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...if there are no maintenance records. === Backstory and sentimentality, can be skipped === I have wanted a Honda Accord Type R ever since they came out 23 years ago. I first saw one on a Norwegian TV show about cars (Autofil), and was instantly fascinated by this ninja black shape tearing around a wet track and the presenters talking about the communicative chassis, VTEC engine revving past 7000, sound deadening being stripped out and how if you got it without the wing, your mother in law would think it was just a normal nice Honda Accord.  The guy who owned the burger shop in my tiny fishing village bought a brand new one at our local Honda dealership, the only car dealership in a village with 2500 people far in Northern Norway. His son would hoon around in it, and I would be endlessly jealous while driving my dads 1986 Volvo 240 wagon. Gran Turismo 2 came out, and among Toms Supras, Pennzoil Skylines, Escudos and Toyota GT-Ones, my favorite thing to do was to take my NA tuned Honda Accord Type R a few laps around the Seattle Circuit and then watch the replay. I still have my memory card with the save with the car on it, and did a few laps with it just last year when I found a PSOne in the electronics recycling.  When going to college in Tromsĝ, me and a friend went to look at cars, and at a Honda dealership they had a brand new model on the show floor! I sat in it, and I still remember the precise feeling of the gear change, which was lightyears better than the Volvo I was used to. One came up for sale when I lived i Stockholm in 2006. I went to test drive it, but it was poorly kept and the syncros on fifth gear were totally gone, so the wonderful gear change I expected was like trying to stir a bag of gravel. I've looked longingly at them whenever they came up for sale online, and I've watched the price, condition and frequency of ads go downwards as they turned more and more into abused boy racers. For the last few years I've seen 2-3 for sale each year, and at best one of them has been in driveable condition. It's never been the right time, or they have been too far away. === My current car === I first noticed my now-car about 18 months ago when I moved into my current apartment complex. It would occassionally be parked in the guest parking or outside the grocery store and looked and sounded to be in good condition, so I was happy to see one still running around in the area. Then last month it came up for sale online! I was in a good place financially, so I contacted the owner who turned out to live in my building! The buying process was at best... strange. He was a very nice pretty young guy. Which is not a good thing for an old performance car. I test drove it, then spent three weeks trying to get a straight answer out of him about bulkhead rust behind the fender liners, and I even paid for a PPI, which while somewhat helpful didn't give any straight answers. I should definitively have taken care of that myself instead of leaving it in his hands. Finally I just decided that another driveable Type R wouldn't show up literally on my doorstep any other time in my life, so I might as well buy this one. I made a lowball offer where I could live with pretty much everything on the car being broken, and it was accepted! After an even stranger closing process on Saturday before posting this thread, I finally had the title and keys in my hands! Now it was time to figure out what I had actually bought!  The car had a huge folder of old paperwork and previous service documentation, but not the actual service record booklet, and the paperwork indicated that it had been missing at least since 2015. The original Type R wheels had worn studded winter tires on them, and the summer tires I haven't even bothered to look at yet! The interior is dirty as hell, but mostly fine besides a worn drivers seat pad. It has the most ridiculous exhaust ever, where all the noise is in the mid-range where nothing happens in the torque curve, then it gets more quiet when VTEC kicks in, yo. The stereo is some generic very bright DAB radio, and most of the speakers seem blown. I threw out pretty much a whole bag of trash that wasn't relevant any more or was just old crap from the car.  I ordered and fitted a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 5, and have put up a request for quotes online to do all the services including valve clearance and cambelt in order to completely reset the service schedule. A serious vacuuming and interior detailing will happen once the weather gets nicer. Once that is done so that I actually dare to drive the thing without worrying about the cambelt snapping or the engine eating itself, I'll start getting rust and bodywork fixed, and eventually fixing up the gear change to feel like brand new!   Other than that, I'm don't have a lot of space or time to DIY things, but I have budgeted for stuff, so hopefully this car will get back to its old glory again! Oh, and just to not make my other car jealous, this 2007 BMW 320d is my daily driver:  Thanks for coming to my TED talk, I'll take questions now. evobatman fucked around with this message at 21:44 on Mar 20, 2022 |
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Mar 17, 2022 16:09
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Well it's been almost a week, and a picture is starting to take shape! First of all, I'm getting a recurring code for an O2 sensor, and I've noticed that my ridiculous exhaust is hanging skewed, which might or might not be related. Also, absolutely none of the workshops I have contacted have gotten back to me with a quote, except the Honda dealership who said they would get back next week. The car needs basically every service possible including cam belt and valve clearance, but somehow not brake fluid just this time. In addition, all engine mounts are shot and it feels like the engine is trying to jump out of the car. That's probably what has messed up the exhaust and the O2 sensor. I gave the car a good vacuuming and interior detailing, and washed the exterior. If there is some kind of award for worst paint condition, this Honda wins it! The previous owners must have misunderstood how car washes work, and driven to the kindergarten to let the kids wash the car with gravel. For a few years. Also, both front speakers are blown. Buying this car might have been the financially stupidest thing I've ever done, but on the other hand I just look at it and all the bad things in my mind go away!  
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Mar 20, 2022 18:31
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Yeah, the car is balancing very precariously on the edge between ending its days as a boy racer for increasingly negligent and abusive owners, and being a collectible classic. I know "investing" is a very bad word in AI, but I think if I focus on fixing the correct things and establishing a good paper trail of servicing, I might just get a tiny amount of the money I put into it back eventually, and in the process get many smiles per gallon.
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Mar 20, 2022 20:36
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Kivi posted:Ooh that's a pretty color. Yeah I just jumped on this one because it matched my dream spec (lack of heated seats and electric rear windows not withstanding). It had over a year of state inspection left and I knew it was starting and driving, so I decided it's now or never, because they never come up for sale any more. I have all summer to play with it and throw money at it. I got the car checked out at a workshop I trust, and it's both better and worse than expected. Oil leaks from driveshaft seals at the transmission and at the oil pan gasket. The Mongoose exhaust system is badly put together and need to be redone or replaced. Rear upper strut mounts and some associated hardware needs replacing. They did hook up my O2 sensor which had pulled itself out, and the car now completed its O2 cycle. Worst part is that the car has low power, and they recommended getting that checked out at the Honda dealership before getting any other work done in case the engine is bad. There are no codes, no strange sounds or pings, and it drives fairly well except for the lack of power, with a nice pull to redline and VTEC working just fine. The KN filter that some previous owner has installed looks like hell, so I have ordered a new paper air filter and new spark plugs as a starting point before I start looking into compression testing or more serious alternatives.
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Mar 24, 2022 09:20
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I haven't checked the rust myself, but the mechanic said that it appeared to be just on the front subframe, and could be sandblasted and coated. I still haven't checked for the dreaded bulkhead rust behind the fender liners though, and as long as I haven't checked I'll be happily ignorant. The H22A7 has 209 hp in this car, compared to the H22 with 185 hp which is much more common in the Prelude. Not sure if the engines are interchangeable, but if the engine turns out to be toast, it shouldn't be too hard to get a new one. If the engine is bad as it sits now I'll still drive it for as long as it will run and VTEC will kick in. I did find some good info about clogged EGR systems and how that can affect performance, so that's on the troubleshooting list with plugs and air filter.
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Mar 25, 2022 08:49
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I got a few boxes of parts in the mail, so I started digging into things. One of the previous owners installed a very nice K&N filter. The thing with these is that you have to clean and maintain them every year, and as far as I could tell from the black lump of tar, hate, death and depression I pulled out of the airbox, this had never been done. I made a futile attempt at cleaning it, but I couldn't even get all the dead bugs out, so it was replaced with a brand new Bosch paper air filter, which cost me all of $10. The correct NGK platinum spark plugs for this engine cost between $45-65 per plug here in Norway, but Autodoc had them for $13 per plug, and delivered in just a week despite its somewhat questionable reputation. The old plugs were Brisk P2 iridium plugs. The only positive thing to say about them is that they came out light brown and dry, so at least that's something. I also used the opportunity to fit new set of ignition leads. The engine now runs more smooth and strong than it must have done since the mid 2010s. The bucking and misfires are gone. VTEC pulls really hard, and it has plenty of torque in the low revs. I still have a weird flat, almost dead spot in the torque curve between 3000-5700 revs, but it now revs cleanly through it. It feels like the ECU is artificially limiting it somehow. Also, now that the engine pulls stronger, the bad engine mounts are really apparent, and a frisky 1-2 shift in VTEC made it feel like the whole engine was about to jump out of the car! Next step is to clean out soot from the EGR system. I also have a new pollen filter, distributor cap, rotor and coil, but that will have to wait a bit, since I'm doing all my work in the parking lot in our apartment complex. We're making good progress. Slowly but surely we'll get there! evobatman fucked around with this message at 17:13 on Apr 2, 2022 |
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Apr 2, 2022 17:09
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From what I gather, this car (and the corresponding much more common fifth gen Prelude) doesn't have a traditional adjustable distributor and the timing is set electronically. Under 3000 is fine and in VTEC is fine, there is just some sort of weird flat spot in between. There is nothing mechanically wrong, it just feels like some sort of artificial limit is being enforced. The weather today has been bad so I haven't gotten anything done, but I'll try to disconnect the battery to reset the ECU next. I also have to get the engine mounts sorted before I can do much more spirited testing, because it's a pain to have to baby every gear change.
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Apr 3, 2022 19:04
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Yesterday before dinner I decided to swap out the distributor cap, rotor and coil. Should be easy, right? I spent almost one and a half hour on just the distributor cap and rotor. What I discovered while wrenching is that Honda has put the distributor on just this car 180 degrees turned around from where it is on all other Hondas, so the neatly laid out screws and parts that are easily accessible from above on all other Hondas point directly down into the engine bay on my Type R. I went to start the car, and it ran beautifully for 15 seconds until I slammed to hood shut, then it died, and would not start again, only turning the engine over with the starter. I cried a bit, and went in to eat. With a full belly, I went out and disassembled and reassembled everything. Still no start. I decided to replace the coil, which meant removing the distributor. I got that done, and sat on my rear end in the parking lot and replaced the coil inside the distributor, and then put the whole thing back together again, minus the plastic shield over the rotor, since that would not fit with the new coil in place. I put everything back together, and tried to start the car. Only turning over, nothing else. Cry a little. Second attempt. I hear the engine spark ONCE. There might be hope. Third attempt. I keep the starter running very long, but cylinders are firing, if slowly and unevenly. The car coughs and shakes to life, reluctantly. I let it idle and warm up as I clean up my tools. I slowly drive it around our apartment complex so that I don't have to be towed far if it stops again. I carefully drive it towards the highway. Below 3000 it has become a torque monster! From 3000-5500 it is still slow, but now it feels like it WANTS something to happen there. When VTEC hits, it's a rocketship! I do a few on- and offramps, and it's so fast I manage to scare myself! Total time spent about three and a half hours. That screw holding the rotor on is a pain in the rear end since the engine needs to be turned to the exact right position to access it. Also, gently caress wrenching in the parking lot, my whole body hurts today, and there is no way I got every seal and mating surface as clean and tight as they should be. Also, with the car coming back to life the way it is, I have to wonder what the last three owners have been thinking, because according to the paperwork I got the car hasn't been running this well since at least 2016. I haven't had a chance to check the timing yet, but it looks like the Torque app might be able to read it. I'm also trying to find a shop that will replace my engine mounts. No pics yet since my wrenching is inefficient enough as it is, but I leave you with this picture of my new distributor cap that I took in order to remember where the spark plug leads go: 
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Apr 12, 2022 08:21
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First of all, thanks for the help with setting the ignition timing, any and all help and tips for this car is highly appreciated! I bought an ignition strobe lamp, and went hunting for the diagnostic plug today. My car does have an OBD2 plug, which I've used with good old Torque on my phone and an ELM327 adapter to read live data and clear codes, but I could not find the blue or green diagnostic plugs anyhwere in either footwell, even though I pulled up a lot of carpet. A tip from a facebook group said to look behind the glovebox, which I will do when I replace the pollen filter. I have been trying for weeks to find the rear engine mount for sale, but neither it nor the suggested alternative from an Accord 2.0i seems to be in stock anywhere in the world, so I will ask a workshop to just replace the three mounts I have found and hope that will improve things. I also have a fuel filter and both driveshaft seals on order. When those are replaced, the plan is to have the Honda dealer do the cambelt and major engine services. With nothing better to do, I did replace windshield wipers and pedal rubbers today, so that's some improvement at least. The car feels like it WANTS to pull hard in the middle rev range, but it just can't. It's frustrating, but it does keep me from getting speeding tickets! I leave you with the mystery cables I did find today. Two jumper cables in the center cubby, one of them with one lead torn off, and an RJ plug with a flat cable in the passenger footwell. Yeah, I have no idea, and I probably don't want to know.  
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May 26, 2022 16:24
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You do realize getting stickied puts a lot of pressure on me? Yeah, subwoofer makes sense, since one of the old inspection papers notice that the subwoofer wasn't properly mounted in the trunk. I haven't been happy with the starter performance ever since I got the car, and especially since I did the distributor and had starting issues. Some of the recent-ish paperwork mentioned the car not starting, but doing so just fine after charging the battery. I'm gonna go ahead and say that this was not a deep cycle battery, so I fitted a brand new Varta D47. (Don't believe the K&N sticker, it has been replaced with a brand new Bosch paper filter)     The old leisure battery (yes, literally!). For cabin, boat or camping. Notice what it's not for? CAR!  Also, the BMW E90 with its crusty arches got the summer Michelin Primacy HPs fitted, and the very pre-owned and very corroded winter wheels and tires were sent to the eternal ice races in heaven. I'll pick up a new set for cheap during summer. 
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May 28, 2022 13:43
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Elmnt80 posted:Please don't feel pressured. Its just about showcasing the cool, weird and wonderful things that AI goons are doing and this absolutely counts, so don't change a thing. You're doing awesome and that car is neato burrito! Djeez, more like somethingsensitive dot com, am i rite? Thank you all for the kind words  Today I received the driveshaft seals for the transmission and the fuel filter, and I decided to give up the hunt for the rear engine mount. This gets me to enough parts to warrant putting the car in a shop for some work. I emailed a shop that said earlier they might be willing to work on the car if I supplied the parts, so I hope they get back to me. If not, I know of 2-3 other options. Also, I'm waiting for the weather to get better so I can do the pollen filter and look for the diagnostic cables while I dig behind the glove box. Fingers crossed that this time next week things will have slightly improved!
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Jun 2, 2022 14:11
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Well, got a shop appointment for June 20th  I've asked them to do the three engine mounts, driveshaft seals, fuel filter, coolant, power steering fluid and adjusting the headlights. While I wait, I'll try to do the pollen filter and mount new front speakers.
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Jun 3, 2022 13:36
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Today we do the cabin/pollen filter. Often neglected, it should be the first thing you replace on any car you buy, as it is an instant improvement. On my BMW it's behind a cover in the engine bay and could probably be done in 30 seconds. On the Accord, it's not. I armed myself with instructions from the accordr.org forums, a new filter, trim removal kit, gloves and a variety of screwdrivers. I drove to a secluded spot, pulled the trim from under the glove box, and tried to remove the screwhead bolts that hold the glove box itself. I went back to my apartment, got my socket kit, and drove to another spot to do the work. The socket kit made fast work of the bolts, and after a little while I was looking at this:  The filter is behind the big vertical lid in the middle. I disconnected the big blue harness connector, and loosened the metal bar at the bottom. I unlatched the lid, and managed to just sneak the old filter past the rest of the harness. AC cooling element visible:  The money shot:  New filter in place:  I put back the metal bar and harness, and realized I had forgotten to fit the lid. Luckily, it could be wedged in without having to remove anything again. While we're at it, I also refit this loose piece of trim that the PO hadn't managed to fit correctly when pulling the cables for his stereo.  Full of dust and bird poop, but just look at it  I realized I hadn't put up a pic of the seats. The drivers seat really should be refurbished with new foam, bolsters and cover, but it's still got a tiny bit of life left in it.  On the test drive after putting everything back together, the air coming out was fresh and cool, and my Honda now has better AC than my BMW. I also eliminated a bit of rattles that really brought down the whole driving experience earlier, everything now just feels more solid.
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Jun 5, 2022 17:36
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The seats did indeed come with the car! They are Recaro Trendlines, unfortunately discontinued everywhere, so your only hope if you want to fix them up is to find a decent used pair or pay for a custom renovation. My hope long-term is to import a UK passenger seat to use as my drivers seat, since that would be less used. I forgot to mention in my last post, no sign of the diagnostic connector cables behind the glove box either 
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Jun 6, 2022 11:24
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"Buy a car with no service history" I told myself. "It will be just fine, really, how much could go wrong" I told myself. Went for a drive today, and the car threw a check engine light, and now smells like fuel, and the engine note is deeper and coarser.  Initial googling says it might be a multitude of things. God damnit, just as I was starting to feel good about it!
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Jun 12, 2022 20:04
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I got in touch with the Honda dealership. I'm sick of wrenching in the car park, and I can ask them to do all the other services and repairs the car needs while it's in there. I'm just gonna sit back and let my wallet solve this for now.
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Jun 13, 2022 08:30
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Thanks for all your ideas! I deleted the error codes and went for a drive yesterday, and everything seemed to be back to the way it was before the error codes hit, so yay, an intermittent problem! To see if it was my speakers or my head unit that was the cause of the bad sound quality I picked up an old Pioneer DEH-3100R, which happens to be the exact same head unit I put in my dads Volvo 240 when I had just gotten my license over 20 years ago! Funny how much nostalgia and muscle memory came back when operating it. The conclusion was that both head unit and speakers are working correctly, the car is just a very very poor environment for music. No wonder the previous owner had a subwoofer! I'm gonna fit the upgraded front speakers I have, but not do anything beyond that, because it's not worth it. The estimate from the dealer for the work I asked to be done came back at $5000, before they had even seen the car or done any diagnosis on it! I asked them to look it over, do diagnosis and engine mounts and some fluids and filters and stuff, and then I'll look for independents to do the cam belt and other bigger things. This car was meant to be stupid with money, but not downright moronic!
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Jun 15, 2022 11:41
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Well this is a car where you paid extra to have the sound deadening removed, so none of it is going back in  Appointment at the dealership is July fifth, so by then it will be over two months without any real progress I was expecting the expense, but I was not expecting that it would take weeks and months to get things done. I have been spoiled with the BMW where parts are immediately available from 4-5 independent vendors, and all jobs can be done according to book, so the shops can slot it in within 2-3 days.E: Jeez that's a hell of a smiley, but I'm keeping it!
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Jun 15, 2022 14:00
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I deleted the error codes on the Honda and they came back after a couple of drives, otherwise no news there, just waiting for it to go to the dealer on Tuesday next week. I did find another independent workshop willing to work on it, so I'm gonna take it there after the dealer does their thing. In the meantime, I gave the E91 some love tonight. Checked tire pressures, tightened lug bolts, vacuumed the interior, checked fluids, fueled it up, gave it the most expensive option at the car wash and fit a cell phone mount to the windshield, so it's now ready for a 220 mile road trip on Saturday. I tested a 2013 F10 535D Touring today and have also tried some brand new 5 and 3 series cars, and I'm always surprised when I get back into the E91 to feel just how much of its DNA is present in the newer and bigger cars. I'm a BMW enthusiastic fan and have also owned a V8 E34 530 and 323i E36, but I am not a fanatic or expert, and IMO I really think the E90 platform might be one of their all-time best ones. 
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Jun 30, 2022 22:55
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Honda has been handed over to the dealer! Verdict to follow in a day or two. Maybe it's a good thing our pilots are on strike and my summer vacation might get refunded.
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Jul 4, 2022 15:01
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Well ladies and germs, almost a month later and $3073 lighter in my wallet, it's back in my parking lot! My summer vacation in New York did get cancelled due to global logistics, so instead I got to spend my money on the Honda. The CEL seems to be gone after the fuel filter was replaced. Three engine mounts were replaced, as the dealer was unable to source the final rear mount. A serious power steering leak was fixed, power steering fluid and coolant was replaced, and driveshaft seals and transmission fluid was replaced. I can now do a full throttle and VTEC 1-2 shift without the engine feeling like it's going to jump out of the car, which is a BIG improvement! It still feels like there's a lack of power in the midrange, but the dealer didn't notice anything, and I'm thinking that maybe my expectations are wrong since my last NA four cylinder car was a Saab 9000i I owned from 2003-2006, and I've been driving a Saab Turbo and BMW V8, straight six and turbodiesel car since then. All in all I can't say I'm happy about having spent over $3000 at the dealer, and not having any huge improvements, and my enthusiasm has cooled slightly. I'm gonna do the cambelt and ancillary belts and fluids so that the service schedule is completely reset and the car is attractive for the next owner, but I might hold back a bit on the detailing and cosmetic and other minor improvements I was planning. Now the E91s transmission has started acting up after being flawless since I got it in Jan 2013, and the front end is shaking heavily under light braking. I might never have money again!
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Jul 29, 2022 13:21
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Good news on the E91: The front vibrations were just the brake discs. Bad news on the E91: The rear subframe is rusted beyond rescue, and needs to be replaced. I'll get the brake discs done together with an oil service, and a local guy has a bunch of subframes for $2-300. That's the difference in trying to find parts for a car built in millions, and a car like the Honda that's built in the thousands! Still no progress on the Honda, the shop I found that was willing to work on it hasn't gotten back to me even after I checked in on them a week ago and they said they were looking for parts.
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Aug 12, 2022 18:49
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Thanks for the support, it does help! Even if the midrange isn't what I'm used to, there is definitively some issue left to sort out. I'm strongly suspecting the EGR system, since people on the Accord R forums say they notice a huge difference in driveability after cleaning it out. Imagine your nose being clogged and only being able to breathe trough your mouth, that's what throttle in the midrange feels like. The hardware is all on top of the intake manifold towards the firewall, but it was JUST cramped enough that I don't want to do it in the parking lot, but will try to find somewhere indoors and well lit to get it done. I put new Bosch wipers front and rear on the E91 yesterday, vacuumed it, washed the floor mats with a drill brush and cleaned the interior with wipes. Will try to pick up a new subframe next week, and have requested a quote for an oil change and new front brake disks while I man up to get the big job done. I used the same wipes on the Honda today, but they somehow weren't right for its interior, since it now looks like the dashboard is furry! I did unhook my broken powered radio antenna, so I don't have to listen to it grinding every time I turn the ignition on and off, and found some rust in the trunk floor while I was at it. Not critical, but another thing to add to the list. Now, pictures!   
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Aug 14, 2022 17:38
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The TL dashboard design seems to be very similar, even if the actual technology in it is a lot more advanced, so there probably is a lot of shared DNA between them. The shop I was talking to about the Honda gave me the goahead to get parts, and said they would do the labor, so I have started piecing together everything needed. Trying to get all the seals, belts and gaskets in the area. I also got a used EGR valve on eBay so I can try cleaning it and just swapping out the old one to see if it affects the driveability issues. In E91 news, I got this for $300:  Still gonna be a ton in labor, but it should save me at least a little money.
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Aug 20, 2022 17:53
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Well my brilliant thrifty mind didn't bother to check what car the used E91 subframe came from. It was nice and solid, but off of a 316i, where the suspension and wheel hub components don't match. Together with an oil service, alignment and the cost of moving the components from the old subframe to the new one, it would have been cheaper just to buy a new subframe, control arms and mounting hardware and move the diff and hubs from the old one. The shop did put on a little extra camber in the rear though, just to make living with a BMW a little more spicy. ("Spissing" is toe in or out). I only did the short trip from the garage to home, but it did feel like a completely different (and much better) car!  The parts for doing the all the work in the cambelt area of the Honda has arrived, but I might wait a week or two, just to financially recover a little. Total cost on the BMW including the used subframe was over $3600. I think after getting the new subframe rustproofed and the Honda cambelt is done, I'm done for this year with these projects, and we'll resume in spring next year! I have had the 'rona over the last week and am still not completely recovered, so haven't had chance to do the EGR stuff, but I am looking forward to it once I feel better!
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Sep 5, 2022 16:26
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You gotta be loving making GBS threads me! Almost two months of waiting for the independent shop to change the cam belt on the Honda, and they chickened out! They didn't want to do it without the special tools to lock in the position of the balance shaft and didn't have the hollow sockets needed to adjust the valves, so they didn't want to take on the job. They did give me a $50 giftcard though, and I've used them earlier for jobs that require actual mechanical aptitude in place of just reading service manuals, so I'm not mad. Please don't put in the newspaper that I got mad. I'll try my other trusted independent, and if they don't want to do it, I guess I'll have to crawl back to the Honda dealership and double the cost. The BMW is due for its biannual safety inspection, and needs new brake fluid and discs and pads up front. It's also giving a bunch of error codes on one of the O2 sensors after the exhaust was dropped to fit the rear subframe. I'll take it to the place that couldn't work on the Honda, as they are pretty good when it comes to working on older cars and using cheaper aftermarket parts. No need to pay $150 for a BMW brake disc, when a Bosch or Bilstein one can be had for $50-70! I haven't gotten the EGR stuff on the Honda done because I've been alternating between ill and lazy, and now that fall is here, the weather might not give me the opportunity again on this side of winter. I'm also suspecting the O2 sensors might be old and giving wrong readings without triggering the check engine light, but those cost money and can wait until the EGR is done. I gotta say, this is not the way I expected things to go, but I'll keep pushing on to get people to take my money!
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Nov 1, 2022 20:44
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Yeah, I already ordered one of them today, will look around a bit for options for the valve adjustment kit as it's a bit more costly.
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Nov 2, 2022 17:21
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Yep, my engine is an H22A7, so it's pretty much the same. I'm guessing any decent shop should have a long hollow socket made for doing exactly that job. I'd do ALL of this myself if I had somewhere dry and sheltered and I could leave the car there for when I just wanted to work on it, but my only options are doing it outside in my apartment complex car park, or paying to get it done at a shop. I already had one close call with the ignition coil and distributor where the car was reluctant to start after I worked on it in the car park, so I don't want to do something that might leave it undriveable there.
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Nov 2, 2022 19:38
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Ladies & Goons, I hope you are ready for some good news! First of all, the BMW passed its safety inspection on the first try without any issues and is good for two more years. Second of all, the Honda. I finally got a shop to look at it, it's been in since Monday this week, and I picked it up just an hour ago. Mechanic: Has your engine been working like it should? Me: No, I've been noticing power missing in the midrange and trying to figure out what it is. Mechanic: Well I think I know why, because your timing belt was a few teeth misaligned! It's like a completely different car now, shittons of power (all off its 212 hp), all the midrange torque back, and it's just dancing! The cambelt was last changed in 2013, so it has been almost 10 years and four owners with an asthmathic wheezing car with no power! I have now finally fully reset the service schedule and mechanical bits, and I can now start on making it nice and good fixing rust, paint, suspension bits, stereo and so on! Thank you all for following the thread so far, and we look forward to more positivity from this point!
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Nov 25, 2022 11:47
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BigPaddy posted:Do you have service history showing the belt was done by a shop? If I can degree a cam on a SBC then so called professionals should be able to do a belt on a modern engine. I have the receipt in my folder of documentation, so it's a mystery to me how it can have happened and have gone undetected for so long, but then again people just want cool cars and don't know how they are supposed to work. I don't know how a shop can have missed it, because EVERYTHING is marked up, you just align the marks on belt and pulleys, turn over the engine by hand, and check that it's still good. I even managed to take the head off of my Saab 9000 with timing chain many years ago and put it back together fine just by doing this. It's just such a huge relief that it works like it's supposed to now, there has been many tears of joy today!
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Nov 25, 2022 14:49
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Well I've had a few weeks now to run around and have VTEC kick in at every opportunity. I put one of my friends in the drivers seat and told him to just floor it to 8000 in second gear, and he loved it a lot! It's been frosty the last few days, so I haven't done much driving on the Michelins. I don't want to sail sideways into a wall, so I went to my regular tire place and got a set of winter tires on my 17" early 2000s DOTZ wheels that came with the car. The selection in 215/45-17 with an 87W rating isn't great, so I ended up with a brand called Sailun Winterpro. It doesn't go great in reviews, but since I'll mostly drive the BMW in the winter, it doesn't matter. The car is now "complete". I'll add up all the receipts from this year eventually to see what the financial damage has been. Next year we start on bodywork! Now - pictures!   
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Dec 6, 2022 17:17
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I literally do not understand how it can have gone through several owners and dealerships since 2013 and nobody has had any suspicions that it was not running right! It was owned by a Honda dealership family, and I had it at the Honda dealership here, specifically asking them to check why it was running so bad, and they came back with nothing! I added up all the invoices I had now. I thought it would be bad, but it was actually a slight bit better than expected, possibly due to all the shops don't wanting to take it in. Parts and labor all add up to about $6500 since I bought it in March. In addition I have paid about $230 for registration, $700 for road tax and insurance, and about $7-800 in fuel. I paid $6900 for the car itself. Not too bad all in all to own my dream car that I've been wanting and saving for since I was 20. I could have done without replacing the rear subframe on the BMW though, that was a pretty hard hit to the bank account.
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Dec 7, 2022 10:02
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Taken today while walking the dog. Happy to see you too, buddy!
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Dec 13, 2022 09:03
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One last drive before I go away on Christmas vacation. The Sailuns are absolutely useless on wet asphalt, but it's not like I'm gonna do a lot of driving with the Honda this winter anyway. Stopped by the local Ikea parking for some pictures.  
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Dec 19, 2022 22:01
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OK, I really need some Honda peoples help on this! I want to prepare replacing my suspension, and in order to do that, I need strut mounts, since my old ones are old and bad. The part numbers are 51675-S1A-E01 for fronts and 52675-S1A-E01 for rears. I've tried Honda dealers, Rockauto, eBay, Daparto, Autodoc, Amayama and all the usual suspects with no luck. I need help to find one of two things: -Either the original part numbers or confirmed compatible parts from another generation of Accord or another model of Honda. The fun part here is that as mentioned earlier in the thread, the 98-02 Accords were different cars in Japan, Europe and America, which complicates searching a lot! -OR a coilover/suspension kit that includes top mounts and comes with TÜV/type approval papers so that my car will pass inspection.
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Feb 16, 2023 08:47
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everdave posted:Enter your vin at epc-data.com may get you a little further Same thing there, just leads to the same part numbers on Amayama, which are out of stock. I might be able to piece together used ones from regular scrap Accords, but they might all be 25 years old, and that's not exactly what I want to put on top of a brand new suspension. What I have found are 51- and 52675-S84-A01, which are the mounts for the US model of 98-02 Accord. It's a gamble if they fit or not, but they might be my only hope at this point. Any opinions on whether or not this might work is highly appreciated!
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Feb 16, 2023 21:57
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Suburban Dad posted:This is my thought (based on no first hand knowledge The mounts I have found available were for the 98-02 EU V6 coupe and 03-07 sedan, and it looks like I can get mounts for the 98-02 US 2,3 and 3,0 model. Fingers crossed that some of them will fit! I e-mailed every independent Honda specialist in the UK today to see if they have any idea, so we'll see if anyone gets back to me.
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Feb 17, 2023 15:34
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). The shock/strut may have different damping on the R but I can't imagine a mount is going to be different unless they change durometer but not the dimensions.
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The mounts I have found for sale (S84) are for the Acura TSX, so they are my best hope, as at least in pictures they look exactly the same as the ones I want. CB ones look very different. I have found some leads on eBay and on UK parts, so hopefully I'll figure it out. Still need to take the car to a bodyshop to get a clean bill of health on the body though, so that I know that it's worth starting to fix the suspension.
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Feb 19, 2023 17:37
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Need to return about 1500 lbs of flooring? No problem, and at the same time you can get a wicked stance! Also behold the differently colored rear door that I got replaced on the rust warranty and someone promptly keyed the week after, and I'm still wondering how the gently caress someone managed to dent my car above the tail light! I ordered these front mounts https://www.ebay.com/itm/234895202622 and some generic 98-02 Honda Accord rear mounts, so we'll see if they actually fit. I also ordered a ton of small suspension bits on Amayama:  I don't want to lower the car, so actually picking what shocks I want is next, and I'm partial to Bilsteins. Next steps will be to empty my shed of all the garbage from decorating my new house, so that I can get some space to take out and store the rear seats and trunk trim, and then get any and all rust repaired, before it's suspension and ceramic coating time!
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Mar 13, 2023 15:17
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I'm still piecing together a new suspension, and have most of the small bits, but have not decided on which shocks yet. I'm leaning towards Bilstein. During easter, I took out the back seats and trunk trim, and dried and cleaned everything underneat, as quite a bit of water and moisture had built up during winter. I also polished up the foggy headlight with a 3M restoration kit. It was scary at first, but turned out really well. I fitted Hybrid Racings shifter bushings, which helped restore a bit of feel in the shifter. I also got a new Sony head unit, with lighting to match the interior. Also, because I have absolutely zero sense of financial self preservation, I delivered the car for three days of cleaning, polishing and ceramic coating. It's absolutely stupid to spend this kind of money on a lovely old car, but it also got stupidly shiny! The guys at the detailing place loved it, and they said that they had had tons of people comment on how cool it was, which feels pretty good! There is a brand new Ioniq 6 in the background which also had gotten coating, and the Honda had ended up shinier than the Hyundai.     
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Apr 26, 2023 09:40
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