89 civic wagovan 5spd (very slow build: power + ecomods & lots of pics!)

[elhigh]

Does it being a manual have something to do with the remote starter failure? If you're like me you can't just park it and leave it in neutral, it has to be left in gear - a belts-n-suspenders approach to leaving the car. So it's looking for a neutral switch or clutch switch to enable starting.

Obviously you wouldn't want to remote start with it in gear, that's the fast and unhappy way to wind up on the front page.

[vrmouseyd15b]

Originally Posted by OG VX

Great work! Hopefully it works out for you. Way to get it done!

Thanks! I'm a little mad at myself for not writing down bulb sizes while it was all apart, but it all works! No check engine for the VSS, and it's looking good (except for the extra 57000 miles on the clock).

At least I've got good documentation as to how and why I've got a mileage discrepancy. I might still look for another with less miles, but I'll look more closely...

Thanks,
Victor

[vrmouseyd15b]

Originally Posted by elhigh

Does it being a manual have something to do with the remote starter failure? If you're like me you can't just park it and leave it in neutral, it has to be left in gear - a belts-n-suspenders approach to leaving the car. So it's looking for a neutral switch or clutch switch to enable starting.

Obviously you wouldn't want to remote start with it in gear, that's the fast and unhappy way to wind up on the front page.

No, it's more am issue of the remote start module not interfacing with the radiowave alarm. I can "remote start" right now by making the wires on the starter module, but the module doesn't communicate with the alarm like it should.

*Module's on the way! just confirmed this morning!
The alarm guys engineered it so it will only interface with their products. Job security. This extra module might also be where the trunk popper output would come from, since I haven't seen that yet. ..

I've always set up my remote starters to ignore the e-brake, I only hook the tach wire so it knows when the car is on and service brake to cut out.

I'm one of those dudes that always leaves it in neutral w/ e-brake on. Even on a hill! I can still hear my gym coach/driving instructor telling us about parking on a hill "up, up, and away!" So, by default then parking downhill I'll point my wheels to the curb.
my only exceptions to that rule are parking on snow/ice or extreme hills/angles (none of that in Illinois - we're called flatlanders for a reason) so really only when parking on unstable surfaces.

Lots of head scratching with this alarm, but it is so cool! Almost done! I'll post a new video when it's all set up.

Thanks,
Victor

[elhigh]

I remember the gym teacher telling us about pointing tires at curbs when parked on a slope, but I lived in relatively flat Northern VA at the time, so it wasn't a big deal much of the time.

I do miss the incessant whine of overtaxed power steering pumps wafting through my French class windows as the after-lunch driver's ed course met in the back parking lot. Ah, good times.

Now I live in E. Tennessee. Flat land is incredibly rare and valuable, so it almost always has a Target, Walmart or Kroger on it. Hills are where you put houses, and you can usually count on a tree or house getting in the way if your car should roll away.

[vrmouseyd15b]

Power steering pumps in French class, that's hilarious! Good times! I guess it's a non-issue in my area for leaving it in gear.
Hills are where you put houses. That's good!

Thanks,
Victor

[vrmouseyd15b]

It's Wagon Wednesday!

Mini - update: The remote start module is supposedly being built in Malaysia or something, as there were none in stock, and had been on backorder. I shoud have the remote start module in the beginning of April...

Weather is starting to warm up in my area! We actually hit 75 degrees monday! I started with the spring cleaning and making more room in my tiny garage. Got Skiddy's '89 rims cleaned up (pretty new tires) and WOW! They look pretty darn good for 25 years old:



They'll be in the basement waiting for winter now. I've also cleaned up a couple more things that I'm pretty sure I'll need for the turbo motor (looks like next summer, Skiddy) I've already blasted the valve cover a little and am starting to take the z6 head apart.

It's spring cleaning time for sure! I'm trying to get as much garage cleaning done as I can before I get "volunteered" to till her garden and all that junk..

I went to the junkyard to help a buddy out with a valve cover, and found a few lock handles, but not the right color - these can be for a "just in case" I'm going to hold out and try to get the brown ones.


Washed the car in the nice warm sun, I could get used to this!


Happy Wagon Wednesday, everybody!

Thanks,
Victor

[OG VX]

Lookin good!!!

[vrmouseyd15b]

Originally Posted by OG VX

Lookin good!!!

Thank you, thank you! Hey og - what do you know about these bras and how long it's ok to keep it on?

The instructions are kinda like only wear it for a week at a time, don't get it wet, don't expose it to sunlight, and don't feed it after midnight? Is this thing a Mogwai? Haha!

Thanks,
Victor

[vrmouseyd15b]

Got my supersweet decals in today from Prennro! Thanks dude - looks great!

The "save a civic" and "wagon wednesday" are pretty much off the shelf Prennro designs. I got in touch with him for a couple of each and got LUCKY in that he was taking care of some important final details on his wagon, and so my decals were delayed.

Lucky because good ol' Prennro must have felt a little guilty and threw in a TOTALLY AWESOME and FREE cutom"Skiddy" decal along with a little "plug" for him on instagram!

I will shamelessly rock your "plug" Prennro! Check out this awesomeness!!
These are the "off the shelf" (awesome shelf, by the way)





This is the custom Skiddy one:



It was still a little too light to take the shot straight on, but you get the idea..



This is where the decals came from on instagram:



So this is my back window after the last round of "tattoos" on Skiddy..



Yup. Giggity.

Thanks,
Victor

[OG VX]

Love those decals!

For your question about the bra: I believe Honda over-exaggerates on their claim on the tag, just for liability purposes. It's un-realistic to think that someone would go to the trouble to remove the bra for a rainstorm.

That being said, wearing a bra for an extended period is NOT good for your paint. It will cause oxidation if you leave it on for weeks at a time. When I run one, I always give the paint a good coat of wax before install, like the tag says. Just an extra layer of protection for the paint against water sitting on the top of the paint as it collects under the bra. Try to clean under the bra at-least every two weeks, if you are going to wear it for a season. Hope this helps!