Rear main seal leak?
 

So I went to a couple mechanics (first one told me I had an AWFUL leak, so I got a second opinion and it's actually not that bad) and I have a small leak in the rear main sealant. It's not that bad, but it's still a small leak.

I have a '09 Honda Fit, Manual transmission, almost 71,000 miles.

Has anyone else had this issue? What's the cause (other than normal wear and tear?).

Also, how much is this going to cost me?

Also, any thoughts on what oil works best in your Fit?

There have been a handful of reports of this but they were fixed under warranty.

Never heard of the Fits leaking yet. Even with many miles.

Its fairly rare, especially since the car is only 6 1/2 years old at most state side

Just leave it alone and change the seal when you change your clutch unless it starts getting really bad. Just check your levels when you change the oil (or have them checked, not sure if you DIY stuff or not).

I do not have this issue on my '10 w/ 73k miles. 90% of the time I use 5W20 Mobil 1, the other 10% 0W20 Mobil 1. I do not deal with temperature extremes much.

See, I deal with temp extremes. I'm in Upstate NY. It's sweltering at times in the summer and it's FREEZING in the winter. This summer has been really off and on. Really hot one day and really cold the next. It sucks.

I tend to use Valvoline and have them check it from time to time.

How much is this job gonna cost me? I hear it's labor intensive and will likely be $600 or so. My car is not under warranty.

Also, do you think I should switch to a special synthetic brand of oil? I use conventional currently. Not sure if I should be doing something else instead.

Barely anything if you wait until you change your clutch, all the cost is labor since they have to drop the trans. The part is cheap as dirt, it's just a seal.

You could try using a "High Mileage" oil like Valvoline MaxLife, it has additives that swells seals a little bit. I've seen success using these oils with small leaks from oil pans and stuff like that. I used it successfully on a slight oil pan leak myself.

I personally would not spend $600 to repair a minor leak. That is a correct guess on price.

You have been very helpful Wanderer. I'm gonna check out that oil and see if I can get next time I need to do my oil change.

The leak is really, really tiny. The 2nd mechanic told me that he only saw like a DROP of oil from the sealant. It wasn't actively dripping and there wasn't oil on the engine or anything. Also, my oil tank has remained full since my last oil change. I haven't had to replace it or have even seen a drop in volume.

I am going to follow your advice, use the MaxLife oil, and keep an eye on it. When I have to change my clutch (whenever that happens) I'll have it replaced if I haven't needed to replace it by then.

Thank you. You probably saved me a lot of money/hassle.

Glad I could help, let us know how it goes from here. Having been under hundreds (thousands, idk lol) of cars I will say small main seal leaks are fairly common and nothing to worry about much. I've seen some fairly new cars with trans pan gasket leaks, rear main leaks, etc. I hope the oil works out for you, and if it doesn't help you're not out a ton of money, it won't hurt you any, so it's worth a shot. Good luck!

Had that problem with mine with 28,000 miles. 09 TW sport auto, done under warranty & got close to 70,000 miles now with no problems.