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Things to check/replace in my car

Hail The Brain Slug

Hail The Brain Slug

Diamond Member
I have a recently acquired 1996 Honda Civic DX that has 243,000 miles and no service record. I'm looking for ideas of things I should check and/or replace to help maintain it as long as possible. (It runs like a champ, though!)

So far I've:
Replaced spark plugs and wires
changed oil and filter
lubed
new windshield wipers
buffed out headlights

What else should I do?
 
Coolant, tranny fluid, blinker fluid, brake fluid, pads+rotors, fuel filter, air filter. Thats all i can think of for now.
 
Not sure if that particular engine is a interference type, but definitely change out the timing belt. You'll also want to check and replace all the belts and hoses if they are indeed going bad.
 
With 250k on it, your best bet is to tend to things you know need to be done. Take it to one of those places that offer 100 point inspections and will estimate all the needed work. Even if they charge you $50-60 for it; you will at least get a base line.

I don't think a timing belt job is worth it on that engine...personally I'd just have a lower mile one put in. I'd get a compression check done or do one yourself and unless it's excellent not put a lot into maintaning that engine.

Chances are lasting so long the vehicle had maintenace. This is a perfect example where you can easily spend much more than it would have cost to just buy a newer car if you 'restore' everything.
 
Originally posted by: shabby
Coolant, tranny fluid, blinker fluid, brake fluid, pads+rotors, fuel filter, air filter. Thats all i can think of for now.
Click to expand...

forgot the most important, headlight fluid, better check that before the tires explode
 
Originally posted by: alkemyst
With 250k on it, your best bet is to tend to things you know need to be done. Take it to one of those places that offer 100 point inspections and will estimate all the needed work. Even if they charge you $50-60 for it; you will at least get a base line.

I don't think a timing belt job is worth it on that engine...personally I'd just have a lower mile one put in. I'd get a compression check done or do one yourself and unless it's excellent not put a lot into maintaning that engine.

Chances are lasting so long the vehicle had maintenace. This is a perfect example where you can easily spend much more than it would have cost to just buy a newer car if you 'restore' everything.
Click to expand...
😕

Yes, because an engine swap is much less expensive than a timing belt job.....
 
a belt/ water pump can be near $500-800

a engine swap COULD be $250 for engine and $500-800 to install.

If it needs a belt then put one if not i say leave the car be and fix what you think is worth fixing. 250k is about what a civic SHOULD do. might end up putting 500k on the motor if your lucky. Do a compression test yourself and see what the engine is like.

with all that you done now. its a good way to start off. cheap little things that actually DO make a diffrence. after the wires and plugs you should also replace the dizzy cap and rotor as well. Both items should be under $50 together from any place like napa or etc.

drain and refill your coolant and possible get a brake flush. all i would do now. i won't touch brakes unless it needs brakes, same goes for everything else. replace whats needed and get what you can out of the car.
 
What process did you use to buff your headlights and how did it turn out? My girlfriend's car needs that done real bad.

 
Originally posted by: DougK62
What process did you use to buff your headlights and how did it turn out? My girlfriend's car needs that done real bad.
Click to expand...

I started out just using a microfiber pad and PlastX, but it wasn't cutting it, so I used an old rag and ScratchX to take it down until it was clear, then finished it off with PlastX. Took maybe 20 minutes.
 
Originally posted by: CptCrunch
Originally posted by: shabby
Coolant, tranny fluid, blinker fluid, brake fluid, pads+rotors, fuel filter, air filter. Thats all i can think of for now.
Click to expand...

forgot the most important, headlight fluid, better check that before the tires explode
Click to expand...

WTF are you talking about?
 
Not saying any of these are absolutely necessary or that you need to do them all, just listing common wear parts that you can inspect and and replace as needed:

Timing belt and idlers/tensioner.

Engine seals (crank, cam, and oil pump seals).

Power steering pumps are prone to leakage with that kind of mileage. Can get a reman one or a PS rebuild kit with new seals.

Distributor cap and rotor.

Belts, filters, hoses, and radiator cap.

Idler pulley bearings if the engine seems noisy at idle.

Motor mounts and any rubber suspension bushings that may be broken or dry rotted.

CV boots.

Change automatic transmission fluid and filter.

Agree with others, do a compression and leak down test to determine if it's even worth spending money on. It would be a shame to spend $1000 for a comprehensive tune up only to find out a week later someone ran it low on oil a while back.
 
I definitely would replace all the wear parts that would cause catastrophic damage if they go out - timing belt /tensioner and water pump are the only ones I can think of. Coolant, power steering, brake, and tranny fluid (and filter) are neglected by most owners, I would change those too. Every thing else I'd probably leave alone unless there was an impending problem. Cars with that many miles often have lost a bit of power - if you want to restore it you can try anything from seafoam to pulling the head and cleaning the valves, combustion chamber, etc. I did this on a mid 80's civic and the difference was incredible - the car only had about half its original power and couldn't maintain highway speeds on inclines. Leakdown test indicated none of the cylinders could hold any pressure, and refurbishing the valves made all the difference. As an added bonus, it's much easier to change things when you're doing this sort of work (replacing the timing belt requires taking a lot of things off).

Working on old cars can be a pain because various fasteners will have welded themselves fast. A good penetrating oil, a big breaker bar and possibly an impact wrench go a long ways.
 
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: alkemyst
With 250k on it, your best bet is to tend to things you know need to be done. Take it to one of those places that offer 100 point inspections and will estimate all the needed work. Even if they charge you $50-60 for it; you will at least get a base line.

I don't think a timing belt job is worth it on that engine...personally I'd just have a lower mile one put in. I'd get a compression check done or do one yourself and unless it's excellent not put a lot into maintaning that engine.

Chances are lasting so long the vehicle had maintenace. This is a perfect example where you can easily spend much more than it would have cost to just buy a newer car if you 'restore' everything.
Click to expand...
😕

Yes, because an engine swap is much less expensive than a timing belt job.....
Click to expand...

What's a timing belt job going to do for a no compression engine? This is why I mentioned a compression check.

One should be able to get a basic honda engine swapped for around $1000, there are tons of them out there esp from those that swapped 'up'.
 
You guys are going overboard, no need to change out shocks, for example, just because it's a new-to-him car.

I'm not sure I'd do the tranny oil, even. I have heard at least with autos that sometimes a fluid change if it's old enough can be deleterious, though I've not heard that for manuals.

Things like radiator and brakes and power steering fluids I'd do if I was doing myself. If you have to pay somebody, keep the work light, you don't want to throw money at a problem that doesn't exist.

Timing belt is pricey, but if it's an engine that a bad belt = dead engine, it may have to be done.
 
Originally posted by: Skoorb
You guys are going overboard, no need to change out shocks, for example, just because it's a new-to-him car.

I'm not sure I'd do the tranny oil, even. I have heard at least with autos that sometimes a fluid change if it's old enough can be deleterious, though I've not heard that for manuals.

Things like radiator and brakes and power steering fluids I'd do if I was doing myself. If you have to pay somebody, keep the work light, you don't want to throw money at a problem that doesn't exist.

Timing belt is pricey, but if it's an engine that a bad belt = dead engine, it may have to be done.
Click to expand...

I'm doing all the work myself that I have the time, tools, and confidence to do. Timing belt is not one of them, considering you basically have to take apart half the engine to do it.. The local Honda dealer quoted me $460 to change the timing belt/water pump. It is an inteference engine, but I'm not sure I want to just blow $460 on replacing that if it isn't needed.

I was going to inspect the timing belt for wear and cracks, but then I realized you have to take off the valve cover to get off the timing belt cover, so it'll have to wait until the weather is a little warmer..

I think it may need new shocks or something, every time I turn sharply or go over a speed bump, it goes "squeaky squeaky squeaky"
 
Originally posted by: XabanakFanatik


I'm doing all the work myself that I have the time, tools, and confidence to do. Timing belt is not one of them, considering you basically have to take apart half the engine to do it.. The local Honda dealer quoted me $460 to change the timing belt/water pump. It is an inteference engine, but I'm not sure I want to just blow $460 on replacing that if it isn't needed.

I was going to inspect the timing belt for wear and cracks, but then I realized you have to take off the valve cover to get off the timing belt cover, so it'll have to wait until the weather is a little warmer..

I think it may need new shocks or something, every time I turn sharply or go over a speed bump, it goes "squeaky squeaky squeaky"
Click to expand...

How much did you pay for the car? Do you have another means of transportation? If the timing belt breaks because you figured it wasn't worth the money, say bye to your engine. Pistons meet valves, nice to meet you.
 
Originally posted by: tylerdustin2008
Originally posted by: CptCrunch
Originally posted by: shabby
Coolant, tranny fluid, blinker fluid, brake fluid, pads+rotors, fuel filter, air filter. Thats all i can think of for now.
Click to expand...

forgot the most important, headlight fluid, better check that before the tires explode
Click to expand...

WTF are you talking about?
Click to expand...
It's called raising your post count. The poster has no clue about cars, but feels compelled to raise their post count. Wiki "immaturity".
 
Yea I know what you mean.



An imaginary liquid used in automobiles (to make the blinkers work). This term is used as a sarcastic remark toward someone who knows ablsolutely nothing about cars.

Bob: "My car's broken again. I don't know what's wrong."
Jon: "Did you check the blinker fluid?"

Yep just trying to get posts.
 
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