camberkitteh

Good evening all,

I would first off like to state that I am a car lover and absolutely adore the thought of getting to work on projects. I have the ability to do almost all of the tuning and upgrading necessary for my vehicle and others. I am lucky enough to have friends that have the answers when I do not and can not figure out said issues. I am here to ask a little advice for my 97 Honda Civic HX.

Has anybody done any modifications to the 2 door coupe Honda Civic HX?
I love LOVE this car and want to make it more aesthetically appealing and functional

Current thoughts on "modifying" my Civic
>Smoke lenses for headlights (autolightpros.com)
>1-4" lowering springs (Speedy Daddy Brand)
>4 used tires and rims from a resident in my city
>HALO LED lights that change colors
(Wanted opinions if it would look ridiculous or add some flare)
>Trying to find an exhaust that does not make it sound like a "Fart Cannon" if at all possible

Issues atm:
Bad BAD suspension (Pics to follow in morning)
-Both axles in front have torn boots with grease leaking out
-When turning or driving, front tires creak and pop.
-My AC compressor works, but the lines have been completely deleted
-Driver window does not go up as it is supposed to. ( I have power windows and locks)
>Purchased a new motor, arm, etc and it broke on the first roll down and roll up. Window permanently stays up now to avoid it falling off the track again.
-Driver side door panel is not on at the moment due to the window continuously falling off the track. Plugs have been detached to avoid the issue.
-Cracked passenger side headlight (I owned a 84 Nissan 300zx Z31 prior and found that sometimes kicking them makes them come back on XD)
-Windshield cracked and dinged
-Steering wheel falling apart (Cosmetic I know)
-Hood release latch has no latch, you have to pull it with pliers to get it to open the hood
-Cold air intake is attached with a "whale *****" piping and sitting on top of the radiator hose at the moment.
-Struts are shot
-Missing a few interior pieces such as visor for passenger side and driver side visor is falling apart
-Inner roof upholstery is falling off
-Emergency brake does not keep car from rolling away unless pull to the absolute max point and even then it's sketchy
-Car was eating coolant, but suddenly stopped out of nowhere
-Clutch pedal is ridiculously short, if you're not careful it will stall on you because of how short the clutch pedal is (Is this normal? I'm a Nissan girl, first Honda I've ever daily driven)
-Oil needs to be changed and filter
-Lowering springs are SHOT
-Windshield wiper fluid pieces shoot fluid over top of car rather than on windshield
-Squeaks randomly until gas applied
-Because of the smaller tires on the front, speedometer is off as well as odometer
-Calipers and Rotors are warped
-Front bumper kept getting torn off, so was removed

Pros:
-Replaced Master and Slave Cylinder
-Replaced Motor Mounts
-Ran injector cleaner through the system
-Car runs like a top
-Starts with no issues
-Runs very quiet (No smoke)
-No leaks
-297 (Not deducting what tires cause) per full tank
-Runs very cool (Never overheats)

Parts Being Replaced This Week
-Headlights
-Entire Front Suspension
-Entire Strut Assemble
-Enter Front Brake System

Details of my car:
Year: 1997
Engine: D16Y7
Transmission: (Being completely honest, without looking at it I could not specify. I just know that it is the transmission for the D series motor)
Chassis Miles: ~386,052
Transmission Miles: ~160K
Engine Miles: ~150k

Modifications:
"Cold air intake" because deleted the air box
On lowering springs with maybe an inch of ground clearance

Paint: Rattle canned Matte Black
Rims: Mismatched, two in front are different than two in the back. (Front two are Purple with paint splatter white and purple lug nuts) (Rear are some kind of stock rims unpainted)
Wheels: Two in front are 14s and two in the back are 15s
Emblem on back: Spray painted purple

This vehicle was sold to me with a D series engine, but originally came with a VTEC capable B series motor. However that motor was blown up and was replaced with the D series that is in it now.

(I will post pictures of it when morning comes as it is 9:45pm here)
(I can provide links to the parts I am thinking about buying and installing if asked, this post is long enough XD)

Link to my car:
https://imgur.com/a/RQuSADd

muellersfan

You bought somebody's failed project car.

You have an enormous amount of potentially expensive work ahead of you. Have you considered that buying a Civic in better condition might be a financially wiser option?

The stock HX has a fuel efficient D16Y5 engine. What ECU is running the D16Y7?

camberkitteh

I'm not too sure without going and looking at it, but it is pitch black out atm.
I bought it from a couple of friends who claimed that it only needed a clutch line replacement because the car was having issues going into gear.
I drove it home, it shifted just fine. Got ready to take back my grandma's car to her while my boyfriend drove it to pick me up after I dropped it off and the entire transmission failed. It would not go into gear. Come to find out, the shift fork snapped in half. We ended up replacing the transmission completely.
I will get back to you about the ECU. I have a suspicious feeling, which I brought up to Autozone, that it is the ECU for the B series motor and not for my D series.
I'd love to hold onto it because I have gotten attached, but the work is looking to be a bit expensive. I am lucky enough to have a buddy who will fix it for me for little to nothing, but the parts for the suspension replacement are totaling almost $700, and I am not even close to finding everything that's needed for it.
It served its purpose up to now, the joints are about to snap in it.

muellersfan

The stock D16Y7 ECU is the P2E. Also check for CEL codes by jumping the service connector.

BiggieBert

mk378

Again, if it was a USA market HX it was built with a D16Y5 VTEC-E (Economy mpg) engine. The only Civics that ever had a B engine stock were some Si versions, and those are in other ways considerably different from the DX/LX/EX/HX builds.

To properly convert from VTEC-E to regular VTEC or non-VTEC (what your D16Y7 is) requires changing many parts including the ECU.

tony_2018

Have those idiots buy it back from you and go buy something with alot less headache.

chrysler kid

Seriously the car sounds like its a piece of scrap. I wouldnt waste my time on it

Dont love hoes

Some of these cars now are nothing but worn out trashed hoes. You cant fix everything wrong with them so just wear it out and find a virgin car you can love that doesnt have engine herpes

Car needs to have 2 out of 3 things going for it to deserve love.
1. Good interior
2. Good body
3. Good motor and transmission

Having only 1 of 3 of those options makes it a peice of junk. Having 0 of those 3 makes it worth only scrap weight at a junkyard ($250)

camberkitteh

@mk378 Supposedly my HX was the SI model. I don't know much about Honda, mostly Nissan. They said that it came originally with a VTEC capable engine. Something went wrong with the engine and they put the current one in it to run. I also changed out the transmissions with another that was the same as the one in it originally.

@chrysler kid Has a really strong motor and transmission so far. Those being the key words, "so far" lol The body isn't in bad shape at all, and the interior is clean and nice. I basically want to fix the suspension and sell it off to put a down payment on a 350Z/370Z or something similar. I do agree on it probably being better off in the scrap yard, but it has served it's purpose of getting me to and from work when I did not have a car. Now the time and money put into it will be to fix it up, flip it, and buy a new car. I think I love projects too much to just let it go for scrap. I know I can fix it, and with it being only a $600 car that I've put a little money into, I believe I can get it back out of it. I was lucky enough to get the new transmission for free, and a few other parts for free for it from my buddies. Maybe I'm too delusional? My love for projects is too much I guess xD

@muellersfan Thank you, I will go pull out the ECU and check it. That was my main concern when my buddies told me they switched the motors out. It probably was still trying to run the "VTEC capable" motor that they said was originally in it.

I am uploading pics to the original post above. (9:50am 1/5/19)
(10:13 am) It will not allow me to upload pictures? I upload them, add captions, but they do not appear?
(10:38 am) Just gonna create an album on my profile
(10:48 am) Cannot create an album, so uploaded to imgur
Link is: (https://imgur.com/a/RQuSADd)

camberkitteh

These are pics of the left and right suspension issues.

TomCat39

Just for your knowledge, the axles and axle boots aren't suspension, it's drive line.

Suspension typically is bushings, sway bars, control arms, and struts/shocks etc.
The things that actually suspend the car above the ground.
The things that make it move usually are referred to as drive line parts.

Then the steering parts are steering. Tie rods, steering rack etc.

eghatch9295

iTrader: (1)

avoid cheap trash lowering springs/sleeves. they ride terribly, are of extremely questionable quality, basically dangerous junk. if your lowering setup is cheaper than a set of "quick struts" you're begging for problems.

chrysler kid

Ive saved worse civics than that, and ive paid way less than that
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-...ic-lx-3277688/



Good luck with whatever youre planning, id suggest learning how to use a wrench and screw driver to replace a window regulator first. Its an extremely basic job you can research by watching videos YouTube.

tony_2018

supposedly....

Caoboy

eghatch9295

iTrader: (1)

rockauto for suspension parts. vatozone or wheverer's cheapest for axles. the back wheels are the correct ones for the car, but aren't easy to find. i'd hit your local junkyard and find some steelies and covers. that, and clean out that ****** car!

wrongboy

Agreed re: the headlight polish. I used the drill operated 3m Restoration. I highly reccomend NOT using the cheaper "by hand" kit, you'll be at it for 4 days. Did both my headlights in about 90 minutes. I have a pic somewhere.

LINK:

tony_2018

lifetime axles at advance are fine
buff out headlight with 3m's latest drill kit, don't get the old one
you can probably find a door panel at a junkyard