tooters bmx

Hey guys, a few years back I had an 89 wagon, sold it, stopped modifying cars and that was that.

Drove an 06 civic for s few years, recently that was totaled, and today I picked up a fairly clean 91 hatch.

Its in pretty good shape, but has a few issues I want to take care of.

1) the driver side door drops when I open it. It's like the pin on the top hinge is loose. Is there an easy way to replace/fix this?

2) I think the passenger side axle is going out. There's a small vibration, worse at low speeds when turning. Does that sound right?

3) can someone recommend a cat back? There's a small hole in the exhaust right after the cat so I figure might as well upgrade. Not trying to spend a fortune because it needs tires soon, but I'm not looking for something too loud or obnoxious.

4) Its got 170k on it, any maintenance things I should take care of or look at?

thabks guys. Plan on searching and spending a lot of time here.

welfarepc

Vibrations that get worse at low speed are typically bent wheels, failing rubber/tires, and when it happens a lot when turning wheels back and forth, check for loose components or heavily worn suspension and steering components.


Replace the hinges to stop the door from drooping. Those stupid USDM door mounted seat belts are to blame for that. My Canadian hatch doors are mint, almost 30 years later.


170k miles? Check the timing belt. Check the health of the spare tire.

tooters bmx

Thanks for the tips there. I think I may have a combination of problems when it comes to my wheel noise/vibration. I get s popping at low speeds while turning and a vibration at highway speeds. The tires on it are passable but junky so a new set of wheels and tires was first in my list after I repaired everything, that may help, and I'll have to get it on a lift to check the suspension components out. After spending a day with the car going over it and cleaning it so far I've got the following

-new exhaust to fix the hole
-my washer fluid bottle is cracked so that needs replaced
-new hinge for the door
-suspension check/find that noise
-rear hatch struts

welfarepc

Just jack up the front end of the car so both the wheels are in the air, and try to shake the wheel+tire or move it.

Give it a shake from 12 to 6, and from 3 to 9. There should be ZERO movement in the wheel. If there is movement, take a look at what has play and then you found the problem.

Evo9GSR

iTrader: (1)

If you're looking for a nice cat back a Thermal R&D CRX system sounds amazing. you will have to extend the midpipe a little but its definitely worth it IMO. and as for maintenance I would say just do the timing belt and water pump just to be safe. my car has 230k and I got it at about 170. all ive replaces is timing belt, water pump and distributor. keeping these cars well maintained is the key to their success like with any other car.

tooters bmx

I'll have to look around for a write up on changing the timing belt, that one will be new for me.

question on exhausts though. I'm doing some searching but how bad are the cheap ($100) ebay exhausts? I'm sure they dont sound that great and will do little to nothing for performance gains alone, but I also know I will probably need to replace the cat back before the car gets inspected in a few months, but would rather spend the cash that could be spent on a quality exhaust on other things for the car. That extra $300+ could pretty much cover a lot of the things i want to replace soon (suspension components, new wheels and/or tires), so if the cheap ebay ones are alright or liveable that may be the route I take until i figure out what my plans are for the car engine wise.

I mean aside from the hideous 4" tip, a stainless cat back thats 2.25" piping doesnt sound completely horrid.

tooters bmx

Finally got a day off and a chance to get the wheels off the ground. There is zero play from 12 to 6, but a bunch of play from 3 to 9. I think the play is actually coming from the tie rod or the bushing/joint around the upper control arm, rather than the axle.

tooters bmx

Figured I could add a few pictures of the new to me car and what i am working with. Definitely a little rough around the edges, but its a start, and will keep me busy for a while

Marcos Barrios

i like it ^_^
what size tires do you have on there ?
there so thin they look like they belong on a motocycle

God Is Bed

I'd be interested to know this as well, I've been looking at a complete exhaust system on ebay for around $170 and wondered what other options there were out there for our cars. I can find single parts (headers, catbacks) on various Honda webstores, but they're all pretty high in price. Any quality budget options out there?

tooters bmx

I'm pretty sure the tires on my motorcycle are actually wider than these. I think they are 155/80 13s. They will be replaced real soon. The fronts are old snow tires, the rears are really worn and all 4 show signs of age. I ended up finding a set of wheels off of a mini for sale semi locally with good tires on them for really cheap that I may try to pick up today actually. While they aren't the best looking wheels, the tires are probably a lot safer and for the price of less than 2 new tires, I can't say no

tooters bmx

Probably going to just keep updating this thread as everything slowly comes along with the car, for both the maintenance/modifications.

PIcked up the set of wheels yesterday, ended up getting all 4 with tires for $80, probably will replace the tires, but a lot of the vibration i felt at highway speeds is already gone, so thats a major plus.

Also took the gamble on an ebay exhaust, that should be here in a couple days, also have a pair of upper control arms coming to replace the ball joint on the passenger side, and i decided to just get both at the same time. Not knowing the shape of everything, I will probably be slowly replacing and/or upgrading a lot of the suspension components as I go along. After this is done, i may look into shocks and struts, and possibly lowering it a little. I'm curious if anyone has tried or has any experience with the suspension kit from rock auto. They sell a kit of shocks and struts for just over $100. I know they probably aren't the best out there, but i dont really need a ton of performance out of them, and if i dont want to lower it, or even if I do, for that price for all 4, its really tempting.

other things that hopefully will be coming soon is some paint for the trim, its looking rough, and i really want to get a side view mirror for the passenger side. Parallel parking on my city street every day is taking a little getting used to without one.

but here's a picture of the new wheels. I was even able to get the honda center cap installed instead of the mini ones

welfarepc

Very good logic and deduction.

God Is Bed

Those wheels look cool as heck. Make sure to update us about your ebay exhaust install, very curious if the sensor bungs are all where they need to be or if extensions/modifications are needed.

tooters bmx

thanks, the wheels look a lot better than I expected. I'm pretty happy with them. And the exhaust should arrive Wednesday. If it shows up on time I will get it in, I also plan on replacing the upper control arms Wednesday, So time permitting I'll try to get that in, but I'll see. Don't want to rush it

Marcos Barrios

oh yea those wheel are way better than before
good deal on the price too

the ebay exhaust is great
i had one in my crx si years ago
there all stainless and sound awsome not too loud and not too quiet
but after about a year or so they get louder
and thats when you still dont upgrade to a new one

im a big fan of doing it yourself and fixing it yourself so when the exhaust is starting to get to loud
because the packing inside the glasspack is all burned off or the muffler has seen better days
i just add a glasspack or change the muffler only
but keep all your pipeing... this way your repairs stay low in cost and you keep your nice sounding exhaust forever

tooters bmx

Finally had a day turning some wrenches, I replaced both upper control arms, and got the old cat back unbolted. When I originally check it was to be delivered today, but just my luck it looks like it won't be in until tomorrow.

While under the car I found my exhaust leak - the hangar was cracked, that should be fixed so I'm happy about that, not so happy when I noticed my entire oil pan seems to be covered with oil. I guess I will have to track that down, but I didn't see anything from the top end, but the entire oil pan was covered.

Replaces the upper control arms on both sides. The passenger side was pretty much gone, I figured that would solve my popping noises and play in the front wheel. The play was cut down dramatically but there is still a little play from 3-9. I will have to track that down. When doing the driver side I found out the shock there is totally blown, so I guess a suspension upgrade is nexr

2x0

Wheel play at the 3 and 9 position will be either tie rods or steering rack. If the steering feels sloppy, jerky, or has a large "numb spot" then you'll need to replace the rack. If it is just vibration at certain speeds and felt in the steering wheel then I'd suspect worn tie rod ends.

Great progress so far

Oh and so far I've never been disappointed with stuff from Rock Auto. Good quality and price point. I steer clear of their cheapest "economy" options when possible and try to buy their more reputable brands.

tooters bmx

Thanks man.

I'll probably do the tie rods at some point, but the vibration seems to be gone for the time being (and running an open cat I couldnt hear if there was any popping anymore) so its fallen down the list of priorities.

And i agree with you on rock auto, they seem to get a lot of my money. I dont mind the economy brands to be honest. I buy them knowing i get what I pay for, like for these upper control arms, I'm sure they wont last forever or as long as other parts, so I wont be disappointed if i only get a couple years out of them, and thats all i expect.

Hopefully the exhaust shows up today, the weather doesnt look like it will cooperate for the next couple days, and I would really prefer to not drive around with an open cat, hopefully i can get a better look at the oil leak when I'm installing that too. I may try to just do an oil change soon and see if its the drain plug or oil filter (doubt its the filter) before i start trying to hunt down leaking gaskets. Also going to start reading up on suspension ideas. I planned on getting the car a little lower, so if i need to replace at least 1 shock, might as well do the suspension all the way around, and that seems like a prime time to drop it.

tooters bmx

Well my exhaust showed up yesterday and I was able to get it installed. I wanted to take more pictures during the install but I was fighting time and a changing weather forecast so I focused more on getting it installed than documenting it.

the fit was a challenge. There were a few moments where i was sure it wasnt going to fit and that i was screwed, but with a lot of playing around with it, i finally got everything to line up and it bolted on. The quality seems to be alright. The silencer that was in the muffler is held on with 2 tiny bolts that despite tightening them down, fell out on my first drive so now its somewhere alongside a road. Getting everything on the hangers was a challenge as well, but i was able to get them on, but as of now, the exhaust tip is slightly touching the bumper as you can see below in the pics. The other funky part is there is an extra hanger on one of the sections, no hanger on the car, but by the rear wheel there is an additional one just hanging out there.

The sound isn't bad at all, I'm surprised. Granted the exhaust i took off was cracked or rusted completely through at 2 different places, but its pretty much as quiet as it was, if not quieter, and doesnt sound too raspy when you get on it.

once i figure out the tip situation, i think now that its on, i'm pretty happy with it

2x0

I think it looks decent. Post up some more full-car shots without the pea shooter when you can so we can give a proper assessment.


This makes me want to pick up a hatch to daily when I can't drive the CRX.

tooters bmx

Figure I'll keep updating this as my build/rebuild & repair thread

decided to hit up a pick and pull on my way back from a skatepark today and ended up finding a mostly gutted sedan. Keep hoping I'll come across something with a passenger side mirror to score cheap, no luck today, but I did manage to snag a new fuel door (mine was bent and won't close) as well as a couple hinges for my door. Now I can finally close my door right, needs a little adjusting but for an hour job it is 100% better than it was.

Also picked up an integra center console, gave it a coat of black plasti dip, and hopefully in a day or so I'll have the luxury of cup holders.

Noticed the car is burning oil at high RPMs so I'm guessing the rings are going. Current plan is to use the life left in the engine to get the suspension, interior and maybe some body and paint work while I try to decide what way I want to go engine and power wise. The DPFI setup is a real bummer, and it makes a b series swap tempting, but also just considering rebuilding it and leaving it as it, or something like an MPFI/mini me or a boosted single cam setup. But that's not for a while

God Is Bed

I'm in the same boat on what to do engine wise, but I'm not burning oil yet (as far as I can tell). I'm planning on doing a MPFI swap, already have a lot of parts, and going from there. Probably a mini-me, but who knows?
Nice job on fixing your door and filler door! And that console looks nice!

tooters bmx

Yeah the burning oil part is what kills me. But good luck on your swap, I haven't been here long enough to see a recent thread on an MPFI swap, I keep reading up on it though, just in case i come across the parts for cheap.

and thanks, i think i need to do a little adjustment on the fender, and the fuel door needs to go on (the weather wasnt cooperation with me yesterday. But i was able to get the console mocked up to where i will want it, doesnt look too bad, but i wish i would have gotten the cigarette lighter and din above the cup holders. They were missing out of the car I got the parts from, so now i just have an odd empty space there.

God Is Bed

My local EF Civic group on facebook was a big help in getting cheap parts for the swap. I'm only missing the dizzy and resistor box right now. I've gotten everything else for less than $100 so far.