Bought A Cheap Accord, The Sequel: Acura TSX

J

JoeDirt41

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May 31, 2024
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497
If you followed the thread on my 1997 Accord, I hope you’ll enjoy this thread as well. This thread will be to document and share the work on my new project/daily driver, a 2006 Acura TSX, which replaced the Accord. I always loved these TSXs and the Acura TLs ever since they came out when I was a kid, so I am super excited to finally own one. It’s got a K24 4 cylinder and a 6 speed manual. It’s a little bigger than the Accord with a usable back seat, has a few more creature comforts, it’s a little newer, has the 6 speed that I really enjoy, it’s a lot easier to find parts for and most stuff is still available from Honda/Acura.
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I looked at a couple on Facebook marketplace before finding this one. I drove about 2 hours to Ohio to get it and trailered it back with my F150. It has higher miles at 270k, but looks to have been really well maintained. It was originally a Texas car and it stayed in Texas until at least 2024 according to the Carfax and some old registration records I found in the glovebox.
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It has some sun fade on the paint and some peeling clear that Hondas of this vintage are known for, and I’m sure the Texas sun contributed to that, but there is not a spec of rust on the car. The underside is spotless. It came with 2 keys and 2 fobs, all of the original owners manuals (no window sticker unfortunately), and the original spare tire and jack with all the tools.
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There are some small issues, nothing that the previous owner didn’t disclose, and some of which I’ve already fixed. Most are cosmetic in nature. The previous owner fixed a few things recently; he put a new radiator and a new power steering pump in it shortly before I purchased it. He claimed he also just did an oil change and changed the manual transmission fluid.
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I bought the car on Wednesday and I’ve already done some small things which I’ll try to as document as detailed and orderly as possible in the next post.
 
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The day after I bought the car, I made a trip to the junkyard to hopefully find some parts for it. They had two TSXs. Between them, I managed to get a wiper arm, some trim clips, a few fasteners, the decklid badges, a clutch switch, a battery terminal cover, and some factory-style hose clamps. I was hoping to find a grille and an intake hose, but struck out on those. I stopped at the auto parts store on the way home and bought a clutch switch pad, some stainless steel screws for the license plate, and a hood prop clip from the Dorman section.
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When I got home, my first order of business was to wash the car; it was filthy from the ride home. I pulled each wheel off and cleaned them individually. I inspected the tires and brakes more thoroughly while doing this. The brakes all look good, rear rotors are a bit corroded but lots of pad life. The tires are matching General Altimaxs and have no dry rot, and they have enough tread to pass inspection and get by for a bit.

I replaced the battery terminal cover, the hood prop clip, and swapped the wiper arm (the old one had peeling paint and some corrosion). I polished the paint on the decklid and replaced the badges. I also replaced the foam tape behind the license plate that protects the paint from the license plate. I added a bit more than what the factory put there. I polished the exhaust tips too.
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From there I pressure washed the engine bay as best I could. There was a lot of grease around the power steering pump from the old pump leaking and a lot got on the alternator. I don’t like pressure washing alternators, but being caked in grease can kill them too, so I cleaned it off as best as I could. I polished the headlights with some 3000 grit sandpaper and some 3M polish on a wool buffing pad, they came out pretty nice. I clay barred and began to polish the paint, and got about 2/3 of the way around the car before I ran out of energy. I’m not too worried about the paint on the top surfaces at this point, I may try to polish it or repaint it at some point, but for now it’s a low priority.
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Rear door polished versus front door unpolished:
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I did a quick vacuum on the inside, wiped the dash down and removed the goofy shifter extension. I’d still like to find a stock shift knob and it needs a more thorough cleaning, but it’s already a big improvement.
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The clutch switch was not functioning properly and was bypassed when I got it, something that the previous owner disclosed, but being bypassed allows the car to start without the clutch depressed. I tried swapping the switch with the one from the junkyard, but that was not the issue. The issue was the small plastic pad that attaches to the clutch pedal and presses on the switch- it must have broken or fallen off. I already picked up a Dorman one from the parts store, suspecting it might be the issue. To install it, I had to remove the pedal assembly and pop it in. I reinstalled the pedal and was able to test it and it’s now working as intended. I still want to go through the factory procedure shown below to properly set the depth of the switch, but I have it pretty close right now.
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Stay tuned for more!
 
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I keep kicking around the idea of looking for one of those to buy. Problem is, the wife would need to drive it for a while since I don't really want to give her the TL to drive, and I'm not sure how keen she'd be on DD-ing a 6 speed.
 
Great Car Joe. Best of luck and have fun getting it to where you want it!

In 2004 had entertained the though of the TSX back when it first came to the U.S. I realized that it was/is a European Honda Accord and I liked that.(y) I didn't buy one but maybe I should have!
 
Always liked topic generation TSX. While not quite as keen on it, recently saw a lady drive into a Dollar General I was at with the next generation TSX in white-ish. Went up to her told I liked her TSX, and that it looked well cared for. She replied that her husband wanted to get her something newer, she told him no way she loves it. It was very low miles and in pristine condition. II guess I might be a bit of TSX stalker because years ago did similar in grocery store PL with same generation as topic, and reaction of owner also a woman was similar. Hubby also wanted her to get something newer, but she was resisting.

Your clutch switch issue reminds me of an issue former neighbor had with her 04 Civic brake light switch. Stayed on all the time, small clear plastic pad broke off with pieces on floor mat, had to be replaced. Apparently very common, luckily no pedal removal needed.

Anyway, best wishes with your TSX restoration project.
 
JoeDirt41 said:
The day after I bought the car, I made a trip to the junkyard to hopefully find some parts for it. They had two TSXs. Between them, I managed to get a wiper arm, some trim clips, a few fasteners, the decklid badges, a clutch switch, a battery terminal cover, and some factory-style hose clamps. I was hoping to find a grille and an intake hose, but struck out on those. I stopped at the auto parts store on the way home and bought a clutch switch pad, some stainless steel screws for the license plate, and a hood prop clip from the Dorman section.
View attachment 341518
When I got home, my first order of business was to wash the car; it was filthy from the ride home. I pulled each wheel off and cleaned them individually. I inspected the tires and brakes more thoroughly while doing this. The brakes all look good, rear rotors are a bit corroded but lots of pad life. The tires are matching General Altimaxs and have no dry rot, and they have enough tread to pass inspection and get by for a bit.

I replaced the battery terminal cover, the hood prop clip, and swapped the wiper arm (the old one had peeling paint and some corrosion). I polished the paint on the decklid and replaced the badges. I also replaced the foam tape behind the license plate that protects the paint from the license plate. I added a bit more than what the factory put there. I polished the exhaust tips too.
View attachment 341521
View attachment 341519
From there I pressure washed the engine bay as best I could. There was a lot of grease around the power steering pump from the old pump leaking and a lot got on the alternator. I don’t like pressure washing alternators, but being caked in grease can kill them too, so I cleaned it off as best as I could. I polished the headlights with some 3000 grit sandpaper and some 3M polish on a wool buffing pad, they came out pretty nice. I clay barred and began to polish the paint, and got about 2/3 of the way around the car before I ran out of energy. I’m not too worried about the paint on the top surfaces at this point, I may try to polish it or repaint it at some point, but for now it’s a low priority.
View attachment 341515
Rear door polished versus front door unpolished:
View attachment 341517
View attachment 341516
I did a quick vacuum on the inside, wiped the dash down and removed the goofy shifter extension. I’d still like to find a stock shift knob and it needs a more thorough cleaning, but it’s already a big improvement.
View attachment 341520
The clutch switch was not functioning properly and was bypassed when I got it, something that the previous owner disclosed, but being bypassed allows the car to start without the clutch depressed. I tried swapping the switch with the one from the junkyard, but that was not the issue. The issue was the small plastic pad that attaches to the clutch pedal and presses on the switch- it must have broken or fallen off. I already picked up a Dorman one from the parts store, suspecting it might be the issue. To install it, I had to remove the pedal assembly and pop it in. I reinstalled the pedal and was able to test it and it’s now working as intended. I still want to go through the factory procedure shown below to properly set the depth of the switch, but I have it pretty close right now.
View attachment 341522
Stay tuned for more!
Click to expand...
Two keys...wow. Hard to find a 24 or 25 vehicle with two keys.
 
Thanks for all the replies everyone. Appreciate all the compliments and I hope you’ll all follow along!

cpayne5 said:
Great cars. I have an '06 6MT that I bought in April 2008 with 10k on it. It currently has 337k on it.
Click to expand...
Nice car! It’s encouraging to see other TSXs with higher mileage!
GSCJR said:
@JoeDirt41, I had one of these in black; I'll be following your progress on this one too!
Click to expand...
Glad to have you following along!
ctechbob said:
I keep kicking around the idea of looking for one of those to buy. Problem is, the wife would need to drive it for a while since I don't really want to give her the TL to drive, and I'm not sure how keen she'd be on DD-ing a 6 speed.
Click to expand...
There were a lot of super clean automatic TSXs for sale but I was really dead set on finding a 6 speed. I’ve really missed having a manual in the stable.
SC Maintenance said:
Looks great. You must get rid of that awful shift knob!

What else needs fixing?
Click to expand...
I know, I know. It’s not the worst I’ve seen but it’s not good. The OEM shift knob is super expensive, like $300+. The knobs from the current Acura Integras are a bit cheaper and look decent so I may go with one of those.
The_Jeff said:
It's better for your crankshaft thrust bearing to start the car in neutral with the clutch out, so I wouldn't have hurried to fix it.

Looks clean. (y)
Click to expand...
Thanks! I’m sure it is, but knowing my dumb azz, I’ll forget one day and try to start it in gear. I’d rather it just work the way it’s supposed to.
loneryder said:
Two keys...wow. Hard to find a 24 or 25 vehicle with two keys.
Click to expand...
Right! I think it’s a testament to how well it’s been cared for.
 
So I went to the junkyard today to get a pigtail to make the clutch switch adjustment procedure a bit easier. I hooked the pigtail to my multimeter and adjusted it until there was continuity, rather than starting the car and checking a bunch of times. I followed the procedure to a T and honestly wasn’t really happy with the result. You had to press the clutch in to start the car, but you only had to press it in about halfway, and as a result, you could start it with the transmission still engaged and move the car with the starter.
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So from there, I went to trial and error. I wanted to make sure you had to push the clutch in just past the bite point so the engine and transmission were completely disengaged. I would adjust it, then bump the key while pressing the clutch in bit by bit, and observe if the car moved when it finally started. I had to do it 3 or 4 times but eventually got it. Now it’s set so you have to almost fully depress it (maybe 5mm or less from the stop) before it will start.
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