Comments on: Pushing 150,000 miles on my Accord

By: Robert

Robert — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:14:26 +0000

I own a 1992 Honda ACcord Ex, and overall I am very pleased.

These motors are excellent, and so are the cars themselves.

My Accord’s transmission went out at 143K, so I put in a used one for $600 (my friend is an ASE certified mechanic), and so far I have had the tailpipe and the muffler fixed (not sure exactly how that happened, I bought the car like that).

The weather stripping came undone on the passenger side window and I got some from a junk yard and put it in myself.

I did the front brake pads and rotors myself with ceramic brakes for about $60 (NAPA brakes).

I added a K&N Air Filter.

I got four used new Bridgestone tires for $180.

I installed my Kenwood CD deck from a previous car.

I did the distributor cap, distributor rotor, plugs (platinum), plug wires and valve cover gasket myself with parts from Checker ($120 w/ tax).

I do my own oil changes with Valvoline 5W30 and Wix oil filters.

I changed the fuel filter.

Overall, very basic maintenance and the car is driving great considering its age.

And the paint still looks great even though it’s not the best color in the world (green).

By: Yan

Yan — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:22:17 +0000

Mac, the procedure requires drilling and I just don’t feel comfortable messing under the hood with my level of experience. Thanks for the tips though!

Alex, we just replaced my wife’s car after the accident she had last month and another big expense is not an option.

I think I will just have to drive my Accord for another year or so, probably until Hybrids become mainstream

By: Alex

Alex — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:40:40 +0000

buy a new car… seriously ;)

By: Mac McKee

Mac McKee — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:39:51 +0000

Hey … good news is that you can do it yourself. Had the same prob with a 2000 Honda Od … took a bud with torque wrench, about 2 hours no gaskets (but I recommend having the fiber one for the throttle body – the metal one on the head itself is a reuse) and a steak on the grill aftwards. A little different for the van … dont have to drill out … just remove the spacer that sits on the head and clean port … have 2 cans of carb cleaner … should be able to find a bulletin by HONDA for this … common prob.

http://www.absoluteprelude.com.....hp?t=15340 … and http://home.comcast.net/~em-engineering/T2T013.pdf

Keep her … worth saving. Drive it until the battery tech catches up with the marketing.
Hope that helps.

By: linlu

linlu — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 12:32:02 +0000

Whatever you do, don’t go to Firestone for your EGR valve replacement. I have learned over nearly 20 years of owning Hondas, never ever take thing to requires touching the engine to anyone else but a Honda mechanic. I’m not talking about dealers either. I have been taking my Hondas to a great independent Honda mechanic since I found out about him 14 years ago. I had moved from California, where I had taken my Civic to an Independent Honda mechanic for years and did not know of any around me here in VA.

In the 5 years when I didn’t use a Honda mechanic, I’ve had shops overfill the oil $35, overtighten and strip the oil drain plug $125, unable to figure out how to take off some piece in order to access another consumable – either air filter or something else 2 hours of my time. I’ve been recommended unneeded service ($hundreds) and overcharged for the same work ($hundreds) at different Firestone shops versus my Independent Honda mechanic.

Nowadays if I need a quick oil change and I don’t have time to go to my Honda mechanic, I just go to the local Acura dealer since they also offer a car wash with their service.

One thing I have learned over the 20 years I have driven a Honda, never trust anyone to work on it except a Honda mechanic.