Recently got in a minor accident in my '96 GSR.. wasn't terribly bad, just dented in the front driverside of the car - little bit of frame damage and i need a new crossmember. (insurance didn't cover it - long story don't ask)

Took it up to a local respected bodyshop and they want 5grand to fix it all - bastards.. so i came up with the idea to fix it myself - alls i need it to put it on a frame straightener for a little and then throw on all the body pieces but that'll take a lot of time and money and i don't have much of either.

So i was considering going out and buying a DA 'teg.. I almost bought one a while back but the guy riced it out and screwed the tranny to hell. I was wondering what are some of the major problems in these integras? What goes first? What should i look out for? and could i expect good gas milage after 120,000+ miles? I just need a back-up honda that i could use as a daily beater while fixing my baby.

Thanks,
Vtec

 

i haven't heard anything negative about DA's as far as reliability is concerned. i see so many driving around my area daily, i almsot see more DA's than DC's to be honest. so that must say somthing about their reliability. i have read on these forums that they tend to handle better as well, but i don't know that for sure.

 

Thanks,
I've herd that they handle better too.. the guy i was going to buy one off of said his could take a turn out by the college at 120 with no wheelspin. but he also said no fat chicks lol

 

they are basically the same cars as 94+ integras
the whole concept is the same, engine and supsension wise
its not like a first gen or a 4th gen integra which is completely different

 

my DA has been great, i have a 90 and it has 105K on it, havent had any problems except a axle which was bad when i bought the car. Im gonna need a clutch but thats from the guy be4 me beating on the car, so far so great

 

ive got a 93 DA with almost 188k on it, havent had any problems, just need new brakes and everything else has been serviced already. also had a 91 which when we got rid of it had almost 205k on it and it still ran strong,

 

B18A's are work horses, but DA's are old cars. The suspension will be the first thing you need to check, as rubber doesnt not withstand the test of time.

Next is little rattles on the inside, and dash soldering that makes the climate control flicker intermittently. Other than that, basic maintenance is all. Same problems you may see on a DC, just with more time for them to compound.

 

complete upper control arms and LCA bushings. the drivetrain on those are damn near bulletproof but the suspension is still mostly rubber which just breaks down eventually. plan on doing some suspension work. if youre gonna have it looked at by a mechanic have him really go thru thre suspnesion...and then contact me i can get you parts a lot cheaper than anyone trust me. i got all 4 upper control arms with ball joints for my accord for under $210

 

i have a DA and i love it.. but one thing to check is the window stripping on the doors. they tend to leak water during raing or car washing, and make wind noise on the fwy. also they tend to leak from the AC cowl. you will see intermittent dripping coming from under the glove compartment. in fact there are a few places that they tend to leak from.. i know a few guys who get their backseats /trunk spaces wet from rain.

i woudl reccomend buying a non sunroof model, as well as a 92-93 obd1 version. power windows tend to be slow, rolling up, and the dimmer switch for the gauge cluster may go bad. also since these cars have a cable driven speedo, you may experience a bouncing speedo needle if this isnt fixed. the cable costs $60 from honda. paint oxidation and rechargin AC are two other problems that you may encounter...

hope this helps.. these are all some problems that i have ran into with my car. i have 2 da's. they both drive great. i have one with 175k miles, and it still runs hard with an auto tranny. my other has an lsvtec motor 191 whp on CTR cams, and new paint job.. everything is still as comfortable as a new car. but some things like leaks are a bitch. and i see you live in florida.


Good Luck!

 

DA's are classic man, like oldschool wa saying, they do leak a little bit, and my speedo needle does bounce a tad, but overall, its a great car, never had any problems at all, just general maintence.

 

ive had 2....great cars, but yes they do tend to leak but thats easily fixed by buyin new stuff....also a thing to look out for is the rust on the quarter panels and in side the door jams....it seems to be that many older hondas have trouble with this.....and i 2 vote for a non sunroof model because the hoses tend to leak and cause rust....rust is the only reason i parted my 93 ls into a 91 rs sheel and installed power window....also a obd1 rs....gl

 

damm how long are planning to keep it?

 

Sounds good guys, thanks for the help.

Well, i plan on getting one as a daily beater - getting it running nicely maybe some suspension mods and nice light wheels. But other than that im going to keep it fairly stock. Right now me and my dad are into one of thoes buy-fix-sell kinda business things (i think just about everyone and their dad go thru one of these fazes) So im considering getting one and doing a quick rebuild.

Thanks for the info on the suspension and weather stripping - it'll help alot with the surprises like the ones from my GSR (motor mounts were torn to pieces)

Im not sure about how long i'll keep it, i doubt i'd be able to get much out of it after i fix it so i might keep it indefinetly just to have an extra car incase the GSR wants a JDM front end conversion or a B18C5 swap i'll be rockin the DA.. maybe even doing a swap in that further down the road

 

fixing and selling doesnt pay offf....

 

yah.. i'll agree with you on these DAs they have an average price of like 1-3k no matter how good shape

 

sup man??? just have some few question.... how can you really tell if its a DA?? cuz im considering to buy a DA but i dont really know what it really looks like... im new in cars but you know... got to know from pipol thats knows....

 

da's are 90-93 integras..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Oldskool teggy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">da's are 90-93 integras.. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Kinda, in slang terms yes. But a DA9 VIN code actually only indicates 90-93 non-vtec 2 door Integra. While a GSR will have a VIN of DB2, and four doors will be DB1.

Of course, the 86-89 tegs were also coded DA1 and DA3.

As for reliability, I have a 92 LS with 155k miles. It has been a good performer for me, and I like it a lot. I would say I miss my 2000 GSR because of the newness, leather seats, better performance, etc, but the 92 has more 'character'. If you just need a beater, you should be able to get a decent one for $2000 or less.

I get 30mpg or better in my LS with i/h/e, way better than I ever got in the GSR (probably due to the long gears in the LS tranny). The main issues are random vibrations, the main fuel relay (easy fix and happens in all early 90s hondas due to weak soldering connections), climate control button lights (which is only upsetting if you're really ****), and just the overall wear on the car because of age. You might have to paint your wiper arms, touch up some paint, live with the some seat rips, or one busted speaker. I mean, it's a 12-15 year old car, so they show their age sometimes.

Also, 1990-91 Integras will be 130hp, b18a, obd0; the 92-93 (non-vtec) will be 140hp, b18a, obd1.

 

Sounds good

I've noticed that the 92,93 GSRs are very rare, i've only seen one and it was pretty beat up. Im guessing its rare because they only made it for 2 years, or it wasn't as great as they thought it would be (having a 1.7 unstead of the 1.8) I haven't been able to find any of these for sale - does anyone have one? - I have kind of a Vtec addiction and am currently having Vtec withdrawal

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VtecAdvantage &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Sounds good

I've noticed that the 92,93 GSRs are very rare, i've only seen one and it was pretty beat up. Im guessing its rare because they only made it for 2 years, or it wasn't as great as they thought it would be (having a 1.7 unstead of the 1.8) I haven't been able to find any of these for sale - does anyone have one? - I have kind of a Vtec addiction and am currently having Vtec withdrawal </TD></TR></TABLE>

They are pretty rare, I think there are something like 5,000 in existence in the U.S. However, they are a quick car, and posted very similar times to the 3rd gen GSRs. They are now older, and may be slower now, but a brand new 92 GSR vs. a brand new 94 GSR would be a fair fight, even without .1 L of displacement.

Look at http://www.g2ic.com, there are a few GSRs for sale in the classifieds. I am not sure if they have original motors or what kind of condition they are in, but if you want one, it shouldn't be a daily beater.

 

Yah, what about a VTEC swap on the GS or LS?... would it be easy to throw a 94+ GSR head on it? are they easily interchangable? I've herd of people putting b16 heads on a b18. Just something i've been wondering.

Thanks for the link purplegsr - i've contacted a few people

I've got another question.. If i were to go check out a DA i was going to buy, what are some of the first things i should check - things that could lead to serious problems?

 

You can do an ls/vtec just as easily on a b18a as you can using a b18b block. And yes, you can use a b16a, b17a, or b18c head on the b18a/b.

Things to look for:
do a compression test if you can (you want numbers around 140 or above, and less than a 10% difference between cylinders.
See if you can get maintenance records
make sure the idle is pretty steady at around 700-800 rpm
make sure all electrical stuff works
see if oil, tranny fluid, coolant, timing belt, brakes, spark plugs, dist cap and rotor, fuel filter, etc have been done recently. You don't want to pay too much in maintenance when you buy the car.
Look for body work, make sure it's a clean title
check for oil leaks on the ground, and around the valve cover and distributor/cam seal.

I probably left some stuff out, but that should get you started.

 

aight thnx everyone.... so all 90 to 93 integra are da's??? so yea.... if ever im gonna get a DA 2000 and up is pretty expensive for it??? i just dont really know bout cars... so yea.... jus wanna from people here you know what i mean .... its all about honda's..... hehhe... peace out... thnx.... everyone

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 187 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> i just dont really know bout cars</TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 187 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> its all about honda's </TD></TR></TABLE>

haha.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by purplegsr (Exospeed) &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You can do an ls/vtec just as easily on a b18a as you can using a b18b block. And yes, you can use a b16a, b17a, or b18c head on the b18a/b.

Things to look for:
do a compression test if you can (you want numbers around 140 or above, and less than a 10% difference between cylinders.
See if you can get maintenance records
make sure the idle is pretty steady at around 700-800 rpm
make sure all electrical stuff works
see if oil, tranny fluid, coolant, timing belt, brakes, spark plugs, dist cap and rotor, fuel filter, etc have been done recently. You don't want to pay too much in maintenance when you buy the car.
Look for body work, make sure it's a clean title
check for oil leaks on the ground, and around the valve cover and distributor/cam seal.

I probably left some stuff out, but that should get you started.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Alright, that sounds easy enough, i work for a lube shop and we stress perventive maintainance - so i check most of those things on 30+ cars a day.

But some of these DAs for sale have 200,000+ miles on them - and usually by then a lot of maintianance is pointless. On a lot of cars i get, i do an oil system flush and put in a full synthetic - would this be a good choice? I haven't done it to any cars with over 100,000 miles but i don't want to do harm to it. I also like to do a coolant flush and a transmission drain and fill - any thoughs on thoes?

How many compression tests should i do? I've herd i should do multiple tests at certain times to be sure im getting the right readings

Thanks again