So it begins. The restoration of my 1992 Civic VX. I purchased the car in December 2012 with 243,000 miles on it for $2,100. The car clearly was well cared for since it was kept in a warm garage most of its life (the owner I bought it from acquired it with 8000 miles on it from someone who just didn't like the car). The engine bay was pretty clean and the engine didn't burn or leak any oil. The suspension was also replaced a year before I bought the car.

It's not bone stock, but it's close enough for my purposes (to save gas). Former owner painted the car at some point (presumably when rust needed to be repaired), added rear speakers and new head unit and had the seat bolsters repaired.

This is how the car looked when I bought it:





At 260,000 miles the transmission was making a noise which I learned from this forum was a throw out bearing input shaft bearing going bad, so I had the transmission replaced with a used one with 10,000 miles on it. A lot of cold winters and miles later the engine is starting to show it's near the end of its life (odometer is now at 327,000 miles). The body is also looking worse for wear, to the point where a decision needed to be made about the car. After having other Civic VXes for sale snatched up before I had a chance to look at them, and deliberating several months on what to do I finally came to the realization that I knew all along: I don't want a different car. Since VXes are so few and far between, and since I happened to reconnect with a certified technician who goes by 'Moe' who is happy to do work on the side for $25/hr, I decided to take the plunge. Because of Coronavirus I was able to rent out one of the bays of his uncle's garage for him to do a bunch of work on the car.

Here are some photos of the car in its current condition. Let these be exhibit A: the car before the restoration.






Phase 1 ToDo list with my guesstimate for total cost with parts and labor:

1) put in 'new' engine -- $1300
2) replace steering rack with 'new' one -- $470
3) remove instrument cluster and ship it to Southern Electronics Repair in Richmond VA (for $165, including shipping both ways)
4) replace damaged hood with restored carbon fiber hood -- $606
5) check A arm and frame for cause of alignment not being within spec -- $25
6) try to ascertain just how bad the body rust is -- $50??
7) repair rust -- $1600????
8) repair bentness: $200 to $2000??

So obviously we don't want to find out the alignment isn't able to be in spec due to a bent frame (which would represent $2000 repair). I'm an optimist and feel hopeful about a bent A arm.

The story so far:

This is my second VX which means I've been driving a VX for almost 13 years (and close to 200,000 miles!). This car is the only thing I've ever owned that I seem to grow more attached to as the years go by. I really enjoy and never get tired of it; quite the opposite; I become more fond of it as time goes on and its little quirks (like the lean burn stumble) endear themselves to me. I appreciate its style and functionality more and more as well: no nonsense at its finest. So..I finally bit the bullet when I found a used motor with 82,000 miles on it from a Canada salvage yard for $450 Canadian +$300 Canadian shipping. For some reason the exchange rate to Canada is very good right now (a little over 1.4 at the time of purchase) so I decided to buy the engine which came to $532.25 after exchange rate, shipping and tax. Per recommendation of Moe I also purchased a new timing belt, water pump, thermostat, crankshaft seals (front and rear), valve cover gasket and oil pan gasket. The car recently had a tune up and distributor installed (it's actually been over a year, now) so I only got new spark plugs (no dizzy cap or wires). Oh, and I almost forgot: oil filter and 5w30 oil and sea foam. I also got a remanufactured Maval steering rack for $369 since mine was in disrepair. And since I need a new hood I found a used, lightweight carbon fiber hood from a salvage yard for $206 +$150 shipping. It's not the prettiest thing (some color fade that gives it a reddish rusty hue), but Moe thinks he can wet sand it down and clear coat it and have it look decent again.

Last week I picked up the steering rack from the local shop (25 min drive) only to later discover that it was a power steering rack. Today on my way to returning it I get a call from Moe that the timing belt I dropped off isn't the right size. So I had to hurry back to the garage, pick up the incorrect timing belt and return it to the local shop before they close. Fortunately the shop manager (owner?) agreed to deliver the timing belt and the rest of the parts (oil pan gasket, thermostat, oil, filter, plugs) to the shop tomorrow by around lunch time.

I was excited to hear that the motor was looking clean and in good condition. My excitement was tempered, though, when Moe let me know there was a problem... After installing the water pump he discovered that the timing belt hadn't been installed correctly and cylinder 2 was running rich. He showed me a nut that had a little play in it that should have been tight. He also showed me where the timing belt had gotten so hot it melted the housing a little bit. He reassured me, though, that the improper application of the timing belt wouldn't have caused damage to the engine and that once the new timing belt was put on correctly the engine would perform as designed.








Spark plugs from the 'new' engine.

When I asked the shop (where I bought most of my parts) about the GP plugs that were in the 'new' engine, he said they were designed for high temp (I bought the regular NGK ones). I wonder if the screwed up timing belt and GP plugs indicate the former owner was driving the engine hard? At least it looks like it's in good shape otherwise.

When Moe called me to say the timing belt didn't fit I thought it might be worth double checking that the motor I bought was in fact a D15Z1:


The other way you can tell is the 5 wire o2 sensor in the above photo (that's a $450+ part!)

 

Day 2: Does anyone know where I can find a good online service repair manual for the Honda Civic VX D15Z1? (1992-1995) I am having a helluva time finding one online. Apparently Moe is having a hard time doing the valve adjustment on the motor. He says there's something wrong with the valve on the 4th cylinder. I really need a shop manual to provide for him. His uncle has lots of shop manuals but none for the 1992-1995 Honda Civic.

EDIT: I found a manual! It actually seems like the right one for my car, too, as it has lots of D15Z1 diagrams. I'm not even sure what manual it is, though. I honestly had to get ... creative ... in finding it.

EDIT: So Moe got the timing belt and water pump and thermostat and all the seals installed. Now the motor is ready. So tomorrow he will be pulling my old motor out and putting the new motor in and getting it running. He doesn't want to deal with the valve adjustment at this time, though. He is eager to just get the thing installed and running. So that's the goal for tomorrow. Oh, but first, after the motor is removed, he will be removing the old steering rack and putting in the new one.

 

The valve adjustment is a pretty important factor in running. I prefer to not skip it to "get the motor running". For one thing, it has to be done on a stone cold motor. Once run, you have to wait until the next day before you can do it.

I have not done the adjustment on the roller rocker motors yet so it could be a little more challenging, but I'd still recommend doing the adjustment before it's ran.

You can also do it in two steps instead of 4.

1) Set #1 TDC, set valve lash for Intake&Exhaust of #1, Intake of #2 and Exhaust of #3.
2) Turn crank CCW 360 degrees (This Sets #4 TDC), now set lash for Intake&Exhaust of #4, Intake of #3 and Exhaust of #2.

It's much faster than the FSM way of TDC #1 do I/E, turn crank CCW 180, do I/E of #3, turn crank CCW 180, do I/E of #4, turn crank 180, do I/E of #2.

Lastly, if he thinks there some issue with the valves on one of the cylinders, maybe he should do a leak down test on the motor before all the effort of putting the motor in the car. If valves are bent or worse....... That's a lot of work for naught.

 

Just in case someone reads this thread and gets the wrong idea; it was your input shaft bearing that made the noise and why you replaced the transmission. You wouldn’t replace a transmission for a throw out bearing.





eH.

 

Are these guys the bomb for fixing clusters: Southern Electronics Repair in Richmond VA?

 

Que? Where da fuq he talking bout replacing the tranny?

 

He is not saying the timing belt install has anything to do w/ #2 running rich, is he?
Trying to make sure I am reading you correctly?

 

I think that comment was meant for a different thread, the won't shift thread I think.

I knew I read it somewhere, just didn't think it was this thread. My bad.

 

Day 3 saw the removal of the old steering rack, the old engine and ts timing belt cover gasket, which, fortunately, was in good shape. Moe then installed the steering rack.


The new steering rack is the silvery thing with the rubber bellows like boot on the right; the axle is also prominently displayed here (the rusty bar with the rubber boot near the transmission).


Here's a better photo

Day 4: Moe informed me the pressure plate on my clutch was indeed showing signs of wear, as I had suspected. I was lucky to find a new clutch in stock at an Autozone not too far from me so that the engine and clutch could go into the car on Day 5 (today, the last day he will be available to work on the car). As I pulled into the AZ parking lot, a rare beauty caught my eye: a beautiful blue MR2.


I asked the service rep as he rang me up for the $91 clutch "who does that MR2 belong to?" and he said it was his, that he only paid $2000 for it, but that he was selling it because he didn't have the money to invest in getting it running. I told him I might post it online for him and see if anyone is interested. The body is in very nice shape for a 30 year old New England vehicle.

Anyway, because of the wait on the clutch, only thing that got done on day 4 was the removal of the clutch and distributor and the installation of the distributor and timing belt cover gasket from the old motor onto the new motor.

No signs of meltage or warpage on the timing belt cover gasket from my old motor.

Apparently the old distributor (which is actually relatively new) had a small piece of metal broken off. Moe's uncle happened to have another distributor that Moe was able to use to replace the broken part.

You can see the small piece of metal missing at the center of the distributor. Also, in these photos you can see blue colorization on the clutch pressure plate, which Moe says is a tell-tale sign that the part is worn.

The distributor with the replaced connecting piece. Another shot of the worn clutch pressure plate.

Moe brought to my attention that a small part on the engine having to do with emissions got broken off, but he doesn't know what the part is called. Here are some photos if anyone knows what it is so that I can order it.

I think it's the plastic part with the phillips screw?

I'm not sure what this is supposed to look like. If anyone knows, and knows what the part is called, that'd be a great help!

Moe had me order an exhaust gasket but I'm not sure it came today (Day 5) because I didn't find overnight shipping for it. So Moe may have to reattach the exhaust with the old gasket. I'll find out by the end of the day!

Old exhaust gasket that needs replacing. Fingers crossed the new flange came today.

So today is Day 5. Moe didn't have time to do the valve adjustment. I'd try my hand at it but I don't have any tools and not sure it's worth buying them just for this job (although if I were to I'd be able to do all future valve adjustments, which are supposed to be done once a year or 15,000 miles). Fingers crossed everything goes well today. His plan for today is to get the clutch and motor installed as well as get my hood on (although I don't think he'll have time to wet sand it and clear coat it). Here's hoping he is able to finish the job today and that the motor doesn't show any signs of problems when he fires it up and test drives it! Though, apparently it will throw a CEL due to the above-mentioned broken emissions part.

 

It might be a bit before I can send the cluster away to be repaired. But if and when I do I'll be sure to post a detailed report here!

At 260,000 miles the transmission was making a noise which I learned from this forum was a throw out bearing going bad, so I had the transmission replaced with a used one with 10,000 miles on it.

Woops, thanks for the correction!

I don't think he was drawing that correlation. I recall asking him if the two were correlated but he didn't say one way or the other. What do you think?

 

https://www.hondapartsnow.com/parts-...ttle_body.html

 

Thanks for the info Tomcat39!

Quick update: after installing the clutch and engine Moe wasn't able to get it to start last night. Unfortunately he only has until 1pm today to work on it. If he isn't able to get it going not sure if his uncle might be able to take a crack at it? He thinks it's some kind of electrical issue. As I recall, he said electrical stuff isn't his forte.

 

Yes, evap purge solenoid. You can still plug it in to the harness and skip the CEL, it just won't be able to purge the charcoal canister.

 

Day 6: Success! Car is up and running! He thinks my old engine has a blown head gasket so I guess my mild concerns that I was swapping out my engine prematurely are for naught (though honestly I think I could have eeked another 10+ k miles out of that motor, though with less fuel economy). Moe says engine sounds really good. He didn't have time to get to the hood so it's back on with the old one, but that is small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. I can't wait to take this thing out for a test drive! I get off work at 3pm and then will ride my bike down to the garage. Here's hoping it purrs like a kitten. Gonna be interesting to see the mpg on my first few tanks. I've been struggling to do much better than 45mpg even at a putt-putt pace, even during these somewhat warmer spring days. I should be able to hit low 50s easily if this engine is in good shape.

So next on the priority list is to get the "evap purge solenoid" and do a valve adjustment and I guess an alignment. Moe says he didn't see any signs of bentness on the frame or A arms. So maybe the old, damaged steering rack was the reason for car not being alignable to within limits? Seems if that was the case the shop that aligned the car last would have raised that as a possibility. I even told them at the time I thought the car might need a new steering rack, but at that time they didn't think so (that was a year and a half ago). So I'm not sure if I want to take my car to them for the alignment (though it's literally 1/4 mile up the road from Moe's uncle's garage). We'll see... will be updating more after taking the car for a spin!

@TomCat39 and 94 Civic Si
I need to order all three of those parts?

 

No just #9 and #11. #10 is just a tube hold piece of metal that is on the IACV.

If the plastic tube wasn't broken off the top of #11, you would only need #9. But the tube #9 slides on is also broken off of #11 so you need both parts.

 

I'm not so sure of that, I think it still would purge just it won't be filtered so who knows what kind of junk will end up in the solenoid and possibly the canister.

I took it apart when I busted one and it's just a funky little filter in rubber that slides onto a tiny plastic tube on top of the solenoid. Without the filter, I suspect dirt and debris can be sucked in as well as who knows what pushed out.

 

Well, I found one of those two parts
It's a genuine Honda OEM part, too. $21 used on eBay: For your consideration: a used Purge Cut Solenoid Valve Assembly from a low-mileage 1994 Honda Civic Ex Coupe with a D16Z6 SOHC VTEC 1.6l engine and manual 5-speed engine. This will fit any EG Honda Civic or Del Sol from 1992, 1993, 1994, or 1995. Works on the Coupe, Sedan, Hatchback, Ex, Si, Dx, Lx, Vx, or Cx models with the D16Z6, D15B7, or D15Z1 SOHC engine. This is OEM part number 36162-PT3-Q01 which costs $181.83-$127.28 depending on which dealership you purchase it from. It is a used part that may have minor wear/scuffs/smudges but was removed in perfect working order. It has been tested by a professional and is ready to be installed.

I'm still looking for the other part: the Filter Assembly, Solenoid Valve. I actually did find one used on eBay for $50 + $15 shipping, but it's in Paraguay with estimated delivery of June 4th.
>>>>> Very odd: here is the same part number for sale on a small engines website (they sell parts for lawnmowers, leaf blowers & chainsaws etc.) https://www.sepw.com/parts/honda-361...1-filter-assy/ Yet, it's the exact same part number as the filter assy. for my car. The part description is also exactly the same (Filter Assembly, Solenoid Valve). Is it possible Honda uses the same part number for filter assy. for their generator motors?
Here is a screenshot of the page when I search the part on the site:



Identical part number and description to the 1.5L D15Z1 Civic engine.

When I click on the "Where Used" link I get a list of about 15 different Honda generators that the part is used on. When I click on one I get this handy diaphragm. The part is number 8 on the diagram:

Notice the improved detail of the part on the generator diaphragm as compared to the diaphragm below for the Civic (#9 for the Civic).

Anyway, very interesting. I guess it's not entirely unreasonable they'd take a small part like this from a discontinued car and reuse it for their generators, but then why not keep it available to the old Civics? Would love to hear others' thoughts on this.

We can compare it to the Civic Solenoid diaphragm:

If anything, the diaphragm for the generator is more detailed. You can see on the car diaphragm we just get the housing (#12 on the generator diaphragm and #9 on the car diaphragm above)

Here is a close up of the part from hondapartsnow.com

EDIT: I called SEPW and they say that they do not have the part. Honda discontinued it. >.<

Next up: I drove my car home yesterday afternoon but the idle is surging when cold and idling a little high when not cold. Otherwise, it seems like a pretty youthful motor! (More on that later).

 

You may be right, I can't keep track of the different iterations they went through. I thought this one controlled the vacuum to the diaphragm that opens the charcoal can to engine vacuum. If the engine can now suck the can all the time, there ma be some stumbles off idle. If not, there may be some smell when warm.

 

Why did they say they could not align? Was it Toe? Or something else? Worn inner and outer ends will mess up the toe-in.

How did the camber and caster measure up?

 

This alignment was done a year and a half ago, but I remember him saying there was no adjuster for the caster (or was it camber? I think it was caster) and therefore there was nothing he could do to make it within spec (which is what we see in the print out).


I'm not really sure how to read and interpret this, but the tech highlighted what he thought was significant (front Toe / total Toe), but front right caster looks like it's off by a lot (-.9 deg).

 

Hey Root, your ebay part is the full thing, filter and solenoid. Actually Part 9 in your one diagram not part 8. Part 8 is only a portion of it. Part 9 is all if it together.

Usually with Honda part diagrams if there is several numbers on one side of a bracket and only 1 on the other, the 1 is the complete part and the multiple numbers are the individual components of said part.


These Honda's only have toe adjustments, camber adjustment can be added with after market parts. Caster is not something I've ever seen added and is not adjustable.

Looking at your readout, he got the car aligned with the exception of the rear toe. There is a bit of camber in your right front. Could be worn bushings.

 

I feel super lucky scoring the filter and solenoid for a cool $21. Thank TomCat for the heads up that I didn't need to buy the second part!

Here is a video of the surging idle. My guy Moe was frustrated that he wasn't able to solve it. At one point he sprayed PB blaster at the throttle body. I hope that wasn't harmful. The video starts off with the engine cold. Halfway through the video the engine is warm.

 

Surging idle is likely due to a bad IACV.

I had to try 3 used ones before my idle stabilized out. A vacuum leak can also cause surging idle.

 

Where is the black hose attached to the nipple on top of the throttle body coming from? If the other end is coming from the evap cannister (the black round can underneath the fuel filter) I bet that's causing it. Pull the hose off the TB and cap the nipple. I had inadvertently done that once and had the same surge.

 

@rickkane if you could watch this video and tell me if it answers your question!