PixelFreak

Please be gentle. I have been reading as much as possible here to get up to speed, but I admittedly have a long way to go. I have some basic questions to start with, and have done a few searches to no avail.

This is my setup:
'97 Honda Civic HX, stock everything. D16y5 engine (thanks to you guys, I learned how to look it up), aftermarket wheels (sorry, the HX rims were gone when I got it!)

Question 1:
In city driving, it REALLY accelerates slow unless I hammer it. I know this is by design, but I get around it by not using "D" on the auto tranny - I use the one below it (S?). What are the guidelines for using this lower gear? (speed I should go back to D, what it does, etc.)

Question #2:
It did not come with A/C, and I just moved to Tucson from Seattle. A/C is a necessity here, and I am having a hard time getting someone to order and install it for me. I am not comfortable doing it myself (ordering - yes, installing - no). Does anyone know the best way to get A/C installed somewhere around here?!? The Honda dealer won't do it - too old of a vehicle, according to service manager.

Question #3:
Are there any other "brains" (I believe they are referred to as ECUs?) that an HX can use to get a little more power without swapping any engine hardware? I love the mileage (I commute 2 hours a day roundtrip), but would love a LITTLE more power on the surface streets.

Question #4:
What are the best High Intensity headlamps for this bad boy? I would like a little more visibility on the road in early morning due to coyotes and other varmints across I-19. I, of course, could install those myself.

TIA,
PixelFreak

PixelFreak

**Bump**

Just curious if any of these easy questions are answerable?

........

alright i cant really help with the ecu question but on the ac... there is a company called 4-seasons that is just now introducing a full stock a/c kit(has condensor and every thing) i think they are close 5 or 6 hundred....maybe that was my cost not sure any way most independent parts stores carry that brand check it out

Shawn C

iTrader: (1)

well the hx has the cvt tranny (continuously variable transaxle), which means i doesn't have any gears in it. theres really nothing you can do to make it faster. that car is actually faster in reverse than it is in forwards. I've done a cvt to auto swap in that car, which made it a tad faster, but it was the most involved thing i've ever done to a honda. as far as i know, i'm the only person to ever do it, and i would suggest not tryin. the car will never be fast unless you swap it, and you need a special passengerside mount for that, along with all kinds of other crap

good luck with the A/C thing, thats wierd that honda won't out it in for you

get some sylvania silverstar headlight bulbs, or maybe an HID conversion

PixelFreak

Sounds great. I am not really worried about the increase in speed, I just want to make sure that I am not hurting the transmission in any way if I keep it in 3 or S (forget which it is) until about 40 miles an hour.

As for the A/C kit from 4-seasons, is that the WHOLE thing so that I could just pay to get it installed and only pay labor?

I will look for the Sylvania bulbs around town. Thanks!

PixelFreak

aZnjCC

thought i would just throw this in here since it's an HX thread.

I also drive a 97 hx CVT. I was wondering if I decide to go with the b18c1(gsr) swap, it should be a pretty simple swap right? I'm mostly concerned with the auto to manual swap. I would have an experienced shop do it, and it shouldn't be much different from let's say an auto ex ---> b18c1 5sp swap right?

aZnjCC

also, PixelFreak. I don't know if you have noticed this problem yet. But the hx cvt trannies have been known to have problems. If you read on edmunds reviews, or just search for reviews on google, the cvt tranny seems to be very weak.

Some problems that I have noticed include a whining sound when coming to a stop and continues until you stick it in neutral. Then the noise just goes away. Other people have noticed shuddering during initial take off. I myself have noticed that sometimes during idle at a stoplight, the idle speed seems to rise up and down erraticly from very low rpms(300 or so) up to maybe 800.

Just wondering if you notice these problems as well.

skrewdriver88

I have a 97 Civic HX and i do notice the RPM jumps when im idle and it also makes a shuttering/grinding noise when i go from a dead stop to about 20 MPH.

PixelFreak

I haven't noticed any of those problems, but I have noticed that ever since I got this car ('98 - it was used one year before I got it), it has ALWAYS made a "jet engine" noise that has followed the RPM. Now, I am not talking a noise that is electrical (such as bad ground through speaker wires whine), but a noise that is directly related to the RPM of the vehicle, but have just become accustomed to it over time.

As for shuddering, I don't get it at low RPM. When the vehicle is somewhat cold (first ten minutes of driving), I get the tranny trying to brake (not break, but brake like the pedal or things that cause you to decelerate ) on me anytime I let go of the gas pedal between 1200-2000 RPM. It gives a hard bounce like someone was tapping on the brake pedal with some decent force trying to slow me down by itself. It's quite annoying, but I can usually control it by tapping the gas once or twice as soon as it does it, and it stops trying to slow me down by itself. It's quite annoying, however, because it feelsl like someone is tapping the brakes quite forcefully. Anyone else feel this with the CVT? I know there is a mechanism of some sort that is supposed to help slow you down, but this is rediculous!

PixelFreak

aZnjCC

yeah i feel that braking feeling too. the car generally is quite shuddery and isn't too smooth at low speeds.

I hear the whine too, but simply disregarded it as somethin attributed to a bad ground w/ my headunit.

PixelFreak

Anyone know where I could get those great lights online cheaply? I don't need an entire conversion kit, I wouldn't mind just getting some decent HID bulbs (can that be done?) and go with that....any leads on a good site with the right sizes (I don't know what size to get...)

PixelFreak