pmjr0987

Searched a bit but cant find much on what im looking for

got a 01 civic ex going to do a full tune up on it so i dont have to worry about it for awhile. Im also going to do the clutch so i can beat on it and not worry about getting stranded.

what are the best and lowest priced plugs to go with for these motors for best mpg? besides plugs and wires what else is a common tune up item on these cars? going to seafoam the fuel/vacuum system/engine oil before doing the plugs and oil change to flush them out but looking to do as much as i can now so i can drive it and not worry about anything later. previous owner said timing belt and water pump have 70k on them and i read that will be good for a long time

Now on to the transmission, what do you guys recommend for a low price clutch thats like stock. this car is never going to see more than stock power so i dont need any spec stage anything in there.

What transmission fluid should i run? 211k miles and the transmission shifts like new no grinds on up shifts, or toe/heel high rev downshifts. pretty amazing to me and id like to keep it that way.

On to engine oil, what is good to run in these motors? I want to go full synthetic. my friend with an 08 ex runs mobile 0w-30 for max mpg. is my motor to high mileage to run this? does not leak any oil and burns non even at high rpm/WOT

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Spark plugs = Denso or NGK
Seafoam = Garbage don't do it.
Timing belt is at 100k
Clutch is basically whatever , I recommend Napa here in Canada or whatever is the U.S. equivalent.
OEM transmission fluid or syncromesh
Engine oil any brand name 5W30, synthetic or dino

Extensive Tuneup: Spark Plugs, Oil Change, Brake Fluid change, P/S fluid change, clutch fluid change, trans oil drain + fill, alternator belt, p/s belt, throttle body cleaning, umm... evap filter change, cabin filter change, brake pad check.. There is more... just can't remember it all now.

pmjr0987

alright thanks for the reply. Im looking at NGK "G-power" plugs $2.50 on rock auto

any particular reason not to seafoam this motor, or you personally dont like it?

also im seeing the fuel filter is in the tank which sucks. is this something i should look into doing or is it one of those leave it alone unless its broke kinda things?

as far as transmission fluid is concerned i guess ill go with regular Honda fluid. Wanted to see if there was any good additives or high mileage oil to help it stay shifting good. How many quarts does it take to fill the trans up?

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

My personal opinion is seafoam is garbage... and you shouldn't be using it. I did some research on it but I can't remember why it was bad and I don't care to search back.
NGK G power are good, economy plugs.
Not much you can really do with the fuel filter... Leave it be
No additives, OEM fluid is good enough.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

I freaking love seafoam, blue. I've use it over the years once a year and I always see a spike in mpg after using it. I works for me.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

I am very curious if u ever stumble upon those research topics again about seafoam

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

It was pretty detailed about the effects it has on the inside... It listed it as basically being kerosene and naphtha. So, what you are seeing coming out of the exhaust is the actual seafoam mixture burning off not the crap that's inside the engine. Let's be realistic here, you have sludge in the engine and intake and stuff. The only way to essentially burn it off is either to make the can run very hot or to force it into the cylinders to be pushed out of the exhaust. To me this does not sound like a good treatment. I wish I could find the research but I can't find it now. Either way I do remember the main argument was that the smoke coming out of the exhaust is naphtha and kerosene burning off. In other words, the stuff is a scam. The more research I try to do on it the more believers I find, however I'm nowhere near sold. There is no way to clean the engine in that aggressive of a manner (if you believed the smoke was crap) without damaging seals, no way.

Here is a small amount of Naphtha burning off, looks familiar.. hmmm

pmjr0987

I was not going to say anything because you said its based off your opinion but i use it in every car ive had (over 20) with only positive results. yes a lot of the smoke is indeed itself burning off, but its also a lot of carbon being essentially steamed out of the motor. the 5 minutes you let it sit its in there basically making the deposits become unstuck and when you start it and drive it its burning out the pipe. Ive taken cars that would not idle and stumble when under acceleration and after just one treatment the car ran good enough to drive on a daily basis.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

Well I know for a fact that smoke is a byproduct of seafoam, but I was under the impression that while it sat in your engine it would break up the carbon deposits so when you started your car, the carbon deposit would be pushed out.

Now that you sparked my curiosity I will look into it.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Do some research on it. I find the people more educated in chemistry don't believe it works whereas majority of people believe it does. I won't use it. If I start to experience engine troubles because of sludge or carbon buildup I may give it a chance. Otherwise, if it ain't broken, don't fix it.

pmjr0987

Just plain water has a good affect on the combustion chambers too. take about a cup or so of water and have the rpms held at about 3k. slowly poor it into the vacuum line and let the engine choke on it but it shouldn't stall. water flash steams and does essentially the same thing. Make sure the motor is completely warmed up before doing this

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

Mmm I'm as skeptical as anyone when it comes to additives but it has been given me higher mpg (according to gascubby spoon my iphone) so I assumed it was doing what it's suppose to.

But as I said, I will definitely look into it

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

He is seroius. Water is in Seafoam too however I wouldnt put JUST water in. Your taking a risk there. Also, seafoam has a very small amount of water not a whole cup when you use it lol.

pmjr0987

lol, yes im serious.

just type it into google ou will get tons of great info on it

here is one off a reputable site

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...Number=1581337

here is a youtube video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt7IY0keOD0

who knew id be asking questions and giving answers in the same thread lol

only thing i want to say before you go out there with some water is be careful. you do not want to go too fast, unlike seafoam you dont want the motor to choke on it, its called hydrolocking and its not a good thing! (ask anyone who went through a big puddle with a CAI) Be slow and steady pause then add some more. the two links i gave give a pretty good idea of how to do it

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

As useful as this information is I don't recommend anyone do this

SlimRisk

lol you could pour water and risk your engine becoming a couple hundred dollar paperweight XD Personally, I wouldnt

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

^ Yea it's a touch more than a SlimRisk.

pmjr0987

I don't recommend anyone to do that either. If you know what you are doing then go for it. If your one of those people who have to ask where the brake booster line is then dont do this. If you have at least a modest understanding of how things work under the hood give it a shot. there is literally nothing that can go wrong unless you plunge the line into a bucket of water and wish for the best.

Hot engine, hot water, and a gentle stream into the brake booster line at no less than 3k rpm steady = no problems. this WILL clean out a lot of carbon build up that's in the motor.

Back to my questions, given the miles on my motor, would Mobile one max economy full synthetic 0w-20 be to light of an oil for my d17? i dont want it to start smoking out of no where or do harm when im trying to do good

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Too light man go 5w30 as I mentioned above.

pmjr0987

ok thanks for the tip.

so far I did the half gallon of water through the vacuum line and after some gray soot out the tailpipe the hesitation it had randomly is gone, cleaned the throttle body changed the plugs with NGK g-power platinum and installed a new air filter. the old plugs were really bad and one looked like it had white deposits all over the tip. car runs smoother, but power is about the same.

Now back to the oil, I got 5w-20 (because thats what the cap says) pennzoil platinum full synthetic. I can return for 5w-30 i just was not sure if it was necessary to go higher in oil weight. recommendations on that?

I notice the oil is gray metallic and i want to flush it out. Im hoping that its not the headgasket but it is what it is and if it comes down to it ill just do that but thats worse case scenario. radiator fluid looks great and the car never over heats at all, although its been relatively cool i want to be sure because in a month this car will be going on a 1500 mile road trip. I bought "gunk" motor flush but after reading i dont feel like its a good idea to use. I could run it but i have to drop the pan to clean it afterwards, along with the oil pickup screen and at that point is it even worth it to do? contemplating just saying f*ck it and swapping the oil out returning the gunk crap and calling it a day.

what do you guys think would be best thing to do in my situation?

pmjr0987

to keep this on tune up topic im going to start a new thread for head gaskets

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Hmm... There would be signs in your coolant if you were having head gasket issues. You'd either be using up coolant or your overflow would be overflowing or filling up. Don't use the gunk. Keep an eye on your coolant if your concerned about the head gasket.