Ok so I have a 94 SI with 170k plus and everything is in relatively decent condition as far as I can tell.

Current Status:
EXTERIOR: Looks like its new from a distance, but up close and personal you can see it could use a little work. I have the typical loss of paint on the lower seal on the rear window. Some minor scratches and dings here and there, my front bumper is slightly loose, and my skid plate cover was damaged and hanging (all as I got it from the previous owner).

ENGINE: 170k (and growing) is pretty high, but its still running strong and I don't see any blue smoke. I'll get a compression check soon.

ABS: The light comes on and the ABS never kicked in, I have no clue what the problem is and have checked fuse and dunno what else to look at. I hear the buzzing sound of it trying to engage and after it stops the light kicks on. It could just be a bad connection or something right? Well I got it not working any how.

CLUTCH: Clutch is new, but I have a fluid leak some where and I think its near the pedal since its pretty juicy down there.

BRAKES: I have had two instances when I had some pretty bad brake fade... one time I was trying to stop at a stop light and almost hit the person in front of me. I might just need to flush out the fluid, but I am not sure. I am thinking about completely redoing the entire brake system.

TRANSMISSION: Here is a rather annoying problem. My 5th gear (probably the syncros) is toast. I can't shift without a grind unless I double clutch and shift at the appropriate RPM. I asked a really good and fair priced guy how much the work would cost and he said $900 if he can get in there without removing the tranny and thats just to repair 5th gear. He said a new tranny would cost ~$2000.

So I'm thinking f-that and I want to get some more performance out of my car. I was thinking about getting a JDM H22 from hmotors and some friends could help me do it (they have done 3 complete engine swaps already and two of them on hondas). I know a complete engine swap wouldn't do much for my listed problems except for the tranny (even then its a gamble on the condition of the tranny), but do you guys think this would be a wise course of action? I guess it would depend heavily on a compression check, but I am planning to do some modding to the car to get some more performance out of it. With the high milage and poor h23 support I was thinking a JDM h22 might be a good route.

Any feedback would greatly be appreciated... and I probably plan to stay N/A and daily driver (but for me daily driver is more flexible than the average person... i.e. I don't might a rugged ride at all, I enjoy it actually )

 

Fixing the brakes should be mod #1
Fixing clutch master cylinder should be mod #2
JDM swap should be mod #3

You r ABS issue sounds like a pump problem. Who cares anyway. The 4th Gen system is primative and doesn't work well anyway. I tested mine in the snow and the car still slid sideways.

 

I second that...the ABS sucks in my car compared to my dad's Maxima for example. It feels nice having it but it pisses me off when it doesn't actually do anything helpful.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AndyD &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Fixing the brakes should be mod #1
Fixing clutch master cylinder should be mod #2
JDM swap should be mod #3
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Sounds like a good plan. What do I replace on my brake system and where should I get the parts? Here is the problem the best I can describe it as:

The pedal became very loose and felt like it had very little pressure and my stopping power was reduced (im not sure how much, the pedal may have created the illusion). Both times this happened was during warm summer days. After each time the brakes and the pedal functioned like normal to this day. The two incidents were about a year apart. I ran all the tests I could in the Helms manual and watched the fluid levels... no problems. I took my car to a mechanic to have him take a look at it and he said I had "unsafe" calipers. What steps should I take to resolving the problem? Preferrably I would like to go cheapest to most expensive and/or most likely to least likely if you guys have any clue or idea of whats going on. The tests in the Helms manual pretty much cover brake booster and master cyclinder I think. Could it be that my fluid is old?

From a visual and audible inspection my rotors look fine and the pads aren't worn. I'll check the lines once I get out of school.

The slave cyclinder is hopefully just a line leak somewhere, I just have to track that down.

What do you guys think about buying stuff like master/slave cyclinder and brake booster... Autozone/Advanced Auto ok or should I get new OEM? If I replace rotors, lines, or pads I'll probably get brembo blanks, some brand SS braided, and some brand ceramic respectively. Any suggestions on calipers?

I don't have 17" rims so I don't think I could get the big brake kit.

 

Dont get braided lines, they're useless and more dangerous than they're worth.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by xthephilx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Dont get braided lines, they're useless and more dangerous than they're worth.</TD></TR></TABLE>

why are braided lines so bad. don't they stop the lines from expanding when you're on the brakes?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by xthephilx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Dont get braided lines, they're useless and more dangerous than they're worth.</TD></TR></TABLE>

interesting, I don't really know if braided is better or not for sure, just read it somewhere else they are a good upgrade. At least SS brake lines though.

Oh yeah a little addenedum to the brakes... When I am driving down the road I hear a weird and faint metallic rubbing sound (could also be described as very light scrapping). When I hit my brakes the sound changes. I just read somewhere else someone had a problem with the caliper rubbing against the rotor... could this be that problem and give me the random brake fade or at least be the reason my mechanic said I had unsafe calipers?

 

If you are sure that the calipers are bad, just get rebuilt ones. You DO NOT need a big brake upgrade. They are worthless if you don't track your car. Just replace the calipers with the same Si calipers, completely flush out the brake fluid, and get a performance brake pad. That is ALL you need.

If money isn't too much of an issue, upgrading to a VTEC caliper and rotor isn't a bad idea, but it is DEFINETLY not necessary.

For rotors, I recommend any name brand BLANK rotor. That is the best choice.

You do not need steel braided lines either.

If I were you, the first thing I would do is bleed the brake fluid first. Then see how the brakes work. If your car still has the original calipers and you have high miles, replacing the calipers with rebuilt ones is not a bad idea as a preventative maintanence item. That's what I did with mine.

 

Oh, I am glad to see you researching and not buying mods that everyone else has. Most of the mods people put on their cars are just a waste of money and in some cases, actually lowers performance.

 

Braided lines can corrode. You don't know when they're forming a weak spot until they break and then you're screwed. They blow off from their connectors sometimes too.

And If they were that good, companies would be using them from the factory.