new to manual learning how to drive vx

[fobx530]

so i bought my vx for 1k, i brought a friend who is experience with engines and said it sounds amazing for a car w/ 300k miles on the engine. d15z1, mind you that it's not in the best shape of it's life, interior or exterior but I bought the car for the engine.

This is my first manual car and I got this for MPG purposes so I will sacrifice the luxury of an automatic.

I notice that on first gear I have to rev it somewhat high to get to 20mph then shift into second so it won't make an annoying sound thumping sound, i think it's running out of oxygen to burn? and the car somewhat shakes. Once it gets over 20mph on second year, it's smooth as butter.

Still, I believe to save gas, I had to keep the RPM low thus I get into first gear get it up to 5mph and shift into second...it will still make the thumping sound but if I don't accelerate hard, it's not a loud thump...it's not the engine but I'm thinking the exhaust.

My transmission doesn't grind and again, my friend was amazed that the transmission was this good for 300k (he thinks it's been rebuilt).

Am I driving it correctly? Is the car ok?

I'd love to learn how to drive this car correctly w/ the best possible mileage, shifting etc.

My first tank I got 36mpg, second tank 42mpg, now I'm getting 52 mpg.

I still want to know if it's safe for the car as it is 300k miles old. I understand that hondas are built beautiful and 300k is not bad....thus I bought the car.

PLEASE HELP!

[fobx530]

Also my CV shaft has clicking when I make a full u-turn, is this dangerous?

Also, I read about the lean burn about the compression ration of fuel and oxygen.

There's not a way to drive it in this "lean burn" mode at all times are there?

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

Thumping sound when you shift...you might check your motor mounts. It's an old car, and rubber doesn't last forever. Shouldn't be very hard to replace them, and the car will most likely be smoother and quieter.

Sounds like it's time for a new half-shaft or two. It's a little bit of work to replace these, but if you know your way around a car, should be no problem. If you don't have one, get a book. Haynes, or better yet, the Honda service manual (check eBay).

I've seen Hondas in the junkyard with >400k miles on them, so with proper care and feeding, you should be fine. As long as the body of the car isn't rusted out, even if you have to rebuild the engine, that'll cost you maybe six months payments on a new car. So repairs are worth doing on this car, if necessary.

Have fun!

[spotaneagle]

When I had tranny probz in first gear in a 5sp(taking off from a stop meant the tranny slamming into gear almost everythime, at this point), I changed my fluid to mobil1 cleaned the hell out of my linkage and used silicone lube spray on it, then I had to go up to a wall and do the regrind your flywheel trick to get it to finally got into first all the time correctly this involved against a wall release the clutch slowly and let the rpms drop with the gas barely pressed in but like your takung off in first gear.. this should supposedly flatten out your flywheel. I did this after having problems with a new clutch and a tranny mechanic told me to do it.. also(i read on saturn fans.com) you can wind out your gears in an isolated street and it should purge each gear if you have trouble between first and second you can drive in first for 15 minutes and then maybe 2nd at say 2500 rpm and the constant fluid through that gear should clean it out and make it shift better, this works for reverse slam if you leave your car in revese against a wall for 20 minutes.. also the right shoes with a manual can help too so you feel it better

[spotaneagle]

just go in that order to try and fix your problen those are the cheap methods

[imzjustplayin]

Is it a California or federal car? Does it a have a shift indicator light? How many RPM do you have to rev to before you can shift? One way to know is to look under the hood and see the sticker on the hood which will say the type of emissions for the car.

[fobx530]

it's california, i checked the car fax. been in california it's whole life. no shift indicator.

first gear requires 2.5k rpm to get to 20mph and then into second w/o the thumping or shaking of the car. anything below that will somewhat make it shake.

when i make a right turn, i can't really use 2nd gear the car will shake, i think it's the exhaust or w/e is shaking.

The hood has been replaced, so i don't know the type of emission.

[fobx530]

Originally Posted by JoeBob

Thumping sound when you shift...you might check your motor mounts. It's an old car, and rubber doesn't last forever. Shouldn't be very hard to replace them, and the car will most likely be smoother and quieter.

Sounds like it's time for a new half-shaft or two. It's a little bit of work to replace these, but if you know your way around a car, should be no problem. If you don't have one, get a book. Haynes, or better yet, the Honda service manual (check eBay).

Have fun!

It's not really a thumping sound, it's only when i shift too low on second gear. it sounds like it's starving for oxygen to burn the fuel or something...that's what a friend said. the car shakes, i think it's mostly the muffler or something.

so i'm unsure if this is bad for the car or not or if it's suppose to be like this at all.

[fobx530]

Also could someone tell me if pulse and glide would be good or bad for the civic? this means i gotta turn off my engine during the glide? i really don't think the vx is all that aerodynamic...in it's original state that is.

[theholycow]

Pulse & Glide does not require you to shut off the engine. Unfortunately, the terminology isn't standardized, but to me P&G is done with the engine on. Once you start doing it with the engine off I call it Engine Off Coasting (EOC) or Pulse & EOC.

Engine or transmission mount is my guess for your thumping too.

If instead it's just running rough and the vibrations are making something go thump, is it up-to-date on its maintenance?