Hey guys,

I just picked up a '94 Honda Civic LX Sedan this past weekend. I have been driving a 5.7L Camaro until recently, but it doesn't make for a great daily driver with 50+ mile trips each day. I figured I would drive the Honda on weekdays and the Camaro on the weekends.

So far I love the Honda. I'll be honest, it actually surprised me. It has decent power, gets phenomenal gas mileage, and it's pretty roomy. However, it is in need of a tune up though. So far I noticed that the alignment might be off (pulls slightly). Also Pep Boys was having a special on 5 quarts of GTX High Mileage oil with a Purolator PureOne filter which I grabbed yesterday. I also got a bottle of Gumout all-in-one which I need to put in when I fill the tank next.

I'll admit that I don't know much about Hondas. I was raised with domestics, but I really wanted to give the much praised Civic a try. All in all, I love the car. All my friends say she'll run forever if properly maintained. I'm hoping you guys can point me in the right direction on how to do so. I'll start browsing around the site, but if anyone has tips or suggestions, I'd greatly appreciate them. Here are a few questions I have so far:

1.) I showed a few pics of the engine bay. The spark plug wires don't look that old, but what do you guys think about changing the wires and plugs? How about the cap and rotor? Also, what brands do you suggest?

2.) I want to change the air filter of the car, but I was toying with the idea of putting an aftermarket cone filter on the car. I am not really looking for power increase, but it might allow for a few more mpg's. How restrictive is the stock air box?

3.) I believe I only need to put 4 quarts of oil in for the oil change. Is that correct? Unfortunately the car did not come with an owners manual.

Thanks so much guys. Hope to have her running like new soon. I appreciate any tips you can give me.

 

My tip would be for you to change your oil every 1000 miles. By the time flying cars are invented, you will still be rolling in your civic.

 

Another tip would be to change the title of this post to something that makes sense.

Here's where you want to go to have a look at the service manuals: spoonertuner.com ... get the one for USDM Civic EG8/EH9/EH2/EH3 ... etc.

 

lol I don't know about every 1K, but my Civic still runs perfect with 223K miles, and 3K mile oil changes.

OP:
Good choice on the PureOne filter. It's probably the best bang for the buck aftermarket filter out there. It's arguably better than the new OE Honda filters.

For plugs, I've always gone with NGK, which is OE on these cars. Make sure to gap them right, and use a little copper antiseize. I change mine yearly, mainly because it's so easy on these cars.

For wires, I'd say keep what you got if it's not a problem. The only wires I've EVER had break on me were aftermarket O'Riley's wires, which completely fell apart when I pulled them out. Otherwise, I've never seen a Honda plugwire go bad.

Change the cap and rotor if you feel like it. I've changed them every couple of years on my Accord, CRV, and Civic when I still had a d16y8. I've never changed them on my B18C1 engine because none of my local shops carry them, and I've never cared enough.

For the airbox: you'd free up a few horses with a cone filter, but it might be cheaper if you can find an arm and box from a Civic EX, and use a dropin K&N filter, and remove the resonator. I've been running that way for about 6 years, even on my GSR engine. Regardless, you're not going to see much gain on that engine with any intake setup. If you upgraded the intake, manifold, AND throttle body with EX/Si parts, you might see 10HP... which isn't that bad if you think about it - it's 10% of total.

You DO want to seriously consider doing timing belt/water pump if you don't know when they were last changed. A broken timing belt will wreck a Civic engine, and you don't want that to happen. They should be changed every 100-130K.

Valve adjustments are usually a good idea, and something you can do yourself in a few hours on a Saturday.

Otherwise, welcome to the Honda world. You'll learn to enjoy owning a car that's dead simple to work on, cheap, and will keep running 35mpg until the Apocalypse. You'll find that most people on honda-tech don't get rid of Civics due to them dying, they get rid of them due to being stolen/totalled. I've been driving mine for almost 9 years, and it's never broken down once.

 

LOLOLOL Your sig so fits you

 

What can I say, I'm bored at work.

 

Sorry about the initial thread tittle being the number "2" . I bumped the enter key by mistake.

Glad I picked a good filter . It was either that or Fram, and I was never a big fan of Fram.

The NGK plugs seem to be highly praised around here. They sound like a good choice. Also, being OE is a great plus too. It seems AutoZone carries at least 4 different types of NGK plugs though. Platinum, Iridium, Laser Platinum, and V Power Copper. Which should I be looking for? Also, what should I set the gap for with the new plugs? Unfortunately the car did not come with a manual .

As for air filters, I think I may go with a Napa Gold filter for the stock box. Though nice to know that swapping a few parts can bump the power up nicely. Will that confuse the stock computer with an Si TB and intake on an LX engine?

I did a little research and I have to agree with you; The timing belt is probably one of the greatest preventative maintenance items someone can do. To be honest, that may be out of my skill range. I guess I will have to look for a local shop for that one.

Once all that is said and done, I have little doubt at the dependability of this car. There's a reason why you still see older Hondas still on the road .

 

I was told that NGK plugs come pre gapped. How is that possible when different engines suggest different gapping? I beliebe NGK is OEM for Honda, so that may be right. Though it seems too easy to pop them out of the box and install without gapping .

 

Yep. OEM Honda wires a pretty much good for the life of the vehicle.

 

I usually get the regular ones. There's no reason to pay extra for platinum if you change them yearly like I do. If you're going to keep them in there forever, go platinum.

Yes, they supposedly do come pre-gapped, but pre-gapped for what car? I've never been able to figure that out, because I always check the gap, and it's never quite right.

I'm not entirely sure what the gap should be off the top of my head, but it says in the shop manual. I can't mention the site here, but I'll PM you a link where you can get the manual in electronic form. The manuals are extremely helpful.

 

Just get whatever the OEM is on the NGK's. I think it's the V-power copper ones. The gap should be set at .44 I believe. If you buy them at Advance or someplace like that, I know their screen will tell you what the gap is supposed to be for your particular car. If you do buy wires, I will tell you, go to Honda and get OEM wires. I usually don't buy dealership parts, but I have dealt with some crap wire sets from autoparts stores and they are not worth the hassle. Just get OEM and never worry about them again.

If you're changing the timing belt (I'd recommend it), go ahead and swap the water pump while you're in there. It's right there and is only a little bit more money.

You are correct that these engines hold ~4 quarts of oil, and I like the PureOne filters as well. Pretty much all you have to do is make sure you don't run out of oil and change it every 5-7k miles and your little engine should last a loooong time. I have 220k on mine and still pull 40mpg.

 

Actually the D15B engine his Civic has only takes 3.5qts. of engine oil at an oil change with filter included. 4.0qts. should take level about 1/2 an inch over the top dot on the dipstick.

Spark plug gap for same engine should be between .39 to .43 inches.

NGK plugs?

- ZFR5F-11 (normal) ZFR6F-11 (cold range)

Wires?

- OEM Honda - 32722-P01-000 - you simply cannot beat OEM wires IMO
- Aftermarket NGK (best aftermarket IMO) - HE71

Contrary to popular belief while NGK are good wires, they are NOT OEM. Depending on model the OEM wires could be Sumitomo or even *gasp* Prestolite! It's probably no coincidence that the Prestolite wires are the most failure proned OEM wires.

As far as replacing the timing belt goes, I'd do it. For this I would only go with Genuine Honda parts, but I can possibly offer some aftermarket alternatives if you must go cheaper. If I do a timing belt job it'd look like this:

Timing belt:

OEM Honda - 14400-PM3-004 - list price $43.65
Aftermarket - Gates, Mitsuboshi, or Unitta are actual OEM suppliers - prices vary

Timing belt tensioner (optional, but if over 150K strongly suggested)

OEM Honda - 14510-PM7-004 - list price $72.67
Aftermarket - NSK makes the OEM version, but other brands here are fine

***NOTE***

Some parts stores might even offer a "timing belt kit" that includes the T-belt and tensioner. If you can get a Gates version these are just fine. Steer clear of any other brands of T-belt if they are not the brands I listed.

Water pump:

OEM Honda - 19200-P10-A02 - list price $63.80
Aftermarket - only decent one I've ever seen and used once was Paraut

Despite what the parts store says they will not offer the OEM supplier for the water pump. I believe Otsugi makes Honda's pumps and no single aftermarket pump I've seen is identical to the OEM one. I'd say the OEM pump is essential.

Camshaft seal:

OEM Honda - 91213-P2F-A01 - list price $4.45

Crankshaft seal (front):

OEM Honda - 91212-P2F-A01 - list price $5.00

For seals again I try to use only genuine Honda, but if a parts store offers the NOK or ARS/ARX brand then those are actually 100% genuine Honda too as they make the ones you buy from Honda.

Exterior drive belts:

A/C - 38920-P01-003 or 4PK 795 - list price $14.28
Alternator - 31110-P2J-004 or 4PK 779 - list price $14.87
P/S - 56992-P02-003 or 4PK 815 - list price $16.75

Drive belts can be Bando, Mitsuboshi, or Gates. I'm partial to OEM Honda but they are 50/50 Mitsuboshi or Bando depending on model and year. Gates are fine too. You could probably pay $8.00 a piece for the Mistuboshi or Bandos and save some money here while getting the exact same belts!

I listed Honda list pricing, but let me tell you one reason why you need to know the list price.

Dealerships will charge their own "matrix" price for a customer that just walks up to the counter asking for parts. "Matrix" pricing is the list price + whatever % they want to add. This allows them to say:

"Here man I'll cut you a deal man."

Only to give the stuff to you at the regular list price I've listed.

You can also order OEM Genuine Honda parts for wholesale pricing from:

Majestic Honda <--- clickable

Your Honda Parts.com <--- clickable

Hope this helps some.

 

Wow! Thank you so much guys. This site is amazing!

I plan on stopping by the local Honda dealer tomorrow to pick up 2 quarts of ATF and a fuel filter. I will inquire more about the timing belt too. When it comes to simple maintenance items, I am a DIYer. However a timing job may require a shop's help.

I actually picked up a few more goodies for the Civic on my way home today. Four NGK 7098 plugs, a can of Seafoam, Rain-X Bug Remover, and a Napa Gold airfilter.

 

Went to the local Honda dealer today to find out that they don't have a fuel filter in stock for a '94 Civic LX. Also found out that it would have cost over $30 if they did . I'm surprised since Civics are so widely popular that they didn't order any. So tomorrow I'm heading over to Napa for a Napa Gold fuel filter.

I ended up getting two quarts of Honda ATF. However I forgot how many quarts I need. Was it 1.6 quarts? Or is that for a manual trans? I have an auto.

 

I found this thread from back in 2004. Is the information legit? I hope to change my ATF tomorrow . Just want to make sure I'm prepared with enough fluid.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-accord-1990-2002-2/1994-honda-accord-lx-how-many-quarts-auto-tranny-fluid-799969/

 

welcome to HT and am glad to see you tuning up your car at first purchase (wish i would have done that)

the thread you posted is from a different car, different engine, different trans,

my service manual says 2.7 Liters, 2.4 quarts for an automatic trans fluid change

5.9 Liters for an overhaul,

i'd be glad to send out a copy of the service manual just pm me your email address

 

Thank you Linked!

So far I've heard that I need 1.6 quarts, 2 3/4 quarts, 2.4 quarts, and at least 3 quarts of ATF for a change lol. As far as checking the fluid level, does the Civic have a dipstick on the trans? I know some cars do, and others don't. I'll admit that this is my first Honda so I'm very new to all this. Thank you guys for bearing with me through all this. I bought a Haynes online, but it won't get here before the weekend :\.

 

Why didn't you look it up yourself in the Helms service manual at the website I provided earlier? I realize this is your first Honda, but it can't be the first time you've looked something up so basic like this in a service manual.

The info is located on page 3-7: 2.7 Litres / 2.8 US Quarts / 2.4 Imp. Quarts, for fluid change.

For future reference, look it up in the service manual first, and if you're still stumped, then come back here and ask away.

Good luck with your repairs!

EDIT: Just saw that even Linked's info isn't quite correct ... so now you got another different answer. Just check the bible - it knows best. PS: No dipstick.

 

I'm sorry. I usually search before I ask, but the PDF is over a thousand pages and I have a 600mhz computer . It kept crashing so I caved and asked on the forums . As for service manuals, I have used them, but never virtual ones. Too much new stuff at once haha. Thank you guys though. Trying not to be a pain lol.

 

Also, page 14-49 pertains to trans fluid changing for anyone that's curious