My car is falling apart....

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Is there something special or different about the hybrid transmission in your Honda? Toyota took the easy way out with the Prius transmission by using a planetary transmission that never shifts gears, is always engaged and has no reverse.
 
Man, that's impressive! Even more impressive is that nobody has asked what brand of oil you've been feeding it.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
I'm going to drive it to my own funeral. I was just wondering if anyone else out there has an old "keeper" like this in their family.


I've got the '73 Plymouth Satellite (445,000 miles) that my folks bought new in the fall of '72. And the '66 in my .sig has been in the family since '68, although its only got about 306,000 miles.
 
Originally Posted By: JRed
Man, that's impressive! Even more impressive is that nobody has asked what brand of oil you've been feeding it.

Honda engines can be run with just about any oil brand available on the market, as long as it meets the API spec at the year the car was sold.

My '04 S2000 oil spec is 10W30 API SL, I used several different brands already in the car.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: JRed
Man, that's impressive! Even more impressive is that nobody has asked what brand of oil you've been feeding it.

Honda engines can be run with just about any oil brand available on the market, as long as it meets the API spec at the year the car was sold.

My '04 S2000 oil spec is 10W30 API SL, I used several different brands already in the car.


So, my 92 would make it spec for what? SJ?

Is any API certified oil today back spec'd to cover that far back? I'm sure by now most oils today for PCMO is suitable for 80s, 90s cars.
 
no good what is wrong with it?
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
It's 27 years and the car has not taken a dump. In fact it's still really reliable. I take it on long trips and I'm not worried. I do have a manual and tool kit along with some spare parts but that's just me. When the mileage hit 300k I bought a new fuel pump and threw it in the tool box. At just under 400k I replaced it while on a trip. It's mechanical and sits right on the engine. It took about 15 minutes. And 420k is coming up and it will be ready for a timing belt and valve adjustment. I think that one of the secrets of long life is where you live. In S.California we don't have any weather. The car has never seen snow but has seen a lot of the desert and temps up to 120F in the summer.



yep its the location that made the car last so long. If it were up here in New England with the moisture and salt in the winter it would be long gone.. You should post it up on the high mileage Honda website that Honda has!
 
Originally Posted By: ltslimjim
So, my 92 would make it spec for what? SJ?

Is any API certified oil today back spec'd to cover that far back? I'm sure by now most oils today for PCMO is suitable for 80s, 90s cars.

My '94 LS400 oil spec is SG or SH, so your '92 should be SF or SG.

API certified oil is back spec to 1 or 2 previous specs in print but backward compatible to all previous spec's. SH is back spec to SG, SF ..., SJ is back spec to SH, SG, SF ... SN is back spec to all previous spec's.
 
I truly believe that the 80's was the pinnacle of Japanese auto engineering. They really were built to last, and the systems were very simple. That was a time that I feel the american auto makers were largely at a low point (I had an 85 Civic and an '84 Cavalier) - today they have kind of met in the middle.

If I could buy a brand new '86 accord or Cressida. . .

edit: although my '86 Toyota Van was my least reliable car ever.
 
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I had a 1986 HB, my mom had a 1984 HB, and my step-mom had a 1978 HB Civic. Great cars, but rust did get them badly, especially the '78.
 
If the economy keeps heading the way it's going then more people might be keeping their cars longer and considering longer ownership when they buy their next car.

One way to judge the longevity of a particular model is to see what the illegals in S.Cal drive. You can see cars running around with not only different colored fenders but different brands of tires on every corner. These cars have out of date tags or no plates at all. Even cars with Baja Mexico plates are held to a different standard the cars with California plates.

Today I was following one of these cars, a Caprice Classic, on the freeway in my 84 Civic. The car I was following had a white strip showing on one rear tire, primered fenders and some of the side windows missing. I was pulled over by a cop to check my registration. My car has new tires, no dents and is washed and waxed and the tags are up to date. His answer to me about the selective enforcement was that I had to call the office if I had any questions.
 
Originally Posted By: hisilver
Eight more years and you can get historic plates in NC.


IIRC when a vehicle in NY reaches 25 years of age the owner can get Historic plates. That's pretty impressive miles for that old Honda, nice. Whatever you've done works! Keep it up!

Suggestion for the board: We should have a 300,000 mile or 400,000 mile club here on Bitog. Post pictures of the vehicle, how they were maintained, the fluids, filters, and intervals used, conditions driven, location, number of drivers, etc. A lot can be learned from these older treasures!
 
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Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Hypothetical

What would you take for it?

What would you replace it with?


It's not for sale because I'm going to drive it to my funeral. There is room in back for a casket.

The closest match I can see might be a Honda Fit. There is also a new small Ford that just came out. It's not a wagon but it's at least a hatchback. The first generation CRV was close but it's jacked up and I don't see why. The biggest argument for upgrading would be safety. My Civic has nothing in the way of safety devices. It weighs 2040 pounds and I would be spam if I got hit by a heavy vehicle at any speed.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Hypothetical

What would you take for it?

What would you replace it with?


It's not for sale because I'm going to drive it to my funeral. There is room in back for a casket.

The closest match I can see might be a Honda Fit. There is also a new small Ford that just came out. It's not a wagon but it's at least a hatchback. The first generation CRV was close but it's jacked up and I don't see why. The biggest argument for upgrading would be safety. My Civic has nothing in the way of safety devices. It weighs 2040 pounds and I would be spam if I got hit by a heavy vehicle at any speed.



Finally, I've ran across someone with the same tastes of automobiles.

About a ton
No power windows, steering or locks
No auto headlights
standard shift transmission
hatchback ftw!
and to cap it off, 40mpg routinely
DIN radio
AC optional


Is it easy to work on? Well laid out engine bay with a good sized hood?

Man, dont we wish they made cars like this today. Nowadays, you have to wade some deep waters to find 40mpg. Almost impossible to find roll up windows and is impossible to find manual steering. And if you do luck out and find what you're looking for, chances are it will be unpleasant, at best, to work on.


Keep doing what you're doing. I wish the automakers would take a step back sometimes and see how good they were in the "old days" instead of stressing themselves over having the latest and greatest, which it really isn't to some of us.


I'm sure you don't have cruise control, which is likely the only thing I'd want different. But with a tall 5th it probably isnt so bad worrying about looking down at your speed every 10 seconds.

Whataya have, like 165/70-13s on that thing? Any chance of getting us some pictures?


And don't worry too much about safety. The tires are so small and the car is so light it won't resist impact and will just get tossed around saving you in the process. Dude, 27 years later and the car is still ahead of its time.

Keep a knockin'
 
[img:left]http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.productioncars.com/send_file.php/honda_civic_wagon_blue_1984.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.productioncars.com/gallery.php%3Fcar%3D1732%26make%3DHonda%26model%3DCivic&h=315&w=500&sz=30&tbnid=TP59yTSdPGk4wM:&tbnh=82&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3D1984%2Bhonda%2Bcivic%2Bwagon&zoom=1&q=1984+honda+civic+wagon&hl=en&usg=__VbUIpfLN7JofoB66wdXuZlUkFzI=&sa=X&ei=jDtpTYbBO42esQOX2bymBA&sqi=2&ved=0CDIQ9QEwAg[/img]
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Is there something special or different about the hybrid transmission in your Honda? Toyota took the easy way out with the Prius transmission by using a planetary transmission that never shifts gears, is always engaged and has no reverse.


It's a CVT that I believe is unique to the hybrid model. Apparently problems with these are not uncommon. It's funny that people worried about battery life in hyrbids...the original battery pack has outlasted two brand new Honda transmissions.

It's bound to happen at some point though with a vehicle that has seen so many different power/drivetrain setups. I don't consider the first gen Civic hyrbid a reflection of all Civics.
 
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