I might be purchasing a 94 accord, it has 4 banger, auto trans, and its an ex trim level. Is there anything I should look out for and check on the car that are common issues on these cars?

 

Be sure the trans is okay, drive it cold and warm; it is an older style 'positive shift' [shifts under pressure] check the CV boots, and turn some tight circles in a parking lot to listen for CV joints making noise.
Door lock actuators are weak on those models, none should BUUZZZ when operating.
Has the T-belt water pump and seals been replaced?
Did the owner have the balance shaft seal retainer installed?

 

thanks, are the f22 vtec motors interferance motors?

 

yeah, so when the belt brakes, so do the valves usually.

 

darnet

 

Open and close all doors, see if they are aligned correctly. Try out ALL power windows. Windshield wiper. Open and close trunk. And THE HEADLIGHTS as well! I regret not checking this problem for my Accord. It was a sunny day when I bought it, but when it reached night, I turned on the low beams and what do you know, only ONE low beam side works. But everything else is fine. So be sure to check all lighting.

 

will do, are auto trannies generally not a realiable as manuals? Also are "postion shift" trannies les reliable?

 

Older Honda auto trannies are usually pretty bomb proof when taken care of properly.

And you should never buy a used car without having a mechanic look it over first. I work on all my own cars and know quite a bit about them but I still always bring any used car I'm going to buy to a mechanic and have them inspect it. Usually around 50$ or so.

 

thanks my only fear is that how do I know the mechanic will do a good job and not take my money

 

I guess you dont. But the same goes for anything you have a mechanic do. Ask around and find someone who you hear good things about. Or take it to a dealer, you will pay more but you should be able to trust the dealer to do a thorough inspection.

 

thats true. Is there anything mechanical on the engine or trans that I could spot myself?

 

After you warm up the car well, check the auto trans dipstick (on the passenger side way down past some coolant/AC hoses). The fluid should be red like cough syrup, not brown like motor oil. If it's the latter, the car probably wasn't well-cared for, though you can do a self-flush by draining and refilling the trans with Z-1 three or four times.

 

thanks chimp

 

A compression test would be good; but if you can't, here are some things to check:

1. Turn ignition switch to on (don't start car), ensure that the various instrument lights come on and go out after a couple of seconds:

a. Check Engine Light
b. ABS Light
c. Battery Light
d. SRS
e. etc.

You are doing this to ensure that a bulb was not burnt out, or that the seller intentionally removed a bulb to hide problems.

2. Check that all lights work:

a. Headlights
b. Turn signals
c. Rear lights
d. Backup light
e. Dome/ceiling light
f. Courtesy lights (on both doors)
g. Hazard Lights

3. Start car, check that air conditioner works, heater works, shift through the various gears.

4. Turn steering wheel all the way to one side. Get out of car, look to see if CV boots are cracked on both sides of car. After that, turn steering wheel
all the way to other side, now check the other side of the CV boots on both sides of the car for cracks.

5. Power steering should not be making extreme sounds.

6. Check that power windows, power locks, moon roof, driver seat for power up-down, wipers, etc.

7. Check that fuel filler, hood release works.

8. Check for fluid leaks such as oil, transmission, power steering, etc. (A flashlight will help.)

9. Check the condition of the fluids (brake fluid, tranmission, engine oil, etc.), are they translucent or dark? Translucent better.

10. Look at the condition of the visible belts (e.g., alternator belt, AC belt, etc.) with a flashlight for cracks.

11. Look through the wheel so to see how much brake pad is still left on the outer pads; you won't be able to see the inner pad unless you
remove the wheels, but a very thick outer pad is somewhat indicative the pads are still somewhat good.

12. Look at the tire threadwear. Are the tires wearing evenly, are they near the wear bar? Uneven tire wear may be indicative of the need for an alignment,
or the need for some suspension work.

13. Drive the car, go over some bumps, etc. Listen for unusual noises, etc. Step on the gas a little, see if it still has power, and shifts okay.

14. Hold the brake pedal for a while stopped, make sure it doesn't start sinking (the master brake cylinder does need replacing after a while).

15. Check condition of car radio. If it is stock, make sure you get the code for the radio.


The 5th gen Accords are fairly reliable; but, with age some things do wear out (e.g., power door lock actuator motors, master brake cylinder, CV joints, etc.)
Many of the things Hondadude stated are common on 5th gen.

 

thanks a lot, might you know what a high pitched sqeuling noise be when the motor hasn't been run for a few hours. It doesn't seem to related to anything, but it is LOUD, but after a minute it goes away??

 

Belt slip, often due to undertensioning causes squealing. Sudden, high start-up torques or peak loads also cause belt slip. A belt may need to be properly tensioned.

 

Check for bubbling in the paint. Early 90's Honda paint sucked and rust would form under the paint and poke through when its already spread and pretty well on its way to making a hole in the metal. Also, look at the paint at different angles to see if you can see different shades of paint. Usually means its been repaired and they didn't match the paint very well. Check for straigtness in the car. Stand near the headlights on each side of the car and make sure the car goes straight back and doesn't wave or bend going from front to back. If it isn't straight the car will "crabwalk" down the road and cause lots of problems.

Ask the seller as many questions as you can think of. See if the seller is eager to talk about the car either negative or positive. If they aren't, feel weary about the car. Theres plenty of other, more well taken care of cars out there.