience anytime soon. The carrier bearings tend to get sloppy on higher mileage cars and the OEM seals seem to handle that slop better than aftermarket seals. Take note of how far the original seal is seated into the differential housing and seat the new seal to the same depth.

 

As stated take care of the seal on the trans as soon as you can.

You are pretty much there with the vtec solenoid. I was able to remove the lower hose from the t-stat housing and using a "stubby" wrench that had the angle to seat on the bolt and clear the end of the t-stat housing, towards the front of the car....I've got about 8 or 9 different 10mm wrenches for different things. The spec's on those bolts is only like 9 inch pounds....less than the amount you put on spark plugs, so the install does not req much.

 

After stripping that bolt head with a 12-point boxed end wrench (do not do this!), I removed the thermostat housing to access that third bolt on my 95 accord. It is a bit of extra work, but will save you time later on.

 

I definitely need to take off the T-stat housing and replace one the gaskets that sits before the water outlet pipe. When I installed the motor the gasket was in bad shape and I couldn't find one at the time, but now I have.

Also, I agree with the person who mentioned only using OEM gaskets. I only use OEM stuff for my VW and it has paid off. The car has 208,000 miles and still running strong.

An update on my oil leak. It turned out it was not the gasket that sets on the block, it was instead the figure 8 shaped gasket at the top of the vtec solenoid. I got an OEM one yesterday, installed and all is dry. The original gasket was so bad it broke in my hands like a piece of brittle plastic. The new 1 is nice and squishy!

Old gasket...

 

Cool...that one is way easy to get to.

I'll tell you this...on my 95 that top one went......about four~six months later the other one - solenoid to head - started a slow leak....hope that does not happen to you but keep an eye on it......they are both the same age so

 

Well, you jinxed me poorman THe gasket that sits on the block to the vtec solenoid took a dump on me today. Luckily I bought 1 when I got the other gasket 2 weeks ago. I also got a new water outlet gasket because when building the motor I knew the original was shot. So, replacing the solenoid was easy because I removed the tstat and water outlet area.

But, as with cars it decided to make me keep working on her. I mentioned a squeak a few weeks ago. Well, being busy, not having a garage and crappy weather, I never got to take off the wheel and the squeak turned into a grinding. My brakes feel soft, just a tad. So, I am assuming at this point, it's a hung up caliper. I am trying to suck it up and have a look tomorrow. I am going to bleed the brake, take off the caliper and see what's going on. Any advice if I do have a bad caliper? Do they fail often or are the a die hard part? If it's nto the caliper, what else?

 

Check the brake pads first. I am not sure if your are dealing with the front or rear pads for the noise.

You will have to determine if the pads are worn down normally, such as similar wear between all four pads on the front (or back). I would remove the slid pins on the caliper and clean them, then use silicone paste to lubricate them.

On the front caliper, I found that opening the brake fluid bleeder valve, then using a c-clamp on the piston of the caliper will easily push in the piston. If the piston is frozen, completely remove the bleeder valve to make sure the bleeder is not clogged, then retry. If it is impossible to push in that piston, then it is likely that the caliper is frozen.

The rear calipers are a bit different. There are some ericthecarguy videos on changing and bleeding brakes on hondas that will show you how to work on the front and back brake calipers. Just do a google search.