High Mileage maintenance

[and12buc]

Hey guys/girls. Im a little new to the threads. ive been on the website for the past couple months just browsing but never posted anything. I didnt know where else to ask but..

Here's the deal. I have a 89 honda accord. not original owner. Has 273,xxx miles+. I have been maintaining it to the best of my capabilities and with tried the least costly way(not really). ive done two tune ups in the past 12,000 miles and used high grade components. added new minor things : radiator hoses, fuel filter, spark plug wires, o2 sensors, anchor bushing, blah blah blah. Kept up with oil changes every 3,000 miles. Oil i use: 3qts of Castro gtx High Mileage formula 5-30w, with an "engine restorer & lubricant" additive by Automotive Products. Also use engine flush each oil change.

Now my question is: is there a better way i could be maintaining my car along with better use of Additives. My main concern is the oil i use. Ive been reading about other high mileage oils and i want to know which is best for me.

Some say synthetic you cant go wrong with. but i also heard that its more likely it'll leak if i switch to full synthetic since my engine has very high mileage.
so looking on to the many high mileage formulas out there. i cant figure which is the best: Valvoline Maxlife, Citgo Ultralife, O'Reily's, AMSOIL synthetic. I cant decide!

And does the grade matter 5-30, 10-30, 10-40w etc. I was recommended 5-30w but would it be better if i change to a diff grade?

Also, about cleaning. I've read about Auto-rx. what are your takes. I doubt seafoaming will do good to my car since it might clean too much.

Or should i just look into an engine swap b18 or b20. I'm having a hard time looking for a20.

Thanks.

[russiankid]

Just stay with conventional oil and you'll be fine. These motors will last a long time if cared for. I have 170k on mine, I run Mobile 1 all the time and change it 4-5k. I am not afraid to rev the car either as I know its a healthy engine. I run 10w30 in it.

Also, the color of your spark plugs are a good indicator as to how well the engine is running.

[Oldblueaccord]

Well just readin what you have done is more or less over kill to me esp 2 tune ups in 12k miles.

How well does your car run in your opinion? I guess more importantly is how much oil does it use per mile and what is your gas mileage. Those are 2 things that an average user can use to guage how well a motor is doing.

Also have you looed at all at your suspension parts. There important safety wise and there are a few links that wear on or cars and need to be checked now and again.


wp

[and12buc]

Well as far as oil consumption I'd say I haveto add 1/4 qt. Of oil each 1000 miles(approx) My gas mileage is around 20-22mpg (not good) but yea I can't tell if that is a bad sign. My car is a bit jump on thehighway don't know what that means either. Doing an alignment soon. But everything else is smooth. I use the car as a commute (estimate 200 miles a week :/ ) don't really use it as a stop and go type of transportation. But I keep up with the maintenance the best way possible.

[nfs480]

Stop doing engine flushes first of all. The flushes contain harsh chemicals to clean things out and if used too often can start to eat away at the seals. In terms of oil, i'm using Amsoil 5W-30 currently in my se-i and previously I was using Valvoline Maxlife Full Synthetic 5w-30. It was run on conventional until a little past 200,000 miles when I switched to the valvoline synthetic.

[and12buc]

In terms of oil, i'm using Amsoil 5W-30 currently in my se-i and previously I was using Valvoline Maxlife Full Synthetic 5w-30. It was run on conventional until a little past 200,000 miles when I switched to the valvoline synthetic.

So u recommend amsoil? And thanks I'll discontinue the engine flush

[nfs480]

It's a little soon for me to recommend it, I just put it in 600 miles ago and plan to run it for 15,000. So far it's been working very well, but before i'm willing to all out recommend it, i'd like to use it longer.

[ecogabriel]

A well-cared engine would produce little dirt if at all. Oil that is left far in excess of any reasonable limit is what produces problems but from what you said it is not the case for you.

Which oil to use??? Everyone has its preference; I would say stick with the oil grade according to user/service manual and check if you live in a climate that requires special consideration (e.g. cold climates requiring lowering oil grade).
As for the type of oil, anything from a reputable manufacturer should be OK to use. I use Rotella T (Shell) which is actually a "fleet oil" for both diesel and gas engines (API CJ/SM) Bikers also use that oil or its synthetic version.
Regardless of oil choice one good thing you can do is get an oil analysis done. It will tell a lot about the condition of the engine like an X-ray. Do a google search if interested.

One last thing: make sure your crankcase ventilation system (PCV valve and hoses) work. that would help a lot in removing the acids that form during combustion from the engine.

[and12buc]

Will do. Thank you so much guys. I think ill stick with what I have. But I'll look into amsoil a bit more and that xray type analysis. Thanks again

[nfs480]

In terms of analysis you can look into using Blackstone labs (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/) where you can get a free kit to mail your sample in, then it costs like $32 to actually have the analysis done. It's something i've been planning on doing with my current fill of Amsoil after a few thousand miles.

[and12buc]

In terms of analysis you can look into using Blackstone labs.

sweet. thanks man. have you tried them yet? i just wanna know how accurate they are.

[nfs480]

I haven't used them myself yet, but on bobistheoilguy.com they seem to be the #1 most used lab in the Used Oil Analysis section on the board.

[bullard123]

Yes the oil weight matters. The higher the weight the thicker the oil. 10w-30 is thicker than 5w-30. 20 weight is thicker than 10 weight and so forth and so on. Its better to use the thicker weight oils on these old engines and from my experience I really like the Penzoil High Mileage oil w/stop leak in the brown bottle

[and12buc]

I haven't used them myself yet, but on bobistheoilguy.com they seem to be the #1 most used lab in the Used Oil Analysis section on the board.

hmm sounds familiar. i talked to my dad about oil analysis and he said something about this site. he kept saying bob-oil-guy and i didnt believe him, but now i think he might be right haha.


Yes the oil weight matters. The higher the weight the thicker the oil. 10w-30 is thicker than 5w-30. 20 weight is thicker than 10 weight and so forth and so on. Its better to use the thicker weight oils on these old engines and from my experience I really like the Penzoil High Mileage oil w/stop leak in the brown bottle

i thought so also. i use 5-30 currently, and i kept debating between 5 or 10 weight. but i think ill switch to 10-30w. what do you use? and is what u use the normal weight recommended or did you just switch to a thicker oil?

[Dr_Snooz]

As far as oil weight, you should follow the guidelines in the owner's manual for the ambient temperatures in your area. I use 10/40 for the Central Valley in California which enjoys mild winters and very hot summers.

I'm somewhat concerned that you are using a fair amount of oil and have perfectly dreadful mileage. I'd say relax on the maintenance and start investigating those problems. Unless the oil is blowing blue out the tail pipe, you can probably spend about $30 on engine seals and fix that. The mileage is somewhat more complicated so tell us how it runs and we'll go from there. Most suspension problems can be found with a simple visual inspection, just get under the car and look at all the rubber parts holding the wheels on. If they are cracked and broken or leaking goo, you need to replace them.

Judging by the pic in your signature, the car is still in good shape and a keeper, so do the work and enjoy it.

[gp02a0083]

yah synthetic can cause oil leaks on a high mileage engine , stick with what russian kid said. 1 engine flush should have been fine , as far as mpg's go check wheel alignment, anything dragging with the rotating assembly. Do compression check on all cylinders, Ive noticed more often than not its valve stem seals that go in older model cars

i use conventional still , 10-30W in the winter 10-40 in the summer

[nfs480]

Usually synthetics don't cause oil leaks, they just reveal leaks that are already there by cleaning up false seals caused by sludge. I think if it didn't start leaking after the engine flushes it probably won't from synthetic.

[AccordEpicenter]

i hate the high-mileage type oils out there now. Most if not all contain seal conditioners that make seals swell in order to stop leaks etc, but if you dont have leaks or leaky seals then they swell the seals up for no good reason, which is bad, and if you have leaks and want to go back to regular type oils then it can make your leaks much worse. I use synthetic but conventional is fine, but the use of additives is not needed with an already good quality oil. I run mobil 1 in my 130k mile 04 TL, and you wouldnt believe how clean the inside of the valve covers are, engine literally looks new!! I change the oil at like 6k mile intervals too

[russiankid]

Yes the oil weight matters. The higher the weight the thicker the oil. 10w-30 is thicker than 5w-30. 20 weight is thicker than 10 weight and so forth and so on. Its better to use the thicker weight oils on these old engines and from my experience I really like the Penzoil High Mileage oil w/stop leak in the brown bottle

Only difference between 5w30 and 10w30 is that 5w30 is not as thick when cold. Otherwise, both are the same at operating temps.

[russiankid]

Usually synthetics don't cause oil leaks, they just reveal leaks that are already there by cleaning up false seals caused by sludge. I think if it didn't start leaking after the engine flushes it probably won't from synthetic.

Safe for me to switch to synthetic? I have:

New front and rear crank seals
Oil pan gasket
Valve cover gasket
Camshaft seal
All new oil pump seals

[and12buc]

yah synthetic can cause oil leaks on a high mileage engine , stick with what russian kid said. 1 engine flush should have been fine , as far as mpg's go check wheel alignment, anything dragging with the rotating assembly. Do compression check on all cylinders, Ive noticed more often than not its valve stem seals that go in older model cars

i use conventional still , 10-30W in the winter 10-40 in the summer

yea i scheduled a wheel alignment. my sister's bf does them for cheap like $40 bucks. hope hes good. ill look into that compression check also.
so lemme get this straight. thicker oil is better in the summer?


i hate the high-mileage type oils out there now. Most if not all contain seal conditioners that make seals swell in order to stop leaks etc, but if you dont have leaks or leaky seals then they swell the seals up for no good reason, which is bad, and if you have leaks and want to go back to regular type oils then it can make your leaks much worse. I use synthetic but conventional is fine, but the use of additives is not needed with an already good quality oil. I run mobil 1 in my 130k mile 04 TL, and you wouldnt believe how clean the inside of the valve covers are, engine literally looks new!! I change the oil at like 6k mile intervals too

i had no clue about that. but i honestly dont recall any leaks with the engine at all. just power steering leaks that i fixed already, but as far as oil leaks, i dont even think there has been any. but i dont want to risk anything and switch to regular type oils. dont have the time to fully inspect.
but yea mobil1, gotta love it. when (or if) i do an engine swap, mobil1 is my first choice.



I'm somewhat concerned that you are using a fair amount of oil and have perfectly dreadful mileage. I'd say relax on the maintenance and start investigating those problems. Unless the oil is blowing blue out the tail pipe, you can probably spend about $30 on engine seals and fix that. The mileage is somewhat more complicated so tell us how it runs and we'll go from there. Most suspension problems can be found with a simple visual inspection, just get under the car and look at all the rubber parts holding the wheels on. If they are cracked and broken or leaking goo, you need to replace them.

Judging by the pic in your signature, the car is still in good shape and a keeper, so do the work and enjoy it.

Yes, well obviously i cant really tell you in detail how the car runs, but ill take the inspection into consideration asap. i may have to replace some rubber parts, i doubt the previous owner even looked under there.

[JFern]

Yes the oil weight matters. The higher the weight the thicker the oil. 10w-30 is thicker than 5w-30. 20 weight is thicker than 10 weight and so forth and so on. Its better to use the thicker weight oils on these old engines and from my experience I really like the Penzoil High Mileage oil w/stop leak in the brown bottle

you should stay away from pennzoil, that crap is wax based and they always fall behind when a new certification comes out (it took them 6 months to catch up to all the other companies when we went to API certified SM oils)

[nfs480]

Safe for me to switch to synthetic? I have:

New front and rear crank seals
Oil pan gasket
Valve cover gasket
Camshaft seal
All new oil pump seals

You're definitely safe, I switched to synthetic after 200k with just a new oil pan gasket and nothing started leaking.

[Dr_Snooz]

i may have to replace some rubber parts, i doubt the previous owner even looked under there.

Most people don't. They drive until there is a loud noise and a loss of control and then pay to clean up the mess. I think it's great that you're trying so hard to keep good care of the car.

To answer your initial question about high mileage maintenance, you want to stick with the manufacturer's suggested maintenance schedule for the life of the car. More is not better when it comes to normal maintenance. What you do want to do is step up your vigilance. You want to do more and more careful inspections. With every oil change, just spend time looking the car over. Look for leaks, look for torn or broken rubber, frayed wires, rust, damage of any kind. Inspect the suspension parts, the exhaust system, underbody, engine bay, etc. etc. etc. Every time you tear something down to work on it, take your time and work with awareness. Notice when something doesn't look right, or when it's not going together right. Those are clues that something might be getting tired and in need of repair. Check your fluids frequently. I check mine at each fill-up. Older cars develop leaks and if you catch a leak early, you can prevent a costly repair. Awareness goes for driving too. When the car starts doing something new (a new noise, a new wobble, a different interval to do something) you want to be aware of it and reading about what it could be and how to fix it.

I'd say awareness is really the key. These cars will last forever. Most importantly, they will give you incredibly long lead times on repairs. Unlike other cars where the car will break without warning and leave you stranded, these cars will tell you something is wrong 100,000 miles before they leave you stranded. Even when they do finally break, they'll still run and get you home.

One final trick is to put in a gauge pack. The oil light on the car is not sensitive enough to prevent a big problem. Get an oil gauge that will tell you the moment something goes wrong. A volt gauge can tell you when the electrical system is getting out of sorts and a vacuum gauge can tell you volumes about the engine before any symptoms show up.

I've typed too long, but I love these cars. They are worthy vehicles that will never die if you treat them right. More importantly, they are heaps of fun to drive and dirt cheap to own. Keep yours forever because they don't make cars like this any more and probably never will.

[and12buc]

hey man, great words of advice. thanks alot! this car is my baby (cliché) and im doing my best to keep it as long as possible :)

[w261w261]

Snooz, I had a 6G ('98), and, while I'd never call an Accord "junk," there was no comparison quality-wise between that car and my SE-i.

I've posted this before, so I'm just gonna paste it in again:
--------------------------------------------------------

The main difference between people that have reliable old cars and people that don't is that the people with reliable ones do maintenance in advance of failure. If you don't mind being stranded every once in awhile, then you can wait for a part to fail before fixing it. This allows you to get every bit of use out of it, but at the cost of the inconvenience. Me, I go for preventative maintenance.

Many things will announce themselves in advance before they fail completely. The front end will get progressively more loose before a ball joint fails, a muffler will get louder and louder, etc. For those parts, if you pay attention to what the car is telling you, you can replace them in plenty of time.

But there are other things that won't give you any warning. Those you should replace on a schedule. Here's some from my list:

1. Timing belt. If you don’t know when it has been replaced, you should plan on doing it now. If it fails, everything stops. Also do the water pump. Some say if the belt fails you might also bend some valves, but others here say that won't happen.

2. All hoses. I think they should be replaced every four years, but others say you can go longer. Some are more heat-risked than others, I guess. You can squeeze the big ones to see if they're soft-feeling, or pull one off the radiator and look at the inside (they fail from the inside out). I just go ahead and get them all. Unfortunately, "all" includes about 8 little hoses that go to the idle stabilizer valve and idle air control valve, at least on the f.i. engines. When you or your mechanic flush the cooling system, be sure to tell him to put in Peak antifreeze or something that is bright green, not the yellow stuff. The reason is you need a nice dark coolant to check its level in the overflow bottle, which isn't so easy to see in the best of cases, with light-colored coolant it's really difficult. The water part of the 50/50 mix should be distilled, which you can buy at a grocery store. Make sure your mechanic uses it too, or uses premixed. If you can convince him when he flushes it to use distilled water that's good too, because after flushing and a radiator drain, 40% of the system’s capacity still has water in it. Doing this will pay off in your coolant not getting that rusty look for a lot longer.

2a. Clean your overflow bottle, so you can best see the level of the coolant in it. Failure to check fluids is high on the list of things not to do on old cars. The 3G does not make it easy, with a low obscure mounting point, but if you have a clean bottle and a flashlight, it's very do-able. See my posts on how to clean the bottle (take out the battery, the battery tray, the bottle, and swab it out with some phosphoric acid. Takes an hour or so).

3. Thermostat. Do with the hoses. It isn't expensive. You might as well get the temperature sensor (I think it's called the TW sensor or somesuch) that's near the thermostat too. When it starts to go the engine won't run right and finally won't start.

4. Auto tranny fluid. Use Honda OEM. Don't delay on this as there's probably some crud in there already, and a tranny fix is expensive. Manual tranny...use Honda fluid also. Change every 15k miles or so, but in practice you can probably do it when you change a drive shaft. If I get a torn boot, I myself put in a whole new shaft at that point, and I use rebuilt-by-Honda OEM shafts. More expensive, but you know what you're getting, compared to the "who's building it now?" imports.

5. Plugs, plug wires and air filter. Change the oil every 3k miles, and do it yourself – you can buy the ramps so you can get under there. There are three reasons to do this: (1) save some money and get a decent filter (don’t buy Fram) (2) Keep some idiot at an oil change place’s hands off your oil drain plug. If he strips it, you have a problem that you don’t want to have (3) You can look around under there and check things out. Oil-wise, some here put in synthetic and say it makes a difference. I don't use it myself. You can get very involved in oil discussions with passionate people if you wish.

6. Buy a big bottle of Techron and put it in the gas every couple of thousand miles when you fill up. You might want to use two bottles with two consecutive tanks of gas, if you haven’t used it before . Techron is the best to clean the fuel injectors I think.

7. Go under the car and check the rubber booties that are at the inboard and outboard ends of the driveshafts. If the boots are torn that means that sand etc. has gotten into the cv joints, and they need to be inspected and repacked with grease. Clicking during low speed turns is the symptom. The boots need to be replaced if they're torn of course.

8. Check the ball joints for wear. There are 6 of them, 4 on the front and two on the back. Learn how to check them yourself or have your mechanic do the simple check when you’re having other stuff done. If a ball joint fails, well, think of your arm coming off at the shoulder, except it’s your front wheel. Nuff said.

9. Look at the bushings for the stabilizer bar, radius rods, and control arms. Check the steering rack for leaks, and never use anything but Honda power steering fluid, or at least fluid that specifically says it's for Honda..you will have big trouble if you use the wrong type. Look at the brakes and the wheel cylinders for dry rot. Replace the brake fluid, which should be done every 2 years, as it absorbs water.

10. If you're really into preventative maintenance, you might replace the main relay, as the solder develops micro-cracks...the car will get progressively harder to start. The install is a bit of a chore, but see the plentiful posts here on how to do it. There are two versions, for the f.i. and carbed cars. I don’t know if the carbed cars have the same issues.

11. Take a look at the radiator.

12. Does the battery have a date on it? If it’s 4 years old, get a new one before it fails on you in the winter. Take the wires off the battery posts (remove the ground wire first and put it on last, the reason being that if the ground is connected and you mistakenly short the positive post to the car with a wrench, you will produce a big spark and probably blow the alternator....don't even think about what can happen if you connect a battery backwards!). Buy a battery post/clamp cleaner thingy and thoroughly clean the post and the clamps. Get a set of those red/green felt circles that go around the posts so you won't get a buildup of corrosion.

13. Take a look at the ground wires. There's one from the valve cover to the front of the car, but mainly look at the main one from the battery to the frame. Take it off, and clean the end and where it attaches. Replace the wire if it looks rusty, and use a nice big thick gauge.

14. Check the tail lights for water pooling in the bottom of the units. Their seals leak. I use gutter tape on my sedan so the water draining from the trunk lid gutters goes over the tail lights as opposed to down across their inside face. If you have a leak, eventually the water will get high enough inside to short the bulbs and make an unsightly watermark.

15. Clean the sunroof rear drains. When they get blocked the water pools in the sunroof cutout, and when you put on the brakes you get a shower down the back of your neck. The drains are reached by taking out the trunk liners and cleaning out the plastic tubes that drain out behind the wheel wells. Use a panel-popping tool sold in auto stores to get the buttons out, using a screwdriver will make a mess.

16. Replace the pitiful sealed beam OEM head lights with Hella's, so you can use a nice replaceable bulb by PIAA or Sylvania. That way, you can actually see where you're going at night. Most of the replacement headlights on eBay are junk. Don't put higher wattage headlight bulbs in without a relay circuit, you'll cook the headlight switch.

17. When your driver's window starts not wanting to go up, it might be the switch, as that's the one that gets the most use, but is probably the coil in the auto-drop controller, which is behind the door panel. Eventually, you won't be able to raise the window at all. There are posts on here on how to install a new one.

18. Check the tires and get some decent ones if they're worn. Get an alignment.

19. I bought a tool box and have in it a set of tools including a metric 1/4" drive socket set, all types of pliers, one of those 4 in-one screwdrivers, a spare headlight bulb, taillight bulbs (actually there's a clip for a spare tail light bulb on the inside of the covers to access the bulbs). Get some assorted spare fuses, a Maglight-quality flashlight (plus a small Maglight for the glove box). A quick tire repair kit. There's probably more stuff in there I can't remember now.

20. Buy a couple of those reflective triangles or flares, in case you get stuck at night on a dark curvy road.

21. Eventually you will leave on your headlights and run down the battery, or you will get a flat. I bought one of those jump starters / air compressors (a good one, prob cost $75) and keep it lashed to the inside of the trunk. It's bailed me out a couple of times, and I've been a good samaritan more than that. Cheap insurance, and an easy way to be a hero to those who are not prepared and would be up Shit Creek if not for you.


Remember, a reliable car is a product of the original manufacturer (ours is GREAT, of course) and constant diligence. We drive old cars, and things are always needing attention. Keep your eyes and ears open, and your 3G will reward you with hundreds of thousands of happy motoring miles.

[car6289]

This is the car that fell through the cracks in the evil planned obsolescence scheme of product manufacturers.
I've only been stranded by my 3Gs twice. Let me rephrase that, I've only let my 3Gs down twice in almost 20 years of driving 3G Accords. Once was heater hose failure, the other CV joint related.

w261w261
A great list of things to consider and carry out. Look after your 3G and it will look after you.

[estooie]

w261w261, THANK YOU!

I just got my 3geez a month ago, and I've piled 2500 miles on it already. I've been looking for some type of guideline like what you posted cuz I've never owned a car this old. It's got 132,500 now, and my owners manual only goes up to 90k for the maintenance schedule :nuts:

I just printed it out & checked off stuff I've already done, and I'll be checking the other stuff tomorrow. If any of you guys know of what else to expect to have done, I'd gladly appreciate your posts.

Oh yeah, random question, are any of you guys in the South OC area in SoCal?

:cheers:

[rocketman]

I have 523,000 miles on my '89 Accord DX (carb'd). So what do you want to know? I follow the maintenance schedule in the owners manual and do fluid and filter stuff religiously, but more often than the book calls for. The manual calls for over 35 items to change/inspect from oil and filter to brake fluid. I do 'em all, even if I think it's not needed. For example . . . I check the valve clearance every 15,000 as recommended and have never had to adjust my valves. But this DOES get me inside the valve cover to see how much dirt is sticking to the valve train (none with frequent oil changes!) allows me to avoid valve cover gasket leaks (change it if it looks "iffy") and so forth. Like brake fluid . . . simple to change and flush when you're rotating tires, cost under $10, never had a wheel cylinder or master fail in 21 years/520,000 miles. I changed to 20W50 at around 275,000 miles, leaks less than 10W40 and very little smoke . . even now at this mileage. do you have the manual? Page 73 is the maintenance schedule. Good luck with the car. Check your suspension and change bushing at this mileage . . . a safety issue for certain. Rocketman

[88lxi-shortram]

132,500???.... lol your car is still young compared to most of the cars on here

[estooie]

132,500???.... lol your car is still young compared to most of the cars on here

Ha ha, yeah. I guess I match my car. I admit, total n00b here. The most I've done to any car is change the battery and change the alternator.

I'm signing up for auto classes next semester just so that I can start working on mine from then on.

Rocketman, it's a 5 speed, and I was told that the suspension is stock. Thing is, I've had one mechanic recommend that I replace them, and another said that it's fine. I know I'm new, but the suspension feels solid and the car corners with barely any body lean. The car doesn't have that floaty or bouncy feeling that my others had when their suspensions were going out. What do you think?

But yeah, I'm taking you guys on your advice from experience. This one's a keeper for me, I wanna keep it going. Now if I can only find some OEM louvers... :naughty:

[Ayeobe]

Nice hatch, man, and thanks for the replys, guys! I gotta get crackin' on that shit, but its freakin cold lol. How i wish i had a garage.

we're in agreement the cars are awesome, but i just noticed, ive actually NEVER seen a 3gee on a tow truck... any of you guys ever see one? Aside from my 87, which i coulda drove to the scrapper anyway :rofl: i havnt seen any on a tow truck.

[HON-DUH]

132,500???.... lol your car is still young compared to most of the cars on here

you should see my car, 41,000 miles...

:Owned:

[Ayeobe]

Your list of preventative matenence: Drive it more! haha.. I have 163000km.. So, 101k miles. We own children. LoL. I bought the car at 98 057miles though, some 157 808km... Anyway, it seems im just outside the matenence Scedule Honda made up, anyway lol. Love these cars to death, tho.

Heres a good one for the north/canada/Quebec ESPECIALLY. RUST PROOF. You can tell the non-rustproofed cars from the rustproofed cars around here .... The rustproofed ones are solid, and the non-rustproofed ones are orange. Im about to rustproof my accord for the first time in its life... it seems im going to have to drive it this winter.

[rocketman]

You have to be careful with the suspension of this generation honda . . . . failure could cause the wheel to fold under the car in the rear and collapse and simply collapse in front, neither is a good thing. Easily checked, get it up on a rack and go over it front to rear, looking for "play" and loose suspension. It should be tight and immovable. for the most part. Look for bushings which have deteriorated. I'd check mine if it was over 10 years old and had over 100k on it . . . my whole suspension has been checked and bushings replaced, not really expensive but time intensive. Rocketman

[estooie]

You have to be careful with the suspension of this generation honda . . . . failure could cause the wheel to fold under the car in the rear and collapse and simply collapse in front, neither is a good thing. Easily checked, get it up on a rack and go over it front to rear, looking for "play" and loose suspension. It should be tight and immovable. for the most part. Look for bushings which have deteriorated. I'd check mine if it was over 10 years old and had over 100k on it . . . my whole suspension has been checked and bushings replaced, not really expensive but time intensive. Rocketman

I'll prolly get to that next since I drive a lot. Thanks :cheers:

[BigEA20]

I am new too the site, my 89 accord LX sedan is packin over 300 grand on her, I would know more accurate numbers if my speedo didnt break a little while ago. Anyways shes still driving daily. I just use the regular oil that is reccomended in the manual and add some of that lucas oil treatment, she purrs great.