one to keep one to junk.....

[reliantkcar]

OK so here's the deal. I needed a cheap car that is good on gas for the winter for long trips.
My main work car is a 91 accord ex auto filled with tools

I just bought a 89 lx accord for 100$ I drove 100 miles each way but it was a good deal.
it is light blue 190k ,5 speed,4door. Has dead choke diaphragm,needs upper ball joint,brakes new in front new battery new alternator. Brake pedal low possibly worn rears. Stick shift very loose shifter.clutch low but no slip. The rockers are gone all rusted but frame seems solid. Oh cracked spring on front passenger side. And seems to be leaking oil more that last week quarter sized puddles after a few mins

Today my boss. Got a accord he said I can strip or watever

1986 hatch lx-i auto same color 90k miles needs drivers brake hose pass fender dented so headlight wont raise slightly rough idle just as bad as carbed one. Much less rust than the 89 but has dents in every corner.had empty coolant bucket in back. Possible leak???


I was thinking junk the 4 door and make the hatch a stick. Or inject the 4 door. Wat do u guys think....

[A18A]

unless you really like the 4dr and feel like going through all the effort of fixing that one up, it'd be easier to fix the hatch up

[reliantkcar]

Is a auto to stick easier than a efi swap

[hondalude86]

Yes, much easier

[A18A]

about the same level of difficulty (if you know what you're doing), but doing the 5spd swap will be a lot quicker to do. doing a efi swap, you would have to almost have to strip the whole car apart to do. a 5spd swap, you pretty much just swap gearboxes, flywheel, linkages & pedals

[reliantkcar]

I can drop a Dodge Daytona( only 3 mounts) Trans in 45 mins with a floor Jack. How hard is the accord Trans to drop. My 89 prelude si was a nightmare. Radius rods and siezed jackshaft

[reliantkcar]

Anyone know the gas milage difference between 89 accord lx 5 speed and a 86 lx-i hatch auto

[reliantkcar]

Anyone know the gas milage of lx stick 4 door 89 and 86 lx-i auto hatch

[ShyBoyCA6]

i say keep the hatch, swap the 5spd to it, clean it up, put fresh parts on there and you should have a very good running car. the 5spd will get you more gas mileage just depends on how you drive it.

[charliekuney]

The carbureted models (DX/LX) generally get better gas mileage due to having less power (etc.), and especially so with yours having a 5-speed over the fuel-injected (LX-i/SE-i) automatic.

[A18A]

how does less power equal more gas mileage?

[reliantkcar]

I drove the stick one all day 75 miles on 10 bucks and I still have gas.
I granny shift I'm in 5th @30 on flat surfaces and 35 uphill. It's weird 5th gear whines but I checked the fluid and it was overfilled. Years ago I had one with no 5th gear and it was low on oil..

[obdriver6]

Keep the hatch, its not that hard to swap a trans out. You should be able to get really good gas mileage if you do the trans swap from the carb(longer gear ratios), 30+ mpg.

[reliantkcar]

OK so keep hatch.
Take new parts from 4 door alt,belts,tires,calipers,headlight assemblies.

As far as 5 speed swap I need
Flywheel
Trans
Rod shifter
Axles
Starter
Trans mount
Clutch. Cable
Pedal assembly
Guage cluster

Anyone know if 4 door fender will fit hatch?

[Vanilla Sky]

Everything from the front doors forward is a simple bolt-on affair.

Even though it seems like you're going with what everyone here is recommending, I am going to join in and recommend the same thing, which is to trans swap the hatch and ditch the sedan. Hatchbacks are better cars for single people that don't have kids, because you have a lot more utility options. I've seen washers and dryers in the back of a 3gee hatch before. You do lose rear seat access, that's why I mention that it's better for a single person or a couple without kids.

[charliekuney]

how does less power equal more gas mileage?

Uh, less juice needed to move the vehicle? At the same RPM's it's making less power, therefore using less fuel?

[ShyBoyCA6]

not really charlie. it will consume about the the same, just need to check tire pressure and your shifting points.

[reliantkcar]

I have noticed Carb Toyota's are better on fuel than fi ones.
My 84 stick corolla 1.6 8valve drove from Portland Maine to braintree ma on 10$ that's over 50mpg
and my friends 93 corolla fi only got 37mpg at the best

[charliekuney]

not really charlie. it will consume about the the same, just need to check tire pressure and your shifting points.

Okay, this still isn't defeating the fact that the carbureted models get better gas mileage. They did in the original EPA estimates and the recently revised ones...

[reliantkcar]

I remember in old magazines when pgm-fi first came out it was supposed to run a bit rich since it was based on the Honda F1 program.

[2oodoor]

cooler weather and choke cycling or proper lack there of will kill the advantage of the oem carbed MPG, only on a good day will you see those 40+ mpg I would predict.
The Lxi is a much better driving car, but not because it is EFI.
The hatchback is lighter, and ultimately if you lose all the extra bs hardware on the EFI intake they are less finicky. I would look for a B16 intake to accomplish that, just my opinion.
Yaw know me though I would swap the carb tank and lines over to that Lxi and run a Weber carb thus eliminating a 55 gal barrel full of extra parts from under the hood LOL and enjoy great MPG and a strong pull when you mash it, all depends how you drive it.

[reliantkcar]

Update guys.

So I finally drove the lx-I
I changed the brake hose then the right one blew. So I got a pair of small vice grips and clamped the front right hose. Then bled it with a tire iron wedged into the seat to hold the pedal since I was alone.
Then I drove it to Autozone to get the hose and a set of pads.. it has good pickup but trouble holding speed maybee needs a tune up I dunno. It also idles kinda high IMO 900 in drive and neutral shoots to 1000 then back to 900. Also when accelerating it vibrates in steering wheel. Maybee axle I noticed the passenger axle on the tyranny side had the metal ring missing.the car drove 35 miles and used almost no gas so that was good. Also both front shocks are blown. Every bump and the front bobs up and down like a caddy.then when I returned to the shop I Pope's the Hood to check everything and after 5 mins I noticed the temp shot up to 3/4 but the fan kicked on to cool it down. But it still is a cause for concern. My k cars always had temps go up and down but all my Honda's always stay in the lower middleunless something was up.
As a side note I noticed the intake manifold had aftermarket nuts on it. Maybee the intake or head gasket was changed. And some of the metal vacuum lines wernt bolted down so a definate sign of being messed with....

Also I took the carbed one to a party. It took 10 mins to start and cute chick asked if I needed a jump
. It drives like a sloppy jalopy. Broken spring, ball joint,rotted frame. But. It didn't give me the temp scare of the other one and I put over 100 miles on it last night

So questions

Should I be concerned with the Lxi motor?

Can I use the sedan shocks on the hatch?

Will the passenger axle from the Carb stick fit the hatch auto till I can swap the Trans

Also 5th gear whines in the stick car but when I checked fluid it was overfilled

The 4 door has a bunch of new parts will the although,calipers,and axles fit the lxi

Also I'm on a phone so spell check messes up words it doesn't know. Thanxs in advance....

[2oodoor]

Interesting my lxi runs lil over half on temp gauge but all carb models I've had ran bout eighth up. Not sure of thermostat age but it hasn't overheated as of yet. You do need to bleed coolant at blessed or idle does act up on lxi wth iPod spell chk me on this post bleeder not blessed lol

[reliantkcar]

Wen my boss dropped lxi at the shop I filled and bled the coolant because it Was a little low and idle surging