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Greetings All!

My 2000 Honda Civic EX Sedan has been outta commision for quite some time now.

I want to get her back on the road and would appreciate your time, input, and advice on how best to do so...

This car to my generation or at least to me is the equivalent of the 1964 Chevy Impala.. i.e. this will be my project car, my car I pass on to my grandson, in other words this is my 64' Impala, i.e. my grand restoration project

First I should say the car is BONE STOCK.. all OEM stuff here... so with that in mind..

Location is Chicago and winters here get as bad or worse then those infamous WISCONSIN winters everyones always dreading.. and I plan on running her this Winter..so

2000 Honda Civic EX 4DR Sedan, 98,000 miles on it, runs like a charm..err. or it did...

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, HARSH WINTER DRIVING Conditions when giving advice on this restore project..

1. First I need a new battery, Believe it or not, till 2 weeks ago, the ORIGINAL battery was still runnin this beauty.. so whats the best battery replacement?

2. Second, new tires.. again, still using the original tires that came with the car.. they are almost NASCAR racing bald now... So what are the best tires to get, probably for all seasons, but most importantly for winter usage...

3. The car has no power.. I believe there's a leak or hole somewhere in the exhaust..but where? How do I find it? It being a 9 year old car, I just want to put a a WHOLE NEW EXHAUST in it... so walk me thru that.. if not the process itself, the cost and shop knowledge NOT to get ripped off when I have it done..

4. Besides regular oil changes, I have done nothing else,, well maybe a "tune up" at about 80k miles.. but what else should I be doing? Want to get another 100k miles on it!!

5. Anything else I'm missing or should do? Any special care on the paint job? Has some chips on the front end, but don't want that spread of cancer to be an issue..

I love this car and want to keep it FOREVER.. again this is my project car! It holds a lot of sentimental value as you can tell.. basically my 1st car and I worked my a$$ like a slave in order to buy it BRAND NEW!! thats where the love comes from!

THANK YOU

oNe

p.s. I'm not above trying aftermarket stuff on there either, like cold air intakes.. my goal is NOT to make it "Fast And The Furious" but hey a little high end performance can't hurt nathing right?

 
Rep Power: 253

1. Any battery would do since ur car is completely stock. Go for something name brand in my opinion.

2. Check out bridgestone they have a nice selection. Once again stick with something they you have heard of. But in my opinion I like my bridgestone all seasons.

3. Before you go out and drop alot of cash for a new exhaust I think it would be in your best intereste to make sure the motor has good compression before dropping anything into it. If you have bad compression you can have alot of problems that are not worth fixing. Also make sure the fuel that is in ur tank isnt shitty since it sat for so long.

4. Pull the plugs and check them out if they look crappy change them. Make sure your brakes are in good working order along with everything else.

5. You cant go wrong with a good wash and wax, especially before the winter salt eats away at your clearcoat. As for the chips, I would say go to the dealer and pick up a small touch up paint tube for a few dollars and just touch them up. It probably wont look to pretty unless you take your time sanding and all that, but it would prevent your car being eaten away.

 
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Has the timing belt/waterpump been changed??

 
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easy there killer, ONE step at a time... wink!

but seriously I have no idea what your talking about..

all I ever did was an oil change and perhaps air filter and tire rotation here and there... oh and a honda buddy did a tune up at about 70k miles on it..

but thats it..

a battery's a battery right? same with tires? On my way now to Sam's Club to get those changed out..

Or is there anything I should be worried about buying it from Sam's CLub?

let me know ASAP!

thanks again!

oNe

 
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it is done..

Sam's club for $350 OUT THE DOOR..

took like 2 HOURS THO.. oh well it was sunday.. so I just cruised the store and partook of the "BUFFET" available..

free samples rule!!



oNe

 
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Seeing as its got almost 100,000 on it, you probably are gonna want to do the timing belt/water pump just to be safe. I've seen civics go to almost 120,000 miles before it was changed, but if it snaps, you're looking at tons of damage. So yeah, like the other guys said, pull the plugs with a spark plug wrench, replace them with some good NGK platinums if they look worn, and you're probably gonna want to change the wires too.

Also you're gonna definitely want to do an oil change, use full synthetic 10w30, mobil one has always worked the best for me. And dont forget the small things, like opening the air filter box and vacuuming all the crap outta there, and checking your coolant levels.

And Honda's really don't like stale gas, so if the tank was full of years old gas, it probably won't get you anywhere.

Well good luck with that car! I have the exact same model with just a little over 90k on it, and its a great car

 
Rep Power: 222

Like the few others have said, get a new battery, interstate or another name brand should do you well. Next definitely replace the water pump and timing belt. The last thing you want is that belt snapping on you and frying your engine.

As for that leak, I'd check your stock headers. I had a crack in mine around 80,000 miles and it had to be replaced and if memory serves me right, these cars had a recall or something up about that. For me it was covered by Honda. Even if its a hairline crack, it needs to be taken care of. Lucky for you, if I'm right you can replace yours for a nice set of performance headers.

Your tires are very important. Front wheel drive cars don't do so well in the winter, esp. where ice and snow are factors. I personally like Michelin tires. I'd also recommend Big O Tires. They are the same quality as other big name brands, just cheaper because of the name and they have great warranties.

 
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battery and tires are now done, Sam's Club $350, I'm happy with it!

Now is there a 101 on how to do the water pump and timing belt change?

it sounds mad complicated.. but at the same time, I don't have the funds to pay someone to do it..

any help and advise is greatly appreciated!

let me know!

thanks!


oNe

 
Rep Power: 811

may want to look at getting the honda service manual. its usually around $80 but well worth it. you can find a cheap one on ebay and it tells you how to do everything.

 
Rep Power: 253

I think there is still one on here that you can download