94 honda civic vx issues - Page 34 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

RatherDashing · 06-06-2013, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Sorry to hear of more difficulties...

I have experienced the same difficulty with mine. Apparently I seated one of the seals too far into the housing. I need to replace hub bearing unit and ball joints on that side anyway, so... one of these weeks, when I have read and watched enough, I'll dive in and fix it all. Until then I keep a close eye on the very slow tranny oil leak.

As for replacement transmission oil... I have seen all the debates too. Honda MTF has wear agents that are considered superior to synth oil. But honestly, I drive this car so gently and at such low rpms, often barely reaching running temps... I have Royal Purple 5w30 going in, which was the original spec for the fifth gen manuals I believe.

that's exactly what im dropping in mine tomorrow then too. 5w30 royal purple.
ehhh their regular maintenance difficulties tho. im really hoping that new purge cut solenoid works because a new one from Honda is 172$ and I cant find a replacement anywhere else.

the shop is very reputable tho. I redid the back break drums, springs and shoes and had no e brake. I took it to the shop to have them look at it. one of the springs was on backwards and the adjusting thing(cant thing of name) needed to be stretched out more so the shoes were tighter. hour of labor only cost me 20 bucks

passenger side ebrake line is broken I believe tho and always has been so that's a future fix.

I went around to different places as well to get a paint job quote and decided I shall fiberglass the rear wheel holes. do a decent bondo job and repaint the car forrest green. cuz aint no way im paying 2900 for a whole new paint job and body work,

some_other_dave · 06-07-2013, 05:11 PM

Did the car come with an owner's manual? It will tell you what was originally specified for the transmission fluid. There are places you can find on-line that have PDFs of at least some of the Honda service manuals as well. You might be able to find the information in there too.

The previous-generation Civic transmissions were spec'ed for non-synthetic 10W40 engine oil. That's what I used, and it worked well. There is lots of debate about Honda MTF; one of the most-respected transmission gurus I know of (Mista Bone, who it seems is now only hanging out at dseries.org) says that the current formulation is too thin and should not be used on the old transmissions.

On the previous-generation Civic parts diagrams, there is a typo. They have the wrong output flange seal listed for one side. The ID of the seal is too large, and the trans fluid leaks out very very quickly. I don't know if that error carries over to the 94s.

A ripped axle boot will lead to CV joint problems. By the time you notice the boot, the grease already has dirt in it which will grind away the working parts of the joint. Replacing the boot is a stop-gap at best.

-soD

RatherDashing · 06-08-2013, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by some_other_dave

Did the car come with an owner's manual? It will tell you what was originally specified for the transmission fluid. There are places you can find on-line that have PDFs of at least some of the Honda service manuals as well. You might be able to find the information in there too.

The previous-generation Civic transmissions were spec'ed for non-synthetic 10W40 engine oil. That's what I used, and it worked well. There is lots of debate about Honda MTF; one of the most-respected transmission gurus I know of (Mista Bone, who it seems is now only hanging out at dseries.org) says that the current formulation is too thin and should not be used on the old transmissions.

On the previous-generation Civic parts diagrams, there is a typo. They have the wrong output flange seal listed for one side. The ID of the seal is too large, and the trans fluid leaks out very very quickly. I don't know if that error carries over to the 94s.

A ripped axle boot will lead to CV joint problems. By the time you notice the boot, the grease already has dirt in it which will grind away the working parts of the joint. Replacing the boot is a stop-gap at best.

-soD

Yeah I had the shop replace the axle. I think the axle was bad that's why it was still leaking.I have downloaded the manual for the 92-95 civics and it has all the info for my VX model.I've been using it with almost everything I do. The axle shaft seal I got as well was through auto zone and it was a perfect match with my car.but the mechanic said it wasn't the same.its such a rare model civic its hit and miss with the right parts and specs you need.even the honda dealerships I talk to and get parts/advice from every now and then don't even believe a VX model exists its so rare

My car runs like a champ.there a vacuum leak sum where that I'm still figuring out and I'm pretty certain its between the purge cut solenoid and the vacuum canister. Once I get that fixed I shed get maximum milage.

California98Civic · 06-08-2013, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RatherDashing

Yeah I had the shop replace the axle. I think the axle was bad that's why it was still leaking.I have downloaded the manual for the 92-95 civics and it has all the info for my VX model.I've been using it with almost everything I do. The axle shaft seal I got as well was through auto zone and it was a perfect match with my car.but the mechanic said it wasn't the same.its such a rare model civic its hit and miss with the right parts and specs you need.even the honda dealerships I talk to and get parts/advice from every now and then don't even believe a VX model exists its so rare

If you look in the 1992-1995 FSM you'll see that things that vary between the different trims the manual covers are itemized and described. The axles and oil seals are not among them I don't believe. Did he show you how the seal was "wrong"? I'd like to know. My reading and work on my own transmission suggests virtually everything is the same, unless you have the Si. Keep an eye out for any possible continuation of leaking, though I would bet he got it right this time, like you say.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RatherDashing

My car runs like a champ.there a vacuum leak sum where that I'm still figuring out and I'm pretty certain its between the purge cut solenoid and the vacuum canister. Once I get that fixed I shed get maximum milage.

Enjoy your car! Gotta love what you drive anytime you have to drive it all the time.

RatherDashing · 06-14-2013, 12:51 PM

Drove it very easy with a full tank of gas.barely braking 300 miles on the tank before hitting empty.still curious with what's up

California98Civic · 06-14-2013, 03:20 PM

You're not getting into lean burn, I'm guessing. And you're not driving it in the optimal load%, I'm guessing. Remind me, you have a vacuum gauge mounted in the car and you use it to gauge the load on the engine during acceleration, seeking 75-80% load? Do you have a way to monitor AFR so you can tell when/if the car slips into lean burn?

RatherDashing · 06-16-2013, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by California98Civic

You're not getting into lean burn, I'm guessing. And you're not driving it in the optimal load%, I'm guessing. Remind me, you have a vacuum gauge mounted in the car and you use it to gauge the load on the engine during acceleration, seeking 75-80% load? Do you have a way to monitor AFR so you can tell when/if the car slips into lean burn?

not yet. I thought leanburn was activated when your foot is barely on the gas at just the right spot above downshifting

I havnt had much money to put into the car lately. just replaced the purge cut solenoid and looking into weather or not I may or may not have a bad egr valve

Rusty94cx · 06-20-2013, 01:07 PM

I've got a 2 dollar harbor freight multimeter hooked up to monitor lean burn. It was really easy 2 wires out of the ecu. Keep it right under the e brake. After a week you learn how to be in lean burn. You'll feel the change.