just bought a 97 accord EX 4dr Vtec 5spd and swapped in a brand new tranny and clutch so i am really excited (first car). if anyone knows any maintenece, tweaks, or useful cleans i would really appreciate it. i wanna take really good care of this thing.

 

First of all, the maintenance stuff. Spark plugs, pcv valve, air filter, regular oil changes etc. As far as bigger items that must be done are the timing belt,balance shaft belt, and water pump because if it breaks, your engine is mostprobably gone.

I like to keep the engine bay clean by getting it power washing it every few months. I keep a small micro fiber towel in the car to wipe the dust inside. Works great for accidental spills or spots. Make sure you polish/wax the paint every few months to keep the paint at its best.

Make sure you check your ball joints, tie rods, axle boots for tear whenever the car is off the ground. Its not fun to have them break on you because if they do, you may end up replacing other unnecesary parts. Keep you tires properly inflated and make sure your alignment is proper.

Keep away from unnecessary modifications like ricing out the car. If you want to put add ons, put genuine or name brand stuff. No ugly body kits or spoilers unless you reallllllllllllly want to. Ive been thru the tall spoiler stage and im happier now with a stock one. Since you already have an Ex, the lips all around the body are the best thing in place of a body kit IMO.Stay away from fake gauges or interior decorations that are meaningless.

Im pretty sure you know most of this stuff but just a reminder. The best add ons you can put as far as looks would be lowering springs, some nice wheels (no spinners lol) and a decent tint. If you are getting performance mods, make sure the are useful and from a good company. Stay away loud exhausts unless you to be a cop magnet.

You made a great choice with getting a 4 door ex model 5 speed. You have all the room, with all the options and the quickness of the 5 speed. A great car for the long term. Just keep it clean and mainly stock and you will get better money when you plan on selling it again. Good luck and have fun with your new Honda!

 

thanks A LOT for all that info. Are there ways to check if the timing belt and water pump have been replaced? The guy i bought it from wont pick up my phone calls because our last conversation was me threatoning to sue him due to the tranny locking up on my way home from buying it, so i have no clue what he did as far as maintenance.

Also, my friend offered to sell me an AEM intake that he had laying around and install it for 50 bucks. Would this be something that I should jump on or will it eat my gas.


Also, my engine light is on and the diagnostic test said it was the o2 sensor. What would be the best avenue of fixing this. Ebay, junkyards....can i do it myself or take it to a mechanic?

THanks again

 

Like mentioned in other posts, you can check the timing belt and it will look good, but when it wants to break, it will break without notice if it wasnt changed when it needs to be changed. I think they are suppose to be changed around 90k miles and then 60k after that.

the O2 sensor is easy to change but you might have to put some muscle into it since it may ave been sitting there for long. I think it is on the exhaust after the down pipe and before the catylic converter. You will just need to unplug it, get a wrench around it and loosen. Get the Denso or NTk ones and they are the best i believe for our Hondas. Dont get used. Get new, and make sure you get the one that is the replacement one and not the universal ones.

I had a similar problem with my automatic 94 ex. I was driving home from the sellers place and the transmission started acting up. I guess you get what you pay for. I got it pretty cheap but needed lots of work. I was nice to him about it so hes lucky lol.

As for the intake, i would get it after i get everything else fixed as it is a extra and not a necessity.

 

Yo Lax ,, i will keep it clean.. I don't want to say what i really would like to say ..... but why are you here ??? [:@]

you are the same guy that is throwing this site under the bus ,, and that IS NOT VERY NICE I hate people who pull the kind of stuff that you do ,.Kissing butts at another site

and by the way a lot of the guys that give advices over there are the same guys that give advices over here ..

Your question was about a window that goes up and down slow,,, you were adviced to lube the channel..........WOW..that sure was a hard one ,,,Now we know what the trick is over here too ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and below was you reply

this is your quote from another site .. from 5 days ago ...


( thanks everyone for all the help. really appreciate it. you guys aree better than honda accord forum by a longshot. )

ONLY ON A COLD DAY IN HELL..........[:@]

IF they are so much better . what are you doing back here ??

No matter what you need or what you ask ,I cannot speak for all the other members in here ,but i will NEVER help you out .even if the Administrator of this site kicks me out . As a matter of facts if i had the power i would ban you from this site

By your action you have stabbed every member here at HAF that have tried and try to help you , on the back .. [:@]

 

a) grease in the channel did not work which is why i posted on HT

b) i was trying to see if maybe a different topic would produce better advice on different sites

c) how the |HECK** do you care so much about an INTERNET FORUM. id like to know

Please cut out any and all profanity..Thank You[:'(]

 

See post from Lax1089 about profanity,,sorry members ..some folks dont read the rules about our forums..

Zero Profanity @ HAF
|WheelBrokerAng [sm=americanasmiley.gif]