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Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
Here's an interesting little tidbit from dinner last night. Over $1 tacos and $3 margaritas, my better half and I were talking about everything... from the possibly inevitable job change in our future...to the build of the hatch. Trust me, both items are mutually exclusive. No job = no build. Yes job = yes build. She explained to me how happy she was that I'm finally in a car that I'm not constantly cursing at or threatening to sell, or even asking myself (while cursing) why the hell I bought this POS. She's a Honda chick too haha. She also mentioned that she's happy that I chose to delay the build for the sake of the family and whatnot. Finally, she got around to what she was getting at (women are sneaky like that). She said she was "excited to see where the build ends up" and that she wants to know the job status so I can start said build. Instant boner haha.
So. Long story short, I've been reasearching and building a parts list. So far, this is what I've come up with:
Suspension:
I'm torn between two setups here. Any insight is greatly appreciated. EITHER
Koni Yellow/GC Sleeve Combo (~$900 shipped)
w/ GSR or ITR rear sway bar OR
Progress CS2 Coilovers and rear brace/bar combo (~ $950)
I've heard lots of good things about both setups, but the Progress setup seems to be a little better bang for the buck.
As far as a sway bar for the front, I know I need to swap to EX LCAs since the DX units don't have provisions for a sway bar. I haven't gotten far enough to decide which bar will compliment my needs.
Interior:
LED conversion
Speaker install to compliment the new Pioneer head unit
Exterior:
New tires for the SI wheels that came on the car. And I'll either strip and refinish the wheels or strip and Plastidip them. Gunmetal gloss seems like a nice look to me.
New(ish) rear bumper. I've been trying to find one without much luck. I feel the junk yard prices are a little steep for bumpers on older cars.
Install new black housing headlights and front and rear CTR lips.
"Performance": This is quoted, because there isn't much performance to speak of with the D16Y7. She's a dog, so this should be labelled SOUND!
Yonaka catback. Possibly an Apexi WS2, if I'm feeling like a baller.
As far as fixing things, I'll be purchasing entire patch panels for the rear fenders. I've got a friend that does body work, and I'm hoping that he's willing to at least supervise while I make the repairs. The rust is substantially worse than originally thought. This is gonna be quite a job!
Let me know what you guys think! I'd love some feedback!
Last edited by LiteraCola; Mar 1, 2018 at 09:51 AM.
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
These are the panels I'm looking at.
As expected, the friend who does body work isn't really interested in helping me out, or even supervising while I do the work. My options are quickly becoming exhausted, so I'm going to do some research on body shops and see if they require my first-born as payment for the work I need done. Taking a closer look at the rust on the car, it looks like it's out of my league. I can fix the smaller spots on the bottom of the driver door and near the back window, but this is gonna require some serious work. See below...
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
Originally Posted by 94 Civic Si
Que?
Tony and I were discussing an EX-style exhaust conversion on the Y7 in another thread. The OP was discussing the conversion on his coupe(?). In my inexperience, I did not realize that the hatch wasn't offered in EX trim, so the EX exhaust wouldn't work without modification. I decided (and I'll be adding this to my build list) to just go with the Yonaka catback and leave the rest of the exhaust alone... until, of course, the header decides to crack.
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
It doesn't matter. Not a big deal haha. So I came across a SPECIAL going on with Progress Auto on their CS2 Coilover/Sway Bar combo! I really want to pull the trigger now because $150 off sounds delicious to me! Dangit!
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
Originally Posted by tony_2018
sound delicious, but those rust qp's don't look too good for dessert.
The rust is definitely not good for dessert. Sometime in the next week I'm going to shop around body shops and see how much it might cost to have the work done. Then I'll make the decision as to whether I want to attempt the work myself. True, I would get more satisfation if I did the work myself, but I'm a mechanic, not a body guy... at least not with cars. wink wink, nudge nudge.
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
Small update from the weekend. I got a late start on Saturday morning, long story. I removed the front bumper to reattach the license plate. With all the switching back and forth with the Prelude, test drives and whatnot, I accidentally broke one of the threaded inserts behind the bumper. I installed my new CHEAP black housing headlighs, removed the goofy hub caps and added a fresh pair of taillight gaskets to what was already there.
Sundy, I removed the bumper again and replaced the hood release cable. The latch mechanism was so gunked up that it would barely move; that's probably why the pull handle broke off in the first place! My better half sprayed the steelies with a fresh helping of gloss black and she was my helping hands while installing the front and rear lips I recently acquired for cheap. I did a decent detail job and realized the body is pretty beat up. Fortunately, what paint is there is in decent shape. I think my next project will be a Spoon-style duckbill wing and Plastidipping the roof. The clear is in bad shape and I figure Plastidip is removable so if I end up not liking it, I'll pull it off.
I also took a few photos for once! See below. (EDIT: Why can more portait-style photos not be uploaded with the correct orientation? When I rotate a photo in my files and then upload it, it disregards the rotation and uploads it sideways... how to fix?)
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
Originally Posted by LiteraCola
I'm still trying to diagnose the sticky accelerator pedal... I have cleaned the TB, cleaned and lubed the throttle cable on both ends, but it still won't engage smoothly. Apart from replacing the cable altogether, I'm not sure what else to do. The cable and throttle plate both operate smoothly when separated... I did find that lubing the cable at both ends fixed the problem, but only temporarily. Any ideas?
I had this problem before and I think my problem was the plate in that it was closed too much so when you release the throttle, it gets wedged. See if yours is doing the same thing and adjust as necessary.
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
This things seems to be getting more and more difficult to start after it's been sitting. When I first bought the car, it started on the first try, every time. Now I crank it for a second or two, wait, and then crank it again and it starts. Every Honda I've ever owned or driven did the same thing when the fuel level was low. That's what this car seems to be doing all the time... Could this be related to my intermittent low idle? IACV, possibly?
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
Originally Posted by 09chaplak
I had this problem before and I think my problem was the plate in that it was closed too much so when you release the throttle, it gets wedged. See if yours is doing the same thing and adjust as necessary.
The throttle plate seems to operate very smoothly when moved by hand... The cable also operates smoothly when detached from the TB. When all together, it's definitely notchy for the first 10% or so. This makes for VERY annoying low-RPM shifting and accelerating out of turns at low RPM...
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
Originally Posted by LiteraCola
This things seems to be getting more and more difficult to start after it's been sitting. When I first bought the car, it started on the first try, every time. Now I crank it for a second or two, wait, and then crank it again and it starts. Every Honda I've ever owned or driven did the same thing when the fuel level was low. That's what this car seems to be doing all the time... Could this be related to my intermittent low idle? IACV, possibly?
I feel like when the fuel level is low we somehow have less pressure in the rail on the injectors when starting.
I wish I had a fuel pressure gauge on the rail to see the pressure when engine is off. The FP regulator is supposed to maintain pressure when running (I think about 36 PSI?), but when not running, I don't know if there is a one-way check valve after the fuel pump that keeps pressure on the rail? If not, I guess the pump has to build head pressure on the rail before the injectors have enough pressure to spray out for starting.
Maybe keep the tank over half-full? I know some folks say that is good for cooling the in-tank pump.
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
Originally Posted by 94 Civic Si
I feel like when the fuel level is low we somehow have less pressure in the rail on the injectors when starting.
I wish I had a fuel pressure gauge on the rail to see the pressure when engine is off. The FP regulator is supposed to maintain pressure when running (I think about 36 PSI?), but when not running, I don't know if there is a one-way check valve after the fuel pump that keeps pressure on the rail? If not, I guess the pump has to build head pressure on the rail before the injectors have enough pressure to spray out for starting.
Maybe keep the tank over half-full? I know some folks say that is good for cooling the in-tank pump.
I'm actually in the process of acquiring a fuel pressure test kit so I can start diagnosing. The car has a new fuel filter, no leaks at all, and runs and drives fine. The car just started having this issue since before the last time I filled up. I run my tank down pretty low before filling up, so that may have something to do with it...
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
Originally Posted by LiteraCola
I'm actually in the process of acquiring a fuel pressure test kit so I can start diagnosing. The car has a new fuel filter, no leaks at all, and runs and drives fine. The car just started having this issue since before the last time I filled up. I run my tank down pretty low before filling up, so that may have something to do with it...
I have an actron test kit from pep boys, never been opened but not sure if it's the right kind. If you're interested and haven't already purchased one, let me know and I'll snap a picture of it. Willing to let it go for cost of shipping
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
Originally Posted by 09chaplak
I have an actron test kit from pep boys, never been opened but not sure if it's the right kind. If you're interested and haven't already purchased one, let me know and I'll snap a picture of it. Willing to let it go for cost of shipping
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
I was going to say fuel pump check ball. I'm pretty sure they're integral to the pump motors. To test this issue, you could try cycling the key ON and OFF 2 or 3 times before you start it. If it starts, you know that the fuel system is losing its prime.
One possibility as to why it does it below half a tank is that a full tank is going to be holding more pressure against the check ball (and no fuel could bleed back to the tank) than a half tank would (which would allow pressure to bleed off due to not having as much pressure against the backside of the check ball).
I've seen the check ball issue on a lot of different vehicles, but not really any specific issues with it when there was only half a tank or less.
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
Originally Posted by Freedo_Civegra
I was going to say fuel pump check ball. I'm pretty sure they're integral to the pump motors. To test this issue, you could try cycling the key ON and OFF 2 or 3 times before you start it. If it starts, you know that the fuel system is losing its prime.
One possibility as to why it does it below half a tank is that a full tank is going to be holding more pressure against the check ball (and no fuel could bleed back to the tank) than a half tank would (which would allow pressure to bleed off due to not having as much pressure against the backside of the check ball).
I've seen the check ball issue on a lot of different vehicles, but not really any specific issues with it when there was only half a tank or less.
True. But this issue is present even with a full tank of fuel. I'm going to check the fuel pressure as soon as I can get my tester kit and I'll report back. Today is inspection day!
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
Originally Posted by LiteraCola
I'm actually in the process of acquiring a fuel pressure test kit so I can start diagnosing. The car has a new fuel filter, no leaks at all, and runs and drives fine. The car just started having this issue since before the last time I filled up. I run my tank down pretty low before filling up, so that may have something to do with it...
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
I guess I somehow got what 94 Civic Si said about feeling like there was less pressure against the back of the injectors with lower fuel levels confused with your problem. That half a tank $#!t was screwing my head!
My money's on the checkball. I hope that's it! I lose sleep when I have problems like that.
Re: LiteraCola's Project Daily, Version 3.0: 98 DX Hatch
(EDIT: Why can more portait-style photos not be uploaded with the correct orientation? When I rotate a photo in my files and then upload it, it disregards the rotation and uploads it sideways... how to fix?)
