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Hello! In this spirit of this multi-year travesty, my car is really starting to show its age and could do with some serious attention. As with my house thread, I'm up for trying any repair once, and there'll be lots of mistakes and learning along the way as I've never touched anything that affects the mechanics of the vehicle until now. It's a UK 2004 Honda Civic Type R with a little over 60k miles. I've mentioned a few issues in the general questions thread and I'm planning to work through them one by one, but first up is the battery. A few weeks ago the car wouldn't start after being sat with just the radio on for all of about 10 minutes. I did get it going eventually, and then bought a new battery (and a battery booster, which I've since used once, and works very well). Today I finally got around to fitting it. The 16 year old OEM battery.  Off with the brace.  In with the Bosch.   Huh. So. Guess I need a battery with bigger terminals.  Put the OEM battery back in (this is my only car), and one annoyed trip back to the parts place later (this is exactly why I bought locally this time) I'm back with the version with the correctly sized terminals. Not the right goddamn orientation of terminals, though.  The cables just reach and I'm getting sick of swapping them back and forth, so I go with it. All I need to do is adjust the nut on the bar that holds down the plate, it's just a little stiff..  Welp. I guess I need a new one of those. Let's just close it all up and worry about it later.  FFS. OK so it does close but I can't in good conscience leave things like this. I've got some appropriately sized bits on order (that specific bar doesn't seem to be a part stocked by my supplier) so tomorrow I'll swap the batteries back and drive it carefully (or not at all) until that arrives. I can't return the battery until Monday, and if they don't have one with the right terminals AND the right layout I'll just return it and buy an OEM replacement like I probably should've done from the beginning. Welcome, me, to car maintenance, I guess.
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Feb 22, 2020 19:41
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Oh man, I felt this post. It looks like you've got a lot of rusty connectors, be on the look out for things being rusted out and breaking like that one did. Use a fluid like FreeAll on EVERYTHING before you try to loosen, and if you feel it resisting, work it back and forth (meaning, tighten, loosen, just a little at a time) and you'll often find you can get it out in one piece. I'm also a huge fan of replacing bolts or wire wheeling them and painting them (for the heads, not the threads) and reinstalling with anti-seize or AT LEAST a dollop of oil. You'll find that as you do that, the engine bay starts looking better, and the next time is easier 
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Feb 22, 2020 20:55
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Krakkles posted:It looks like you've got a lot of rusty connectors, be on the look out for things being rusted out and breaking like that one did. Use a fluid like FreeAll on EVERYTHING before you try to loosen, and if you feel it resisting, work it back and forth (meaning, tighten, loosen, just a little at a time) and you'll often find you can get it out in one piece. I don't work with metal much so I don't really keep rust-related products around. I do have WD40 and tool oil but I'm vaguely aware that WD40 while useful is not a cure-all. Should I be buying something more specialised? Krakkles posted:I'm also a huge fan of replacing bolts or wire wheeling them and painting them (for the heads, not the threads) and reinstalling with anti-seize or AT LEAST a dollop of oil. You'll find that as you do that, the engine bay starts looking better, and the next time is easier I like the idea of replacing bolts as I go, but I don't have enough experience on what sort of bolts I'm going to find so as to go out and buy the right kind in advance.
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Feb 22, 2020 21:26
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Jaded Burnout posted:I don't work with metal much so I don't really keep rust-related products around. I do have WD40 and tool oil but I'm vaguely aware that WD40 while useful is not a cure-all. Should I be buying something more specialised? Jaded Burnout posted:I like the idea of replacing bolts as I go, but I don't have enough experience on what sort of bolts I'm going to find so as to go out and buy the right kind in advance.
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Feb 22, 2020 21:42
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Krakkles posted:I would definitely recommend getting something more specialized - WD40 doesn't do poo poo to release rusted bolts, a penetrating oil like PB Blaster, Kroil, or my personal favorite, FreeAll - will do a lot more. (All should be available on Amazon, at least one should be available through a local shop.) Buy PlusGas.
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Feb 22, 2020 22:52
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Yeah - plus-gas is great stuff - buy some. Wd40 is for removing stickers! Buy some copper grease too for reassembling stuff that you don’t want to seize in place. Nuts and bolts on your Honda should be metric. You could goto screwfix and buy some standard M8 and M6 nuts and some short (20/30mm) bolts to keep for emergency reassembly/substitution - along with cable ties they should keep you going with any small jobs! I buy all my batteries online from tayna.co.uk now as they are cheaper and easier than any of the physical shops around here.
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Feb 23, 2020 09:40
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OEM battery back in. I'll return the Bosch tomorrow (probably). InitialDave posted:Buy PlusGas. Tomarse posted:Yeah - plus-gas is great stuff - buy some. Alright. I'd ordered some of WD40's specialist rust penetrator but had time to cancel that and go for plusgas instead. Tomarse posted:Buy some copper grease too for reassembling stuff that you don’t want to seize in place. This I did on my own recognisance, so good to see that's the right stuff. Also ordered a new socket set since I can't find mine and having two can't hurt. Tomarse posted:Nuts and bolts on your Honda should be metric. You could goto screwfix and buy some standard M8 and M6 nuts and some short (20/30mm) bolts to keep for emergency reassembly/substitution - along with cable ties they should keep you going with any small jobs! They are metric indeed, I'll likely pick some up once I've done a few jobs, or if I can summon up the effort to dig through the workshop manual. Tomarse posted:I buy all my batteries online from tayna.co.uk now as they are cheaper and easier than any of the physical shops around here. I wanted to buy local so that I would have the car right there when buying, and could easily return it if it was wrong, which has proved useful in the end. None of the online places seem to agree on what battery I should be putting in the car based on my number plate, which I'm guessing is the source of some of this confusion.
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Feb 23, 2020 16:29
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Jaded Burnout posted:This I did on my own recognisance, so good to see that's the right stuff. Also ordered a new socket set since I can't find mine and having two can't hurt. quote:They are metric indeed, I'll likely pick some up once I've done a few jobs, or if I can summon up the effort to dig through the workshop manual. having just checked their website, use toolstation instead of screwfix. buy M6 nuts, M8 nuts. penny washers and standard washers in both sizes, then M6x20, M6x30, m8x20 set screws and lots of cable ties and you will be sorted for 90% of emergency car part re-attachments! quote:I wanted to buy local so that I would have the car right there when buying, and could easily return it if it was wrong, which has proved useful in the end.
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Feb 23, 2020 18:16
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I'm fairly sure you need a 51R battery. Looks like that crosses to a Bosch S4536B (and Bosch's website seems to agree). 99% sure it's the same battery that was used in most Civics from 1992-2018. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 21:03 on Feb 23, 2020 |
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Feb 23, 2020 21:00
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STR posted:I'm fairly sure you need a 51R battery. Looks like that crosses to a Bosch S4536B (and Bosch's website seems to agree). Not getting any UK results for that part number, but we managed to get the right one. You're probably right in that the guy said "Let me guess, this is for a civic?", but I'm not giving him any points for that because a) you could see my car from where we were stood and b) he's the same guy that gave me the first incorrect battery when he had make model type and year to go off. I now have the correct battery, but I'll hold off fitting it until the mats arrive to repair the bracket.
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Feb 24, 2020 09:56
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just easier to slam your reg number into eurocarparts or halfords or anything to find the correct battery type, or just literally google ep3 type r battery
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Feb 24, 2020 11:00
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track day bro! posted:just easier to slam your reg number into eurocarparts or halfords or anything to find the correct battery type, or just literally google ep3 type r battery I literally bought it from eurocarparts based on the reg and they still got it wrong twice.
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Feb 24, 2020 11:12
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i forgot ecp are complete dogshit with anything thats japanese https://type-r-owners.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?103108-Which-battery-2004-EP3 According to that halfords do this one thats compatible https://www.halfords.com/motoring/batteries/car-batteries/halfords-hb063-lead-acid-12v-car-battery-3-year-guarantee-950295.html#dtab
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Feb 24, 2020 11:37
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track day bro! posted:i forgot ecp are complete dogshit with anything thats japanese Yeah. For my first outing I didn't want to blindly trust a honda forum, it's much easier to get issues like this resolved if you can go to the place in person and the purchase is based on their advice. Now I know what I'm looking for I can make more independent decisions should I need to replace it again. I also wanted to go with a brand I recognised, again for my first outing.
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Feb 24, 2020 11:58
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Jaded Burnout posted:I literally bought it from eurocarparts based on the reg and they still got it wrong twice. The trouble is they're convenient/cheap enough that it's worth the parts fuckups and ridiculous counter wait times.
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Feb 24, 2020 18:07
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InitialDave posted:That's no surprise! for run of the mill euro stuff i've never had a problem. but my god the queues, here it's always multiple minicab drivers arguing with the staff trying to buy a single sparkplug, or trying to return it
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Feb 24, 2020 18:20
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STR posted:I'm fairly sure you need a 51R battery. Looks like that crosses to a Bosch S4536B (and Bosch's website seems to agree). I learnt last year that US has different car batteries to Europe. Not only do the numbers not match, often there is no equivalent. Try finding a battery that fits a C6 vette in the UK, fml.
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Feb 25, 2020 02:27
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Holy crap 16 years out of a battery? I know I live in a way way way hotter area, which kills batteries, but around here you are lucky to get more then a few years out of one. This feels very much in the spirit of your house renovation thread though, in that something that should be super easy like changing a battery has somehow managed to turn into an ordeal, lol.
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Feb 26, 2020 04:08
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I'm in Texas, still got 10+ out of a battery. .... because it was in the much cooler trunk. I've never had an underhood battery go much past 4 years, usually it's more like 2-3. Pomp and Circumcized posted:I learnt last year that US has different car batteries to Europe. Not only do the numbers not match, often there is no equivalent. Try finding a battery that fits a C6 vette in the UK, fml. Huh, TIL. I looked up Bosch S4 (which was on the replacement batteries OP was trying to use) and got the Bosch parts site, never realized they'd be different part numbers over there. Halford's website says it should use a HSB053 (they list two brands, Yuasa and Halfords). I assume HSB053 is brand-specific though? Putting that number into the Googles just turns up stuff about Yuasa.
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Feb 26, 2020 04:20
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Yeah, in the UK, we just have a 3-digit number designation, so the battery you found is an 053. https://www.batterymegastore.co.uk/car-batteries/by-part-number.html You can see the part numbers on the left hand side here for common batteries. FYI, an 069 is the closest you'll get to fit in a C6 (the others all have the terminals backwards). The positive terminal is a little loose, however! Edit: Oh, and bigger number doesn't mean bigger battery! just look at the 019! Pomp and Circumcized fucked around with this message at 19:04 on Feb 26, 2020 |
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Feb 26, 2020 18:58
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Looking forward to seeing inside your driver's door when you tackle the lock and window repairs
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Feb 27, 2020 04:32
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Pomp and Circumcized posted:FYI, an 069 is the closest you'll get to fit in a C6 (the others all have the terminals backwards). The positive terminal is a little loose, however! So it looks like the C6 is one of a few GMs that actually has a top post battery - am I right on that? What do you do with an imported GM that has a side terminal battery? Just use a top to side post adapter? And a loose terminal can be fixed with a little bit of copper scrap. Or whatever metal scrap you happen to have. 
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Feb 27, 2020 08:21
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Pomp and Circumcized posted:Yeah, in the UK, we just have a 3-digit number designation, so the battery you found is an 053. Then you get to Australia, where they're different AGAIN! https://www.centurybatteries.com.au/products/car-batteries https://www.centurybatteries.com.au/products/4x4-suv-batteries
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Feb 27, 2020 12:23
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Alright. Time to fab up a custom J bolt. My initial plan was to torch-heat this to help with the bending (as I'm geared up for woodworking, not metalworking), but the metalworking thread rightly pointed out that heating a zinc-coating can be a bit harmful in terms of gas release etc, and while I have appropriate PPE, it's probably not necessary for rod that thin. So, first try cold bending, literally just bicep power:  OK not so successful. I've got one more, let's try again more gently in a vice.  Welp.  So I went and bought some more, and after further discussion with the metalworking folks I roughly ground off the threads in the bend area to reduce the stress risers, and did some very careful progressive bends in the vice. Heat in the back pocket if needed.     Success?  Marked it up for trimming.     This morning I test fit the bolt.  And since that went well, I fitted the Bosch battery and bolted everything down, plus a bit of copper grease. For the final fit I reversed the J bolt so the hook wasn't pointing into the battery. Don't want that accidentally punctured.  All good and ready for my trip this weekend. This thread will likely be less busy than the house one as that's my priority right now, but as alluded to by mr.belowaverage, I have the following projects in mind, in no particular order: - Clean up the headlight plastic that's hazy with age and close to failing the MOT - Attempt to clean up and/or repair whatever's causing the driver's side electric window to stick - Attempt to clean up and/or repair whatever's causing the driver's side electric locking to stick - Jump the handbrake connection on my radio that's preventing me from updating the firmware, as it's designed so you can't update it while driving but there's no actual handbrake sensor wire back there - Start replacing my own oil (not needed for a while as serviced recently) - Replace the transmission fluid (as per recommendation from the stupid questions thread due to rough shifting) Jaded Burnout fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Feb 27, 2020 |
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Feb 27, 2020 16:59
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STR posted:So it looks like the C6 is one of a few GMs that actually has a top post battery - am I right on that? What do you do with an imported GM that has a side terminal battery? Just use a top to side post adapter? Yeah, I have no idea if a side-post would fit in there, I've never seen one in person, I doubt it though, there's not much clearance. C5 looks like even less space, it has a battery shroud. What is hilarious is that I put the battery in before the engine (as you do), and I've now found that it's almost impossible to remove the battery (there is one perfect combination of lifts and twists, all with the weight of a loving lead battery, to get it out). If I had a car with a side terminal battery which needed replacement, I'd put in a "normal" top-terminal battery (the 075 is really standard over here), and would cut/add battery terminals to the factory wires if necessary. If needed, I'd extend or replace the wires. Unless the car was a super rare classic or something, in which case I'd converter the battery, or pay out the rear end to import the correct battery! Pomp and Circumcized fucked around with this message at 19:35 on Feb 27, 2020 |
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Feb 27, 2020 19:32
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Jaded Burnout posted:Alright. Time to fab up a custom J bolt. I've done exactly the same thing on one of my cars. I just heated it up and bent it. Not glowing or anything, just a standard propane torch, no oxygen/acetylene. Was just enough to keep it from breaking. No idea if I destroyed my lungs/nervous system or not. No <twitch> problems so far <twitch>.
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Feb 27, 2020 20:09
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Jaded Burnout posted:Alright. Time to fab up a custom J bolt. I hope you enjoyed your metalwork fun! . The part number for those M6 rods is a goodun!  You should however post up your missing parts first. You can buy those J bolts off the shelf in kits like this  ("battery clamp" - £4.49 from Halfords). They are M6 too
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Feb 28, 2020 13:33
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RE: penetrating oil, if it’s babby’s first time using it, bear in mind that it can have adverse effects on plastic and rubber, particularly seals, so don’t spray indiscriminately.
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Mar 1, 2020 18:32
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Big Taint posted:RE: penetrating oil, if it’s babby’s first time using it, bear in mind that it can have adverse effects on plastic and rubber, particularly seals, so don’t spray indiscriminately. 
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Mar 1, 2020 18:44
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Jaded Burnout posted:
FYI that handbrake radio lockout lead is just a ground in 99% of cases, and gets its ground from the brake warning light circuit being closed. If you just wind it onto a ground screw, or get fancy and put a ring terminal on it to screw to body metal, your radio will work always. Fake edit: fit it to an earth screw
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Mar 1, 2020 19:26
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You have to do a dance with it on a lot of newer aftermarket radios, something like set and release the parking brake several times. There's various aftermarket solutions to this.
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Mar 2, 2020 17:16
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In other news, it really is raining and pouring, as I do believe my driver side speaker has conked out. Lots to look at in that door.
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Mar 2, 2020 17:31
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STR posted:You have to do a dance with it on a lot of newer aftermarket radios, something like set and release the parking brake several times. Can confirm. The Alpine in my Outback requires parking brake on-off-on-off-on to get into the setup menus. As STR noted, there are aftermarket modules that simulate that action every time the key is turned on.
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Mar 3, 2020 21:49
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Darchangel posted:Can confirm. The Alpine in my Outback requires parking brake on-off-on-off-on to get into the setup menus. As STR noted, there are aftermarket modules that simulate that action every time the key is turned on. I can get into the setup menus on mine *while driving* (not that I ever would, of course), it's just the firmware update that's locked out, for some reason.
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Mar 3, 2020 22:52
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Jaded Burnout posted:I can get into the setup menus on mine *while driving* (not that I ever would, of course), it's just the firmware update that's locked out, for some reason. I should note that my unit is less than a year old, so therefore has more nannies, most likely.
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Mar 3, 2020 23:09
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