Litos Way

Hello so i just got my first car and i dont know much about them. Its a 98 civic coupe ex. Im going into the marines in november so im not planning on spending that much on it. I would just like to learn basic and not that expensive things i can do to help my car perform better. It is stick. When i said i do not know that much i really meant it haha so any advice/help or tips people have will help big time thanks for your time and help!

paulymcd7

ebay intake and exhaust my exhaust was 150 intake was 45 for a 7th gen and you can always buy a better filter like K&N other than that with there isnt much you can do to a civic to make it better without doing an engine swap or rebuilding or turboing

Stock 99

If you don't know when they were last changed then spark plugs, rotor,cap, plug wires and transmission fluid are a good place to begin. All easy stuff you can do yourself.

Swisher

I would like to hi-jack this thread so as not to create another
I am brand new to the Honda life & would love some basic tips.
This car is a 96 Civic Ex with 119,549 original miles.
The battery is only about a year old. Recent oil change by seller, newer tires and virtually minimal problems aside from some apparent rust on the drivers side rear well...which I will worry about after upkeep and mechanical.

I want to start with oil. I just bought this car over the weekend & want to get this 110% proper from some very knowledgeable Honda veterans if I may and if you could all be so kind.
The guy said he was running 10 weight instead of the 5 the oil cap recommends. This is a Michigan car and I wonder if the 10 is really needed. I don't see a reason to run the 10 if it's not a blazing hot summer right? What do I want to be running in my Civic? (Brand, weight, etc.) This car does not leak any fluid that I have been able to tell and I do not believe it is burning any either.

After I get the oil straightened out I would like to keep going on my Civic checkup. I haven't actually checked the plugs yet, but the wires look relatively new or at least within the past year perhaps. The way this car has been taken care of it's very hard to tell how old they are. Should I just replace them? What brand of plugs & wires do I want to use to maximize the life of my new baby without spending a fortune?
Cap & Rotor next? Brand?

About transmission flushing...
How critical to get done right now? Can I get this checked before any flush and what do I want to look for?
What sensors or subtle overlooked things should I be checking out and looking for? I am not raking in the cash, but I want to make every effort to increase the sustainability of this vehicle. I would love this to last as long as possible and to stay as healthy as possible.

Any questions for me are more than welcome. I don't know a lot but I would love to listen and learn.

I do have pictures of this car and can get any pictures that someone may need to better assist me on my journey.

I'll keep this initial bump post as short as possible. I hope to keep this going as needed for bettering this car once I get these first steps out of the way and taken care of. Thank you all for reading and any help that is provided

By the way, it is a pleasure to meet you all. Thanks again.

Swisher

Stock 99

Yeah, you should be using a 5w30 grade oil in that car...as far as brand goes it's all the same (I know that will bring all the oil people running to comment...but I really don't care)..just make sure it meets manufacturer spec. Right out of my '99 manual it says use API service SJ (or newer) 5w30 and that you may also use 10w30 if you live in a climate that doesn't go below 20F(-7C). As long as it meets (or exceeds) that spec spend as much or as little.... synthetic or non synthetic. I would keep a close eye on your oil for a few months until you can really establish whether it's burning/leaking or not. If you run this car low on oil you've broken 'the seal' and it will continue to use oil after that.

Wires you should really test with a multimeter to see if they are still good. I replaced mine when my car was 10 years old. It still had the original wire harness on it and I tested them with a multimeter and they still had about a half life left on them. The standard plugs were rated for 2 years or 30 000 miles. NGK not Bosch, if you want to spend alot of money on fancy plugs then feel free but it's manufacturer spec was just plain old coppers every couple years. I just looked at a new rotor/cap recently but they are rated for something like 50 000 miles and I just replaced mine about half that many miles ago. I checked 3 different stores and the aftermarket brands were within a few dollars of the OEM rotor/cap so I will buy one from the dealer when I need one. If you don't know how long it's been since it was changed it won't hurt to do it.

Automatic or Manual? Apparently flushing is not a good idea in automatics. Several drain/fills is the proper procedure. My manual gets changed every 2 years or 30 000 miles....2 quarts of Honda OEM MTF. If you don't know when it was last changed then it's a good idea to changed it.

I bought my '99 5 years ago with 100 000 miles on it and it's only needed regular maintence so far. I have replaced my upper control arms because the bushings were beat. The rear suspension does need some attention at this point but it's still working properly. It has about 150 000 miles on it now.

If you don't know when the timing belt was last changed then that is priority #1...the spec is 7 years or 100 000 miles.

ezone

Welcome to the forum!


Didn't the previous owner supply you with the cars complete service history?

I'd run 5w20 or even 0w20 unless the engine has bearing noise.

No trans flushing with machines or chemicals. (ATF)
Simple drain and fill with Hondas fluid.


I like that wording.

Swisher

Embarrassed to admit it, but I failed to ask for a detailed work history. When I asked him about any recent work to the car he simply said no, other than standard maintenance, newer battery, newer muffler, and recent oil change.

Thank you both for the reply's already. I am still getting information on this car myself. I'm looking into getting it to a mechanic for an inspection. And wonder about a reader. Will any obd2 reader work?

I'll be checking out the timing belt soon as I am able also. This car is not even legal yet, it's just sitting....so I've been reading and researching. I am slightly concerned about something being rusted out underneath....but I don't think anything is critically rusted out at the moment. But I will get a better look.

After what happened to the old Saturn I had, I find it difficult not to check the oil during simple fuel ups. Checking oil has been ingrained into my head ever since. If there is nothing critically wrong with this car I would love to get into replacing and fixing up the little things to make it better.
I was never really into cars like my father, but growing up and not having a lot of cool stuff to do, I've started to feel like it would be a lot of fun and want to take some pride in learning more about cars.
I've posted a few pictures just for the heck of it as well.
Thanks for all the help!

Edit* I am curious what part is below the power steering & wiper fluid? It looks like it may be new.

Swisher

The history of the car as he told me was "the classic old person's car". It has been in the family since new. After the elder passed on, it went to his sister in Chicago who barely drove it, then it went to her brother who is the one I bought it from and he only had about an 18 mile round trip to and from work.

It does have hail damage and some dings here and there, but the inside is near mint and it just seems like a diamond in the rough. Not happy about some of the rust....but it's a northern car & to be expected :/

Stock 99

Not much you can do to check out a timing belt short of taking it off the car and inspecting it. If you're going to do that you might as well replace it. If it's at all possible it would be good to ask the previous owner if they had any repair/maintenance records that you could have or if they knew when the timing belt was replaced and by who.

I looked at a low mileage 2000 Civic last summer and when I started talking about the timing belt with the owner they said friend of the family replaced it about 4 years previous. When I asked for receipts they couldn't produce anything. To me that means I have to replace the timing belt.... I ended up walking away from that car for a few issues like that.

I'm not really sure what your talking about by replaced parts. I don't really see anything in the pic that looks recently replaced.

ezone

Pics?

Swisher

It's kind of below the washer fluid tank. There is a tube blocking it, but you can see it mostly. Sorry, it's not a great picture. I gather it's probably something like a pump of some sort? It just looks in better shape than most things in the engine compartment.

Probably insignificant to be posting about I guess. I'm new

ezone

That's the receiver-drier for the AC system. It's aluminum and usually somewhat shiny unless it's covered in dirt.
If that was actually a new part then I'd expect something else major was replaced at the same time, like the compressor.

Swisher

I found my first problem (maybe?). And I really hope it's not detrimental to my health.

The little plastic coolant reservoir seems to be disappearing faster than what may seem normal. I'm not seeing any smoke, no leaks under the car (bone dry), oil seems fine not milky. The radiator is full and looks secret of the ooze green, I know it had to be full...when I put the cap back on there was some overflow.
Yesterday was really the only day it's been driven since the drive home from purchase, which was around 25/30 miles. I've put about 60/70 miles total on this car. Put the rest on yesterday and it went from above the minimum line to near empty in the reservoir. I will try and get a better idea of things in the meantime. Thanks

*Also, there is some sludge in the bottom of the plastic coolant reservoir and now that I think about it I may have smelled a little of what may have been coolant OR transmission fluid a few days ago when I was up by the hood after letting it run so I could see how it ran just while sitting waiting to get it legal. Is there any way that the coolant can get into the transmission?

Thoughts? Tips? Thanks!

**Edit I guess it's more full now after a short drive. I gather it runs back into the reservoir...back and forth kinda deal huh? I'm a new enthusiast :/ I feel kind of dumb now.

Stock 99

LOL

Honda's don't milkshake oil. They build up pressure in the cooling system and puke coolant out the reservoir when the headgasket goes bad. I know it's difficult when it's not road legal but what you should do is drive it until it reaches normal operating temperature and then fill the coolant reservoir to the max line. When the car is completely cold (sits overnight) the coolant should be close to the 'min' line. Keep an eye on the coolant each time you drive for a while. Operating temperature will be 'max' and cold will be 'min'. If it's not doing that then you do have some issue with your cooling system. Sluge in the reservoir is also a sign of headgasket issues but again I'd drive it for while and watch before I got too concerned about it.

ezone

You must have had the level at the MIN line when the engine was warmed up. Instead, it needs to be at the MIN or higher (I prefer the MAX or whatever word it has) when the engine is cold.


Radiator must be completely full, I think you already had that. Double check though.

Fill that coolant reservoir to the "max" line, not the 'min' line.
(NOTE: The max LINE, do not fill the reservoir to the top!)

The liquid level in the reservoir is supposed to change up and down with changes in engine temperature, so take that into account when checking.
Physics 101.
Heat = expands = level rises.
Cools = contracts = level lowers

When filled to the max line with a cold engine, the level will rise as the engine heats to operating temperature (this is why you do not fill the reservoir completely full).
When the engine cools off the liquid should return to the starting level.


Some of the cars do need antifreeze added to the reservoir as the liquid evaporates over time. It shouldn't be a daily thing though. (This is another reason I fill them to the max line or higher at the shop.)


Dark? It happens to some of them.
Hot antifreeze usually smells sickeningly sweet.
Trans fluid would smell like burning oil.

You probably smelled the little bit of antifreeze that spilled out when you took off the cap from the radiator. It will quit smelling after the radiator has gotten hot a few times and the liquid has steamed off. If you keep smelling it after a couple more days then look for a leak.

Yes, but the trans fluid would look like a pink milkshake if it did.

HTH

Swisher

I would love to thank both of you (Stock & ezone) for posting helpful starting information for me to look into, research, and double check.
The information you're sharing with me is very much appreciated. It's nice to browse and research on my own as well, but communication from other people also has it's benefits.

I've spent some time over the past few day's taking time to check the oil and coolant before start-ups after letting it sit for the night. I've gotten a good indication of how the car is using some of it's life sources.

The sludge in the reservoir isn't very much at all & it's medium dark in color maybe more of a dark gray than black...and as I mentioned it isn't very much and that hasn't changed over the day's that I have noticed. So I think I was just being over paranoid about that. But I will still keep an eye on it for some time (as everything) because I'd rather be safe than sorry.
The strange thing I think I've noticed about the oil (and maybe it's all cars) or perhaps not? Is that the oil readout tends to vary for this car even if it's sitting on the slightest of angles. I had been parking in a different spot and checking the oil and it was about 25% lower on the stick than previously, which I thought was odd & I thought all of a sudden I was losing or burning it somewhere. After parking the car where I had previously after purchase and checking it again the next day it was reading to the line on the stick and it looked decent.

So, I am becoming more confident that the motor and cooling system are sound....but as I mentioned I will continue to monitor until I feel comfortable not doing so. Still need to get on some ramps and check the trans fluid. I will try and get that out of the way soon.

I believe I've learned that I really got screwed so bad on the last car I had I find it's given me some ocd in regards to checking these fluid levels and might even do it everyday to please my paranoia.

However, previous paranoid issues aside I have found a legitimate problem with this vehicle. I'm getting some electronic issues (dash lights going out, radio issues) I don't yet know the extent of the problem.
From what I gather they can become a very large headache, so I will take some time and research in the electronic section of the forums here. I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed and try to get some other things done and taken care of before I attempt to even sort that crap out. They would come on after a small amount of force implied from my balled up hand on top of the dash and quickly go back out. So after some slight knocking on surface (not to inflict damage, I was careful) they eventually stayed back on.
Looking into the past, some of the things the seller mentioned make more sense now with this issue.

Anyways, thanks again very much I very much appreciate the knowledge shares. I may not always respond right away, but I always read and value your thoughts and opinions.

Stock 99

Oh yeah, this engine is brutal for that. I think it's because the dipstick goes into the oil pan to one side. My Ford the dipstick goes in closer to center and isn't nearly as bad. I always park my car in the same spot when I check my oil....I'm lucky though my 99 doesn't burn a drop between oil changes.

ezone

The car should be level for this too.