Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Preparing for Mods (96 Civic DX 5-speed)

hawk2100n · 03-09-2012, 11:05 PM

I have been lurking the forum a lot and reading about pretty much all of the different ways people try to eek a few more miles out of a tank in order to decide how best to apply my efforts towards fuel economy.

I am a mechanical engineer and am not shy with a wrench and since buying my 96 Civic DX 5 speed I have been busy. Most of the work I have been doing is catching up on the maintenance that the previous owner didn't do. He basically only fixed things when they broke and that was always done buy a number of different mechanics. But it has taken less than a month to repair most of the issues with the car.

So far I have:
Fixed the jammed parking brake lock
shampooed the carpets and cleaned everything
Installed new Wiper stalk
New tie rods and ends + alignment
New timing belt, water pump and idler, valve cover gasket
New Autolight Iridium spark plugs (Highly recommended, very cheap for iridiums)
New Spark Plug wires
Fixed CEL resulting from a Catalytic Converter Delete - Installed secondary O2 sensor with spark plug non-foulers and extended wires in a plugged bung at the end of the 4-2-1 headers and replaced a new-ish primary O2 sensor that had no continuity on the heater circuit. Driven 60 miles with no CEL!!!
Had the car painted professionally
Fixed the broken hood latch handle by removing the panel so I can just grab the cable
New tires - just cheap Prime Wells

I fixed the O2 sensor today. That CEL had been bothering me and it was actually a really easy fix. The 2nd O2 sensor ended up going in a bung at the end of the header that is just behind the axle. It required a approximately 40" extension. I thought that the length of the wires might cause a problem, but that's no problem when you work at a research lab. We use some extremely high quality environmentally shielded 4 lead wire for connecting sensors that I was able to get a 48" piece of and one of my techs did an awesome job of soldering it in place. 15 ohms of resistance on the heater circuit and a good signal to the ECU. It looks professional. But the car kept throwing a code. Swapped around the connections to make sure they were correct and the code swapped too. Used the ohmmeter to check the primary 02 sensor and it was bad. $66 later I had a new sensor and cleared the CELs and the car is running great. Before this I have been averaging 38.7 with 3 40+ mpg tanks in the last 4. Maybe with the new spark plugs and O2 sensor I might see a small improvement.

I have my pizza pans in the trunk but I have to satisfy myself when it comes to designing a mounting system. So far I do not like the idea of drilling the wheels for small mounting bolts and finding a cheap source for hubcaps to mount them on has been challenging. Also I am planning a grille block, I have material in mind and know how I will mount it.

Any suggestions or is there anything I may be missing? Input is appreciated!

03-09-2012, 11:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
hawk2100n EcoModding Apprentice Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Florida Posts: 105 The 'Vic - '96 Honda Civic DX Team Honda 90 day: 39.3 mpg (US) Thanks: 6 Thanked 18 Times in 15 Posts	Preparing for Mods (96 Civic DX 5-speed) I have been lurking the forum a lot and reading about pretty much all of the different ways people try to eek a few more miles out of a tank in order to decide how best to apply my efforts towards fuel economy. I am a mechanical engineer and am not shy with a wrench and since buying my 96 Civic DX 5 speed I have been busy. Most of the work I have been doing is catching up on the maintenance that the previous owner didn't do. He basically only fixed things when they broke and that was always done buy a number of different mechanics. But it has taken less than a month to repair most of the issues with the car. So far I have: Fixed the jammed parking brake lock shampooed the carpets and cleaned everything Installed new Wiper stalk New tie rods and ends + alignment New timing belt, water pump and idler, valve cover gasket New Autolight Iridium spark plugs (Highly recommended, very cheap for iridiums) New Spark Plug wires Fixed CEL resulting from a Catalytic Converter Delete - Installed secondary O2 sensor with spark plug non-foulers and extended wires in a plugged bung at the end of the 4-2-1 headers and replaced a new-ish primary O2 sensor that had no continuity on the heater circuit. Driven 60 miles with no CEL!!! Had the car painted professionally Fixed the broken hood latch handle by removing the panel so I can just grab the cable New tires - just cheap Prime Wells I fixed the O2 sensor today. That CEL had been bothering me and it was actually a really easy fix. The 2nd O2 sensor ended up going in a bung at the end of the header that is just behind the axle. It required a approximately 40" extension. I thought that the length of the wires might cause a problem, but that's no problem when you work at a research lab. We use some extremely high quality environmentally shielded 4 lead wire for connecting sensors that I was able to get a 48" piece of and one of my techs did an awesome job of soldering it in place. 15 ohms of resistance on the heater circuit and a good signal to the ECU. It looks professional. But the car kept throwing a code. Swapped around the connections to make sure they were correct and the code swapped too. Used the ohmmeter to check the primary 02 sensor and it was bad. $66 later I had a new sensor and cleared the CELs and the car is running great. Before this I have been averaging 38.7 with 3 40+ mpg tanks in the last 4. Maybe with the new spark plugs and O2 sensor I might see a small improvement. I have my pizza pans in the trunk but I have to satisfy myself when it comes to designing a mounting system. So far I do not like the idea of drilling the wheels for small mounting bolts and finding a cheap source for hubcaps to mount them on has been challenging. Also I am planning a grille block, I have material in mind and know how I will mount it. Any suggestions or is there anything I may be missing? Input is appreciated!