87 4wd problems :(

red.dared.da Band Wagon
in Engine & Drivetrain
first off i'd like to say hi and thanks in advance. i've had my 4wd wagon for about 4 months now and finally i got to use it in some ice and snow! shitty thing is i don't think the 4wd works. any suggestions on where to start looking for problems? the whole reason i bought it was for the winter time, but if the 4wd isn't working then there's no point in having it.
thanks again for any help

Comments

  • bigorangebigorange New Wagonist
    On the transmission by the differential there is a 10 mm bolt( I think 10) and it engages and disengages the driveshaft so the car can be towed. I would look there. If that is good to go maybe the Viscous coupler is toast? If so I guess you need to junkyard a new Viscous coupler.

    Thats all I can think.

    -Brian
  • red.dared.da Band Wagon
    bigorange wrote:
    On the transmission by the differential there is a 10 mm bolt( I think 10) and it engages and disengages the driveshaft so the car can be towed. I would look there. If that is good to go maybe the Viscous coupler is toast? If so I guess you need to junkyard a new Viscous coupler.

    Thats all I can think.

    -Brian
    thanks a bunch! the rt4wd was switched to 'off' so i clicked it back to 'engaged' but the problem is its missing that little 10mm bolt. am i correct to assume that if that bolt isn't there the rt4wd wont stay in the engaged position? is it a special bolt or will any metric 10mm bolt work? aslo it appears it has been off for a while cause the hole is all full of dirt, i'll try and clean it out and keep you posted. thanks again!
  • bigorangebigorange New Wagonist
    You Know I am unsure, I would try to dig one out of a junkyard. I think with out that bolt that the driveshaft and transfer device will not be engaged. From what I understand you need the bolt there.

    -Brian
  • red.dared.da Band Wagon
    the problem is there is no 4wd civics in the junkyards here. and i'm positive the 4wd doesn't work now that it snowed again :(
    i guess i'll try cleaning out where the bolt used to be and maybe order one from honda. why do you think the bolt has to be there? the lever has remained in the 'engaged' position since i switched it a couple weeks ago.
  • sic944tsic944t Wagonist
    ive never seen this part but i gotta say every ten mm bolt on any honda ive ever encountered is the same except for its length so i would say spray it with card and choke cleaner and then thread in a new bolt if the threads are nasty get a 10 mm metric tap and run it through the hole
  • akiraboyakiraboy HondaCivicWagon.com Founder
    red.da wrote:
    the problem is there is no 4wd civics in the junkyards here. and i'm positive the 4wd doesn't work now that it snowed again :(
    i guess i'll try cleaning out where the bolt used to be and maybe order one from honda. why do you think the bolt has to be there? the lever has remained in the 'engaged' position since i switched it a couple weeks ago.
    you may need to send a pic of your 4wd/2wd toggle but if I am not mistaken...

    IF the bolt is missing then it fell inside the transmission housing
    IF this is the case you may be out of luck and that bolt may be dancing around with your transmission internals.
    I hope this isn't the case, please follow up with us & let us know what happened
  • oncesironcesir Band Wagon
    On the 88-91 RT's the nut only holds the engagement lever into place so that road debris, mud etc cant kick 4wd off when you may need it. Im not sure on the older rt's but the nut on my 90RT is broke off and 4wd works on mine. I bought my RT wagon with a bad viscous coupler and replaced it with a junkyard piece. Do yourself a favor and ALWAYS use the same size tires on any of the RT 4WD cars. I have the feeling thats how mine got fried. hth
  • grizzmangrizzman Band Wagon
    maybe im misunderstanding something here, but it seems with RT 4WD, the mechanism inside the car (be it a button or lever) is what engages/disengages the 4WD. So it seems the bolt being referred to in the other posts would likely be a remnant from a "all the time" four wheel drive, as that would be the only way to disengage the 4wd. <- not the case with RT4WD.
    It could also be an electrical short between the button and the coupler. I suspect, as its an electronic swith, the coupler is an electro-magnet. maybe the magnett is bad. but then, that may be part of the coupler itself.
    I know my 86 had some wiring short out. just from age. so it could be the same with yours.
  • akiraboyakiraboy HondaCivicWagon.com Founder
    I am pretty certain that the 87 has the same 4wd 2wd toggle that the 88-91 transmissions have

    86 according to D was the last year whereas the 4wd involved a button.

    The only reason I say this is because the 2nd wagon I bought came with a spare 87 rt4wd trans & it had the toggle.

    any updates yet?
  • DD Wagonist
    akiraboy wrote:
    86 according to D was the last year whereas the 4wd involved a button.

    AFAIK, all '85, '86 are 4x4, ie, straight prop shaft with a solenoid operated vacuum actuator on the transfer case linkage. My electronic parts catalog along with honda parts online show '87 with a viscous coupler, hence..

    Can someone snap a pic of the actutor to disengage the transfer case on the 87+? It would be my guess that honda just changed the linkage and the rear T bracket to no longer accept the vacuum actuator, and probably just added a tapped hole/boss for the safety/actuator hold down.

    I've been meaning to post pics of the 4x4 setup for some time now.... maybe i'll get off my ass over the holidays and do so.

    D
Sign In or Register to comment.

© Vanilla Keystone Theme 2025