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1996 civic hx restoration build
Hello thought I created an account here in 2012 however I believe I never posted and it was deleted.
Anywhoo I have always been a car guy starting working on a DSM when I was in high school progressing into muscle cars and then into family cars I've had my built camaro for about 10 years but its a bit much for the hot Texas summers, I was still averaging 18mpg all city driving and 26 highway on factory tires and wheels (considerably less with my regular drag radials) I have a family vehicle which is a 2011 fusion but it was a bit boring. I have always loved fixing up cars and wanted a cheap 5 speed civic to play with and daily drive. I happened upon a 1998 civic hx about 3 years ago and fell in love with the gas mileage game. I sold the vehicle after a relative basically gave me double what I paid for the car Anyways I recently was able to acquire another civic hx. Again not looking for one but they just happen to fall into my lap. My newest is my 1996 civic hx with 294k miles. The interior and exterior were very well kept, however the previous owner had to have the transmission replaced at 250k miles with a JDM d15b LSD transmission. Its quite the change from my last hx and makes the car very peppy even below my shift point at 2500 rpm. My commute is all city driving. With my Michelin tires at 35psi my first tank was 34.3 mpg which is spot on against my old hx which had its tall gearing. I look forward to being an active member and plan to add a vacuum gauge, and tap the secondary voltage reference wire from the post cat o2 sensor to monitor when the car goes into lean burn. I figure a cheap voltmeter gauge can show me 0 Volts when in lean burn No mpguino but I do have an obd2 datalogger handy for long drives |
Congrats on the find!
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Here was my first hx
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps747a1531.jpg I really didn't plan to sell it so I went all out with new parts and headlights etc. It was a great car http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psff9c4b59.jpg |
With the black car I'm going to be building on a budget. Wife was against this build because I basically had to jump on the deal without telling her
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...pskkqdv02b.png So I immediately texted the owned to see what sort of dented primered abomination he was selling. I was shocked to see this pic. http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...pss1snblo1.jpg So being that the owner was less than 5 miles away from my home I purchased the car after confirming the ac worked and the engine was in good shape. The car feels extremely strong compared to my old hx, its possible the silver car had weak compression as I would never get over 36 mpg mixed driving and felt like a dog Owner gave me a folder of receipts which in unfortunately included a receipt for a low mileage s40 d15b transmission from JDM direct imports motors. However with my commute being only city driving I have found the shorter gearing to help acceleration while still keeping the car under 2300 rpm I would like a stock intake, the car currently has an aftermarket intake on it Here it is, sketchy guy I bought it from was strange. I knew he wasn't telling me something but I knew it had a salvage title from light hail damage on the hood and roof. The check engine light was on but the car ran fine besides having 293k miles which were documented with receipts for timing belt and water pump and a JDM d15 trans from that place in Richardson. Anyways first task was to re align the bumpers. The back was covered in duct tape to hide a crack. http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psthudj5co.jpg Not bad you say. Well after taking bumper off I found this http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...pswfeilfce.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...pslklieols.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps0ww7xwtu.jpg Soo there's not much I can do about that however everything on the trunk and bumper still line up. Using picture frame wire I was able to mend the cracked bumper. Came out very well except for a spot that is missing http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps2yyzowo3.jpg This time I opted to re do the factory lights instead of buying new ones on amazon. They came out very well done and I was shocked at how far the lenses came back with a polish http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psexqw9ug0.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...pssxtafyxw.jpg And this is how she sits now cleaned up. I want window visors, front lip and fog lights http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psxtkkv7mg.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...pshof53fod.jpg I love hx's but this one is pretty special with how immaculate the interior is and how straight and mechanically sound for 293 k miles. The JDM d15b trans makes the car peppy but I do miss the long gear set my last hx had. The hx trans has a super tall gearing and it use to be a game to shift before VTEC at 2200 |
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I would really like to be able to have keyless entry which I need a stock head unit for and they are hard to find these days. Maybe I should check goodwill So the condensor fan wasn't kicking on so went ahead and ordered a replacement on amazon. I also spent the afternoon cleaning out the egr valve and assembly. Car runs much better now just need to up the tire pressure to 5 psi over max and I'll be back to getting 38mpg mostly city driving. Did I mention 294k miles? Garage kept by the previous owner at his work and then parked in the garage at home. Still has black rubber window trim that hasn't flaked off to chrome. Has hail damage on the hood and roof and of course the salvage title but I really take pride in saving this car from the gutter. Clean cars are so hard to find these days My knock off front lip should be here tomorrow, yay. I tried to tint the back window myself however it just ended up too wrinkled around the rear defroster tabs and I wasn't able to get a clean cut while working it from the inside http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psuyfabh7h.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...pseragsqto.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...pszbzxwh5r.jpg So yesterday driving home at lunch I had the urge to check the plugs. Cylinder 3 when I removed the plug wire poofed dust and carbon in the air. The plug was not even hand tight and when pulling the rest of the plugs the NGk zr4f plugs had a gap of over .07 when spec is .044 I had gotten 34.3 all city with the ac on with these plugs so I am excited to see what I will get on the new plugs. I went with auto lite xp iridiums 5244. I know I know they aren't the same heat range however they are not spec listed for the other civic models and are tied only to the hx so I'm hoping they are a hotter plug I have not been able to get rid of the engine light for the egr valve, even after 2 cans of brake fluid down the intake manifold tube and an extremely clean egr passage on the intake. The valve may be completely shot and I'll need to spend $160 on a new valve I also switched the car over to synthetic oil and used a k&n oil filter. The old oil while within the mileage range according to the dash sticker was coffee bean black. I didn't feel comfortable seafoming the engine as more than likely the oil filter was already filled with gunk, so next oil change I will be seafoming the engine with that k&n filter to collect the garbage that gets loosened up Changing the oil I could only put 3 quarts in the car and the dip stick reads over full. The pan must be filled with sludge, but the valves and head seem clean when I inspected them |
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Are you familiar with Fumoto Valve | Qwik Valve™? |
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I've seen a few discussions about different oil levels, I know Honda made revisions pretty much yearly to their obd2 system for the hx, but mechanical changes seem ineffecient. I have long arms and I'm able to remove the oil filter from the top and avoid any mess. I also ran 1 quart through the engine with the oil plug removed to help drain out any remaining oil. My oil drain pan surface is painted white with a led light shining on it to observe any oil inconsistencies and it was interesting to see the old oil come out mixed in the new. Carmel coffee would be the best visual comparison lol Picture semi related http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psrbvmk1h6.jpg |
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The steel pans are rated for forty foot-pounds and the aluminum ones are specified for thirty-six. I used a torque wrench and was surprised how tight 36 ft-lbs was, it was definitely harder than I tightened my plug when I realized that it was stripped. Yet, my lazy non-car friends insist that I stripped it, instead of the youngest kid at the discount quick lube over-zealous to use an impact wrench, and they get upset when I do my own repairs instead of paying a mechanic. I did not try reaching the oil filter from the top, if I can do that, I do not need to put my car on jacks! |
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Hardest part is just lining up the new filter but the opening for your arm to get under the manifold is lined up where it needs to be. I'm 6 foot 4 and changed it from the top while the car was jacked up in the air. I didn't think about the possibility of changing the oil without jacking up the car, that would save a lot time |
Welcome to the site. That is quite the clean car for the miles on it! Nice find.
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Ooh updates
Ordered a vacuum gauge from amazon I will be putting in the car. I also have a narrow band AF gauge and a temperature gauge in the spare parts bin http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...pssvf5pwwa.png Also this just popped up locally and is extremely tempting. My car runs fine but I could use the trans and any spare parts. If the seller pulled this out for a swap I could definitely make money selling my JDM LSD trans and pick up a factory one and maybe even a factory light weight flywheel http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psxduim9jz.png |
I'll be curious to know how well your vacuum gauge behaves; I installed a vac gauge in my truck a few years ago and was well pleased with it until it started to walk out of calibration.
I took it apart - which was a major undertaking as it had been pressed together, no fasteners - and reset its needle, but it walked out again. It lives showing about 10" vacuum when the engine is off. It came to rest at about that level both times, and now I just subtract 10" all the time. Even so it's useful to give a moment-by-moment idea of how well you're doing, but if yours does better, I'd love to know. |
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Vacuum is maintained in part of the system even if the engine is turned off... |
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I haven't had any problems with any of my older boost gauges, however I believe vacuum will tell you a lot more on a little 4 cylinder than my fuel injected v8, now a carb on the other hand I would thing vacuum would be useful for tuning |
Bit of an update I cleaned off the egr system and got rid of the code.
I also got the vacuum gauge installed http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psrva9cgrj.jpg I also changed out the eBay filter in favor of a paper style. No specific performance or mileage reason however the oil type filters seem to always leave intakes and sensors in my vehicles dirty. The paper filters do a better job of actually filtering out dirt . the car came with the intake and I have not been able to find a stock intake system for under $80. The eBay filter had also worn a hole through the bottom of the filter element, as they always seem to, where as the paper style is more rigid and thicker with foam rubberish ends http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psafajj5pe.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps78cgiqjj.jpg Also has no effect on efficiency however I stumbled upon a civic clear timing cover on eBay. While not really of any important immediate use I feel this modification will add tons of residual value to keep the next owners involved In this car should I ever sell it http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...sbasd6dvr.jpeg No real gas mileage update, I'm at 200 miles at a half tank of gas. I'll receive the cover sometime next week and post an update http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psxofzzplx.jpg |
Still at half tank of gas now at 250 miles
Pretty excited about this cover. It is a unique piece, if you image search google there are only 2 pictures of one on a car Picking up a valve cover gasket on the way home from work and installing tonight http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psmyjto11g.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psqc1kwfu2.jpg |
Yeah so wasn't as easy as planned. The cover fitment was decent but it was much tighter than my factory 300k miles cover
I also broke a valve cover bolt off in the head however it came out extremely easily thank god Pretty clean for 300k miles http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psv0uq9mwk.jpg Only a little bit of build up. http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps8ffxfrlh.jpg Timing belt is a fresh Kevlar. Good to see the previous owner was honest about maintenance http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...pspc3sce3p.jpg Grrrrrr http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psmx9mgpk2.jpg All wrapped up. Pleased with the results, only $20 shipped for the clear timing cover http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps0svwif0l.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psxy1rucj6.jpg |
Where did you order your lip? I made one from lawn edging and it looked okay, but did not sit very flush. I originally shrunk it slightly with a ray gun, but when I tried to shrink it more, it just started sagging. I should have enough to try again, but it will be frustrating to line up the original screw holes, I was not happy putting those in my bumper and do not want to make more!
At least one member on here has used Allstar Performance Rolled Plastic and I am tempted to try it as well. Quote:
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I ordered it from amazon. It was $30 shipped, I think they are cheaper than that on eBay now
I have not tried the lawn edging but I have seen it done cleanly before. Be patient with it and use some tape to hold it in place as you find the points you want to mount. I never intended the lip to be functional as an aero dynamic mod just a visual modification. I do 100% of my driving under 55mph so its all about the aesthetics and not aerodynamics lol |
Here is a recap of my last civic build. I sold it when I happened across a very low mileage 2011 ford fusion sel for $8900
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Finally had a chance to fill up today after washing and waxing the car. The first quarter tank had the clogged egr valve
36.3 all city with no hypermiling other than tires at 50psi I apologize that this is turning in to a blog, moderators please feel free to move it if you need to. http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psegywnovs.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psy5yknjwt.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psmkaykfjj.jpg |
Your car came without a spoiler?
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Car looks great man! All I'd do is lower it a bit. :)
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Canada never got the HX. Envious.
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The hx are nice vehicles, a great blend of economy and thriftiness. Power windows and locks are very convenient. I am not slanted to hx over other models however in this area I seem to find them in better condition than any other model In the dfw area the Honda market Vehicles with manual transmissions are hard to find as they took the brunt of the fast and furious movement. The easiest civics to find are automatic sedans, rarest being a manual transmission hatchback. I would not be surprised if 96 midori paid $6500 for his hatchback as a vehicle as clean as his is EXTREMELY rare. I am regularly on Craigslist and I have yet to see a hatch with a manual transmission in the past year or so. Coupes are hit and miss but like the hatches they found their way into the fast and furious kids then into junk yards http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psnkzyndxg.jpg |
Going to make a garage entry and a fuel log?
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I actually only paid 3,400 for my Midori hatchback. It was all stock with about 150,000 miles. Now it's right around 203,000 on aftermarket suspension. I'd love someone to offer me 6,000 for it! (Even though I couldn't sell it) :)
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Started a fuel log. I have a detailed fuel log for my ford fusion but it is embarrassing. Over 15k miles of recorded gas tanks and never better than 24 mpg. Being automatic and heavy is not a good combination I can't add the icon to my signature using my iPad though |
I updated your sig for you.
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Yeah I'd never be able to sell it, mainly for the exact reason you mentioned. I rarely see Midori hatches, let alone clean unmolested Civics.
Your hx is very clean man, I'd hold on to it for a while! |
I feel you, a vehicle is only worth selling to me if it can easily be replaced which to me this car is not. I'd like to think that the 90's import "sports cars" will one day achieve collectors status as they are uncommon to find now and getting rarer. Still waiting for the crx market to bounce up
I wet vac'd the upholstery yesterday. When I would plop down in the drivers seat it use to put out a dust cloud of old farts and skin cells, now I can cleanly see the Wierd squiggly line japanese patterns and the bluish color of my seats. I'll have to snap a pic tomorrow. 300k miles of dirt was nasty, took 2 seperate fills of the wet vac and 2 loads of oxy clean |
I doubt that my seats are much better, but they do not look bad. However, my friend's 1990 Civic is stained. I have a carpet cleaner, but it does not work properly, it only shoots hot water into the carpet, which makes it look better, but ruins the pad. However, the pad is already ruined, so I am okay with that, but I did not want to simply shoot hot water into my friend's seats.
It seems silly, I spent an average of $2,900 on my first three cars, and it never made sense to have comprehensive insurance. I spent $2,700 on Chorizo, but it took so long to find a good HX that I do not want to need to do that again, so I have comprehensive insurance on her. Except, what good does that go? $1,701 in damage and I receive a check for $2,268, which is the Blue Book value for my car. Maybe. I am just being sentimental. |
Mine pushes out water as well but the water wasn't absorbed by the foam. The interior was completely dry after an hour, I sat on a towel to help absorb the moisture while I did the passengers side but they were already dry so there was no residual moisture or dirt
Didn't make sense for full coverage for me, if the car gets any damage the cost to fix with OEM parts (which my insurance requires) would heavily exceed the cost of the vehicle. The back bumper support being bent and a crack in the bumper caused the car to be totaled out the first time so I'm sure a declared value would be less than $800. If ever need be I wouldn't hesitate to pull the drive train out and put it into a fifth gen coupe or hatch Plus there are many JDM motor importers who have front clips from civic type r with radiator support hood headlights fenders and bumper for $650 |
Took a few pictures of the interior. It cleaned up nicely but was not in bad condition to begin with.
One of my favorite features is the shift light indicator. Before I got this 96 hx I was not aware of this feature. My 1998 hx did not have it and from my readings I thought it was only available on vx models, however it appears the Eco shift light for the sixth gen was only on 96-97 models. It's hard to see but it is a green arrow on the bottom left of the gauge cluster. The vacuum gauge is actually mounted to the under side of the gauge cluster bezel, so if I ever need to remove it there will be no visible holes A few of the modifications I forgot to note: The dimmer switch was faulty, and not repairable. It caused the dash lights not to function. By tapping the power to ground the lights fully illuminate. The dimmer switch was only available on US spec civics. I hollowed the dimmer switch and made it into my fog light switch. (a new oem switch is $80 from Honda, and of questionable status from any junk yard. I purchased and installed led bulbs for the gauge cluster I moved the radio to the lower location behind the cup holder to eventually place a triple gauge pod in the slot above the ac controls http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psycp2gfog.jpg Ah the build data, it says dark gray but it has to be the lightest dark gray and bluest gray combo around http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...pstd6yirif.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psapjfvcbe.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psofkzztft.jpg |
Weeeeee!
Cleanest $1500 car ever I took some random pictures of stampings while I was cleaning the under side of the car. It was extremely dirty, had to power wash the driveway afterwards. I cleaned the entire under side of the car using a brush and heavy duty driveway cleaner. I used a brush with the concrete cleaner and loosened everything up, and hit everything with a power washer to destroy the dirt. I also cleaned the barrels of the wheels and rotated the tires http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psiqdyoxpj.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...pshk2uajnp.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psfctxpaua.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psvtmqb9hj.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psw6z8qdhn.jpg No idea what the A stands for, it is one the gas tank and rear shocks and B is on the front shocks http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psgveilxq4.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps5zjsp081.jpg Bling bling! http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps8xrpa2xe.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psxbrcormd.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...pselopzeyi.jpg Heavy day of sweating ! http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps9ufhtnas.jpg http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/x...psmpmxookp.jpg Not that I ever questioned honda s reliability but it is very surprising to see that this car is still on the factory suspension. It was also odd that the control arms on the front and back, upper and lower, the brake drums, and a few other suspension pieces were all painted black. This was not done by the previous owner otherwise I would expect the front calipers to be painted as well |
I like you're style. This makes me motivated to do the same to my Civic this weekend.
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I don't think any car I've ever owned has been that clean. :)
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I noticed trying to remove the front wheels that the tires will spin even while in gear. I also noticed that the car will roll down the hill slowly while in gear without the ebrake on. My camaro never does that, is that a sign of a weak clutch? |
congratulations for your civic, it's very nice...
I had already 3 civics!!! all black!! :) that dash picture looks so familiar to me... but I bought the dash frame with 1 whole each side... On left I put the vaccum gauge from TIM, on the right I put the battery voltage... voila the picture of the 1.5 vtec-e D15Z6 lean burn civic dash: http://i60.tinypic.com/ehzzbc.jpg and here the civic vti ek4 b16a2 I had later, with the frame: http://i59.tinypic.com/2508fwl.jpg |
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