Greetings and salutations.

Tail-Wagon-The-DogTail-Wagon-The-Dog Band Wagon
in New User Introductions
I've wanted a 4wd Civic wagon for a long time and finally got one a couple weeks ago. 1988 rt4wd 6-speed, gold with 160K miles. Been in Raleigh NC it's whole life. Only a little surface rust around wheel wells and a couple dings. Immaculate interior looks like new. Has ALL the extra dealer options included. Unmolested and completely stock except for dealer installed non-Honda cruise control.


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A question I have is whether or not it's okay to drive with 4wd disengage for the summer. I've researched extensively and know that people have done this but my concern is whether or not this will shorten the life of the viscous coupler. Seems that with 4wd disengaged, this causes the VC to work constantly and could over heat. I read that it should only be towed like this for 50 miles. That's probably a question for another thread. I've read a few threads about it on here already but this question doesn't seem to be answered definitively. Most people say it's fine but I'm not convinced... If it is fine to drive in 2wd mode, then I plan to use a bicycle shift lever and cable to fabricate an in-cab switch so I can shift in and out of 4wd on the fly. I realize that fuel consumption is basically the same. The reason I would want to do this is if I ever get a flat and need to use the small spare (this would stress the 4wd system), or if I ever need to get it towed, and just because it would be cool to do... It also seems to drive a little smoother in 2wd mode. I was hoping that while in 2wd I could reduce wear on the 4wd system but this doesn't seem to be possible as it's all gonna be spinning anyway, but idk. The 3rd gen 4wd wagons had a switch on the dash that allowed for the choice of 4wd or 2wd. I wonder why they did away with this feature? Maybe because it causes premature failure of the VC? Idk...

Super happy with this car! And happy to find this online community.

Comments

  • Tail-Wagon-The-DogTail-Wagon-The-Dog Band Wagon
    I'm waiting for pictures to upload to photobucket right now...
  • truckslammertruckslammer Moderator
    Welcome to the forum. That's quite a clean gem you got there. Search around and I think you'll find whatever you need.
  • sohawksohawk Wagonist
    Nice wagon, and nice Justy! Welcome.
  • MrWhoopeeMrWhoopee Wagonist
    I regularly disengage the RWD (4WD) on my 3 RTs when I put the summer tires on because those tires are not matched. No problems whatsoever. I believe the drive-shaft still rotates regardless, being driven by the rear diff (haven't been able to look). The VC is not harmed unless there is resistance to rotation on one end or the other with power applied. I did damage the VC on my first RT by driving with significantly mismatched tires before I knew better. Then I learned how to rebuild them. I'm very careful about tire diameter now.

    I'm interested in the cable for the RWD engagement. I currently have one I can't lock due to a broken bolt. Seems like it would be easy except for the terrible accessibility. Trying to avoid pulling the motor.
  • Tail-Wagon-The-DogTail-Wagon-The-Dog Band Wagon
    A bicycle shift lever would work perfectly, the lever kind like on road bikes, not the click shifters seen on mountain bikes. All that needs to be done is to somehow attach a bracket near the 4wd/2wd selector that will hold the cable sleeve in place, just like on a bike and attach the cable to the 4wd/2wd selector. You could even leave the shifter under the hood where you can reach it easily. Probably easier than removing that broken bolt. I read a thread about your problem and I think you mentioned that you found it odd that when you tried to put it into 4wd that the bracket would slid back into 2wd on it's own. On my car it appears to be spring loaded and does this as well. Disengaging 4wd only requires one hand and can be done from above reaching behind the fuel injection, but putting it back into 4wd requires two hands because of the spring, one hand to hold it in place and the other to tighten the bolt. I found it easiest to jack it up and come from underneath. I was lucky and it slipped right into place without needing to rock the car at all. If the bicycle shifter mod was inside the cab then it would be easy to shift in and out by just driving it slightly while toggling the shift leaver if it doesn't pop right in. Thanks for the reply. It makes sense to me now that you pointed out there would be no resistance to the vc while driving in 2wd. I'm definatly going to try this bike shifter mod. Why do you think Honda did away with an in-cabin switch like in the 3rd gen?
  • Tail-Wagon-The-DogTail-Wagon-The-Dog Band Wagon
    I'll bet you could get that bolt out by using an impact screwdriver with a long extension and not removing anything at all. It's basically strait down, I was just looking at it...
  • MrWhoopeeMrWhoopee Wagonist
    Tail-Wagon-The-Dog wrote: »
    I'll bet you could get that bolt out by using an impact screwdriver with a long extension and not removing anything at all. It's basically strait down, I was just looking at it...
    It's broken off flush to the aluminum. I've been trying a left-hand drill (reverse rotation), without luck. Trying not to make it worse in the process.
  • MrWhoopeeMrWhoopee Wagonist
    Tail-Wagon-The-Dog wrote: »
    Why do you think Honda did away with an in-cabin switch like in the 3rd gen?

    The less user interaction required, the fewer chances for mistakes. Make it idiot proof. Following that same train, we're developing driverless cars.

    As for the cable, I was thinking of an old-school choke cable. Pull out and twist to lock in 4WD, twist and push in for 2WD. Anchoring and attaching the business end will be the challenging part.
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