Rep Power: 359

On July 2nd 2001 I purchased my Civic. I still love it. I plan on driving it until it becomes way to expensive to fix, or it gets totaled out. She now has 135,000 miles on her, the engine still runs great, and I still get 35+ MPG. Probably a testament to my frequent and early fluid changes and routine maintenance.

At around 100k miles I did the main belt, timing belt, water pump, a couple pulleys, belt tensioner, radiator, hoses, alternator, and brakes. So that stuff is good for awhile.

Now, I want to give this car a little TLC for turning 10 this year. Tune-up, replace some worn parts, etc...

So my questions:

1. Should I do the ignition coils? How long do these original ones last?

2. What else is involved with a tune up on these cars? Ignition coils and plugs?

3. I've got some clunking, and some odd rubbing noises coming from up front every now and then. I'm going to be doing shocks/struts and springs on the car. I also know that my bushings are starting to tear a bit, so I'm going to replace those too. I've already done the ball joints. What else should I replace up front while I have it all torn apart? Remember it has 135k miles what parts are you surprised are still hanging in there at this point? Which parts have you had to replace on cars with less miles?

4. What other 135k 10 year items should I replace?

Help me make a shopping list. 10 years old I figure I'll throw about a grand into the car and put it back into tip top shape so that it'll sail on through 200k miles.

 
Rep Power: 285

Nice to see an OG member who still loves their 7g, I don't plan on letting mine go until it's totalled and even then I might buy another 7g. The inevitable stone chips on a 9 year old car drive me nuts though..

2.) Have you read Gearbox's forgotten tune-up mods, it's stickied under 7g engine DIYs and covers doing a tune up very well. It sounds like you've already changed the accessory belts, if not it's probably time to do those. A valve adjustment is a good idea as well.

3.) I have 150k kilometers and the only parts I've needed to replace are the tie rod ends, but that might be a result of my beating on them during my spring install *cough*. I would definitely consider replacing those if you already have your suspension torn apart, I found the moog ones I got from energysuspensionparts.com to be great quality.

4.) Honda recommends changing the fuel filter at 100k miles, it's in the tank so it's a pain, but at least there's a DIY for it. The 02 sensor is a good idea as well, a failing 02 sensor can shorten the life of the cat.

 
Rep Power: 359

I've been a member of the site forever, when it was 2k1civic.com, then 7thgencivic. haha. It's been a looong time. I haven't checked in here in about a year though. There was a lot of whining and drama going on so I stopped visiting for awhile. But, I still find my way back here every now and then. I still love my 7thgen, but wow, it has a lot of squeaks and rattles. . haha. . Always has I guess.

Thanks for the advice. I'll check out gearbox's stuff. I tried to do a valve adjustment once, but I don't think I did a very good job, there is something wrong with the sensitivity in my fingers so I can't hardly ever tell anything when using a feeler gauge. I need someone to .

Fuel filter eh? I'll look into that. I wanted to do that a long time ago, but someone said there isn't a fuel filter, just a screen type thing. I probably would have done this long ago.

 
Rep Power: 285

Around the time the site was sold and competing 7g dedicated sites started popping up a ton of drama arose I'm told, but that's all gone now that some time has passed. Thankfully, no adult wants to waste their time on that rubbish.

Your right, it is a mesh strainer type thing, unlike the true fuel filters in earlier gens. The fuel strainer is the 7g equivlent to a filter though, and most people get confused when you suggest replacing the fuel strainer, because the DIY is titled "classic DIY: fuel filter replacement" and that's what they've always replaced before.. and explaining that the filter is a strainer to the ever present noobs gets old so I've gotten into the poor habit of calling the strainer a filter. You get the idea.. What matters is, Honda recommends replacing the thing at 100k miles.

 
Rep Power: 359

What about the ignition coils?

Oh, here is another question. The clutch squeak thing. It's been doing it for years, I'm just too lazy to care. I didn't think a squeak was hurting anything. Now I'm reading some stuff saying that if you let it go it could wear out your master cylinder. haha. oops. What do you think? Grease it all up and see what happens? I lubed it a long time ago and it stopped squeaking for all of 30 seconds, so I didn't bother with it anymore.

 
Rep Power: 359

Probably going to need shocks/struts too. I've actually been waiting for this day. I have a set of GC Adjustible Springs these to be exact.

You will notice that these are for a 2002 with stock shocks/struts. So I have 2 questions.

1. What do I need to put these on my 2001? What is different from 2001 to 2002? The upper bearing?

2. Which shock/struts should I purchase? Remember I need something that are OEM size so that these springs will fit. I want something that is comfortable. My Civic has a lot of rattles, the last thing I need is to make the ride a whole lot more bumpy.

 
Rep Power: 285

I'm not sure about the lifespan of the ignition coils, I know Gearbox very recently replaced his and reported no change in fuel mileage or performance IIRC. I'll need to check and see what/if honda recommends changing them at a specific mileage, I haven't heard of many people changing them even at very high mileage.

 
Rep Power: 285

I refuse to answer any suspension questions until you re-read this thread
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/4...ings-same.html

 
Rep Power: 235

As quoted by the local Honda tech- "The coils should last the life of the vehicle"

 
Rep Power: 359

Yes, I remember that post. I looked at it, but wanted to re-confirm the stuff that we talked about in there without resurrecting that old thread.

 
Rep Power: 359

Awesome. I'm hearing a noise going around corners now. Seems like just left turns and the noise sounds like it's coming from the front passenger side. Thoughts?

 
Rep Power: 191

Is it like a clunk or thud noise? Could be a busted LCA bushing.

 
Rep Power: 359

Well, this is more of a rubbing noise. Like you would get if you had a bad bearing or a bearing that needed greased.

I know my bushings are starting to tear and I have the clunking noise going over certain bumps. Those are on the list to replace for sure. But this rubbing noise is different than the clunk. If I take the corner grandma-style I can't hear it.