new VX owner - somewhat regret

[Jay2TheRescue]

Once you get over this I think you'll be pretty happy with the car.

[Dave's Civic Duty]

Yes I agree w/ what Jay wrote. Mine looks like a rusted POS, but I really enjoy the car. It puts a smile on my face when I feel how well this car was designed between the gearing, torque, power band, FE, etc.........Like living in perfect harmony. Wish I had it when it was brand new, how cool would that be?

Even my front seats have lots of support in them. I wouldn't hesitate driving my 16 year old car anywhere. & to think, so easy on the wallet!

Thanks to web sites like this, these car are reaching legendary status, & they deserve it!

Enjoy VX'n
Dave

[tsirkucp]

I would be more than happy yo help a bit but i live in southern or. Where you at?

[GasSavers_Gollum]

Under current legislation in CA ANY car 76' or newer MUST be smogged. New cars have a 6 year exemption, and all other cars must have a bi-anual inspection/smog test performed.

If the previous owner had smogged the car, and it passed then you might be able to avoid smogging it after the transfer of title. That's the only "exemption" you might see. Unless the previous owner used some tricky loop hole like a SB100 (which would be illegal for a Civic VX) then it must be smogged like every other vehicle.

It used to be a rolling 25 year rule where after a vehicle was 25 years old it was no longer subject to the bi-anual inspection/test. This is an outdated law that's been overidden by a new legislation (which sucks if you ask me).

[Jay2TheRescue]

Virginia uses the 25 year rule, and I was sooo thankful when my 81 Regal became exempt. One year I had to put a new carb in it to pass. That cost me about $1,500 at the time.

[IndyFetch]

NO smog rules in Indy. I remember my mom's '78 Olds 98 Regency Broughm with a 403 V8, a sticking choke, and no smog equipment. I was riding my bike one day when she drove by and the smell of it was ungodly. That thing would wilt flowers 10 feet behind it when idling.

The fuel gauges in older Hondas move around quite a bit. They go down when making right turns or accelerating, and up when making left turns and decelerating.

Both of my doors require a lot of key-wiggling.

The VX idle speed should be 600-700 rpm. I wouldn't go any lower than that, or it could stall out.

My shocks are very nearly shot. I hope to replace them this spring.

Lots of luck on the repairs. You'll figure out what you want to fix the most, and prioritize the rest. There's a well of good VX info on this site.

[vicsunus]

Originally Posted by tsirkucp

I would be more than happy yo help a bit but i live in southern or. Where you at?

Hi tsirkucp, I live in Irvine. That would be great if you could help out!

I checked the coolant the other day and the fluid in the overflow reservior is crusty brown colored. So I suspect there might be a head gasket leak. Either that or the coolant has never been changed, which looks possible because the inside of the bottle and tube that connects to the bottle look pretty dirty with brown crust on it.
I went out and bought some Prestone antifreeze and will do a coolant flush this weekend. Then I'll drive a little bit and see if it gets dirty again. If it does, most likely head gasket and I'll take it to the mechanic.

I spoke wrong before. The idle speed is alright, like 700rpm.

Sometimes the CEL light would come on. My friend blinked out the code with a paper clip and it was 48. We found it meant "Heated oxygen sensor". So maybe I need to replace the O2 sensor? Which one tho? Probably the 4wire one in the front?

First for repairs will def be head gasket (if it is leaking). And if the mechanics are already in there, also replacing timing belt and water pump.
Then I'll do some minor cosmetic stuff, like buying latches and bolts to repair the rear seat and connecting the hatch struts to the rear window. Bondoing the hole up. sanding the rust out. Good cleaning.
Then i guess I'll buy some tools and replace the rear struts myself.
But I'm not sure if its the struts or the bushings that are making the noise. So far I have not felt the car "bottom out". Just annoying squeaking sounds whenever I go over speed bumps or potholes.

[GasSavers_TomO]

Originally Posted by sunv

Sometimes the CEL light would come on. My friend blinked out the code with a paper clip and it was 48. We found it meant "Heated oxygen sensor". So maybe I need to replace the O2 sensor? Which one tho? Probably the 4wire one in the front?

What year is your VX and is it a CA model or Federal (49 state) model?

I ask because if it's a 92 CA model or any Federal Model it will have a 5 wire O2. 93-95 CA models have the four wire O2.

LAF Heater Troubleshooting
LAF Troubleshooting

[vicsunus]

Originally Posted by TomO

What year is your VX and is it a CA model or Federal (49 state) model?

I ask because if it's a 92 CA model or any Federal Model it will have a 5 wire O2. 93-95 CA models have the four wire O2.

LAF Heater Troubleshooting
LAF Troubleshooting

My VX is 1994 and I'm sure its a CA model.
Is the O2 sensor a metal stick that plugs into the center of the exhaust manifold? If that is the O2 sensor, I counted and it seems to have 5 wires. Not sure what that means. Perhaps its not really 94 model but actually 92 model? but on the registration it says 1994.

Was going to drain coolant today but when i got all my stuff out, it started raining. And it seems it will rain all the beginning of this week. But I did practice driving around and am getting better at not stalling. Not sure if I should drain coolant and see if it gets brown again, or should I just take it to a mechanic.

I have a question if you go into 2nd gear and you aren't going fast enough, does your car start to shudder? Mine does. I'm not sure if its the clutch slipping or the engine about to die. It shudders at first and as i get faster the shudder goes away. Is this normal?

[Jay2TheRescue]

If you are going too slow for the selected speed the car can shudder. My 1981 AMC spirit would sometimes do that if I shifted into 3rd or 4th too soon.