so I'm still a noob on the forums, and this is my first honda "car" and I've done all the searches and read alot of good interesting facts.

I bought a 97 Civic LX Sedan for $2k.....it needed a new rear bumper and tail lights from a golf cart accident from the previous owner. Sooooo, with my original budget of 4k for a beater, I sent it off to the body shop to get it fixed up and repainted since it was faded and oxidized. I also ordered the CTR grill, and CTR Headlights just to clean it up a little. Last thing I ordered was a set of 15in DR-23 (rota slip lookalikes).

now, I have not touched the motor which I kinda feel like I should have. It's whatever the stock Dseries motor is with a ebay intake and ebay exhaust (previous owner) and the odometer is right at 210k. Is there anything I need to lookout for motor/mechanical wise asap? I was thinking about getting a compression test done, and then putting in a new set of plugs,wires, new o2 sensor. Anything else I should go ahead and knock out?

oh yeah, ebay muffler and intake will be gone.....currently searching for all stock pieces.

you honda guru's please help me out. I got this because I am currently driving 160miles a day, and my Jeep wasn't cutting it. So I need it to be dependable as well as gas conscience as possible.

 

Did the previous owner give you maintence statements or anything? If not, I would go ahead and replace timing belt, water pump, plugs and wires, distributor, and a valve adjustment for starters.....

 

nah man, it was a 18yr old.....told me that he replaced the stock clutch and changed the oil every 3k.....and he seafoamed the motor just before I picked it up.


I did notice that when it's a cold start, the motor idles at 2k and about 10-15mins later will return to about 1k. Do you know if that's normal?

 

all cars idle high when they're cold...as far as idling high for 10-15 minutes no matter what? not sure.

as far as maintenance...since he didn't mention anything about it, i'd look into replacing the t-belt/water pump. that's really the only biggie for maintenance on d's. a basic tune up will keep it running well, but for the most part the engine isn't in any kind of danger at that kind of mileage.

do remember that it is getting to be a tired/high mileage engine, so don't beat the **** out of it everyday. it'll last forever if you just drive it normally.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SOHCejcivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">all cars idle high when they're cold...as far as idling high for 10-15 minutes no matter what? not sure.

as far as maintenance...since he didn't mention anything about it, i'd look into replacing the t-belt/water pump. that's really the only biggie for maintenance on d's. a basic tune up will keep it running well, but for the most part the engine isn't in any kind of danger at that kind of mileage.

do remember that it is getting to be a tired/high mileage engine, so don't beat the **** out of it everyday. it'll last forever if you just drive it normally.</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

any type of motor can last forever, as long as you take care of maintenance and drive it right. It's up to you on how bad you want to take care of it. Just don't be care less about it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SOHCejcivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it'll last forever if you just drive it normally.</TD></TR></TABLE>

my neighbor had a eg civic with over 300k on the motor and it was still running strong....

 

thanks for the info so far guys!!

so this is what I should be looking at?

1.)replace timing chain/belt
2.)replace water pump
3.)change plugs/wires


I'm really just checking to see if there is some like hidden secret on these honda motors that is overlooked alot.

I can do the basic maint myself, but only what I know, so if I don't know of a particular honda part, I'll most likely leave it alone. That's why I was asking.

well, hopefully this motor will last awhile and get good gas mileage....I don't plan on any aggressive driving because I do all highway travel....70-75mph on cruise control is all I want.

 

get rid of ebay intake and ebay muffler. Nothing beats stock air box with drop in k&n. Other than that, don't worry about it TOO MUCH, since you invested already in making it look good, if the engine died on you. .. a d series swap isn't too expensive anyways. Keep in mind how much a D-series swap with less than 200k miles would cost, and try to not get too close to that mark on maintenance for your current engine. And 300k Miles on an Honda. . isn't really difficult for what I've read and heard.