Got the starter replaced on the Accord today, working perfectly now. Me and the neighbor boy did it, then we cruised it up to the store for a milkshake lol.

I think where the power cable bolted on the starter was the whole problem, but nothing I did made a difference with the old starter. We had to remove it from the car and use a pair of vice grips to hold the bolt to get the nut off so the power cable could be removed. I was annoyed and about to just go buy a new cable, but we kept messing with it until we got it. The entire bolt sticking out of the old starter was loose, it's a bit hard to explain, but suffice to say, it wasn't easy. Oh well, alls well that ends well.

The old starter was not original to the car, it had a "REMANUFACTURED" sticker on it. The replacement unit is actually new, not rebuilt. It starts very easily now, and I'm grateful that our effort wasnt wasted, nor the money I spent on the starter. I was 98% sure it was the problem, and I'm glad it was.

Still havent found anyone to put the water pump on, and my buddy that usually helps me with stuff like that is having to work through the weekend. Oh well, itll get done in due time. If I get called to work (as I'm hoping and praying I do), it will have to wait until I'm home again. But, it's back to "yard drivable" status at least, haha.

 

I like replacing parts that are "bad", fixing the problem, rather than throwing new stuff at it, then needing more new stuff.
As for the pump, well, it'll get done eventually. It's just a PIA that you have to remove the timing belt to do it. Any luck on finding a door yet?

 

I know where a door is for $50 (and it's not exactly close), but I'm more concerned with getting the water pump on so I can drive it to a body shop and get their opinion on repairing the one it has now. There are three shops in a town about 12 miles away, so I'll hit each one up and see what they think. I'm just not going to drive it that far with the water pump pissing out the weep hole like it is, lol.

 

I don't blame you, in fact that's what caused me to have to do timing belts on my wife's Accord, it leaking out the weep hole. I had never done a timing belt change on a Honda before, but the instructions that came with the kit were the best, and made it seem like I shouldn't have any trouble doing it. It went in like it was supposed, adjusted up just fine, and took me about 5 hours to do. Not too bad considering the instructions said it should take 4 1/2 hours to do. I was just nervous and double checking everything as I went. It was all fine though, and has about 23K miles on it since, including 2 2400+ mile road trips.

 

I took the Accord out to a local shop I've used before to have the water pump installed and the door fixed. Looks like I'll be gone on a job the entirety of next week, so hopefully itll be done by the time I get back.

He looked at the door and said it can definitely be repaired. He had me order a replacement latch assembly, and I had to buy a set because that's the only one I could find. It turns out that they're different for the coupes vs the sedan/wagon, so that made it more difficult to source one. Still, $60 for the part is a small price to pay to have a door that shuts, lol.

In other news, I found a sweet 1978 Accord in good condition for $1500. I sure wish i could go buy it. If the 1996 was all fixed up, I'd offer to trade it for the '78. Its such a neat car. I could later buy me another 94-7 manual coupe, this time an EX that was better cared for. Oh well.

 

Cool. You're still making progress on it, even if you're out of town.
Seems weird that Honda would use a different latch on the coupes though. Very un-Japanese like. I believe the door handles are the same though, which just adds to the confusion. Good luck, and I hope everything works out for you.

 

Been a while, but I finally have an update on the Accord. The water pump and door latch have been replaced, and I'm getting the windshield replaced as I type this. Slowly, it's coming together.

With the windshield replaced, it will be an acceptable daily driver, so I am now planning on removing the instrument cluster from my Honda Element to send it off to be rebuilt. I'm sick of dealing with it, its something internal to do with the connection. I want it fixed properly, and permanently. So, I'm glad the Accord is available to drive while I get that issue resolved.

When the weather clears up a bit (it is awful today), I will take the passenger seat out to see why it won't click into place. I believe it's something stuck in the track, and I'll clean it well and lubricate it while it's out. Hope that fixes it, because my passengers are tired to sliding forward and backward when I accelerate and brake, lol.

 

Ordered new headlight set today, had to get the stock looking ones, because the ones with clear corners like I wanted are evidently out of production. I wasn't paying $130+ for projectors, and I don't want dark tinted ones, so this is what I settled for.

(I know they look tinted in this picture, but they're not.)

 

Glad to hear you've got the other issues taken care of, so you can really drive it.
As for the headlights go, stock never goes out of style.

 

One side of the set. The in-picture caption was because i originally texted this photo to a friend.

Thanks toe cutter.

Today, several parts arrived: new headlight switch (the old one broke), Honda OEM door seal for the driver's door (which was ridiculously expensive), and the new headlight set. I'm super excited to get all these installed, however it was very cold and windy today, plus I had errands to run in the Element, so looks like I'll be getting started on it tomorrow. Will be sure to update as it progresses!