My Hoopty

[Fixedit]

Looking good! Amazing what a simple rim swap can do for these cars. I can’t wait to get my rims on and experience it myself hahah. I’ve got wobbly front discs too but I’ve chalked it up to cheap rotors (I went cheap when I did the front brake swap knowing I’ll upgrade in the future).

[Dr_Snooz]

The car is happier than it's been in a long time now. The idle was so smooth today. The power seems to have increased. It doesn't track the grooves on the freeway anymore, which made for an exciting commute every day. Those old tires were really bad. The new tires are amazingly grippy. That one corner that used to require the entire oncoming lane to make now takes only one lane. If this keeps up, the thing will float to work soon.

[Dr_Snooz]

Let the orgy of bashed knuckles, thrown wrenches and uncontrollable swearing begin!!! That's right, I'm redoing the steering system. My little encounter with the curb a couple months ago made a mess of the rack, which is now leaking and not re-centering very well anymore. The pump has had a flat spot in it for the last decade at least and my ghetto-fabbed reservoir started leaking not too long after I crafted it, which has turned everything into a slimy mess.



So basically everything in the steering system is sad. It's time to do a major refresh.

I looked for a replacement reservoir but the OE's are long gone and nothing currently available will fit in the same spot and point the hoses the right direction. So I'm replacing it with this guy here.



https://www.ebay.com/itm/Racing-Perf...53.m2749.l2649

I have to say I'm SUPER impressed. It is all machined billet aluminum, very heavy. The walls are 3/8" thick and the cap is a solid chunk of aluminum with an integrated dipstick. The interior is also baffled to prevent aeration. It was $100, which makes it the 2nd cheapest one I could find. It's going to fit in the tight space the old one occupied and I got some swivel fittings for it, so I can bring the hoses in at the right angle.

Wish me luck!

[Dr_Snooz]

I've complained about my white trim before.

https://www.3geez.com/forum/restorat...-moldings.html

I stumbled upon the Bon Ami trick, which worked great until it all turned white again a couple months later. Grrrrr. The finish on all my trim (windows, doors, etc.) is cracking, pitted, faded, white, scuffed or otherwise aged and tired. I can bring it back to life with dressings and goops and it looks passable until it rains and it all looks tired again.

New trim isn't available, so that leaves paint as my only option. I've tried paint before, only to watch it fade, crack and flake off in very short time. Grrrrr.

I've been reading up on Tractor Supply's tractor paint, which gets glowing reviews. So I got some and painted a couple pieces, including the window trim with the rubber weatherstrip integrated into the metal trim piece and the B-pillar piece. We'll see how it holds up on the various materials, some of which flex a lot.

Painted side


Unpainted side


If this doesn't work, then my next step is the high-dollar OE-type stuff like SEM or Color Bond. Those are uber-high dollar though.

I'm still struggling with the plastic flanges on all the window trim. It's chipping off, bit by bit. I don't see a way to preserve it, which means I have to remove it. That will leave a noticeable gap around all my windows. I might be overthinking it, but it will look odd. I'm not sure what to do.

Anybody got any input?

[Dr_Snooz]

Adventures in braking.

https://www.3geez.com/forum/suspensi...ml#post1212770

[InAccordance]

My trim is in worse shape than yours. To be frank though, I'll probably just end up ripping it all off and calling it weight reduction lol

Good luck with the steering refresh. I've fought the same fight so I know the pain. My advice is to suck up the cost of having the rack replaced cause that shit is a migraine to do yourself. Especially if you don't have a lift.

[Dr_Snooz]

Oh yeah. Been there, done that once before. I'm hoping that this time will be less nightmarish than the last, but who can say? I find that those nightmare repair jobs I remember from my 20s are easier now that I'm older, so maybe it will be alright. I'll rope my nephew into helping me. He's 13 and a lot smarter than me. He's a huge help.

[AC439]

Snooz, I remember the day I changed my steering rack. There had never been that much !@#$%^%& I said in a single day. Good luck !

[Oldblueaccord]

Let the orgy of bashed knuckles, thrown wrenches and uncontrollable swearing begin!!! That's right, I'm redoing the steering system. My little encounter with the curb a couple months ago made a mess of the rack, which is now leaking and not re-centering very well anymore. The pump has had a flat spot in it for the last decade at least and my ghetto-fabbed reservoir started leaking not too long after I crafted it, which has turned everything into a slimy mess.



So basically everything in the steering system is sad. It's time to do a major refresh.

I looked for a replacement reservoir but the OE's are long gone and nothing currently available will fit in the same spot and point the hoses the right direction. So I'm replacing it with this guy here.



https://www.ebay.com/itm/Racing-Perf...53.m2749.l2649

I have to say I'm SUPER impressed. It is all machined billet aluminum, very heavy. The walls are 3/8" thick and the cap is a solid chunk of aluminum with an integrated dipstick. The interior is also baffled to prevent aeration. It was $100, which makes it the 2nd cheapest one I could find. It's going to fit in the tight space the old one occupied and I got some swivel fittings for it, so I can bring the hoses in at the right angle.

Wish me luck!

What size is that do you think its enough?

[conozo]

I painted my door trim using black primer and black bumper paint from duplicolor. It was good for 10 years before starting to fade. Next time.im going to get actual black automotive paint with a clear coat on it.

The trim around the windows I'm not sure yet. I think there should be some sort of easily sandable epoxy out there that can be painted on top. I haven't found a solution yet but will make a post when I do.

[Dr_Snooz]

What size is that do you think its enough?

I don't know. It's not much smaller than the OE reservoir. I hope it's enough. Does it matter that much?

[Oldblueaccord]

I don't know. It's not much smaller than the OE reservoir. I hope it's enough. Does it matter that much?

No just curious.

I would rather have more fluid, to stay cooler, then not enough.

[Dr_Snooz]

I could always install a cooler if needed. Is there a way to know you have cooling issues? You know, BEFORE it fails? Replacing a rack suuuuucks.

[Oldblueaccord]

I could always install a cooler if needed. Is there a way to know you have cooling issues? You know, BEFORE it fails? Replacing a rack

suuuuucks.

Erratic operation and or burnt fluid on hydraulic units.


Our cars that pipe runs out in front of the radiator and back for some cooling. On the 4gs that pipe is finned.

https://www.hondapartsnow.com/genuin...3-sm4-a07.html

I "think" mines starts to over heat and drag a little on longer drives,but its age I would guess, wider tires etc. I pretty much change my fluid once a year, suck out the reservoir with a turkey baster and refill. Its been giving me some occasional "heavy" steering last few year which is disconcerting but I havent done any thing about it.

[Dr_Snooz]

Mine has been doing that for that decade LOL. You could try purging the system of all old oil like the manual describes. There is still a LOT of fluid left in the system after you suck out the reservoir. That made a big impact with mine.

[Dr_Snooz]

Adventures with TW sensor.

https://www.3geez.com/forum/efi-tech...ml#post1213322

(Still haven't done the rack. Don't have a good excuse.)

[Dr_Snooz]

Add another chapter to the Adventures of Red Car saga. This tree in my yard has been diseased and dying since I moved in. A couple years ago it dropped a big limb on my camper. It was enough weight to pulverize the camper, but miraculously, the camper shrugged it off with only minor damage. A few weeks ago, it dropped another big limb.




But this time, it had a different target in mind.





Sucker tried to drive a stake through the heart of my Red Car!





Thank God for Harbor Freight's portable carport. It absorbed the worst of the impact, saving my precious Red Car from certain death.

Now an attempt on the camper can be forgiven. But an attempt on the Red Car cannot. Ergo...







And yes, my home is a work in progress. The grey wall is new and what the entire house will eventually look like.

[InAccordance]

Close shave

[conozo]

Wow, that was close. did it hurt the truck.

[Dr_Snooz]

There was some minor scratching on the hood of the truck but the paint is garbage anyway so no big. It's from that era where all the paint on the Chevy trucks started peeling off. LOL. It's not that bad but it's anything but great. I'm really shocked that the crappy HF carport saved my car. In fact, I need to go leave a review. It's worth every penny I paid for it.

[Dr_Snooz]

I had a 4 day weekend this week, so I replaced my rack. Actually, I totally re-did my steering system. I replaced the rack, pump, reservoir, high pressure hose and all the bulk hoses I didn't 10 years ago when I last opened up the system. I messed up the pump pulley though. It has a reverse-thread bolt holding it on and I made a rookie mistake by not checking that in the manual. I torqued it the wrong direction, then put the impact gun to it, rounded off the head, then drilled it out and so destroyed the only bolt that could have held it to the new pump. Not my finest hour. ...hours... Now I get to leave the car sit for a week while I wait for UPS.

I also did my timing, managing to make another rookie mistake there too. Somehow the old water pump oring stuck to the block and I installed the new one right over it. Sadly, I didn't discover my error until I had put everything back together and found coolant pouring out beneath my car the following morning. So embarrassing.

Anyway, here's a pic of my new reservoir:



It's a beautiful milled piece. Very heavy and substantial. I spent hours searching for a new reservoir and this one was one of the few that would fit in the the spot and nearly the cheapest. My 14-year old nephew fabbed the custom mounting bracket. It turned out really nice.

[Dr_Snooz]

Rack replacement:

https://www.3geez.com/forum/3geez-accords/144959-notes-rack-replacement.html?highlight=notes+rack+replacement

[Dr_Snooz]

Every coupe owner has a cracked up plastic rear tailgate panel. Mine was cracking and getting very wiggly. I pulled it off and smeared epoxy on the backside of every crack. That has worked out very well. The cracks haven't expanded in the two years since I did it and the panel feels very solid again. I recommend doing that to keep your panel from falling apart.

[Dr_Snooz]

When I did my rebuild 9 years ago, I filled the cooling system with Evans NPG Waterless coolant. It's a racing coolant that Evans insists is a "lifetime" coolant (and charges accordingly). I bought it mostly because disposing of old coolant was impossible here in California at the time. If it saved me having to dump old coolant on the side of the road in the middle of the night, then it was worth the price. Since then, the cooling system has been completely trouble-free with no hint of any problem. The car has never gotten hot or had a water pump go bad or burst a hose or even lost an ounce of coolant. I'd like to recommend Evans, but I can't.

A couple years into my experiment, I opened the radiator cap to check on things and found that the lovely clear coolant I put in had turned jet black and oily. I thought I had a bad head gasket, but I was broke and the car ran, so I ignored it and kept driving. When I replaced the timing belt this weekend, I had to drain the coolant to remove the water pump. It looks exactly like the worst oil change you've ever done. Jet black and totally nasty looking. Some of it spilled on the shop floor, then dried completely by the next day, so it definitely is not oil. That means the head gasket is good, hooray!!!, but the black coolant mystery remains.

Here's my hypothesis. Evans is very explicit that every last drop of water must be purged from the system before you put their coolant in. I drained my system as best I could, but with no block drain, it's pretty hard and a lot of water remained. My guess is that the residual water turned the Evans black. It's been very nice to have a completely trouble-free cooling system for 9 years, so I might give the Evans another try, but call them first for guidance.

I'd say Evans would be best used after an engine rebuild when there is absolutely no water in the block. The hoses and radiator are relatively easy to drain at that point.

As for the black coolant ...I dumped it back in.

[Oldblueaccord]

When I did my rebuild 9 years ago, I filled the cooling system with Evans NPG Waterless coolant. It's a racing coolant that Evans insists is a "lifetime" coolant (and charges accordingly). I bought it mostly because disposing of old coolant was impossible here in California at the time. If it saved me having to dump old coolant on the side of the road in the middle of the night, then it was worth the price. Since then, the cooling system has been completely trouble-free with no hint of any problem. The car has never gotten hot or had a water pump go bad or burst a hose or even lost an ounce of coolant. I'd like to recommend Evans, but I can't.

A couple years into my experiment, I opened the radiator cap to check on things and found that the lovely clear coolant I put in had turned jet black and oily. I thought I had a bad head gasket, but I was broke and the car ran, so I ignored it and kept driving. When I replaced the timing belt this weekend, I had to drain the coolant to remove the water pump. It looks exactly like the worst oil change you've ever done. Jet black and totally nasty looking. Some of it spilled on the shop floor, then dried completely by the next day, so it definitely is not oil. That means the head gasket is good, hooray!!!, but the black coolant mystery remains.

Here's my hypothesis. Evans is very explicit that every last drop of water must be purged from the system before you put their coolant in. I drained my system as best I could, but with no block drain, it's pretty hard and a lot of water remained. My guess is that the residual water turned the Evans black. It's been very nice to have a completely trouble-free cooling system for 9 years, so I might give the Evans another try, but call them first for guidance.

I'd say Evans would be best used after an engine rebuild when there is absolutely no water in the block. The hoses and radiator are relatively easy to drain at that point.

As for the black coolant ...I dumped it back in.

I m curious what the coolant looked like....no pics included?

I had something similar on my old truck an black oily coolant but with conventional coolant. I really think its the hoses as they degrade. Just my theory. Are yours after market hoses?


Odd story,im getting old so I get to tell stories... We found an old tool box at work we figure it could be more than 30 years old. Inside we found a small plastic case with some small parts. We all commented how that case was old plastic but solid. One of the guys took it home. I commented I have a small plastic "file box" here at the house. Im sure I bought it with my own money when I was in the 2nd grade..so more than 40 years now. Its solid in fact I use it to this day for my "important" paperwork. I really think what ever additives they used to use in plastics and rubber made parts last forever wheres as today plastic turns to shreds and pellets in about 5 to 7 years.