just bought a 1990 accord with 5 speed manual trans and 153k miles. not sure if i should ask a bunch of questions together or separately but since i'm a noob, i only have 5 posts a day and i'm gonna use them wisely.

looking for general advice about what i should check, be aware of, replace, etc. as a mechanic i know enough to be dangerous but am learning with the help of a few friends. it seems as if previous owners have taken very good care of this car - everything i've checked so far is clean and renewed. i'm looking to run this car for a loooong time, looking for best mileage and not planning on racing it or running her hard.

first concern is the timing belt. manual says every 90k, i'm at 153k. i'm gonna assume it has been changed but have no idea when and can't find out from last owner. like i say the car is in really nice shape and looks well cared for. my thought is to just change it at 180k when i get there.

i've noticed the trans feels pretty good, but there's a little catch coming down from 3 to 2 - specifically from the left side of the H down. a quick double clutch or a bit of finesse seems to make it slide down nice but am wondering if it's time to change the oil. maybe it's just because it's cold? i've been reading the posts and found a great howto. but i am a bit confused. i'm the kind to go with the manual's recommendation (10w40 for cold idaho) but it seems there's a lot of controversy about this? remember this is 1990. i haven't taken out the fill plug to check level or see what the oil looks like yet but plan on doing it soon.

this car has nice looking (well, except for a bit of rash) enkei rims and the tires are federal formoza fd1 205/55R16 - pretty new in front and maybe at 70% in back. i kinda wish it just had standard stuff but are these good? sure drives nice and sticks well through corners! we'll see how they do in the snow here. i see there are 4 lugs holding it on and other holes to spare so does that mean the lugs are standard? guess i'm gonna need to get a lug adapter so i can take these off if i get a flat.

the driver side auto whizbang shoulder strap has stopped working and from reading the posts i plan on calling the dealer, honda of america and the dot in that order to get that fixed. fuse looks good. i'll poke around the connectors a bit later and may move it up to the engaged position and just latch it manually till i get it fixed.

last thing that occurs to me is that the power locks don't work. any quick references for how to open that? i have a maintenance manual on reserve at the library and will study that here pretty soon.

anyway, thanks for any and all comments, advice, etc.

 

Girlfriends 92's tranny was grinding, replaced the tranny fluid with some synthetic oil, shifts greats (other than the fact that it needs a clutch).

Change the timing belt, don't risk it. 150k+, no records... Hondas are no tolerance engines.. which means if you break that belt, you will damage you cylinder head and possibly the piston heads. Its not too tough if you are slightly mechanically inclined.

Someone may trade you (plus cash on their end) for your wheels if you want stock 14s or 15s with brand new tires on them. Don't take a trade without having tires nearly as good as yours, be sure to check for punctures and dry rot.

Not sure about the locks, if its all of them I would check the fuse box. If its just one door, it could be the motor on that door or the switch.

Anyhow, do a tune up on it. Plugs, wires, dist cap, rotor, air filter, and fuel filter. You can just check the air filter, if it looks ok... you can usually leave it. There are a lot of common issues with these cars, they usually aren't too bad. Some brake issues (crappy designs, not really safety issues), starting problems (ignition issues). Maybe other stuff, these are things I've come across while being a mechanic.

 

^^ what he said & grab the haynes manual too. The first chapter is maintainence, which covers the areas you want to focus on.