LittleBlack02

I own a 2002 Honda Civic 4DR LX Automatic Transmission.....i was wondering if you think it is worth it to do any performance mods on it this summer i'll be working two maybe three jobs so i'll have cash to spend.
Things i was thinking of adding onto my car as as follows:
Cold Air Intake
Torque Dampener
New sparkplugs
Radiator
Maybe an exhaust

is it worth the money?
or should i invest in things like:
audio (woofer, speakers, amp, etc etc)
HIDs
and more visual aspects?

lowlife9

cold air intake is poinless
torque dampener is semi pointless it will make your car shake u gain very little extra acceleration so its not really worth it.
new plugs is a good idea if you need them DENSO iridium is nice i would get the extended life version.
radiator is pointless if your stock and dont need it.
exhaust does nothing but make it sound good get a catback.
i would invest in looks rims, drop,tints etc etc.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

I say drop 2 of the jobs and enjoy your summer and leave the car like it is but... that's just me and I love my free time. None of those mods will make a big enough difference to justify spending the money... just my 7.5 cents.

LittleBlack02

honestly wish i could drop a job or two and just have one. but im a college kid so i need money.

i'm still thinking about a short RAM or cold air intake...i know its not going to boost my performance but i feel anything is better than a stock air box. and its a fun little project.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

If your going to get a short ram intake go on ebay and buy a cheap pipe (40 to 60 dollars). and the buy the AEM dry flow filter (50 bucks or so) Instead of buying a complete brand name intake. This will save you about 100 dollars. Just make sure all the sizes are the same because sometimes the cheap kits do some strange stuff.

LittleBlack02

is there anything i can add to my car to improve my MPG? i already get around 33 mpg.

CoupedUp04

get a drop setup (springs, struts, camber kit, and maybe tower bars) first, and if you still have money left over do some audio/styling upgrades (tint, small sub woofer w/ nice box, HID's, etc). Suspension upgrades are the best thing to improve ride quality... you'll feel the most deference.

Nothing you can do in the engine bay is worth the money...

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Fuel mileage is already really good on these cars. The one guy on here swears by products by lubecontrol. Says he has tested them thoroughly and they increase MPG and performance while cleaning the engine. You might want to start with that.

www.lubecontrol.com

Otherwise keep up with your maintenance. Get some Iridium spark plugs (NGK), use good oil etc.

LittleBlack02

i thought it was suppose to do the opposite?

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

It's SUPPOSED to limit engine movement to transfer the power quicker to the wheels. What it DOES do though is create an incredible amount of shaking inside the cabin that during daily driving it is not even tolerable Save your money, most that have bought one have removed it or sold it.

LittleBlack02

well then thats great info to have. Since performance isn't exactly an option, my car has 95,000 miles on it. it has been in one front end accident and has been fixed.
I think i'm going to replace some older parts with new ones because of the high mileage, almost everything was fixed except the horn, it sounds funny haha so i think i'll change that, but what about other parts to be changed?

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

CoupedUp and lowlife have kind of spelled it out for you. Suspension and then audio stuff. This car is not meant to be fast and unless you drop a ton of money into it, it won't be. Just keep up on your maintenance, and keep it running right. I always laugh when I see a car with 20 inch rims broken down on the side of the road. Guess he should have spent his money elsewhere, right?

LittleBlack02

i understand that by i'm just a little confused on " keep up on your maintenance". See i know very little about cars and i'm willing to learn, i started taking interest in my civic this summer and i've learned a lot. but when you say keep up on your maintenance do you simply mean oil, brake fuild, etc etc, or....

lowlife9

before i spent a dime on suspension and HID's i would make sure to replace the timeing belt and tensioner and water pump your due for it.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Yes if the previous owner has not done this you must do it. If your timing belt breaks you destroy the engine.

LittleBlack02

fairly certain is was replaced after the accident.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

That's good. By maintenance I mean:

Coolant flush (don't worry about this if the timing belt was just replaced)
Tranny flush
Spark plugs (NGK Iridium preferably)
Oil Change
Brake fluid flush or change
Check your brakes
Flush the power steering fluid
Give er' a good detailing
Check your front motor mount as they break really fast
get the suspension checked out and make sure everything is okay

This is just some of the stuff you should do every once in a while. Your manual has pretty well all the maintenance information you need to know. Once everything is in tip top shape, start modding

Awjvail

You're a college kid so you need money.. but you're going to work 3 jobs so you'll have cash to spend to put a performance radiator in your 115hp Civic?



P.S.-NOOOOOOOOOOOO don't change the horn. A Japanese economobile without the dinky horn is no longer a Civic!

LittleBlack02

no the horn is all messed up from the accident, its not the same as the dinky horn a regular civic has haha

pjb3

Unless you are sure it was replaced you might want to check further. If the guy said something like 'the belts were replaced' he probably meant the accessory drive belts. I would want to see a receipt with the timing belt spelled out. Most shops that do collision repair do mostly body work, not mechanical repairs. It's possible the shop did it, but this is something you don't want to guess about.

LittleBlack02

I guess I should ask my parents, or check with the shop or insurance company.
Are there any DIY's on here for flushing power steering fluid, tranny flush, brake fluid flush

innerlight

The 2002 Civic is notorious for automatic transmission problems. Check the fluid. If it smells burnt, flush it out at least 3 times. What I mean is drain it, refill with 2.9 quarts, drive it about 30 min or more. This will flush the new oil through the torque convertor. Honda recommends this procedure 3-4 times. Also if you see any junk on the drain plug, clean it. Use oil recommended for "ATF-Z1". You don't have to use the Honda brand even though they say you should. I use the Valvoline Max Life Dextron III/Mecor (good for ATF-Z1 on back). Never had a problem. If you don't know how to change the fluid, go to Youtube and watch the video "How To Change Transmission Fluid on Honda Civic".

After that, if you have money to spend, buy a good stacked plate transmission cooler. I recommend a B&M. These trannys run hot. Heat kills automatic transmissions. Don't buy a tiny cooler. Get one for a light truck/SUV. ~15000-25000 BTU. And remember, a stacked plate (no tube types). Good Luck.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

^ Or you can swap in a manual. All the cool kids are doing it.

c0untme0utt

what the hell does that mean lol ?

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Well, the manual transmissions are pretty good so what that meant is if he ever has to replace the transmission swap in a manual one. Should not have a problem after that

HLC

yea, might as well save your money up for a manual transmission swap. probably about 1000$ in cost. you'll get alot of fun out of it too.

lowlife9

i personally wouldn't want a standard trans in my civic for daily driving that **** gets old after awhile . i could see if it was a sports car.

HLC

i've driven mine for probably 4 or 5 years now. the only time it sucks is when it's bumper to bumper on the highway.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

I agree it's not for everyone. I've had standard cars for 7 years now and I absolutely love it. I have a Pontiac G6 my wife mostly drives and I hate it because it's automatic. I like being in control of the gears I guess. But, some people don't like it.

c0untme0utt

regarding " the cool kids are doing that "