1986 Honda Civic <100k suggestions please

Pennzoil motor oil
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ChrisN

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South Dakota
I read all of the 10x by Bob and passed the test but I'm curious what others would suggest. Currently I run castrol 10w30 year round and I have rarely driven it in the winter because it doesn't like it start when cold. This year I may have to drive it in the winter occasionally. So please let me know what you think.

Thanks!
 
A couple of other pieces of information, I bought it with 51k on it in 2001. It seems to run hot or at least hotter on the temp gauge than I expect in the spring and summer. The po slick 50'd it least once from the service docs I found and from what I've read I'm wondering if it is suffering from restricted oil passages.
 
welcome

by hot do you mean the needle on the dash? thats ussualy coolant indication and not oil... could be that the fan on your radiator is not working properly ( one could be dead ) or that your raditor is cloged with [censored]. or your water pump is going bad.

Oil will never get as hot as you would think , the engine will be MUCH hotter if your oil is reaching critical , you will get check engine light and/or car will shut itself off for safety.


Your engine should have over 200k on there, but it does not. as long as it has gotten oil change regularly , your ok.

switch to 0w30 or 5w30 to be safe if your area gets below 30F.

Dino is better for older engines than you would think. Honda and Toyotas are build like tanks on inside, keep castrol going!
 
Originally Posted By: Voltmaster
welcome

by hot do you mean the needle on the dash?
needle

Quote:
could be that the fan on your radiator is not working properly ( one could be dead ) or that your raditor is cloged with [censored]. or your water pump is going bad.
radiator was replaced with no effect on the temp gauge.

Quote:
you will get check engine light and/or car will shut itself off for safety.
no cel its carborated.

Quote:
Your engine should have over 200k on there, but it does not. as long as it has gotten oil change regularly , your ok.
well, po changed oil 33 times in 51k

Quote:
switch to 0w30 or 5w30 to be safe if your area gets below 30F.
it does, much below at times.

Any thoughts to what effect changing from conventional to synthetic would have?
 
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Do a 5w20 or Mobil 1 0w30 for SD winter, I have been running 20 weight in my D16/b18 for going on 2 years in the winter with great results, and with 10 degrees and snow hitting us in Fargo tomorrow I will get a real test for the 5w20. Tonight was already freezing rain and blizzard conditions, I made it 5 miles in the city tonight with no problems besides stopping (lol).

The reason it does not like starting in the cold is either the main relay (84-93 integra-civic problem) or just the weight of the oil and the 400 CCA or so of the small battery not being able to do it.

Please don't tell me its 10w30 in the transmission of your Honda too
frown.gif
 
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I think you would do better to run an 0/30 or at least a 5w30 because of the low temps in winter.
It is very unlikely that your coolant temp readings are being influenced by the oil temperature once the engine has warmed up because the thermostat controls the temperature. It's much more likely that the cooling system is restricted or the thermostat defective.
 
Originally Posted By: ChrisN
Originally Posted By: Voltmaster
welcome

by hot do you mean the needle on the dash?
needle

Quote:
could be that the fan on your radiator is not working properly ( one could be dead ) or that your raditor is cloged with [censored]. or your water pump is going bad.
radiator was replaced with no effect on the temp gauge.

Quote:
you will get check engine light and/or car will shut itself off for safety.
no cel its carborated.

Quote:
Your engine should have over 200k on there, but it does not. as long as it has gotten oil change regularly , your ok.
well, po changed oil 33 times in 51k

Quote:
switch to 0w30 or 5w30 to be safe if your area gets below 30F.
it does, much below at times.

Any thoughts to what effect changing from conventional to synthetic would have?


Synthetic shouldnt hurt it with new SN ratings that promises better seal compatibility.

Synthetics are used mainly for longer oil change intervals. The car does not seem have to been driven too much, no need to waste extra money.


The oil does cool your engine parts , but if your having overheating problem its the cooling system rather than the oil/oil viscosity . switching to 5w30 or 0w30 is not bad idea if its get really cold, easier on engine.


Your car's engine is a little older than what i am firmilar with , i would just use dino considering its a Honda. Castrol GTX has proven itself to be good bang for buck.

You can ultimatley try sending a sample to blackstones ( if ur in US ) and see if its working well for you.
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/
 
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Originally Posted By: ChrisN
I read all of the 10x by Bob and passed the test but I'm curious what others would suggest. Currently I run castrol 10w30 year round and I have rarely driven it in the winter because it doesn't like it start when cold. This year I may have to drive it in the winter occasionally. So please let me know what you think.

Thanks!


As-far-as oil...Just about anything that has alread been suggested or that you're using already. Even old Honda's aren't that fussy about oil. I would suggest using any regular 5W30 SN/GF-5 mortor oil. As todays SN/GF-5 oil are the best regular mortor oils in history and even rival synthetic oil of several years ago, in many area of performance such as cold starting for one and longivity for another. The list goes on.

Your ((COLD)) starting issue and(perceived) )))HOT((( running issues are for another subject/catigory. It could be many things but, not oil!

COLD STARTING: Could be carburation or vacuum, IDK! Need more info
smile.gif


HOT RUNNING: Could be water pump or just your gague needle, IDK! Need more info
smile.gif
 
We had two '86 Civic Wagons, both of which ran to more than 200K.
Have you done the timing belt and water pump?
A pretty easy DIY on these cars.
When we drove them, we used at least a 10w30 and usually a 10W-40 all the time.
A 5w30 would be okay for cold weather, I'm sure.
There is an art to starting a carb engine in really cold weather.
Learn how to get the thing to life on really cold mornings and I think you'll find it to be a realiable cold weather starter.
Tap dancing the throttle pedal as you crank it should get it running on a really cold morning.
Flooding never seemed to be a problem with these.
A few rapid pulses on the throttle pedal once it's running and it should then settle down and idle.
These were great cars back in the day, with decent acceleration, great fuel economy as well as nice handling and slick shifting.
 
I wonder how much effect oxygenated ethanol fuel has had on the carburetor.

Might be some of the cold starting problem.
21.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
COLD STARTING: Could be carburation or vacuum, IDK! Need more info
smile.gif

the car starts well when it's warm out but in the cold just can't turn over. the car is the 1.3l carbureted and it runs pretty lean. My guess is that when the starter is dragging due to oil thickness it just can't quite get it up to firing quick enough

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
HOT RUNNING: Could be water pump or just your gague needle, IDK! Need more info
smile.gif

when i bought it in '01 it was already 15 yrs old and my mechanic persuaded me to do the timing belt and water pump based on the fact it is an interference engine. the running hot started within a couple of years and has just never really gotten better. at one point I had the radiator replaced (and multiple stats before that.) I'm concerned that it might be either a sludging issue or a result of the slick 50. narrowing the passageways. the cooling system works fine, the fan will cycle on and off. it just seems to work less optimally.

I checked online and walmart has 5qt Mobil 1 5w-20 for $25 in store so i'll probably pick that up and change oil before it gets much colder.

my 2012 subie impreza runs on 0w-20 syn and it loves it summer and winter.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Have you done the timing belt and water pump?
A pretty easy DIY on these cars.
that and the clutch cost me $575 in '01
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
When we drove them, we used at least a 10w30 and usually a 10W-40 all the time.
I've never gone that thick. i think the last vehicle i had that took 10w-40 had a V8
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
There is an art to starting a carb engine in really cold weather.
Learn how to get the thing to life on really cold mornings and I think you'll find it to be a realiable cold weather starter.
Tap dancing the throttle pedal as you crank it should get it running on a really cold morning.
If it would crank fast enough, sure. but the battery is 450CA and no room for anything larger so less friction at start is likely my only option.
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
These were great cars back in the day, with decent acceleration, great fuel economy as well as nice handling and slick shifting.
I truly like it, although it was a base, base, base car (radio delete, no cigarette lighter, no antenna, all of which i have added) it still gets high 30's low 40's and runs perfectly after sitting for long periods of time. but I got rid of a subaru wagon, and a landcuiser when we got our impreza and I may end up calling on this vehicle in the winter, which in 11 years i've never done before.
 
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
I wonder how much effect oxygenated ethanol fuel has had on the carburetor.

Might be some of the cold starting problem.
21.gif

I never run ethanol, ever, never. In fact most of the time i run premium, real premium (BP gold, Mobil 1 premium ect) ethanol was originally designed for carbureted vehicles to make them run leaner and have less emissions but in the older vehicles it tends to eat the floats and seal in the carbs.

ethanol has no positive effect on fuel injected cars. since the computer compensates for the adulterated gasoline by retarding timing, over spraying, ect. it is merely price support for farmers. if only i was king and could end the ethanol subsidy forever.
 
Originally Posted By: Brenden
Do a 5w20 or Mobil 1 0w30 for SD winter
I checked walmart and 5w20 Mobil 1 is $25 for 5qt so i think that is the route i'm going to go. thanks for the suggestion!

Originally Posted By: Brenden
The reason it does not like starting in the cold is either the main relay (84-93 integra-civic problem)
it's not fuel injected. the fuel pump is mechanical
Originally Posted By: Brenden
or just the weight of the oil and the 400 CCA or so of the small battery not being able to do it./quote]I think it is this exactly!

Brenden said:
Please don't tell me its 10w30 in the transmission of your Honda too
frown.gif

I'll be honest and tell you I do not know. What would you suggest instead?
Click to expand...
 
For the transmission? you can use just any conventional 10w30 if you really want.

OR

You can either get the OEM MTF, or get pennzoil synchromesh from any parts store (its gm spec so have fun with the looks you get buying it for a honda lol) OR the upgrade from PS, GM Synchromesh Friction Modified.

But honestly if it shifts good you can just leave it, unless you are the type that gets warm and fuzzy, like me, knowing all the fluids are fresh.

I had problems with my old civic starting when it was cold, the little battery just couldn't turn it over under 0 degrees, but a new one mostly did away with that. The new one still struggled it seemed on any 5w30 at cold cold temps, using Mobil 1 0w30 helped tons.

And I thought MPFI was the new thing for civics of that year hmmm maybe that's the accords.

I have almost all of my wrench time in the 1990-2000 D/B series motors, I do not know the carb'd engines inside and out... maybe someone who does can weight in an opinion on using 5w20 in it? And even if you decide to stick to 5w30 weights a synthetic will make those cold starts easier.
 
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Yes, those older HONDA's used 10W30 in their manual transmissions back then. But, I think that 10W30 back in the day, was a different beast as todays 10W30 are not quite the same(although better, not quite better for transmissions) and may not be recomended for the older transmissions due to a chemistry/additive change(others may chime in on this).

I don't quite remember when Honda started using EFI but, I do remember seeing special "i" models in 84-85 Accord with a TBI(not MPFI). And later, the 86-89 Accords had MPFI in the top of the line Accord LX-i(Canadian EX-i) while the lower DX/LX(Canadian LX/EX) still used a 2bbl carb.

And the Prelude's in '88 used MPFI on the "S" models while other Preludes still used twin side draft carbs.

'88 also brought the new Civic & CRX, all having some sort of EFI. Lower line models were using TBI's while Civic EX & CRX Si models were using MPFI similar to the Acura Integra's. And the CRX HF was using, IIRC, 3bbl carb. Yes, 3bbl. I have heard of these HF 3bbl's getting close to 50 mpg.

This is when Honda was at the top of their game compared to the competition. Three cars in various versions...Accord, Prelude, Civic.
The Civic being the most diverse:

2 Dr Hacthback
5 Dr Wagon w,w/o AWD
4 Door Sedan
2 Dr CRX

Also in 1988, Honda sweaped MT COTY, 1, 2, 3 with the Civic, CRX and Prelude(I don't quite remember the exact order).

Where in 1986(3G Accord), the Accord was beatout by the Mazda RX7.

Yup, although all vehicles are much better today, this is when Honda was at the TOP.
 
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