1996 Accord Coupe
 

Hi, I just purchased a 1996 Accord EX coupe 5 speed from our local Honda mechanic. He bought the car new from the dealer. I am new to owning a car and new to stick shift. It's amazing how quickly I've picked it up! I would like to save money and do some of the maintenance myself and obviously this is an old car so I'm wondering what things should I be looking for. Do I need go drive less aggressively due to its age? How do I prolong the life of the clutch? Also I'm starting to think there's something wrong with the fuel gage and wondering how I can diagnose this? My family has owned Hondas since the 80s so I'm familiar with them. Thanks a lot!

Can you get the maintenance history from him?

Fluid changes & sparkplugs are the easy stuff, because they're needed kinda frequently.

The biggie is the timing belt. It's an interference engine so a broken timing belt normally means bent valves. Take it easy until you know for sure (or change it anyway).

Driving less aggressively depends on the engine's condition. Not automatically required. Clutch life depends on how much you slip it from each stop. And how violently you engage the clutch. Make that smooth & the clutch will be OK.

Lots of maintenance was just done so I'm not as worried about that. He does have records dating back to when it was purchased so that is great. I know it's dumb but what does slipping the clutch mean? It's so second nature for Me now that I need help picturing it. Thanks'

As you lift the clutch pedal, the clutch begins making contact & driving the wheels, but it's slipping at first. As you continue to lift the pedal, it reaches a point where the clutch is fully engaged and not slipping. The clutch wears out only during that process of slipping when it's not fully engaged.

The other extreme, not slipping at all, would happen if you were to slip your foot sideways off the clutch pedal & allow it to snap suddenly upwards. (don't actually do this - it's not good) That would damage the clutch through the mechanical shock, which is different from "wearing out".

The extreme of slipping the clutch a lot, is easy to imagine if you're starting out climbing a very steep hill. You could "balance" the car motionless by slipping the clutch and not applying any brakes. Lift the pedal slightly and you roll forwards up the hill. Press the pedal slightly downwards and you roll backwards down the hill. All the while the clutch is slipping. This is a very useful technique to learn the "feel" of the clutch, but it causes a lot of wear.

Welcome.
Take some time to look the place over. Do a little reading in the forums, and you'll find quite a few here have a soft spot for 5th gen Accords.:)