prennro's new wagon
Prennro
Council Member
Hi all! Thanks for the few initial welcomes. I just recently picked up this 89 2wd wagon from SC. Im not new to the civic scene, as I own a 94 modded CX hatch and a 95 civic coupe, but am very new when it comes to the older wagons and what is compatable and easily swapped.
The body is very clean considering the year, but the engine and exhaust needs some immediate TLC. It also needs some sprucing up and the basic cleaning of the interior. Im gonna have to do something about the HUGE battery that was mounted in the rear (see pic) and gotta change the color of the valve cover and strut tower bar.
I would love to eventually add AC (looks like it has the plumbing thru the firewall and switch on the dash), so will be searching the existing threads for some write-ups and advice. I have AC components from a 95 coupe so hopefully a majority/all of the components will work.
If anyone has any advice, direct links or suggestions, Im all ears. Looking forward to it all! THANKS!
The body is very clean considering the year, but the engine and exhaust needs some immediate TLC. It also needs some sprucing up and the basic cleaning of the interior. Im gonna have to do something about the HUGE battery that was mounted in the rear (see pic) and gotta change the color of the valve cover and strut tower bar.
I would love to eventually add AC (looks like it has the plumbing thru the firewall and switch on the dash), so will be searching the existing threads for some write-ups and advice. I have AC components from a 95 coupe so hopefully a majority/all of the components will work.
If anyone has any advice, direct links or suggestions, Im all ears. Looking forward to it all! THANKS!
Comments
Here is the bar with just the first layer being removed:
Drivers Side
Traditional Driver's Seat Wear
Passengers Side
Back Seats
Door Panels
Hatch Area (note the HUUUGE Battery)
Engine Bay
Exhaust Before
Exhaust After
Welding Cat Flange
Smoothing Welds
Doesnt seem to have any vacuum leaks and I also made sure I bled the coolant system.
Anyway, pulled and cleaned the IACV. No change. Went to pull and clean the FITV and couldnt seem to located it! Im just wanting confirmation that my model (89 wagon DX, 2wd, D15B2, DPFI), doesnt have one and if it does (or the equivilant), WHERE IN THE HELL IS IT!?
I am assuming that with the all in one throttle body, intake plenum of the DPFI, there is an alternative sensor that may have gone bad, causing the idle issues when warm.
I am also assuming (minus the 13 hp gain) this may be one of the reasons people swap over to the MPFI, as those setups look alot more familiar to the B and D-series ive messed with.
What I pulled and thinking is the IACV is circled in red.
Attempted to pull the 2 sensors, one circled in orange and the other in green, but when they wouldnt easily pop out after removing the phillips heads holding the small metal plates, I left them alone.
Any advice, guidance, help would be appreciated! Thanks!
ive done a once over and dont see anything obvious. It also only happens when car gets up to operating temp. Will spray around with some carb cleaner. Thanks for your input.
Still cant figure that one out either. May leave it in the rear since the work and heavy gauge wires and clamps were used and because all of the original under hood mounting plate etc is gone, but switch to an optima in an enclosed case.
Also finally found some replacement hatch shocks online and they arrived today.
20 mins later....LOOK MA, NO HANDS!
Yeah, love the shocks too. Took me a while at all the parts stores to figure out those damn computers dont cross reference worth a $hit. No matter how many times i said "the hatch struts i need came off a 89 wagon and need to have the mounting bracket at the top!", I still got, well all we show are these (pic of reg strut) and they have to be special ordered. Google is a wonderful thing.
Anyway, ended up using a dremel with a cutoff wheel to zip thru lower struts then used a deepwell 12mm to take lower ball mounts out so i didnt have to remove trim which wuld have been a PITA!
As for exhaust, mines also a 2wd so no rear drivetrain reroute. Its in stock location but is 3" Def overkill but im workin with what was on it when i got it.
Garage was a nice add on once we decided we werent moving and needed more space. My wife (and I) got a new 20ftx20ft master br, bath and laundry room upstairs and i got the equivilant square footage downstairs. Has a triple laminated beam to avoid any center pole supports and a floor drain. I love the space, but wish i had a max jax portable lift to top it all off. http://www.maxjaxusa.com/
Ive been researching and had my eye on one for a while and are perfect for low 8ft ceiling garages......just cant justify the $!
Thanks for the props. As you, im a wagon noob and are still learning. Wish i had more time but will eventually get things figured out. Too bad we are on opposite ends of the country, as it seems we have common tastes and would love to see ur ride in person. Take care and def keep the updates, pics and innovations coming! HOLLA
Also while i was under, decided to investigate a little more on the oil leak. Upon first inspection, thought it may be leaking around a stripped drain plug, but then noticed evidence and oil droplet on the passenger corner.
Then noticed that where the oil pan turns up to go up and over the exhaust, the pan had an obvious impact site. Paint was missing and after a brake cleaner wipedown, appeared to have two hairline cracks (hard to see in pic) that would potentially explain the slow leak.
Just to confirm this is my leak, i cleaned the whole area and then covered the cracks and impact area with a small patch of hondabond. This temporary fix should tell me if the hairline crack is truly my leak source or if I need to continue looking. Regardless, I see a new oil pan in the near future.
Also while laying on my back, I noticed a hanging round female wire harness plug. Realized that this had been unplugged the whole time and plugged it back into the rear of the intake (see pic). Not exactly sure what sensor it is, but between that and the taped up vacuum hose I found and replaced, hopefully that fixes my idle issues!
Will take her for a spin tomorrow to get a status update. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed.
It is def a proven design that is portable and the perfect solution for those that want a lift at home whether u have 8ft orceiling unlimited ceiling space. I have figured it out and can get 2.5 -3.5 ft clearance in my garage depending on which car im working on. Beats laying on your back under the car on jackstands! Ive seen groups in the past on honda tech get together and get a group discount directly from max jax. Maybe something worth throwing around here on HCW to see if there is enough interested.
Quick UPDATE....Was able to take the wagon for a drive up to Canton this weekend. Idle seems to be fixed and my Hondabond patch on the oilpan seemed to fix my leak. For now, will see how long the patch lasts, but will keep my eye out for an oilpan *double bonus thumbs up!*
Made some templates and then cut both colors to fit. Still not sure which ones I will keep. The brown is more subtle, but the contrast of the cream matches the exterior paint and the light parts of the interior. The jury is still out so, you guys be the judge:
BROWN
oooooooooooR
CREAM
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg270/pizzamann114-Mich/90ee/IMG_1214.jpg
Workin on a customized sticker and will hopefully get it cut tonight. Will post when its done, so stay tuned.