Hi all,

I am now the proud owner of a hand-me-down 1994 Honda Accord LX wth 200k+ miles on it. It's the 4-cyl, manual transmission model. This is my first car, so I'm quite new to all this.

I've looked through the manual and was hoping to get suggestions of what specific products I should use on my car. I live in Michigan, so winter's are pretty brutal.


For starters, any specific brands/product I should use for the following:

- engine oil
- transmission fluid
- brake fluid

I was also going to get these spark plugs as per the specs on the manual. Just wanted to be sure that you guys approve.


On a separate note, I'm trying to fix a stiff key hole on the door. Is it okay to use lithium grease should I stick to teflon lubricant as per instructionals I've read?


Thanks for the help!!

 

For engine oil, 5w-30. I'd use the regular dino oil and not synthetic. The most important thing to do is check the oil level.

For trans fluid, I'd use Honda MTF. Maybe GM syncromesh.

Any DOT3 brake fluid will be fine.

Spark plugs are the NGK zfr5f-11 plugs that you can get at most parts stores. They come properly gaped out of the box too.

I'd try WD40 to see if it helps out. Once WS40 cleans out any crud, I'd say lithium grease should work.

 

Thanks for the reply!!

Is there a particular brand of engine oil that works best or are they all pretty much the same? I've read that keeping the level is most important and there isn't much of a difference between brands. So I'm wondering if some brand works best given the high mileage of my car.

As for using WD-40 in the keyhole, is it a good idea to do the same for the ignition keyhole? I'm afraid that doing so might cause a short.

 

IMHO - I'd go with any name brand you can find. Many of the parts stores have an "oil change" special for $20.

I've used "lock-ease" in the ign switch/key hole before without any issues - just don't soak the heck out of the thing.

 

The electrical part of the switch is pretty well separated from the key/lock cylinder. So whatever you use would have a hard time getting into the electrical part of the switch.

 

Thanks for the info guys, I used lithium grease in the keyholes and it worked like a charm.

On a separate note, is it just me, or is it surprisingly difficult to find dino oil online? Also, I realized that my doors click quite loudly when opening/closing. Based on what I seen and read, I'm quite sure its the check pins in the door stops (I can clearly see them move in tandem with the clicking sound). Anyone know a quick fix for this, or will I have to have the pins replaced?

 

Dino oil is your standard oil, (not synthetic). People call it dino because it was made from decaying dinosaurs

I too have one of those 94's and I can say they are tough engines.

 

welcome to your first car.

Honda 5 spd trannies - I've used engine oil (15W-40), Pennzoil Synchromesh and now Honda MTF.
The last two shifted the best, and of these two, Pennzoil Synchromesh shifts a bit finer in cold weather,
so the yellow bottle would be my suggestion vs. your comment on cold winters. Locally Autozone stocks it.




Agree. Ask what oil type has been used and just keep using it;
the engine oil seals will be used to that oil by now.

 

Right. I shop on Amazon for my products, and the engine oils available are almost exclusively full/part synthetic.

Excellent! Thanks for the suggestion. I think that what I'll go with.

 

Quick question: I'm trying to check the engine coolant level, but 1) I can't quite see the liquid level, and 2) there doesn't appear to be any Min/Max markings.

Any tips/advice?