Loving my first Honda: 1989 Honda Accord SE-i Coupe

[fharding]

Hello! I'm fharding, an electrical and computer engineering student. I just picked up my first Honda as a stylish cheap and reliable transporter back and forth from college. I also wanted a car that's relatively easy to work on, so I can learn more about working on cars myself (I'm not experienced, but have been on a FIRST Robotics team for years so I'm not totally mechanically ignorant). The pop-ups really sold me



I picked up this 1989 Honda Accord SE-i Coupe 5spd a couple weeks ago for $1000. It's got 217k miles and is very rust free. The only issue it has (previous owner told me) is a leaky radiator.

Since buying it I've:

* Changed oil with Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic 5W-30, and a WIX oil filter (old oil and filter looked great)
* Replaced the air filter
* Replaced the spark plugs with NGK 6937s (old spark plugs were in good shape, but I had already bought the spark plugs and figured it couldn't hurt)
* Flushed coolant system, replaced the radiator, upper and lower hoses, thermostat, thermosensor, and radiator cap

I've bought an ASIN timing belt and water pump kit and all three accessory belts, so I plan to replace those. I also bought a new valve cover gasket. Since the paint is peeling pretty badly off the valve cover I want to repaint it black.

It seems like two of the fuel injectors are leaking slightly, so I may replace those at some point, especially if I notice bad fuel economy.

The car has a slight exhaust leak that I might get fixed depending on how much a quote is (I don't want to take it to a shop until the current pandemic is over anyways).

The clutch seems pretty far worn but I'm definitely not going to have it replaced until it starts causing issues.

Hope that was a good introduction! Happy to receive any advice on common issues or concerns about these cars.

[2ndGenGuy]

Nice ride!

If you suspect your injectors are problematic, I would take them to Dr Injector. They will test them, flow check them, clean them, and then if any are bad, they'll sell you new (refurb) ones for a good price. Then you end up with a nice pretty chart showing before and after. And they throw in the new o-rings and seals. I did this for my LXi coupe, and multiple other Hondas I've owned. The car always runs way better afterwards, and you can't beat the improvement for ~ $100.

There are probably other injector places in your area that will do a similar service too. But I've been super happy with them.

Sounds like you are on track with the proper maintenance. Not really sure what all to point out for major issues... These cars are pretty solid. Sounds like you are keeping your cooling system in top shape which I think is pretty critical in these cars to avoid warping or cracking the cylinder head. The 5th gear in the manual trans tends to be a weak point. Flush the transmission fluid and keep it topped up so that gear gets the oil it needs.

I think control arms or ball joints breaking seems like a more common issue. More likely due to age and high miles. Always good to inspect that stuff with a new car anyways.

Good luck with the new ride!