Base line results for 322,000 mile 98 Honda HX 5 speed

[DSMHondaGuy]

Well wife's complaining about me spending time in the shop today...None the less I did air up a low tire on her car, wipe off the wheels and told her next time she gets an oil change I need to rotate her tires.

Pulled the Civic into the shop and checked the tire pressure and hey look at that. 31, 31, 31.5, 32psi So they're all at 43psi now, I figure since they're cold that gives them a little room to come up to temp on a long trip or as ambient air temp comes up so they don't exceed the maximum pressure rating. Checked the oil, half quart low in 1,465 miles. :/ Was hoping for better but with 321,3xx miles on it, that's about what I expected...actually better than a lot of engines would be I'm betting. Didn't have time to do the compression check since the wife's complaining, I'll try to work that in soon.


Main come away: Tire pressure went from 31-32psi to 43psi.

ETA: Also put some lithium grease on the hinge points to the accelerator pedal, I had it in a syringe but the tip was a bit bigger than I'd rather it been, couldn't really get it forced in there quite like I wanted but I figure it will work it's way in there over time and this summer when in car cabin temps shoot way up and lower the viscosity of it.

Now to top off the fuel tank Monday, add a little oil and see what difference it makes on the next tank.

[DSMHondaGuy]

Think this is hurting or helping? It's split in the middle, no idea what caused it, but seems it's supposed to be secured up higher and is sagging pretty badly, I can probably fix it easy enough. I have some thin stainless steel and aluminum at work, I was thinking about cutting a piece and using drilling some holes and using interior panel fasteners or screws to tie the pieces together and re-secure it.


It occurred to me though it may be action as a somewhat dynamic air dam, admittedly in all the wrong ways in regards to speed it's redoubtably being pushed up and out of the way but is surely directing more air around the front than it would be if it were secured as intended.

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

You'll get wy higher numbers than 38 if you keep to it. Great little go boxes, these old Civics.

This! Learn that lean burn and you'll blow my DX away in no time. These are neat little cars. Great for some slow-car-fast fun or straight commuting. I'm not at all surprised that with the mileage on yours, it's still going strong. Mine is "only" 172k and feels super tight if not exactly new.

I'd highly recommend the manual steering if that interests you. The ratio is slow, but it's by far the lightest manual steering I've ever encountered, and the feedback through the wheel is fantastic. When I bought the car I actually thought it had power steering that was going on the fritz, so after the test drive I took a look for leaks, etc., and that's when I saw there was no power steering.

[DSMHondaGuy]

Are the manual racks easy to locate new? Expensive? PITA to swap out? Which model and trim do you get the manual rack from? Is it a drop in direct swap?

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by DSMHondaGuy

Are the manual racks easy to locate new? Expensive? PITA to swap out? Which model and trim do you get the manual rack from? Is it a drop in direct swap?

What I don't know is a lot more than what I do know.

What I do indeed know is that if you're hunting at junkyards for 6th gens, go for the hatchbacks (any trim), or the DX coupe. I believe all of those had p/s as an option so none of these are 100%, but the DX sedan as well as all HX, LX, and EX had p/s standard.

Hondas are like legos, so I'd wager that there's some 5th or even 4th gen manual racks which might work. I doubt there's much demand, so I can't imagine they would be terribly pricey. As for installation, again I don't know. The fact that some thicker sway bars, for instance, require other control arms gives me pause on saying whether or not there's other componentry needed for a clean and functional install.

[DSMHondaGuy]

Thanks for the information, I'll hit up some Honda forums and see if I can find out more specifics on that.

[Baltothewolf]

When I deleted the PS on mine it didn't help whatsoever, if that helps. I saw the biggest gain (40-45) by getting better LRR tires. I actually saw a 2mpg DECREASE when I swapped the stock HX trans to the VX trans, and it was ultimately what made me sell the car. It was just way to much of a chore to drive.

[DSMHondaGuy]

Makes sense, going down the highway, the power steering isn't doing anything really. Swapping the alternator pulley to an underdrive unit probably has a larger effect.

[jcp123]

No idea what the effect of the p/s is. But I've always liked ultra-strippers (think rat rods) and manual everything including manual steering, and Honda's is an absolute joy.

[oldtamiyaphile]

I gained 1mpg by removing the PS belt on a similar car. Swapping to a manual rack means you'll get a different ratio (slower) which you may or may not want. It's very easy to just pull the belt and give it a go.