Conozo's Daily Driver Adventures

[Dr_Snooz]

My hazards haven't worked for at least 20 years. Every time we tried to use them, they blinkers would stop working for a day or so. LOL. When we smelled burning wires, we pulled the module.

@Conozo, it seems like any time the electrical system is going weird, the grounds are the culprit. I was going to upgrade my grounds until I realized that it was going to cost somewhere north of $0, so I cleaned up the contacts as an interim measure and it really worked well.

[ShiRen]

When I first got my car the headlights kept going out even after restoring the multifunction switch, so while driving at night you had to be ready to rapidly mash the high beam switch if you didn't want to end up in the ditch that day. I pitched the valve cover ground and routed a #1 cable from the pick up hook on the intake manifold to the shock tower and that was probably about the same time that stopped happening. The high beam switch is a perfect example of how you absolutely do not want bad grounds in this car, most cars use a relay to switch them, but the 3g sends all the current through the switch that sits right next to your left hand and any extra resistance in the grounds, or any wires for that matter, will make it hotter. When I pulled my engine I also replaced the battery-chassis ground with a #1 cable and a soldered battery connector for good measure. Believe it or not my hazards even work (though I just went out to test it and I had the flip the switch twice before they started working and that got my butt to pucker a little bit).

[conozo]

I'm getting close to working on the power steering system that suddenly decided to leak everywhere. I was thinking about it and it still seems odd to me that it went from just fine to leaking at the pump, and every end of the rack all at once. I was wondering if possibly the speed sensor is not regulating the pressure correctly because if i fill the fluid up and get into the higher RPMs i can smell the power steering fluid coming out, i guess it could be the pump malfunctioning too.

Edit:

I also did clean up the grounds that were causing the headlight, turn signal, and wiper problem that was mentioned in another thread. This ground pictured here had the bolt sheered off so it was barely touching metal. I tried to drill the bolt out but I wasn't getting anywhere, so i made a new one underneath.

[InAccordance]

I feel ya about the PS system. When I bought mine, guy told me pressure hose leaked, which it did... badly. Replace that.
Month later the rack itself starts pouring fluid on left turns. Bad enough that I would leave streaks everywhere. Replace rack.
About a week after replacing rack, pump itself goes out. Replace that.
Then I had a hose burst near the speed sensor, fixed that.
and just yesterday I had to fix another hose that was leaking...
At this point, the PS system is completely replaced except for the tank, the metal lines, and a few rubber lines.
In the end though... worth it. I adore the PS in these cars.

[Dr_Snooz]

Putting the wrong kind of fluid in will do that.

Hope you get it sorted out soon.

[conozo]

I did put regular autozone powersteering fluid it during the FI swap, never started it but then found out that i shouldn't use anything other than honda power steering fluid because it doesn't have any detergents in it. Did drain it by unplugging a hose and refilled with honda fluid but i know it still had autozone in it.

Yesterday i drove on a scale, after subtracting myself and the stuff in the trunk, the car came in at 2545 lbs. I thought that wasn't bad at all. Basically im an SEI minus a radio, AC, power windows, locks, and sunroof. Anything i do in the future to the car will be mindful of weight savings. Driving my 1800lbs Honda Insight has taught me a lot on how important it is to be lightweight in a car.


Weights below for reference.
Curb Weight (MT)
DX: 1134 kg 2500 lbs
DX*: 1156 kg 2549 lbs
LX*: 1177 kg 2595 lbs
LXi*: 1218 kg 2685 lbs
SEi*: 1233 kg 2718 lbs

[InAccordance]

I've used O'reilly's PS fluid for years and never had issues in Hondas. They have two different ones though so you have to get the right one. One is for vehicles prior to 2006 and the other is for after 2006.
This particular cars PS system was already damaged when I got it so can't really blame the fluid on it =P

[conozo]

Just drove a full tank of gas at regular speeds to see what MPGs a normal driver would get. Got 33.25MPG which i thought was pretty good. I'm sure i could do better too. Typically before i was getting 28-29 with a lot of high speed driving and frequent 5k accelerations.

For reference -
26-27mpg average for stock carb and auto tranny
28mpg for weber carb and auto tranny


Other updates. Still trying to fix my Insight that was hit by a deer, haven't found a good fender for it yet. I want to get it fixed so i can drive it for two weeks while i button everything up on the accord regarding cruise control, suspension bushings, oil leaks, complete rebuild/replacement of the power steering system, and dash heat/air controls installed.

[conozo]

Did an oil analysis the other day. Not too good, not terrible. I had a lot of cold starts where the car wasnt started in months and it was quite painful to watch the lag in oil pressure after start.



This week i have discovered I have blowby. If i put a piece of paper on the oil cap opening it flutters, this may also explain my oil leaks everywhere. Not sure what to do about it or what caused it. Was it those cold starts, is it the fact that this rebuilt engine wasn't really rebuilt (that was another story a long time ago i would like to forget about)?

I'm going to do a compression test. Is it possible to pull the pistons out of the bottom and replace the rings as long as the cylinder walls are ok.

[Hauntd ca3]

Did an oil analysis the other day. Not too good, not terrible. I had a lot of cold starts where the car wasnt started in months and it was quite painful to watch the lag in oil pressure after start.



This week i have discovered I have blowby. If i put a piece of paper on the oil cap opening it flutters, this may also explain my oil leaks everywhere. Not sure what to do about it or what caused it. Was it those cold starts, is it the fact that this rebuilt engine wasn't really rebuilt (that was another story a long time ago i would like to forget about)?

I'm going to do a compression test. Is it possible to pull the pistons out of the bottom and replace the rings as long as the cylinder walls are ok.

Any engine is going to push a bit of air out of the oil filler , the crank spinning , pistons moving up and down move quite a bit of air around . The pcv takes care of a bit of it , but not all.
It would be easier to pull the head off to take the pistons out , you probably wouldn't get them past the crank .

[Dr_Snooz]

If I'm reading the Comments correctly, he's telling you to test again at your next oil change and see if the metals are still high. In that case, you could be having excessive wear, but at this point it's potentially normal given the recent rebuild. Are you experiencing any runability issues?

You'll always have some blowby. The PCV should take care of that. If it's coming out of your seals, then you have a PCV problem. Most likely you just have old seals. A compression test should tell you a lot on that score. A leak down test would tell you more if compression is low.

PS: are you really changing your oil at 2500 miles?

[conozo]

I might have changed my mind on the air conditioning. Its been crazy hot driving lately. I drive all over town throughout the day in my uniform of jeans and a polo and its been half sunny half rain. so i cant have the windows open and its raining and sunny, very humid. I'm showing up at clients all sweaty. Id need to get all the components from a parts car and id probably fill it with a propane mix.

[Dr_Snooz]

id probably fill it with a propane mix.

You can buy 134 cheaper and easier. If you're going to pull all the parts anyway, you might as well dump some flush through them and convert it over.

[conozo]

I thought that the compressor wouldn't work with r134 because the tolerances aren't as tight as they need to be for the smaller r134 molecules. Plus they do sell r12 replacement that's made of propane and isobutane mix, that's what I'm talking about with the propane mix.

[ShiRen]

I bought the es-12a, idk what its made out of, but its pretty cheap per oz, granted you have to buy a case of it. My ac is going together today, ill vacuum it next week... really hope it works. I had r134a in the keihin compressor and it leaked a bit and it was noisy.

[Dr_Snooz]

I'm all for experimentation, even when you know it's destined to fail. You learn a lot, have more fun and live a more interesting life that way. I tried Duracool a few years ago (followed by a foray into bbq gas which is another topic). Duracool was a hassle to find, a hassle to order, a wait to get in the mail, trickier to get the pressures right and after shipping, was quite a bit more than the 134 I could have bought at WalMart same day. When it all leaked out again in a week, I wondered why I'd gone to all the bother. If you have a Keihin, then do what you must. In my opinion though, the Keihin is just garbage period, and at 30+ years old is pretty much done no matter how you accommodate it. You're going to have problems with it and you're going to lose a few fills before giving up and putting in a Denso. Even in that case, you're still better off filling with 134 just for the ease and cost savings. With 134 you can easily find pressure charts and help on the web, you can talk to your buddies about what's going wrong with your system, you can take it to a shop and not worry. With propane, you'll find no documentation and everyone you mention it to will back away and call you crazy.

If it's just a car you're trying to squeeze a few more miles out of before sending to the crusher, then propane makes sense. If you're curious and want to give it a whirl, then do it. Have fun and know that 134 is probably in your future. It all depends on what you hope to get out of the car.

In your case specifically, conozo, where you're relying on this as a daily driver, ask yourself if you want to spend a lot of time fiddling with an experimental refrigerant and old parts when you should be driving to client meetings. For me, this is one of those cases where you need to drop some cash and do the job properly. Get a new Denso (if you can find one), replace the hoses, do the retrofit and put the project to bed. You don't want to be standing on the side of the road, in the heat, wondering where your refrigerant went and just how flammable propane really is.

As I continue to drive a very old car, I'm realizing that these creature comfort issues are the single most important thing to get right. A car that's uncomfortable, hot, loud, temperamental, broken knobs and windows, faded paint, lots of vibration, etc. is a car you won't keep, no matter how good the performance. So many guys focus on performance and produce a car that's unbearable. They pretend that they can live without seats or AC or power steering. They do it for a while, but end up driving a Prius because there's less drama. If you're serious about keeping any car for the long haul, then these things are very important; the most important. Yes, it's expensive, but a new car is always more expensive than the most expensive repair. I'm not telling anyone what to do, just framing these seemingly minor decisions in a wider context. What I will tell you to do is, since you'll have the system open anyway, flush your system properly and refill with Ester oil. That way, you'll have the option to go with 134 later if you want.

[Oldblueaccord]

I'm all for experimentation, even when you know it's destined to fail. You learn a lot, have more fun and live a more interesting life that way. I tried Duracool a few years ago (followed by a foray into bbq gas which is another topic). Duracool was a hassle to find, a hassle to order, a wait to get in the mail, trickier to get the pressures right and after shipping, was quite a bit more than the 134 I could have bought at WalMart same day. When it all leaked out again in a week, I wondered why I'd gone to all the bother. If you have a Keihin, then do what you must. In my opinion though, the Keihin is just garbage period, and at 30+ years old is pretty much done no matter how you accommodate it. You're going to have problems with it and you're going to lose a few fills before giving up and putting in a Denso. Even in that case, you're still better off filling with 134 just for the ease and cost savings. With 134 you can easily find pressure charts and help on the web, you can talk to your buddies about what's going wrong with your system, you can take it to a shop and not worry. With propane, you'll find no documentation and everyone you mention it to will back away and call you crazy.

If it's just a car you're trying to squeeze a few more miles out of before sending to the crusher, then propane makes sense. If you're curious and want to give it a whirl, then do it. Have fun and know that 134 is probably in your future. It all depends on what you hope to get out of the car.

In your case specifically, conozo, where you're relying on this as a daily driver, ask yourself if you want to spend a lot of time fiddling with an experimental refrigerant and old parts when you should be driving to client meetings. For me, this is one of those cases where you need to drop some cash and do the job properly. Get a new Denso (if you can find one), replace the hoses, do the retrofit and put the project to bed. You don't want to be standing on the side of the road, in the heat, wondering where your refrigerant went and just how flammable propane really is.

As I continue to drive a very old car, I'm realizing that these creature comfort issues are the single most important thing to get right. A car that's uncomfortable, hot, loud, temperamental, broken knobs and windows, faded paint, lots of vibration, etc. is a car you won't keep, no matter how good the performance. So many guys focus on performance and produce a car that's unbearable. They pretend that they can live without seats or AC or power steering. They do it for a while, but end up driving a Prius because there's less drama. If you're serious about keeping any car for the long haul, then these things are very important; the most important. Yes, it's expensive, but a new car is always more expensive than the most expensive repair. I'm not telling anyone what to do, just framing these seemingly minor decisions in a wider context. What I will tell you to do is, since you'll have the system open anyway, flush your system properly and refill with Ester oil. That way, you'll have the option to go with 134 later if you want.

Snooz

I went ahead and signed you up for a new Civic Type R in white. Hop down to the dealership tomorrow sign the paperwork. I made an AM appointment.

https://www.tracyhonda.com/vehicle-c.../civic-type-r/

[Oldblueaccord]

I thought that the compressor wouldn't work with r134 because the tolerances aren't as tight as they need to be for the smaller r134 molecules. Plus they do sell r12 replacement that's made of propane and isobutane mix, that's what I'm talking about with the propane mix.

I bought this new a few years ago I think it has a lifetime warranty. Direct fit if you have the bracket and the manifold that goes on it.

[ShiRen]

My problem with the denso is where the hell do you get the bracket and the manifold? My keihin is working good right now, pegged my gauge set out on vacuum and held it, its not making any noises like it did on r134 and I dont see any leaks. Put an o ring on the low pressure side of the compressor and fill it with a really heavy refrigerant. This car still held enough of the original r12 to run the ac after 32 years, not that it was cold, but I have no reason to think it wont last several years on a charge of something like es12. Ill report back if Im wrong, but Im sitting comfortable in the sonic drive through right now after going through hell this week with no ac. I gave the keihin a bad wrap too but unless theres something glaringly wrong with your compressor I would give it a shot.

[Oldblueaccord]

My problem with the denso is where the hell do you get the bracket and the manifold? My keihin is working good right now, pegged my gauge set out on vacuum and held it, its not making any noises like it did on r134 and I dont see any leaks. Put an o ring on the low pressure side of the compressor and fill it with a really heavy refrigerant. This car still held enough of the original r12 to run the ac after 32 years, not that it was cold, but I have no reason to think it wont last several years on a charge of something like es12. Ill report back if Im wrong, but Im sitting comfortable in the sonic drive through right now after going through hell this week with no ac. I gave the keihin a bad wrap too but unless theres something glaringly wrong with your compressor I would give it a shot.

Its a good question I dunno where to get the bracket or the manifold either. Im not sure the bracket is different.

I started on an AC conversion thread a while ago but it gets derailed and I dont have any info or Keihin. maybe we could split this one off to a new thread.

[Dr_Snooz]

Snooz

I went ahead and signed you up for a new Civic Type R in white. Hop down to the dealership tomorrow sign the paperwork. I made an AM appointment.

https://www.tracyhonda.com/vehicle-c.../civic-type-r/

I think you got that wrong. The guy you quoted obviously wants a Lincoln.

My problem with the denso is where the hell do you get the bracket and the manifold?

Junkyard. Get 'em quick before they're all gone.

maybe we could split this one off to a new thread.

Sure. Do we have anything more than 2 posts to put in it?

[ShiRen]

Hahaha... yeah the only car in my junkyards was an 88 lxi that still had the keihin, and the only ones I even see running are dxs, heck I own 2

[conozo]

My cruise hasnt worked since the conversion. I think its really a ground issue only to be solved by moving the body ground on the valve cover or welding the body panels together instead of having them just bolted. Like the painted support across the front by the radiator, its not connected very strong and the ground connection is weak.

Anyways i was looking for smaller cruise control options to clean up the engine bay, on newer cars its an electric motor that is all quite small. I know ours is vacuum operated. I found this on amazon Universal Vacuum Cruise Control it appears much smaller, looks like the buttons could be wired into our existing stock cruise buttons, and it use VSS to control the speed. Has anybody ever used this system or some other alternative that is smaller and more simple than ours.

[ShiRen]

Im going to work on an electronic cruise at some point. my plan is to chop the speedo cable and drive a speed sensor off it, use an arduino as the brain, convert to an electric speedo as well. its not super complex, but I dont have the time right now and Id like to wait for my next raise.

[conozo]

Just did 3 days of road trips totaling about 700 miles. Car ran pretty good, found a couple items to be worked on. Cruise control as mentioned above, sound deadening, and i think my one non honda cv shaft is starting to go bad. It does have about 8000 miles on it so and is one of those autostore crappy rebuilt ones. It was making a metallic crunchy noise when letting off the gas around 30-40mph and in stop and go traffic it would go crunchy when starting out from a stop. Never any noise when turning but there seemed to be a lot of torque steer, maybe from the slop in the joints. So i'll make sure it is the longer CV shaft which i think it is and ill take it into a local clutch and driveshaft place here in town and see if they can rebuild it. I know others have mentioned it but the remanufactured CV shafts are total junk and i am tired of them.