97 Civic HX

[oneheadlight]

forgot to add, this car has been in my family since new back in 96. It bounced around to different family members and now it's back in my hands. I was the first to have it back in the day. But it's taken about three years or so to rebuild/repair it all. And I still have to find a decent body shop to fix the rust in the rear wheel wells (not inside wheel wells, it's more sheet metal on the outer panel). so I'm almost done

[conor97hx]

Originally Posted by oneheadlight

oh yeah that washer, well good it was a simple fix. On mine had to replace the entire run of brake lines, fuel/vapor lines. Luckily Honda still made them! rust is terrible up here in michigan. ugh!

Not to tell ya what to do, but you might want to check the distributor's timing. I had that issue on my HX and it turned the car into a dog. Eventually had to replace the distributor (honda discontinued their distributor) with an aftermarket, went through 3 or 4 until I found a decent quality brand. But yeah timing, just to help you out.

Yeah, I've had brake issues with mine too. The front right caliper seized up and caused a bunch of problems I've replaced everything short of the lines. And the booster is leaking fluid a bit and causing the brakes to sound like they are air brakes.

I've checked the timing, I've rebuilt a couple of Honda motors in the past, I'm no expert but I at least know the basics to look for with that. I had an em1 before this car so I'm used to having a bit more power. I'm sure it's just a nut behind the wheel issue at this point. Lol.

[oneheadlight]

Originally Posted by conor97hx

Yeah, I've had brake issues with mine too. The front right caliper seized up and caused a bunch of problems I've replaced everything short of the lines. And the booster is leaking fluid a bit and causing the brakes to sound like they are air brakes.

I've checked the timing, I've rebuilt a couple of Honda motors in the past, I'm no expert but I at least know the basics to look for with that. I had an em1 before this car so I'm used to having a bit more power. I'm sure it's just a nut behind the wheel issue at this point. Lol.

hahah the nut behind the wheel! I just can't stop laughing thinking of that.. but hey I bet you're getting better fuel economy with the HX compared to the em1! I did drive a 99 EM1 back in the day, and that engine was such a sweet, sweet sound with the rush of power. The HX is different but still nice, just not as forceful.

Yup I also had both calipers seize, replaced with re-manufactured. Yup I'm wondering how long it'll be before my booster starts having issues after twenty years. I've asked the mechanic who helped me (some stuff I cannot do) and he said that it was looking good. so we'll see how far I get with it.

and timing, glad you were able to check it

I have to ask you.. how are you able to get 40mpg? I cannot seem to get past 32mpg. Everything is tuned up, new plugs, distributor, ecu capacitors replaced, new injectors, egr cleaned, new egr valve. everything is done! Alignment is perfect too. So let me know what you're doing.. I'd love to know.

[conor97hx]

Originally Posted by oneheadlight

hahah the nut behind the wheel! I just can't stop laughing thinking of that.. but hey I bet you're getting better fuel economy with the HX compared to the em1! I did drive a 99 EM1 back in the day, and that engine was such a sweet, sweet sound with the rush of power. The HX is different but still nice, just not as forceful.

Yup I also had both calipers seize, replaced with re-manufactured. Yup I'm wondering how long it'll be before my booster starts having issues after twenty years. I've asked the mechanic who helped me (some stuff I cannot do) and he said that it was looking good. so we'll see how far I get with it.

and timing, glad you were able to check it

I have to ask you.. how are you able to get 40mpg? I cannot seem to get past 32mpg. Everything is tuned up, new plugs, distributor, ecu capacitors replaced, new injectors, egr cleaned, new egr valve. everything is done! Alignment is perfect too. So let me know what you're doing.. I'd love to know.

Yeah i miss the em1, it had a gsr swap in it with some head work done to it so it was a fun little motor. Sadly it was stolen and i still havent found it so its probably a bare shell right now

Keep your revs low, run in high gear when you can. These cars are different from the high revving honda motors they like that too but if you're trying to maximize fuel economy thats not the way to go. It takes some getting used to but if you learn that and stay consistent with it youll see better numbers more than likely.

[oneheadlight]

Originally Posted by conor97hx

Yeah i miss the em1, it had a gsr swap in it with some head work done to it so it was a fun little motor. Sadly it was stolen and i still havent found it so its probably a bare shell right now

Keep your revs low, run in high gear when you can. These cars are different from the high revving honda motors they like that too but if you're trying to maximize fuel economy thats not the way to go. It takes some getting used to but if you learn that and stay consistent with it youll see better numbers more than likely.

yeah and I am definitely revving higher in 1st gear to get going. I'll re-learn and change how I'm doing things, keeping the revs a lot lower. I forgot how to drive this car, being used to much more power. It's not slow, but I want to get higher than I'm getting. so.. thanks for the advice! And sorry to hear about your em1 getting stolen. that really sucks!

[conor97hx]

Originally Posted by oneheadlight

yeah and I am definitely revving higher in 1st gear to get going. I'll re-learn and change how I'm doing things, keeping the revs a lot lower. I forgot how to drive this car, being used to much more power. It's not slow, but I want to get higher than I'm getting. so.. thanks for the advice! And sorry to hear about your em1 getting stolen. that really sucks!

No problem man I know its hard to not rev the piss out of these honda motors but the extra money saved is worth it. Thats not to say i dont have fun with it occasionally but on a daily basis its much better for the car.

Yeah i'm still really mad about it...I hope the people who stole it at least had as much fun with it as i did.

[conor97hx]

Haven't made much progress in this car, except some maintenance items (oil, p/s, coolant). Also Replaced p/s lines and got a new windshield washer reservoir and hooked it all up.

Currently trying to figure out why I'm not getting power to my horn and the SRS light is on so I'm suspecting I need a new clock spring or there's a problem in the dash harness. There will be more to update on once I'm all done fixing things on it.