Getting a used Civic.....

Pat in Kentuckiana · Dec 27, 2006

Hi all...Tonight I just agreed to buy a '98 Civic DX coupe. It's got the 1.6 and 106hp plant. The car's got 142K, interior's perfect, and body is above average with no rust anywhere (thanks to it spending it's life in GA). I had been looking at Prizms to replace my aging Caprice. I found this Civic on a dealer's web site near Louisville, so I made the trip down tonight to check it out. After driving it for nearly a half hour, I was really impressed with the room vs. the Prizm, both in the driver's seat and the leg room in the rear. The acceleration was adequate, and it should get me a little better mileage (the main reason I was looking for something anyway) than the Prizm due to the 4spd AT vs. the 3spd in the Prizm.

So, that leads me to pick the brains of those of you who've owned one with this particular engine. Just looking for tips on what to look out for, maybe what oil tends to do well in this engine....things like that. Really looking forward to picking it up this weekend!

Mokanic · Dec 27, 2006

Make sure the t-belt and water pump were done. They were due at 90K. Valve adjustments are also critical maintenance.
5W30 oils I have used with success have been 5W30Schaeffer as well as Havoline,and Royal Purple. My Civic has never been fussy about a certain brand of oil but it definitely likes 5W30 over thicker oils. The thicker oils in mine seemed to make it noticably more sluggish.
It would also be a good idea to keep fresh ATF-Z1 fluid in that automatic also. Good luck!

caprice_2nv · Dec 27, 2006

They call for a water pump replacement as regular maintenance????!! Man, my 87 Cutlass has the original water pump with 200K on it still working fine as does our 78 Chevy plow truck with unknown mileage.

AndyH · Dec 27, 2006

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They call for a water pump replacement as regular maintenance????!! Man, my 87 Cutlass has the original water pump with 200K on it still working fine as does our 78 Chevy plow truck with unknown mileage.

It may be similar to the Audi I previously owned. It was common to replace the water pump while the timing-belt was being changed, as it was fairly involved to change the timing-belt and the water pump is "right there". So it makes sense to change out the water pump too as the part isn't very expensive and you're already "in there" so the additional labor to replace it is minimal.

brianl703 · Dec 27, 2006

I had the tensioner on a replacement waterpump lock up and tear up the timing belt on a 1993 Ford Escort. Non-interference engine and the waterpump came from Autozone. I think it was in there for maybe 15K miles before the tensioner failed.

I guess I won't buy waterpumps from Autozone again...

caprice_2nv · Dec 28, 2006

^^Well that makes sense when you put it that way. On some V8 engines that were equipped with nylon coated timing gears, it's a good idea to do a bit more work and replace the timing chain and gears when the water pump fails.

jason929rr · Dec 28, 2006

i have a 97 dx. Yeah this is an interference engine so i would have the timing belt looked at.
Mine has 90k on it and had some starting issues a while back but it seems to be ironed out now. good little car.

JavaMan · Dec 28, 2006

I would also check the compression.

Curious Kid · Dec 28, 2006

Just to play it safe since you mentioned the vehicle spent it's life in the state of GA. up to this point, I would look for signs of water/flood damage - like corrosion around the fuses and bulb contacts, strange smells, water stains or foreign matter in lense assemblies, etc. You just never know.

Hope all works out for you.

Dave Hess · Dec 28, 2006

Check the exhaust manifold cause they tend to crack around 90K miles, install NGK spark plugs and wires, cap & rotor. Change transmission fluid. Fuel filter.

Check the Idle Air Control Valve cause it tends to get clogged up. Clean the throtle body as it too also gets caked with grime.

PCV valve - if the oil was changed often, you will notice that the PCV valve will be spotless when you remove it. The PCV 'plunger' will be oily, not clogged.

I'm selling a 98 Civic EX soon, but with basic maintenance.....A Civic will last forever

BTW, when you go to see the car, look to see if the bolts to the timing belt cover has been removed, as the bolts will have white paint on them from the factory. If they haven't been removed, the bolts still have the white paint on them......

and your car will still have the original timing belt and water pump. Thats $300 you can haggle with the dealer to bring the price down. Cause you have too change the TB like yesterday. Good Luck.

Pat in Kentuckiana · Dec 28, 2006

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I would also check the compression.

The guy I'm buying it from said that was one of the things they did and it checked out to spec.

Pat in Kentuckiana · Dec 28, 2006

Quote:

Check the exhaust manifold cause they tend to crack around 90K miles, install NGK spark plugs and wires, cap & rotor. Change transmission fluid. Fuel filter.

This is my first go-around with a Honda. Since I don't yet have a service manual, what transmission fluid and antifreeze does it call for?

Matt89 · Dec 28, 2006

It will call for Honda specific fluids...Honda Z1 ATF and Type 2 Coolant.

Congrats on that car. I had a 1998 and kick myself for ever selling it.

slalom44 · Dec 28, 2006

I have a '97 Civic EX, and my previous daily driver was a '05 Corolla. So I'm very familiar with your situation.

Mine are/were both stick shift, and even though the Corolla's 1.8 liter engine is bigger than the Civic's 1.6L, the fuel economy was noticeably better with the Corolla. Your results may be different with automatics.

I agree with the water pump replacement with the timing belt. For Hondas, you can use Silicate-free anti-freeze (the stuff for all engines), but you may want to stick with the genuine Honda coolant to be safe. Personally, I just use the Prestone stuff for all engines. You don't want to use the regular Prestone anti-freeze.

If you change your own oil, you will notice a huge difference. Prizm oil changes are a piece of cake - the filter is right in front, easy to get to, and easy to replace without jacking the car up. The Civic filter is tucked up behind the engine and you have to crawl under your car to remove it. And because there's not much room back there, it's hard to remove the filter without getting oil on your arm. It's a real PITA.

Both of these cars are bulletproof. You can expect to get plenty of miles out of your Civic. Mine currently has 192,000 miles, and I gave my Corolla to my kid with 296,000 miles.

slalom44 · Dec 28, 2006

Oops... I misread your thread. I assumed you had a Prizm. Regardless, you should be very happy with the Civic.

c502cid · Dec 28, 2006

I've owned 3 Hondas, a Prelude and two Accords, all early 90's versions. All leaked oil, two of them burned it pretty bad. Oil leaks come from Hondas obsession with o-ringing everything, including a funky oil filter adapter. Think it's hard to change the filter?, try to change the o-ring on the adapter. Yes, do the water pump if you do the timing belt since it's not a fun job in the first place. I ended up selling all of them, not because they didnt run great, they did, just because I spent hours trying to stop the leaks and got tired of the oil stink while driving them.

Pat in Kentuckiana · Dec 28, 2006

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If you change your own oil, you will notice a huge difference. Prizm oil changes are a piece of cake - the filter is right in front, easy to get to, and easy to replace without jacking the car up. The Civic filter is tucked up behind the engine and you have to crawl under your car to remove it. And because there's not much room back there, it's hard to remove the filter without getting oil on your arm. It's a real PITA.

Both of these cars are bulletproof. You can expect to get plenty of miles out of your Civic. Mine currently has 192,000 miles, and I gave my Corolla to my kid with 296,000 miles.

Whoa! An '05 Corolla with 296K!!??

I'm guessing you had a typo somewhere in there! Just curious, what oil do you run in your's? I was probably going to start out with Valvoline MaxLife Synthetic 5w30, at least for the winter. I've been looking at all the aftermarket stuff on ebay that you can get for a Civic. Over 4,000 just using a search of "98 Honda Civic". Has the headlights on your '97 yellowed? I noticed they are on this '98, so a new pair of headlights might be in my future. Lots of goodies I'm looking at adding to it, after I get all the fluids changed and give it a good "once over".

Scooby · Dec 28, 2006

I've got the same vehicle, but with 5 speed. Had it about 2 months and it now has 138k miles.

I get 35mpg on highway. Just seafoamed the engine last night with really good results so far.

Good luck! How much are they asking if you don't mind me asking.

Scooby · Dec 28, 2006

Sorry, but mine is a sedan.

Pat in Kentuckiana · Dec 28, 2006

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Good luck! How much are they asking if you don't mind me asking.

Here's the link to an ad of it I found on the internet. The dealer already took it down off his web site last night, so I don't know how long it'll be on this one. My final price may vary.

'98 DX

Getting a used Civic.....

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