New Wag
Feanor
Band Wagon
Hey, just bought a 91 RT4WD wagon. It's pretty rad and runs well but has its problems (i.e. engine leaks like a sieve and has obviously been in some wrecks and the rear suspension system is either still messed up from it or has been modified stupidly). Someone has repaired the body on both sides where the car's been hit; they did a good job, but you can still tell because the paint isn't exactly the same color of red. It really doesn't matter to me since I stopped worrying about eternal problems like paint a long time ago. Anyways, I've bought new rear lower control arms because the current ones are so bent that the wheels are cambered the wrong way! Besides this I'm going to install:
new trailing arm bushings
a stock rear upper control arm in place of the one that has been jimmy-welded
new brake shoes and wheel studs
reman rear half axles
new tie rod ends both outer and inner
new ball joints both upper and lower
Like I said the engine is leaking a ton so I replaced the crank seal. I'm waiting for a new lower timing cover (the lower bolt that holds the alternator was completely missing, so the alternator belt sawed completely through the timing cover) The crank seal, along with its housing, looked completely fine however. I then saw that however last replaced the oil pan gasket cranked it on so hard that it's cut clean through in a couple places and the oil pan is undoubtedly bent, so I ordered an oil pan and am waiting on that. I have to figure out how to get the exhaust head bracket off anyways since one of its bolt heads has somehow been turned into an oval (I'll probably weld another bolt onto it just to be able to unscrew it). There's a lot of oil all around the rim of the oil pan, so I think that it's the culprit. Any ideas as to what else could be leaking (common things that leak)? The valve cover looks clean. I'm going to replace all of the belts, but I haven't gotten the A/C belt yet because apparently there're two different types for two different types of compressors. Any idea how to determine which compressor I have? I also got the original factory roof rails off ebay. Has anyone installed those before on a wag that never had them? That's it anyways. I'll try to post some pics.
new trailing arm bushings
a stock rear upper control arm in place of the one that has been jimmy-welded
new brake shoes and wheel studs
reman rear half axles
new tie rod ends both outer and inner
new ball joints both upper and lower
Like I said the engine is leaking a ton so I replaced the crank seal. I'm waiting for a new lower timing cover (the lower bolt that holds the alternator was completely missing, so the alternator belt sawed completely through the timing cover) The crank seal, along with its housing, looked completely fine however. I then saw that however last replaced the oil pan gasket cranked it on so hard that it's cut clean through in a couple places and the oil pan is undoubtedly bent, so I ordered an oil pan and am waiting on that. I have to figure out how to get the exhaust head bracket off anyways since one of its bolt heads has somehow been turned into an oval (I'll probably weld another bolt onto it just to be able to unscrew it). There's a lot of oil all around the rim of the oil pan, so I think that it's the culprit. Any ideas as to what else could be leaking (common things that leak)? The valve cover looks clean. I'm going to replace all of the belts, but I haven't gotten the A/C belt yet because apparently there're two different types for two different types of compressors. Any idea how to determine which compressor I have? I also got the original factory roof rails off ebay. Has anyone installed those before on a wag that never had them? That's it anyways. I'll try to post some pics.
Comments
For the AC compressor it's easily determined by the port layout on the compressor itself. Definitely use the search as that quickly pulls up a thread right here on the board:
http://www.civicwagon.com/showthread.php?3871-How-to-tell-which-AC-compressor-you-have
Regarding the oil leak likely most of it is at the pan, the couple civics I've owned always had a leaky as hell oil pan when I got them. I had some weird mods done to my motor on the wagon before I got it though and one of the parts that was leaking was the breather box at the back passenger side of the motor. Mine had a block off plate installed there and it had worked its way loose and was spattering out oil and leaking down the back side there. I'd just give the motor a really good cleaning and then see where you find any seepage after a couple days of driving. If it's as bad as you say that might only take a couple hours of driving.