Bought a Cheap Accord

[JoeDirt41]

KBB value on this car is like $1000? Maybe? It will take quite a bit to really make this car reliable. Timing belt, water pump, tensioner, etc. Not to mention what may be required to just get it started. Maintenance history?

Each to his/her own, but unless you just love these cars and or sentimental value, not sure it would be worth the money?

True, but, I want to say these are easy to work on, and with cheap parts.

Every used car is a gamble, but if one keeps costs low going in, and costs low the whole time, they might get ahead. Yes, there is a gamble that one might drop a kilobuck to buy, times two more to fix up--and then wreck the following week and be out all the money. The odds of that are low, and not any worse than buying a brand new car (or gently used one) and having the same thing happen. In the latter case insurance might make cover the cost and you'd be out zero--but in order to have that assurance, you pay for it dearly (high depreciation, high insurance, high registration).

Life's a gamble.

For what I've got into it right now, I could scrap it and at least break even.

I found a set of factory wheels and tires on Facebook marketplace that were right up the road for $75. The tires aren't dry rotted and will at least pass inspection. The wheels are very dirty, but was able to clean and mount two of them before I had to get ready for work. I also removed the gaudy chrome door edge guards. Already a big improvement IMO.

 

[Patrick0525]

It is down right gangsters looking. I would be rolling with my favorite Tupac CD.
My wife hates my gangster playlist.

 

[camrydriver111]

Welcome to the Honda club!

Once that VTEC kicks in they really fly

 

[meep]

These are excellent cars. The distributor rotor was a weak spot, that and the igniter as mentioned earlier. Engine and trans can make 300k. I’ll bet Dorman will sell you a new seat cushion to over the surprisingly good upholstery. These accords can eat up some miles. They can also be quite fun as the suspensions loosen up over nasty gravel roads. True wishbone suspension in these I believe? Nicely rigid chassis. I did know one of these as a stick (respect) but they are rare.

 

[GSCJR]

Already a big improvement IMO.

Definitely! How many miles are on this beast?

 

[michaelluscher]

Buy a FSM

Lemme save him a few dollars

https://charm.li/Honda/1997/Accord EX Sedan L4-2156cc 2.2L SOHC (VTEC) MFI/Repair and Diagnosis/

Run the VIN, make sure it's had its recalls completed
If the airbag light is on with seatbelt buckle codes, they have a lifetime warranty
If you need unworn keys cut, the keycode is stamped on the trunk/fuel door lockout barrel, it comes out easily
I'd preemptively touch up the solder points on the main relay, very common for this era Honda
Front window track/channel issues were prevalent on this era Accord, no idea why
And if it didn't come with any keyfobs or remotes, I can offer some guidance to the factory security system

Get those trashy wheels off it, and it looks a Classic Honda, enjoy it
Edit: you already did
Looks better already

 

[JoeDirt41]

These are excellent cars. The distributor rotor was a weak spot, that and the igniter as mentioned earlier. Engine and trans can make 300k. I’ll bet Dorman will sell you a new seat cushion to over the surprisingly good upholstery. These accords can eat up some miles. They can also be quite fun as the suspensions loosen up over nasty gravel roads. True wishbone suspension in these I believe? Nicely rigid chassis. I did know one of these as a stick (respect) but they are rare.

They are true wishbone suspension which is very foreign-looking if you are used to looking at a plain Macpherson strut front, mult-link rear.

Definitely! How many miles are on this beast?

Thanks! 165,000 miles.

Lemme save him a few dollars

https://charm.li/Honda/1997/Accord EX Sedan L4-2156cc 2.2L SOHC (VTEC) MFI/Repair and Diagnosis/

Run the VIN, make sure it's had its recalls completed
If the airbag light is on with seatbelt buckle codes, they have a lifetime warranty
If you need unworn keys cut, the keycode is stamped on the trunk/fuel door lockout barrel, it comes out easily
I'd preemptively touch up the solder points on the main relay, very common for this era Honda
Front window track/channel issues were prevalent on this era Accord, no idea why
And if it didn't come with any keyfobs or remotes, I can offer some guidance to the factory security system

Get those trashy wheels off it, and it looks a Classic Honda, enjoy it
Edit: you already did
Looks better already

Thanks! The FSM is awesome! Very helpful info! It did not come with any fobs or remotes. Any way to program new ones?

 

[eljefino]

The trannys on these are pretty fragile, I'd do a couple fluid changes once you get it operable.

 

[Nukeman7]

They are true wishbone suspension which is very foreign-looking if you are used to looking at a plain Macpherson strut front, mult-link rear.

Thanks! 165,000 miles.

Thanks! The FSM is awesome! Very helpful info! It did not come with any fobs or remotes. Any way to program new ones?

The remote transmitter fobs are cheap on Amazon and eBay. The procedure for programming the remote fobs is shown in the video below.

 

[michaelluscher]

Thanks! The FSM is awesome! Very helpful info! It did not come with any fobs or remotes. Any way to program new ones?

'97 was the last year for "optional security system"
Is there a security light on the dash (above the radio) or a module under the passenger seat?
There was a dealer installed siren kit that could be stacked on it, plus god knows what kinda aftermarket nonsense could've been hacked in over the years
Part number 39950-S01-A01
Follow these instructions
https://charm.li/Honda/1997/Accord ...nsmitter Programming Information/Procedure 7/
I don't miss that era of factory vs dealer installed stuff
Then the dealers would hack in some other nonsense because it was cheaper with a better kickback
If it doesn't work, your car might not have been equipped with security
Try this remote here, could probably return it if it doesn't take
https://a.co/d/8hPPjRC

 

[DannyM]

They are true wishbone suspension which is very foreign-looking if you are used to looking at a plain Macpherson strut front, mult-link rear.

Thanks! 165,000 miles.

Thanks! The FSM is awesome! Very helpful info! It did not come with any fobs or remotes. Any way to program new ones?

I had that same exact model and while they are not fast, they sure do trick you to think they are the way that motor rev's and feels while running through the gears. I think they are more satisfying than the newer engines even though you are not moving as quickly. The motor is addicting IMO.

My mom still has the LX non-vtec which is also pretty darn solid.... Check the plugs for oil because these are notorious for the lower spark plug tube seals (under the valve assembly) wearing out which is a minor pita job but not that bad.

 

[fdcg27]

We had a '97 5spd LX coupe that I really liked. Drove it past 200K with little trouble.
We also had a '96 4dr automatic LX that was also a nice driver, although not as entertaining as the stick.
This was a good generation of the Accord, very sporty to drive with a firm, well controlled ride that also offered plenty of compliance.
Also drove a '94 EX 4dr auto from Cleveland to Spokane. It was ten years old at the time and only hit 100K somewhere in Wisconsin. A fun road trip.

 

[D60]

I was able to get a '98 CRV to start ‐‐ and stall -- by rapping the distributor over the ICM with the back of my pocket knife

Also the O'Reilly parts were too tall to allow the distributor cap to seat. Was an embarrassing display of manufacturing incompetence. The owner was a college kid and couldn't afford OEM Honda ignition components

 

[JoeDirt41]

I picked up a couple items for the car at the parts store using my employee discount. I got a set of OE equipment spark plugs, a bottle of tint remover, 16 new lug nuts that I believe are the proper type (maybe someone more Honda fluent can confirm?) to replace the dumb spline-type that are on it, and I got a perfectly good, almost new battery that someone returned as defective that we now can't sell.

I pressure washed the engine bay today to make it a little easier to work on, and I put the other two wheels on. I also started removing the tint, and I tried using the tint removal spray, but I found that a heat gun was a lot more effective. Next step is to figure out which distributor I have so I can get parts ordered for it.

 

[Nukeman7]

I picked up a couple items for the car at the parts store using my employee discount. I got a set of OE equipment spark plugs, a bottle of tint remover, 16 new lug nuts that I believe are the proper type (maybe someone more Honda fluent can confirm?) to replace the dumb spline-type that are on it, and I got a perfectly good, almost new battery that someone returned as defective that we now can't sell.

I am pretty sure that your new lug nuts are not correct for the OEM Accord EX alloy wheels. Those Dorman lug nuts appear to have a radius/ball seat which is designed for the steel rims. Also, the black plastic washer is intended to retain the plastic hubcaps used on the DX and LX steel wheels. The alloy EX wheels typically use a 60 degrees tapered conical seat without the plastic washer, similar to your old spline lug nuts.

 

[wavinwayne]

When I met my wife in 1999, she had one of these, a '95 model I think. Last I heard, the car had over 500k miles on it and was still going. That was a few years ago now, but dang it's hard to kill those Accords. Also, you mentioned one of the car's previous owners having been incarcerated. I would give the car a good inspection to make sure no contraband is hiding somewhere in there.

 

[JoeDirt41]

I am pretty sure that your new lug nuts are not correct for the OEM Accord EX alloy wheels. Those Dorman lug nuts appear to have a radius/ball seat which is designed for the steel rims. Also, the black plastic washer is intended to retain the plastic hubcaps used on the DX and LX steel wheels. The alloy EX wheels typically use a 60 degrees tapered conical seat without the plastic washer, similar to your old spline lug nuts.

View attachment 246131

I was expecting a conical seat as well, but all the listings I found on the parts store websites, as well as various Honda parts websites showed the radius seat for all of the potential options.

Dorman makes a virtually identical lug nut without the black ring, but we didn't have them in stock, and they were also a lot more expensive, so I opted to go with the black ring ones and just remove the rings.

I could still be wrong, but I was pretty certain it would be a radius seat.

 

[Nukeman7]

I was expecting a conical seat as well, but all the listings I found on the parts store websites, as well as various Honda parts websites showed the radius seat for all of the potential options.

Dorman makes a virtually identical lug nut without the black ring, but we didn't have them in stock, and they were also a lot more expensive, so I opted to go with the black ring ones and just remove the rings.

I could still be wrong, but I was pretty certain it would be a radius seat.

I think you are correct. I found a listing of a used OEM lug nut for a 1997 Accord EX on eBay and it shows a radius/ball seat.

 

[JoeDirt41]

When I met my wife in 1999, she had one of these, a '95 model I think. Last I heard, the car had over 500k miles on it and was still going. That was a few years ago now, but dang it's hard to kill those Accords. Also, you mentioned one of the car's previous owners having been incarcerated. I would give the car a good inspection to make sure no contraband is hiding somewhere in there.

That's a pretty cool story. Probably not a bad idea to look through the car thoroughly. I don't know the full story about that owner's criminal history, but I was told that is why the car was parked for an extended period of time.

 

[JoeDirt41]

'97 was the last year for "optional security system"
Is there a security light on the dash (above the radio) or a module under the passenger seat?
There was a dealer installed siren kit that could be stacked on it, plus god knows what kinda aftermarket nonsense could've been hacked in over the years
Part number 39950-S01-A01
Follow these instructions
https://charm.li/Honda/1997/Accord ...nsmitter Programming Information/Procedure 7/
I don't miss that era of factory vs dealer installed stuff
Then the dealers would hack in some other nonsense because it was cheaper with a better kickback
If it doesn't work, your car might not have been equipped with security
Try this remote here, could probably return it if it doesn't take
https://a.co/d/8hPPjRC

The original radio is long gone, would the light still be there? Any way to tell what radio it would have had? I'd like to swap a factory stereo back into it. Hopefully they used an adapter harness and didn't hack the wires.

I'll look for the module under the seat later today.

I think you are correct. I found a listing of a used OEM lug nut for a 1997 Accord EX on eBay and it shows a radius/ball seat.

View attachment 246147

Yeah, after checking around, all I could find was the radius seat lugs listed, so I felt okay going with them. If there is another at the junkyard, I'll check and see what it has.