Been following this from the start, you do great work @JoeDirt41 . Your progress and successes are inspiring for sure.
Bought a Cheap Accord
- Thread starter JoeDirt41
- Start date
Glad you’ve enjoyed following along! It’s been a fun little, low-budget project car!
Changed the oil today in the car. Only had 700 miles on it, but since I don’t know much about the maintenance history of this car and I’ve been doing a good bit of short-tripping with it, I wanted to change the oil before it gets really cold. Took out the Mobil 1 Extended Performance that was in it and put in Castrol Edge and a Carquest Premium filter.
Kind of odd, but when I emptied the drain pan, there was a piece of metal in the bottom. Looks like a piece of a cotter pin. Very possible it may have been in the drain pan before I drained the oil, but I can’t be certain. I sent a picture to a friend of mine who was a mechanic at the Honda dealer for longer than I’ve been alive, including at the time when these cars were new, and he didn’t recognize it. He said even if it did come from the engine, if it made it to the oil pan, don’t worry about it. The engine is running totally fine, no issues whatsoever. Just odd.
Anyways that’s it for now.
Kind of odd, but when I emptied the drain pan, there was a piece of metal in the bottom. Looks like a piece of a cotter pin. Very possible it may have been in the drain pan before I drained the oil, but I can’t be certain. I sent a picture to a friend of mine who was a mechanic at the Honda dealer for longer than I’ve been alive, including at the time when these cars were new, and he didn’t recognize it. He said even if it did come from the engine, if it made it to the oil pan, don’t worry about it. The engine is running totally fine, no issues whatsoever. Just odd.
Anyways that’s it for now.
Little update on the Accord. Still driving it on a semi-regular basis. Winter will be here soon, which means salt will be on the roads and I wanted to address some of the rust on the car before the salt gets to it and makes it worse. Three of the four doors were rusting at the bottom seam, so I cut the seam sealer out, wire wheeled with the angle grinder and brushed some POR-15 on. I wasn’t aiming for a cosmetic repair, just want to keep the rust from spreading. Besides, it’s difficult to care about cosmetics when the jambs are a different color than the rest of the car 
. At least the POR-15 is close to the same color as the exterior, not that you see these areas much anyway. After it dries, I may take some rattle can black and go over it just to give it some UV protection. I’ll definitely be spraying with Fluid Film once everything is dried.
I’m also getting a noticeable oil-burning smell when I’m driving, especially on the highway, so I’m gonna bite the bullet and replace the oil pan gasket. Not an hard job, just not one I’m looking forward to. I ordered a Fel-Pro PermaDry gasket from RockAuto. It should be here later this week although I may not get to it till after finals week. I’m fairly certain that is the source of the problem.
. At least the POR-15 is close to the same color as the exterior, not that you see these areas much anyway. After it dries, I may take some rattle can black and go over it just to give it some UV protection. I’ll definitely be spraying with Fluid Film once everything is dried.I’m also getting a noticeable oil-burning smell when I’m driving, especially on the highway, so I’m gonna bite the bullet and replace the oil pan gasket. Not an hard job, just not one I’m looking forward to. I ordered a Fel-Pro PermaDry gasket from RockAuto. It should be here later this week although I may not get to it till after finals week. I’m fairly certain that is the source of the problem.
Went back today and sprayed a quick top coat of black Rustoleum 2X and after it dried for an hour or so, I sprayed Fluid Film over top as well as in the drain holes to coat the inside of the doors. Again, not really a cosmetic repair, but you can’t see it when the doors are closed, and for now I just want to stop the rust from getting worse. I think this will accomplish that.
School semester is over and winter break is here, so I’ve finally had some time to get caught up on car stuff. Last week I got mom’s car squared away and this week I moved on to the Honda. Today I finally got to replacing the oil pan gasket. Overall not a hard job, just tight quarters under the car.
Fortunately everything came apart nicely. Took lots of brake cleaner to get all of the grease and grime off of everything. There was a small dent in the oil pan that I straightened out with a 2x4 and a hammer. I also ran a tap through the drain bolt hole so the drain bolt goes in and out very easily now.
Inside the engine looked a little dirty but about what you’d expect for a 28 year old engine. Nothing terrible. Some Valvoline Restore and Protect might be helpful for the small amounts of buildup and varnish.
I used a small amount of Permatex Ultra Gray in the recommended areas along with the Fel-Pro Perma-Dry Plus Gasket. The gasket looks like a really nice piece. It’s silicone, has a metal core, and metal spacers at the bolt holes to prevent overtightening.
I had to remove the bottom half of the exhaust manifold to access the oil pan, and I bought a new gasket, which wound up being the right shape but the wrong size, so I just reinstalled the exhaust with the old gaskets. I’m hoping for no leaks. I think it should be fine. Stainless steel headers are very inexpensive for these cars so I may install one of those in the future anyways.
I haven’t refilled the oil yet as I wanted to wait 24 hours for the RTV to cure. I’m also going to rotate the tires while the car is off the ground, and I’m considering replacing the fuel filter that I have sitting here. The car is also overdue for inspection and emissions stickers. It’ll pass, no problem but I need to take it in one I get this work done.
Fortunately everything came apart nicely. Took lots of brake cleaner to get all of the grease and grime off of everything. There was a small dent in the oil pan that I straightened out with a 2x4 and a hammer. I also ran a tap through the drain bolt hole so the drain bolt goes in and out very easily now.
Inside the engine looked a little dirty but about what you’d expect for a 28 year old engine. Nothing terrible. Some Valvoline Restore and Protect might be helpful for the small amounts of buildup and varnish.
I used a small amount of Permatex Ultra Gray in the recommended areas along with the Fel-Pro Perma-Dry Plus Gasket. The gasket looks like a really nice piece. It’s silicone, has a metal core, and metal spacers at the bolt holes to prevent overtightening.
I had to remove the bottom half of the exhaust manifold to access the oil pan, and I bought a new gasket, which wound up being the right shape but the wrong size, so I just reinstalled the exhaust with the old gaskets. I’m hoping for no leaks. I think it should be fine. Stainless steel headers are very inexpensive for these cars so I may install one of those in the future anyways.
I haven’t refilled the oil yet as I wanted to wait 24 hours for the RTV to cure. I’m also going to rotate the tires while the car is off the ground, and I’m considering replacing the fuel filter that I have sitting here. The car is also overdue for inspection and emissions stickers. It’ll pass, no problem but I need to take it in one I get this work done.
Hope everyone had a great Christmas. Filled the car up with oil today, longer than the 24 hours I was going to wait. Went fancy with Valvoline Restore and Protect. I haven’t used it before in any vehicle so I’m hopeful it does some good. I didn’t replace the filter as it has less than 500 miles on it.
I finally replaced the fuel filter today too. Definitely a PITA. Very difficult to access. You can just barely see it to the bottom left of the brake fluid reservoir. Old filter was original. It is supposed to be changed every 100k miles.
I also rotated the tires while I had it up off the ground. And since I’m driving this car through the winter, I took a can of Fluid Film and sprayed under the car on the sunframes and in some areas that were a bit rusty. For the most part the car is very solid underneath, but I want to do my best to keep it that way. Next thing to do is to take it to a shop for inspection and emissions stickers.
I finally replaced the fuel filter today too. Definitely a PITA. Very difficult to access. You can just barely see it to the bottom left of the brake fluid reservoir. Old filter was original. It is supposed to be changed every 100k miles.
I also rotated the tires while I had it up off the ground. And since I’m driving this car through the winter, I took a can of Fluid Film and sprayed under the car on the sunframes and in some areas that were a bit rusty. For the most part the car is very solid underneath, but I want to do my best to keep it that way. Next thing to do is to take it to a shop for inspection and emissions stickers.
Finally took the car for inspection and emissions today. Passed with no problems. Shop was impressed with how clean it was, they asked me if it was a southern car. He said they had a ‘99 Accord in a few days ago and it was clean for a ‘99 but not as nice as this one. School starts back next week so I’ll be driving it a bit more often.
School started this week so I’ve been using the car to commute. It has been in the single digits in the morning when I leave and the car hasn’t complained much about the temps. Takes a couple extra seconds of cranking before it turns over, but it starts right up. Yesterday I put a full tank of ethanol-free 90 octane in it, just for the heck of it. I doubt the car will notice but I’d imagine it is higher quality fuel than our usual E10.
I got some nicer floor mats to keep the mess from the salt and slush to a minimum. The thin mats I had were included with the car and just weren’t good enough. I’ve had these Members Mark mats from Sam’s Club in several other vehicles and they are about the best thing other than WeatherTechs. Driver’s side is a little big but it doesn’t interfere with the pedals so I’m fine with some extra spill protection.
One of my Carquest XQ wipers broke after freezing to the windshield, so I had to get a replacement today. The cheap plastic rivet that holds the clip seems to pop out and then the wiper frame bends. Bad design. I need to find some conventional blades with a peened or rolled metal rivet.
I also added some AT-205 to the power steering fluid in hopes of stopping the small leak. I added 3oz per the instructions. It claims that I should notice results within 5 hours of operation. Lots of good reviews on this stuff so I’m hopeful it works.
I got some nicer floor mats to keep the mess from the salt and slush to a minimum. The thin mats I had were included with the car and just weren’t good enough. I’ve had these Members Mark mats from Sam’s Club in several other vehicles and they are about the best thing other than WeatherTechs. Driver’s side is a little big but it doesn’t interfere with the pedals so I’m fine with some extra spill protection.
One of my Carquest XQ wipers broke after freezing to the windshield, so I had to get a replacement today. The cheap plastic rivet that holds the clip seems to pop out and then the wiper frame bends. Bad design. I need to find some conventional blades with a peened or rolled metal rivet.
I also added some AT-205 to the power steering fluid in hopes of stopping the small leak. I added 3oz per the instructions. It claims that I should notice results within 5 hours of operation. Lots of good reviews on this stuff so I’m hopeful it works.
Thank you for continually updating this thread, been a real treat to see the hard work you've put into it 
Thank you for following along! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it. I enjoy updating it just for my own documentation purposes, and I always like reading everyone’s feedback and ideas on how to improve. It’s been a lot of fun to work on and it’s really a great car to drive.Thank you for continually updating this thread, been a real treat to see the hard work you've put into it
so where's it leaking in the power steering system? I remember you replaced the power steering pump with one (no-name chinese) like the one I had in my civic of the same vintage. but thanks for the update, nice to hear all is well (except for the leak)..
oh and it'll be interesting to see how the ethanol-free gas works out for ya.. I know on the civic it gained about 3mpg with that fuel.
I know you get the wiper blades probably on a discount but I remember going back to Honda's blades and the wipe quality was excellent, thinking it was a metal frame too. But that's if you get a good discount at a Honda dealer.
The power steering is leaking from the pump, unfortunately. Can’t tell if it’s the shaft seal or the pressure relief valve cap on the bottom. I don’t notice the fluid level going down, but it’s enough to make a mess on the timing cover. Definitely annoying. I have the old pump if I want to try to put seals in it again and switch back, but I’d like to see how this leak stop does. I’ve read a lot of good reviews on it.
We get lower quality fuel in the winter so I figured I’d see how the ethanol free stuff stacks up. Might help, definitely won’t hurt.
The beam style blades don’t fit well on this car; they don’t wrap around the contour of the windshield well enough, so I prefer the conventional blades for it. I know the OEM Honda blades are good. I went for another Carquest just because the other blade isn’t very old and I don’t want to replace it, and my OCD would never let me have mismatched wiper blades. I hate Rain-X blades and those are the only other conventionals that I’m seeing in stores but I haven’t checked thoroughly. I’ll look around more next time I get blades, probably in the spring or summer.
Such a great job keeping this classic alive. And a fun thread for sure! I always wonder if there’s a risk of adding chemical seal softeners, for the impacts they might have on other seals in the system. Will it weaken others and shorten their life? Might not matter?
Thanks! And thanks for following along! I wonder the same thing myself. I read up on it a lot, and I really couldn’t find any negative reviews of this product. The really nice thing about this car is that it’s a second car and I’m able to experiment with stuff like this on it. Worst case, I can drive my truck until I find the time and parts to fix it.
I haven’t actually looked under the hood since I added the stuff, although I’ve driven about 100 miles since. We got walloped with snow today and school is already cancelled tomorrow so I probably won’t be driving it again till later in the week.
and here I thought that no-name pump was good, guess I got lucky for the Civic with one of those. sorry it didn't work out for you. But it will be interesting to see if this stop leak stuff works!
oh ya "winter gas", get the same thing here in Michigan, less volatility for the lower temps, nope won't hurt to try ethanol-free gas!
I've found lots of blades that claim they will fit a windshield and end up not enough pressure to hold the blade to the glass. Most of them aftermarket, I ended giving up and buying the Honda, the dealer I went to sold them to me for like $14 each! as everyone keeps talking the aftermarket has really gone down in quality lately, hope these new blades you just got work well for the rest of the winter!
and ya as everyone else has said, thanks for the updates!!
I’ve put about 200 miles on the car since I put the AT205 in the power steering system and I think I have some good news to report. The leak seems to have either slowed significantly or completely disappeared. There is very little fluid on the timing cover and upper engine mount where it was previously soaked in fluid. I’m very happy with this result. I’ve noticed no negative effects on the performance of the power steering system since adding the AT205.
We’ve been in an arctic deep freeze for the past couple weeks with lows around 0, dipping into the negatives and we even got a foot and half of snow to go along with it. The car has performed well on less-than-perfectly cleared roads. The tires are still in great shape, so that helps a lot.
The temps have made it really hard to wash the salt off of the car, but I did pull it in the garage yesterday and hosed it off as best I could with hot water. Even in the garage with hot water, the water was freezing as it hit the car. I was able to rinse off a lot of salt and debris though. I really hate winter!
I got at least one good picture of it while it was still clean on my way to class this morning. It was filthy after the drive home
I believe these winter PA roads are starting to take a toll on the suspension, as I’m getting a dull “pop” noise going over bumps. Sounds like a strut mount to me, and I haven’t narrowed it down completely, but it seems like it’s coming from the left front. I haven’t replaced the struts on this car yet, and they are still the originals, so come spring, new struts are probably in order.
We’ve been in an arctic deep freeze for the past couple weeks with lows around 0, dipping into the negatives and we even got a foot and half of snow to go along with it. The car has performed well on less-than-perfectly cleared roads. The tires are still in great shape, so that helps a lot.
The temps have made it really hard to wash the salt off of the car, but I did pull it in the garage yesterday and hosed it off as best I could with hot water. Even in the garage with hot water, the water was freezing as it hit the car. I was able to rinse off a lot of salt and debris though. I really hate winter!
I got at least one good picture of it while it was still clean on my way to class this morning. It was filthy after the drive home
I believe these winter PA roads are starting to take a toll on the suspension, as I’m getting a dull “pop” noise going over bumps. Sounds like a strut mount to me, and I haven’t narrowed it down completely, but it seems like it’s coming from the left front. I haven’t replaced the struts on this car yet, and they are still the originals, so come spring, new struts are probably in order.
yup bitter cold temps always shows suspension issues. You know everyone is going to tell you to put Bilsteins on it!I’ve put about 200 miles on the car since I put the AT205 in the power steering system and I think I have some good news to report. The leak seems to have either slowed significantly or completely disappeared. There is very little fluid on the timing cover and upper engine mount where it was previously soaked in fluid. I’m very happy with this result. I’ve noticed no negative effects on the performance of the power steering system since adding the AT205.
View attachment 322692View attachment 322693
We’ve been in an arctic deep freeze for the past couple weeks with lows around 0, dipping into the negatives and we even got a foot and half of snow to go along with it. The car has performed well on less-than-perfectly cleared roads. The tires are still in great shape, so that helps a lot.
The temps have made it really hard to wash the salt off of the car, but I did pull it in the garage yesterday and hosed it off as best I could with hot water. Even in the garage with hot water, the water was freezing as it hit the car. I was able to rinse off a lot of salt and debris though. I really hate winter!
I got at least one good picture of it while it was still clean on my way to class this morning. It was filthy after the drive home
View attachment 322694
I believe these winter PA roads are starting to take a toll on the suspension, as I’m getting a dull “pop” noise going over bumps. Sounds like a strut mount to me, and I haven’t narrowed it down completely, but it seems like it’s coming from the left front. I haven’t replaced the struts on this car yet, and they are still the originals, so come spring, new struts are probably in order.
And with the extreme cold that would shrink o-rings in the power steering system and show leakage, you're new fluid condition it and stopped it. Talk about a nice commercial for that stuff! I'm thinking if I have issues with my own car I'll be looking at using that stuff! No money right now for a huge repair bill!
But that's awesome that the at205 stopped it and I can't see anything on the timing cover either, looks bone dry! cool!
yup this winter has sucked more than others! nice morning, parking lot picture, reminds me of many mornings going to college. what's wild is your picture doesn't have any huge, modern SUVs in it.. that picture looks like it could have been taken back in 97 when the car was new! very cool.. ok thanks for the update.
You’re doing great with this old civic. I lived in Detroit for years, and I always had a winter beater. Word of advice though, if you use fluid film, don’t bother washing off the salt. It doesn’t help, unless you’re doing the exterior for cosmetic reasons. The fluid film is a barrier between the salt and metal. Washing only risks removing the film.I’ve put about 200 miles on the car since I put the AT205 in the power steering system and I think I have some good news to report. The leak seems to have either slowed significantly or completely disappeared. There is very little fluid on the timing cover and upper engine mount where it was previously soaked in fluid. I’m very happy with this result. I’ve noticed no negative effects on the performance of the power steering system since adding the AT205.
View attachment 322692View attachment 322693
We’ve been in an arctic deep freeze for the past couple weeks with lows around 0, dipping into the negatives and we even got a foot and half of snow to go along with it. The car has performed well on less-than-perfectly cleared roads. The tires are still in great shape, so that helps a lot.
The temps have made it really hard to wash the salt off of the car, but I did pull it in the garage yesterday and hosed it off as best I could with hot water. Even in the garage with hot water, the water was freezing as it hit the car. I was able to rinse off a lot of salt and debris though. I really hate winter!
I got at least one good picture of it while it was still clean on my way to class this morning. It was filthy after the drive home
View attachment 322694
I believe these winter PA roads are starting to take a toll on the suspension, as I’m getting a dull “pop” noise going over bumps. Sounds like a strut mount to me, and I haven’t narrowed it down completely, but it seems like it’s coming from the left front. I haven’t replaced the struts on this car yet, and they are still the originals, so come spring, new struts are probably in order.
I fluid filmed my winter beater for years, and never washed them. Had great success reducing rust.
I’d love to put Bilsteins on it, but I don’t believe anything from Bilstein is available for this car anymore. KYB had their adjustable AGXs for it as well as standard shocks. And I believe Tein makes coilovers for it. OEMs are long discontinued. There’s really not a ton of options.yup bitter cold temps always shows suspension issues. You know everyone is going to tell you to put Bilsteins on it!
And with the extreme cold that would shrink o-rings in the power steering system and show leakage, you're new fluid condition it and stopped it. Talk about a nice commercial for that stuff! I'm thinking if I have issues with my own car I'll be looking at using that stuff! No money right now for a huge repair bill!
But that's awesome that the at205 stopped it and I can't see anything on the timing cover either, looks bone dry! cool!
yup this winter has sucked more than others! nice morning, parking lot picture, reminds me of many mornings going to college. what's wild is your picture doesn't have any huge, modern SUVs in it.. that picture looks like it could have been taken back in 97 when the car was new! very cool.. ok thanks for the update.
The AT205 seems to be good stuff. I read plenty of positive reviews on it, so I had high hopes for it.
I get to school pretty early before the lot fills up but there’s plenty crossovers and SUV that fill it up later in the day. My Accord is definitely one of the oldest cars in the lot lol.
