I am working through some issues with my new 91 Wagon LX and have some more questions. I ran it yesterday withthe old and crappy plugs (that I regapped to .040 because when I checked them they were all at least double that!), old dirty air filter and really dirty oil andI calculated around 23.5 mpg. I cannot believe the neglect this car seemsto have had but I am hoping to resurrect it andsave some money on gas over driving my full size pickup.Anyway - here goes...

1. My car runs at around 3100-3200 rpm cruising the highway at 70 mph. Is that normal? I have read that a faulty t-stat prevents the ecu from going into torque converter lockup - is this indicative of that?

2. For some reason when I bought the car I didn't check the coolant - and after I got it home I noticed it was low so I added some. What is in there is extremely dirty and seems cloudy actually. It was the brown stuff to start - but it really doesn't look clear to me. The cap looks like it may be the original and the overflow tank is filthy. I was planning to flush the system, change the t-stat and cap and see what happens but I have a sinking feeling maybe it is a head gasket leak or something. The car does need to have the valve cover gasket and spark plug tube gaskets changed because they leek really bad - could that somehow be causing the coolant to become extremely dirty?

3. How do I check for a head gasket leak - possibly without paying for a pressure test at a shop? The oil is filthy but does not seem to have any coolant in it? I ran acompression test by unhooking the plug wires and cranking the engine over 5 or6 times andall cylinders came in around 185. (I only paid $320 for this car and don't want to dump tons of cash into it.)

 

there are 3 indicators of a blown head gasket, first and foremost your car is almost guaranteed to overheat if it is blown. Second, If you open the radiator cap in the morning, before you've started the car or done anything and look at the fluid level as long as there is no film on it (it looks like gas floating on water, rainbow colored and filmy) then check the oil dipstick, the oil should be fairly clear or black depending on how long it's been since it was changed. If it looks milky white/brown then you have a problem.... if all 3 of those things seem fine then it's probably not a head gasket, it just sounds like it's long overdue for mainenance, spark plugs (NGK), cap, rotor, wires, oil change, coolant change etc....

 

So far the car seems to run at normal temp but I will check all the rest of the stuff out.

I bought Autolite platinum plugs - are these okay to use in this car?

Anyone have the normal RPM's?

 

The rpm's sound ok to me, the spark plugs should be fine (as long as they are not Bosch) I'll bet when you do a full service you'll notice a BIG difference

 

I have a 92 LX and when I run 80 down the highway Im somewhere between 31-3500 RPMs so its cool, everything else just change the oil, tranny fluid, cap, rotor, plugs, wires, flush cooling system and refill, valve cover gasket and tube seals. go ahead and plunk all the money on this stuff down now and I think I can speak for most everyone on here you will not have any major issues with that car.

 

"I bought Autolite platinum plugs - are these okay to use in this car?"
Youwant to turn it into a Ford one part at a time?
I'll bet you'll regret those spark plugs within 3-5000 miles
NGK ZFR5F-11 work very well in Hondas
You flat out STOLE the car at that price; Get some castrol 10w30a honda filter, and drain plug crush washer and change the oil.
When the oil gets really dirty the engine will use it, then you'll run it out of oil and have a scrap yard car.
When you change the coolant go ahead and throw a new T-stat in it, 2 10mm bolts are no big deal and it is really cheap insurance.
To check for leaking head gasketI would bring the car to operating temp [cooling fans cycle]
Then rev it up hard a few times watching for white smoke from the exhaust; Then let it sit for 30 minutes, pull out the spark plugs and use a strong flashlight to look into the cylinders thru the sparkplug holes.
Next thing to do is check the status of the T-belt on the car, before it strips teeth and bends a valve.
FWIW regapping spark plugs isn't really all that effective unless you file the electrodes flat and square again. really not worth the labor time considering the cost of new NGK plugs.
the spark jumps from a square corner easier.

 

When you take off the valce cover make sure to check valve clearances. Also, use only a Honda t-stat. A honda oilfilter comes with a new crush washer so I just buy mine at the dealer.I have a coupe and I was at 90mph the other day and my tach was only at 3500 rpm but I don't know if theres a difference with the wagon because its bigger. I usually get around 27 mpg (highway and city driving combined)

 

I changed out the t-stat with one I got from Napa and now the car is getting torque converter lockup on the highway. At 70 mph the rpms are now around 2800 when it was 3200 before.

What is the obsession with only using Honda brand parts for everything on this board? I asked at the dealer and they told me they have never heard of anybody having trouble with non-Honda t-stats or many other parts with only a few exceptions? I am just curious?

I started calling around to check on getting timing belt and water pump done and so far the cheapest I have found was $575. I have looked over several of the diy posts on several Honda sites and I think I can do it myself but I admit I am worried about screwing it up. One mechanic told me not to touch the valves because the car has so many miles on it - is there any truth in that?

Thanks!

 

The honda parts thing: There is a number of companies that make poor quality belts and some other parts. As long as you know it's a good part (with a few exceptions like Power Steering Fluid/Tranny Fluid) then I think you'd be fine. I personally have never used honda t-stats (stant is what I use I believe) or oil filters (Fram or K&N), timing belts though I'd stick with honda. A lot of the mechanics and people on here just know that honda parts are consistently correct and less chance of failure for major things.

The timing belt you should be able to do yourself, just be aware that if you are going to do the seals as well that the crank pulley bolt is a pain unless you've got a fairly high output power tools. Get that loosened at a mechanic then re-torqued before you do the job and it will save you a lot of headache.

The valve thing sounds like BS to me, never heard of that before. Sounds like the train of thought that a lot of people have with domestic cars (is he a honda mechanic?) For some reason people have found that when working on domestic vehicles if it's working properly leave it alone for the most part

 

this is all my personal experiences...

autolite plugs are just fine, they actually work better than the NGK's iI had in mine. OIl filter I use WIX, Timing Belt O'reilly drive rite, its got 40,000 miles on it already and doing well, Oil, any kind will do just fine, you can use Wally world supertech and get the same results as castrol. When I put the Honda ATF Z-1 in mine I started getting a grind in the tranny, i switched back to Valvoline Max Life ATF and its all smooth. so its all personal preference