Calabek : 1987 Accord Aerodeck LXR-S

[Calabek]

What are "extractors"?

Sorry, I meant exhaust headers.

[Calabek]

I bought a B20A6 gasket (which - thankfully came with the spark plug tube seals also!) and it's a direct match !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



The previous one (pictured above with the GreyMaxx on it above the rocker cover) was hard, and tough, and stale. The new one slotted right in, was soft and awesome ! I put a thick bead of GreyMaxx on there - just to be safe.

... embarrassingly when I was undoing the bolts for the cover I found one (which coincidentally was the bolt above the cam gears - ie, where the leak was) that was almost completely loose. -.-" Major facepalm!!
I had a look through the cams and saw a lot of fresh oil that had run out of the rocker cover and down the block. I'm about 99.5% confident that was my issue. However changing over the gasket and seals was a good thing to do tonight anyway. There's a small oil build up in the spark plug tubes but I'm sure it'll burn off and there won't be anymore deposits now that I have new seals.

I'm so confident I'll book inspection tomorrow for Friday. I hate how I have to pay for the inspection over the phone straight up -.- wish I could pay there.

Anyway, I also got some Sika and perma-glued down the back hatch trim. Left it over night with some weights on there and it seems good today. Woohooo ! The last two weeks with this car have been so lucky and so easy. I'm kinda worried.

More updates to come !

[A20A1]

Header = extractor

Edit: Doh! Didn't realize it was already answered on page 2.

I love your aerodeck, so many interesting goodies.

[Calabek]

Header = extractor

Edit: Doh! Didn't realize it was already answered on page 2.

I love your aerodeck, so many interesting goodies.

That's okay
Thank you. I'm excited.

Inspection is in a little over 24 hours. I gotta say I think it's ready

[Calabek]

~~ Forgot to mention. I went to the inspection center on Friday. Got there nice and early at opening at 8am as asked by the two people I spoke to on the phone earlier last week. Both said I could come down and get it inspected. Then the lady at the desk told me I had to first go to get an ID inspection because it's from a different state and then go to vehicle standards to get a list of what is required (ADRs - Australian Design Rules) to pass inspection - which would be sent out by post and I'll get it a week or two. However I told her I was feeling confident and asked if I could go for an inspection. She said yes but to come back after the ID inspection.

I did the ID check, I passed. I rolled up and the guy was like "this is a weird looking car" and I laughed and thanked him. Then he said "I don't like weird" bahahaha :P
Then I went to vehicle standards and found that I was one ADR short. It was for side intrusion panels or something. So I drove to an engineer and it turns out I have the ADR but just needed the paper to say I have it and it complies. This piece of paper cost $350. I was outraged, but happily took it and left for my inspection. I got there and the lady said "sorry, you can't book a same day inspection. You can wait but you'll be behind 2 other people. It's extremely unlikely you will get in today"
Furiously I was about to flip all the lids but my dad walked in and calmed me down. After the 3 hours of jumping through hoops, I waited for another 5 before calling it quits. Booked for Monday which cost me $272 + $43 for an unregistered day pass.

Went in Monday. The car's temp gauge rose to 3/4 about 5 mins before arriving there (did about 20-30 mins of granny driving). I got there and some guy in the carpark pointed out my car was pissing out water. I got out and to check and 750ml had pooled around the wheels. I let it cool down and bought some cold water from a shop across he road and poured it in. Took it through inspection an hour later and passed by the skin of my teeth. The guy doing it said I have a rear brake line that looks like it's about to burst, a lower ball joint about to break and my tires (not my wheels) were sticking 10mm out the guard. But he took it for a drive and said it was one of the better cars he'd driven through his inspection career. So he gave me my exemption sticker and I am now officially registered !!!!!

TLDR; Car overheated, still passed. Woo ! Officially registered !



I did however encounter another overheat when I got home. I got out of the car and the overflow bottle was BOILING. AGGRESSIVELY. It was shaking and you could hear it ! It was HOT ! It started leaking out of the seals and dropped another 750ml ! Anybody got an idea ?
Thermostat was replaced bout 100kms ago, no visible splits in hoses, no milky residue in the oil. Going to replace it with coolant tomorrow and hope it helps us with troubleshooting (as there's only water in there now - which when taken out is BROWN)

[knifemind]

I did however encounter another overheat when I got home. I got out of the car and the overflow bottle was BOILING. AGGRESSIVELY. It was shaking and you could hear it ! It was HOT ! It started leaking out of the seals and dropped another 750ml ! Anybody got an idea ?
Thermostat was replaced bout 100kms ago, no visible splits in hoses, no milky residue in the oil. Going to replace it with coolant tomorrow and hope it helps us with troubleshooting (as there's only water in there now - which when taken out is BROWN)

Sounds to me like it might just be a bad radiator cap.

[Calabek]

Sounds to me like it might just be a bad radiator cap.

Hm... I'll try to find another but I'm pretty sure I got an exact replacement. The cap is definitely sealing the system.

[A20A1]

run the heater and make sure you feel heat from the vents and that the heat is stable, meaning it doesnt go from hot to cold back to hot, which could indicate a problem with the pump or air in the line.

replacing the cap is a cheap fix. the cap only has to open enough the bleed out the vent. also there are two different temp ratings for the thermostat or cap, correct me if im wrong.

check your oil and oil level.

[79cord]

Great to hear you have made it through the legal hurdles!
Obvious question is to ask if cooling fans are actually coming on since the thermoswitch in radiator can fail (bypass to run fans constantly by connecting the two wires to it).
Less obvious might be waterpump. When bought the one on my '88 integra had rusted its impeller blades completely off, rusty sludge everywhere & radiator had already been replaced.

[Calabek]

run the heater and make sure you feel heat from the vents and that the heat is stable, meaning it doesnt go from hot to cold back to hot, which could indicate a problem with the pump or air in the line.

replacing the cap is a cheap fix. the cap only has to open enough the bleed out the vent. also there are two different temp ratings for the thermostat or cap, correct me if im wrong.

check your oil and oil level.

It does go from hot to cold
Good idea about the cap. Do you know the ratings ? I currently have a 13psi cap on there.

Great to hear you have made it through the legal hurdles!
Obvious question is to ask if cooling fans are actually coming on since the thermoswitch in radiator can fail (bypass to run fans constantly by connecting the two wires to it).
Less obvious might be waterpump. When bought the one on my '88 integra had rusted its impeller blades completely off, rusty sludge everywhere & radiator had already been replaced.

Thank you SA Government with anything imported is a joke, but I got there in the end Considering other stories I've heard, I am counting myself quite lucky
The cooling fans are coming on, yes. I know this because when they kick in, I look at my temp gauge and it's slowly rising. It's been the dead giveaway the car is about to overheat. Usually in my 96 Accord, they continue to run on and off cooling the engine down. It was never a sign of it overheating, just that it was hot.

[Calabek]

fyi, on another forum someone asked me if I had bled the thermostat housing after I'd replaced it. They gave me directions to do so (ie, crack the nipple, listen for air, clean the nipple, run the car, look for a steady stream of water, etc etc). After I racked the nipple I heard a deposit of air escape for a good 5-10 seconds. The nipple was clogged up so I cleaned it, tested it and put it back in. I'll run the car now for a bit and see if it happens again. If no - hooray. If yes - I'll start looking at somewhere else to diagnose the problem. (Probably the cap as it's the next cheapest thing I can fix)

[Calabek]

I got insured today and so I took the car out for a quick spurt up a hill behind my house. Handled well. I didn't push the engine. Looks great and I'm extremely obsessed with this car !! Here are a few pictures !

[AccordB20A]

Looks good! How is that engine? staying cool or still getting warm.

I installed a B18A with B20A head into my daily accord on sunday. they go alright

[Calabek]

Looks good! How is that engine? staying cool or still getting warm.

I installed a B18A with B20A head into my daily accord on sunday. they go alright

Thanks mate! It's half-half. I used it all weekend on long drives without a problem. Then I took it for a quick run in the hills. I was keeping the RPM within the 2,000-3,000 range for most of the drive and the temp gauge sat normal. But when I pulled over the water was boiling again. It wasn't as aggressive as before and didn't lose any. So I'm really not sure what's going on. I might take it to someone who can do a compression test to see if there is a leak anywhere.
Personally I think that because it sat for so long there is just a blockage in the radiator. If I get some time over the easter weekend I'll see if I can hunt down a new radiator for it. Water goes in clear and comes out brown, so it obviously needs a change.

Cool stuff with the head swap. Was there any noticeable difference ? Damn, I wish I had the ease of sourcing parts like you do over there. I'm jealous

[Dr_Snooz]

Good call on the compression test. You might also check oil pressure too. My 4g started overheating under load inexplicably. I tore the entire cooling system apart from end to end, tested a bunch of stuff, replaced a bunch more stuff and it kept overheating. I finally gave up with no resolution. Then one day the low oil pressure light came on. I did some more diagnostics and discovered that the engine is just plain wore out. You should definitely address any cooling system issues, but don't dismiss the possibility that the engine might be tired.

[79cord]

Integras water pump mentioned earlier:

Keep your eyes open for some 3g Civic or Honda City 'H' bearing caps for the center of those wheels (much nicer than covering the wheel nuts I think).
Though some 3g Prelude factory machined/polished alloy wheels would be nice to have in reserve & can be had for almost nothing with patient looking.

[Calabek]

Sorry for the belated replies ! I got bogged down with work and other responsibilities ! Since then nothing has happened. I haven't driven the car in fear of it overheating and blowing up somewhere. I've been to the wreckers and picked up a few loose screws I was missing here and there. I attempted to remove an antenna while I was there to see how it all fitted but ended up breaking many a trim piece... so I won't be attempting it in a hurry unless someone has a guide ?
I also picked up a radiator cap (used) which - interestingly enough was rated at 15psi whereas the one I had on the car was rated at 13psi So I've fitted it and will be replacing the water with coolant probably tomorrow. I also picked up a battery clamp as the one I had on there was generic and the bonnet wouldn't close properly.

Good call on the compression test. You might also check oil pressure too. My 4g started overheating under load inexplicably. I tore the entire cooling system apart from end to end, tested a bunch of stuff, replaced a bunch more stuff and it kept overheating. I finally gave up with no resolution. Then one day the low oil pressure light came on. I did some more diagnostics and discovered that the engine is just plain wore out. You should definitely address any cooling system issues, but don't dismiss the possibility that the engine might be tired.

Okay, thank you. I did see a DIY on cooling system compression testing using an air compressor. I might try it (I am strapped for cash at the moment)

Integras water pump mentioned earlier:

Keep your eyes open for some 3g Civic or Honda City 'H' bearing caps for the center of those wheels (much nicer than covering the wheel nuts I think).
Though some 3g Prelude factory machined/polished alloy wheels would be nice to have in reserve & can be had for almost nothing with patient looking.

Really ? I quite enjoy the wheels how they are. I got these cool center caps with the car actually. Completely Japanese. Got a cool insignia "Idea." on it but I lost one of the allen key heads for one. I will replace it but for now it's neither here nor there. :3

I was thinking about running these wheels as are until I have enough for Watanabes.

[79cord]

'H' badged bearing caps. 3rd gen Civic or 1st gen City. 2nd gen Civic ones mount awkwardly.

Just gives a more finished look, I put some on my Integra/rover 416i Vitesse wheels as I didn't like the blandness of covering the wheel nuts as Honda did, & they can be very cheap...if you can find them. Though it is the possible they might not fit the center hole of aftermarket wheels.
{They can sometimes (rarely) also be found with Hondas early low/wide "H" on early City }

[Calabek]

'H' badged bearing caps. 3rd gen Civic or 1st gen City. 2nd gen Civic ones mount awkwardly.

Just gives a more finished look, I put some on my Integra/rover 416i Vitesse wheels as I didn't like the blandness of covering the wheel nuts as Honda did, & they can be very cheap...if you can find them. Though it is the possible they might not fit the center hole of aftermarket wheels.
{They can sometimes (rarely) also be found with Hondas early low/wide "H" on early City }

Oooooohhhh these ones ! Yeah, sorry. My mistake. :P

[Calabek]

I don't suppose any of you know what this little white cylinder is on the B18A ?







It started making this odd noise yesterday when I started the car. Like it has something in there spinning once I let off the accelerator. I haven't taken it off and I have no idea what it is... so I thought I'd come and consult the holy bible :P

Here's a video of it making noise.

https://www.facebook.com/GaijinAerod...5090233515253/

Please help

All I did yesterday was change the coolant and bleed the nipple on the thermostat housing.

[carotman]

There's a similar thing on my 86 prelude b20a. I'll check this later in the afternoon.

[Calabek]

There's a similar thing on my 86 prelude b20a. I'll check this later in the afternoon.

Are they B20A carbys ?
Thanks regardless !

[Calabek]

I was getting an alarm installed today and took advantage of the time and put in this badge Aaron sent me aaaaaaaaaaaages ago. Looks good. Might take it off again and try clear coating it. Definitely needs it but I'm apprehensive as to whether it'll work.

[Calabek]

So here's my problem. Any ideas ?
Part number is: 17340-ph2-003
It's a sealed unit and listed as a Shot Air Valve Assembly.

[A18A]

There's a similar thing on my 86 prelude b20a. I'll check this later in the afternoon.

you have ba1???