Rep Power: 211

1997 Civic EX coupe. Stock D16Y8. A/T. 165k miles.

I just replaced the A/C compressor clutch coil and condensor fan.
Starter motor.

Need to diagnose and repair the climate control bi-level

Now the driverside headlight's low beam is not working: both low and high beam fuses are intact and replaced bulb yesterday but, didn't solve issue.

And the real pisser ... passenger-side windshield wiper blade is torn..lol

 
Rep Power: 0

Those darn windshield wiper blades...what a PITA! Better plan ahead for the repairs on that one.

 
Rep Power: 518

Blame it all on the last person who changed the oil!

I hear that crap on the daily.

 
Rep Power: 211

Here's the list of repairs/maintanence since purchase in December 2013
(all DIY except machining):
-----------------------------------------
New Parts:
Head gasket, valve stem seals, head bolts, IM and EM gaskets
(cylinder head brought to machinist for cleaning, inspection, resurfacing, valve lapping, stem seal replacement, valve assembly)
Timing belt kit: (including waterpump, tensioner, and three accessory belts)
Passenger side caliper
Front rotors and pads
Left and Right CV axles
Left and right inner and outer tie rods
Thermostat
Trunk Seal
Rear deck 6x9's and front doors 6.5's speakers. JVC head unit
3 x 3 ATF drain and fill
Valve lash adjustment
PCV valve
Oil pan gasket (needs to be done again)

Salvage yard parts:
Driver side window regulator and weather stripping
A/C compressor fan clutch assembly
Replaced driver side front hub
Condenser fan
A/C compressor clutch coil
Starter motor
Some interior (plastic) parts

but, other than that it's been good...lol

P.S. and dreaded wiper blade

 
Rep Power: 518

How many miles on the car?

How far would the car have been able to go without any of that work?






How much would you have spent if you had tried to drive a 97 Neon that many miles?
How many head gaskets would it have received? (figure at least 3 head gaskets before it even got out of warranty)

 
Rep Power: 211

165k

Not very

Would never own one but, I'm sure the motor would've needed to be swapped before 165k

Most likely

Your knowledge and assistance has gotten me through at least 90% of those repairs.. Thanks again.

 
Rep Power: 211

Now interior fan blower is making noise.
Another project.

 
Rep Power: 211

I'm finally have time to work on my own car this Wednesday. I plan to drop and clean the fan blower but, wouldn't be surprised if it needs replacement.
Also, going to inspect the bi-level issue.

My son's recently replaced Mazda 2.5 into a 2.3 swap just blew a head gasket and he's been using my car a lot lately. The poor kid.. it's the second engine within five months that crapped out on him. The first 2.3 replacement had high oil consumption and threw a rod. Seems those engines are notorious for high oil consumption after 150k miles. However, the original 2.3 engine that he wrecked was still going strong at 190k and no oil consumption issue.

The motor still has a few month's of warranty and this time we will do the swap. It will be a first for both of us and a great learning experience. The car is in great shape otherwise, new tires, new clutch kit, axles, radiator and other stuff. He just dropped the tank and replaced the fuel pump and has replaced the struts and shocks a few years ago when we purchased it.
He also replaced the motor and transmission mounts with my guidance. So, he's learning to help himself and gaining confidence in repairs. Now, if I could just get him to put aways my tools properly. I told him the job is not done until everything is cleaned up and all tools are back in their place. He'll learn the hard way when he buys his own and loses or misplaces them.

 
Rep Power: 518

I've seen a person not learn this even after many years of purchasing the same tools over and over and over from the tool truck... He'd leave tools in the engine compartment every time.

OCD doesn't always work the way everyone expects.

 
Rep Power: 211

My son has ADD (don't all Mellinials?) but, it's mild. His comes in the form of starting a project and not finishing and then moving on to the next one. Hopefully, he'll understand that at some point he's just losing money and causing himself frustration. If he loses my stuff I make him buy me another.

 
Rep Power: 211

Well, here it is Wednesday and I got absolutely nothing done except installed a new exterior door **** and dead-bolt set at my condo. I have an excuse...tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico and rained all day in my area.

 
Rep Power: 518

Condo dweller? Sometimes I wish I'd done something like that.

I need some trees trimmed, got a couple limbs on two different trees that can reach my roof.
20 years ago I wouldn't hesitate to grab a chainsaw and climb the trees and DIY it.
Not now.....

 
Rep Power: 211

Empty nester, downsized two years ago. Do I miss yardwork?..No.
I miss a garage, driveway and the freedom to play music and guitars loud(ish)

 
Rep Power: 518

Nice video

I got divorced several years ago....I kept the house, 2 cars, my truck, and the Harley I had at the time. (It cost me a lot to keep these things LOL)

Got a garage, need bigger.
Got yard, need smaller. Want to pave 90% of the yard in asphalt.

I always said could live in a double wide phone booth as long as I have a 3 story garage LOL

I need a maid

 
Rep Power: 211

Thanks. Three story garage would be a helluva sight.
We had a good size yard too and the older I got the less important the yard became. I do all my auto work at my mom's but, she has a double carport with a shell driveway and a detached garage (no garage door). I spread blankets down under the car so I don't drop stuff in the shell. Also, use PT plywood under jack stands and always use a trolley jack on plywood as a backup. I built a set of ramps out of 2 x 10's and they get a lot of use.. very similar to these:

 
Rep Power: 211

Today: P0501 CEL. VSS Speed Sensor. I replaced it in June with a used one:
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/2...placement.html Maybe it's still under warranty. I haven't check fuse# 15 yet but, doubt that's the problem.

Update: I sprayed the connector with electronic cleaner and it seems to have solved the issue. VSS working correctly and CEL hasn't returned.

 
Rep Power: 211

Replaced blower fan today and working as normal now.

 
Rep Power: 211

Blend door control motor failed FSM test. Replaced with salvage yard OEM part ($13) and woking well now. Another item off the **** list.

Here's a link for part location and testing for future reference: http://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-c...civic-2816037/

 
Rep Power: 211

Got a few things off my mom's 2004 Civic VP ****-list last weekend:
Replaced passenger side rear and front door handles. Also, replaced drivers side tail light assembly. Thanks to some good youtube vids and a couple junkyard cars to practice on it all went smooth and for a grand total of $35.

Next up is redo my car's oil pan gasket and hopefully fix that 8 month old leak. If I solve that one..then onto the rear main seal I've been putting off for three years..

 
Rep Power: 211

New **** same old car: '98 EX Coupe stock, A/T, 170K

1) Last weekend I re-installed the oil pan gasket again (first time 6 months ago) and reused the Felpro PermaDry fitted, round (not flat) gasket, as it is still in very good shape/pliable. This time I didn't install it dry as recommended by Felpro technician (when installed initially). I installed per service manual and used black RTV I had on hand. Side note *my tube of Yamabond (same as Hondabond) developed a side split and dried up even though I duct taped it. The good news is the areas that were leaking before: near transmission, near crank pulley are no longer leaking according to drip pattern on cardboard.

However, there is a drip pattern that is located near oil drain bolt. I haven't had a chance to get it back on jacks yet but, I doubt it's the drain plug, could be oil pan gasket, possibly the valve cover and thinking it may be the crankcase's grommet where the PCV valve inserts into.

2) Rear left tire has developed cupping and is noisy. Firestoners say it could be due to rear strut/shock or the trailing arm bushings, as according to them look worn. Car passes shock/strut bounce and rebound test. Occassionally when my fat *** gets out of he car I hear creaking in the rear left which sounds like spring or maybe the top mount of shock... so that may be related to cupping issue.

3) Passenger side window stuck in up position. Can hear passenger side switch enable motor when in "up" position and doesn't seem to engage motor in "down" position. Driver's side master controller doesn't enable motor in either the up or down position. I tried pushing down and up on the window with my hand while selecting correlated position on passenger side switch but didn't get window to move.

Both driver side and passenger fuses are still intact. My guess is motor/regulator but, could a failed driver-side master switch for right window (only) effect the circuit in a way that the passenger side switch (not master) may not engage motor in down position?

 
Rep Power: 518

Chopping the inboard edge of the tread isn't quite the same as "cupping" (random scallops) shown in the old school textbooks as caused by worn out shocks.

Those tires can chop just from being on the rear too long.

How infrequent are your tire rotations? Too many miles spent on the rear is the most frequent cause.......and if you coupled that with alignment issues and lousy tread designs that are prone to the chop effect, it can happen twice as fast.

What did they suggest you do about it?
If rear alignment isn't a contributing factor, I might swap the rear tires side to side and run them another # of miles equal to the last tire rotation. See if they get quieter toward the end.

You can prove the motor is good with jumper wires and 12v battery.

Either switch could cause the problem. So could wiring, like the common broken wires in the door jamb.
Test, don't guess.

 
Rep Power: 211

Damn you're good. They told me (much to my surprise) that it's been 17k miles between rotations, balancing and alignment. I have lifetime alignment with them and lifetime rotation/balancing on all my cars including wife's, mom's, and son's. I am usually very diligent and have them rotated every 4k miles and aligned twice a year. My son, due to accidents history, used my car a lot within the past year and I probably put it off because I lost track of the mileage.

They asked if I wanted the rears swapped to lessen noise and I agreed. They said the rear alignment (have to check printout) is slightly out of spec and will just go out again quickly if I don't replace trailer bushings so they didn't align the rear. Of course, they wanted to give me a quote but, I told them I would do it if, they are bad shape. It seems to steer quite well as is though.

Okay. will break out the jumpers I put together for testing the condenser and radiator fans to test from battery.

 
Rep Power: 518

Haha, I've been dealing with choppy tire wear for decades, and the people who don't want to hear why it happens. "My last car never did that" or "My last car never needed tires rotated" and all that noise.

 
Rep Power: 211

Thanks for that info I will keep up with rotations. I can hardly hear it now that it's on the right rear. It has about 90% tread left and in pro-rated terms that means they'll credit me about $10 towards a new tire..Lol.

The young, cute desk jockey/mechanic at firestone told me she has an Acura and she recently replaced the crank seal, cam seal, valve cover seal and rear main seal on her car. After she told me that it elevated her from cute to hot.