[fruitcakeinc]

Just got an oil change from the local dealership and they said there is a bad spool leak valve happening which could be affecting my alternator too (battery light has been flashing recently and i’ve had that issue beforehand with a bad alternator on this car) if it’s leaking oil onto it. Not sure how to proceed from there. I’m looking at the engine and there is a part that is covered in black material which i suspect what they were talking about. Let me know thoughts on repair?

 

[WiiMaster]

Yep, that's the spool valve leak. Unfortunately you're likely too late to save your alternator. But get that leak fixed and then I would replace the alternator.

It's not an overly difficult leak to fix. Here's Honda's TSB:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10172366-0001.pdf

 

[slimm1469]

Yep, I've had that happen also. The valve is badly positioned over the alternator and leaks right into it.

 

[fruitcakeinc]

Yep, that's the spool valve leak. Unfortunately you're likely too late to save your alternator. But get that leak fixed and then I would replace the alternator.

It's not an overly difficult leak to fix. Here's Honda's TSB:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10172366-0001.pdf

Thanks for that TSB. What I'm seeing is that you buy the whole part but only use the upper half of it for the replacement. Is it really only remove 3 bolts and replace huh? Might be able to get it done in like 20 minutes then. Thought it might be more complex since the other video I watched had a guy replace the whole thing ->

And yeah I suspected that once I started getting dash lights again my alternator most likely has been affected already, may have to ride this alternator until my tax returns come in 😂

 

[WiiMaster]

Thanks for that TSB. What I'm seeing is that you buy the whole part but only use the upper half of it for the replacement. Is it really only remove 3 bolts and replace huh? Might be able to get it done in like 20 minutes then. Thought it might be more complex since the other video I watched had a guy replace the whole thing ->

And yeah I suspected that once I started getting dash lights again my alternator most likely has been affected already, may have to ride this alternator until my tax returns come in 😂

That's right, you use the top half because replacing the bottom half is an insane amount of work and is not necessary in most cases. For whatever reason that seal doesn't leak nearly as often as the seal between the halves.

There are also aftermarket gaskets out there (not including the counterfeit Honda gaskets on Amazon/eBay) that can work, but personally I would use the OEM part.

If you're resourceful, you don't need to remove anything else besides the engine cover to get access to it. However, if you take a few minutes to unbolt/unclip the harness that runs over the valve cover and spool valve, it gives you that much more space to work. MrRangerZr1 shows this in his video, which is on an Odyssey but the same exact process applies here:

 

[fruitcakeinc]

That's right, you use the top half because replacing the bottom half is an insane amount of work and is not necessary in most cases. For whatever reason that seal doesn't leak nearly as often as the seal between the halves.

There are also aftermarket gaskets out there (not including the counterfeit Honda gaskets on Amazon/eBay) that can work, but personally I would use the OEM part.

If you're resourceful, you don't need to remove anything else besides the engine cover to get access to it. However, if you take a few minutes to unbolt/unclip the harness that runs over the valve cover and spool valve, it gives you that much more space to work. MrRangerZr1 shows this in his video, which is on an Odyssey but the same exact process applies here:

Thanks! I'll throw in the order tonight and hopefully give an update soon. Do you have any idea what I should use to clean the remaining oil off? Just some wd40?

 

[WiiMaster]

Thanks! I'll throw in the order tonight and hopefully give an update soon. Do you have any idea what I should use to clean the remaining oil off? Just some wd40?

Brake Cleaner is common for cleaning general residue left on vehicles. Just be very careful when cleaning, you don't want to get stuff into the alternator.