Rare form 97 Accord - cruise control & guage needle lights
03-01-2015, 03:13 PM
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Rare form 97 Accord - cruise control & guage needle lights
So, about 3 weeks ago I picked up a 97 Accord (Ex? - F22, pwr locks & windows) off Craigslist, this car is in unbelievably great shape too. Interior is near flawless, no cracks or tears, a bit of staining in the rear floor carpet. Mechanical-wise, it's hard to believe the thing has over 150k on it, I'm thinking the motor was rebuilt at some point because it runs too flawlessly, has a lot of power too. The only real mechanical problems I've found so far is that the CV joints and master cylinder need replacing (which I'll be doing when it warms up), and it looks like the soft power steering hose is leaking a bit.
The body is in great shape with a few small dings here and there, but the paint is pretty horrid, at first glance it looks like the entire paint job has gone bad but it's mostly just the clearcoat rotting away. I'm a DIY'er for the most part, looking for a way to either retouch and clear coat or completely repaint, on the cheap. I may try rubbing off all the old clear coat, do some spot retouching, light wet sanding and spray on a bit of clear coat. Did a spot test and it was somewhat of an improvement.
The only complaint I really have about the car (and it's not much of a complaint) is that for a "loaded" model (power locks, security system, etc) it's an odd mishmash of features, but no ABS?! Fortunately, our once a year winter weather is on its way out, driving on ice with no TC or ABS isn't much fun.
Aside from that, I've ran into a couple of small gremlins. First, the cruise control's electronics seem to be working, I can turn it on and set speed and the dash cruise light comes on, but the cruise unit isn't pulling the throttle cable. Cursory inspection revealed nothing out of place, I figured I'd ask around about common problems before digging much deeper. Google turned up a lot of useful information (and I do own a shop manual as well), but I know Hondas have their own specific quirks.
Second, the guage cluster has been modified with blue lights and faces, seems to be perfect except that the guage needles aren't lighting up at all. My wife says that one night they did light up, but I haven't been able to reproduce that. It's been a long time since I've had my hands up under a Honda dash (used to own a 93 del Sol, RIP), do the guages themselves have their own bulb, on the same circuit as the cluster lights? Input is appreciated.
The body is in great shape with a few small dings here and there, but the paint is pretty horrid, at first glance it looks like the entire paint job has gone bad but it's mostly just the clearcoat rotting away. I'm a DIY'er for the most part, looking for a way to either retouch and clear coat or completely repaint, on the cheap. I may try rubbing off all the old clear coat, do some spot retouching, light wet sanding and spray on a bit of clear coat. Did a spot test and it was somewhat of an improvement.
The only complaint I really have about the car (and it's not much of a complaint) is that for a "loaded" model (power locks, security system, etc) it's an odd mishmash of features, but no ABS?! Fortunately, our once a year winter weather is on its way out, driving on ice with no TC or ABS isn't much fun.
Aside from that, I've ran into a couple of small gremlins. First, the cruise control's electronics seem to be working, I can turn it on and set speed and the dash cruise light comes on, but the cruise unit isn't pulling the throttle cable. Cursory inspection revealed nothing out of place, I figured I'd ask around about common problems before digging much deeper. Google turned up a lot of useful information (and I do own a shop manual as well), but I know Hondas have their own specific quirks.
Second, the guage cluster has been modified with blue lights and faces, seems to be perfect except that the guage needles aren't lighting up at all. My wife says that one night they did light up, but I haven't been able to reproduce that. It's been a long time since I've had my hands up under a Honda dash (used to own a 93 del Sol, RIP), do the guages themselves have their own bulb, on the same circuit as the cluster lights? Input is appreciated.
03-01-2015, 08:02 PM
#2
Re: Rare form 97 Accord - cruise control & guage needle lights
94-97 all had F22 motors, if it's a F22B1 it's an EX (or Wagon) and the F22B2 is the DX, VP, SE, LX, etc.
The LX models had power windows/locks but did not come with ABS standard.
The needles do not light up - the stock ones are just painted somewhat reflective and there are two overhead bulbs on top of the cluster that shine down. That's what illuminates the cluster. If someone has f'd with the gauges though it's tough to tell you what they actually did. There are two cluster removal threads in the FAQ.
The LX models had power windows/locks but did not come with ABS standard.
The needles do not light up - the stock ones are just painted somewhat reflective and there are two overhead bulbs on top of the cluster that shine down. That's what illuminates the cluster. If someone has f'd with the gauges though it's tough to tell you what they actually did. There are two cluster removal threads in the FAQ.
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