It's in overall pretty good condition, but it has a few minor mechanical problems that need fixing:

1. Drivers side power window is messed up. It only goes up about 95% of the way and then spazzes out.
2. Warped rotors.
3. Exhaust sounds weird, like something isn't connected properly (Conclusion: Add fart can)
4. Sunroof will not fully open, only tilt.
5. Headlight glass is foggy as shit
....
997. Missing giant JDM rear wing and Nos stickers.


[Edited on July 5, 2010 at 10:27 PM. Reason : ]

7/5/2010 10:26:23 PM

Quote :

"Make sure to put the wing on the hood. That way you add downforce to the drive wheels. The same concept can be applied if you reverse the wing on the trunk. By lifting the back end, you'll force more weight on the front end, pushing it down. This will also prolong the life of your rear tires by reducing the wear on them, reduce rolling resistance thus improving fuel mileage, and improvise as a rear luggage rack in case the rear seats and trunk are not enough for your belongings. "

7/5/2010 10:52:01 PM

so what is the question? did i miss something?

7/5/2010 11:09:42 PM

Yes, how should I tackle all of those line items. Thanks!

7/5/2010 11:10:09 PM

Quote :

"1. Drivers side power window is messed up. It only goes up about 95% of the way and then spazzes out."

search http://www.honda-tech.com for common issues and you'll probably find a fix for this

Quote :

"2. Warped rotors."

advance auto or autozone
rotors are cheap

Quote :

"3. Exhaust sounds weird, like something isn't connected properly (Conclusion: Add fart can)"

jack up the car, put it on jack stands
crawl underneath and wiggle the exhaust pipes, looking for loose fittings
it may just be a loose bolt or bad donut gasket
get a clue of where it leaks and take it to Henry's muffler shop and have him fix it
or buy an aftermarket cat back and headers and bolt them on yourself, not that hard

Quote :

"4. Sunroof will not fully open, only tilt."

push the button to open the sunroof again, after it tilts
some Hondas work like that, one push = tilt, push again to slide back

Quote :

"5. Headlight glass is foggy as shit"

google this for a cheap fix, I'm sure I've seen it out there

Quote :

"997. Missing giant JDM rear wing and Nos stickers."

add wing and stickas as you see fit, it's your car

7/5/2010 11:28:10 PM

1. Take the interior door panel off and watch the window slide up the track to make sure it is aligned properly. Sometimes the window drags on one side and make it impossible to roll up. Also make sure the window itself is sitting level in the mechanism that raises and lowers the window.

2. If the rotors are old, replace them. If they're new, then get them resurfaced at the shop

3. Look for a leak. Follow the muffler to where you think the sound is being emitted. You can put your hand close, but not touching the exhaust, to feel if any exhaust is escaping. If the exhaust tubing looks intact, you make just have to replace your muffler.

4. Sounds like a moonroof.

5. If it's glass, it shouldn't be foggy. If it is glass and it's foggy, you probably have a water leak on the inside and you need to clean it from the inside and seal the leak

If it's plastic, you can try rubbing in Crest toothpaste with A LOT OF ELBOW GREASE. It should buff the plastic. Then follow up with a wax or polish to make it shiny and smooth again. You might have heard the Crest trick when fixing scratched CDs

997. Ebay.com

[Edited on July 5, 2010 at 11:30 PM. Reason : .]

7/5/2010 11:28:50 PM

i remember when i had my 1st honda.

7/6/2010 9:40:24 AM

you can find replacement headlights (stock-looking). That's what I did to my dad's 99 Corolla

7/6/2010 11:08:42 AM

But then I'll be missing out on my TYPE SiR XENONS

7/6/2010 11:57:22 AM

Those headlights suck so bad. You will probably need some sand paper to get anywhere. I spent 3 hours messing with a TLs plastic headlights and that car was only 4-5years old.

7/6/2010 1:01:29 PM

replacement lights: http://www.amazon.com/1996-1998-HONDA-CIVIC-HEADLIGHT-96-98/dp/B002MEUUAM

they're probably not built as well as the originals but for the price what the heck

7/6/2010 1:10:41 PM

^^ Yeah I figure I'd get replacements

7/6/2010 1:16:27 PM

don't make it look too nice or your shit will get stolen


Civics are like gold to theives

get LoJack

7/6/2010 1:18:28 PM

civics like that aint worth nothin h8r

7/6/2010 4:55:08 PM

7/6/2010 4:55:33 PM

b16 swap !!!1

7/6/2010 5:14:31 PM

what a sweet ride you have there sir, welcome to the club... and.. RED IN COLOR! nice

if the outside looks plain, aint no one gonna touch it.

once you put some wheels or some shit on there they'll think its worth stealing,only to find out its a stock civic-mobile.


like mentioned, take your door panel off, its a simple thing to do, but also a simple thing to screw up if you pull the wrong way. then you can start to mess with your window switches. maybe your regulator is crapping out. does the pass. side go up slow as well? if so could be a problem in drawing power. check your grounds/alt/batt make sure its all charged up.

warped rotors are common, my credit cards are thicker than these things. like mentioned, get a set from vatozone, or if you have enough rotor left, get them turned, sand down your pads (or get new ones) and youre set.

yeah, its a old car. rust and shit has probably eaten up your exhaust. i wouldnt mess with it until you find out exactly where its coming from and have all your parts ready, cuz you'll most likely break a bolt or something and youll have rig it up.

it may be a moon roof. i dont remember. my exGF had a 99 and i think it was a sunroof, twas an EX model.

and you can fix your headlight from vatozone as well. they sell these adapters you can put on a drill and buff your headlights. or google some home remedies and call it a day.

and you're stuck with a radio.no tape, nothing. get something to replace it. but beware, its easy to pick those civics, so find a way to mask the aftermarket radio.

[Edited on July 6, 2010 at 7:48 PM. Reason : ]

[Edited on July 6, 2010 at 7:50 PM. Reason : ]

7/6/2010 7:46:13 PM

Quote :

"what a sweet ride you have there sir, welcome to the club... and.. RED IN COLOR! nice"

thanks

Quote :

"if the outside looks plain, aint no one gonna touch it. once you put some wheels or some shit on there they'll think its worth stealing,only to find out its a stock civic-mobile."

I don't plan on doing anything to the body. Maybe changing out those hubcaps for clip on spinnaz.

Quote :

"like mentioned, take your door panel off, its a simple thing to do, but also a simple thing to screw up if you pull the wrong way. then you can start to mess with your window switches. maybe your regulator is crapping out. does the pass. side go up slow as well? if so could be a problem in drawing power. check your grounds/alt/batt make sure its all charged up."

The drivers side window rolls up and down steady and fine. but when it gets about 95% to the top it starts spazzing out.

Quote :

"warped rotors are common, my credit cards are thicker than these things. like mentioned, get a set from vatozone, or if you have enough rotor left, get them turned, sand down your pads (or get new ones) and youre set."

yes I was thinking of just picking up some stock replacements from autozone, but I didn't know if there were better alternatives for just a little bit more. I'm not trying to track this thing, but I wouldn't mind better braking power if it's not too expensive.

Quote :

"it may be a moon roof. i dont remember. my exGF had a 99 and i think it was a sunroof, twas an EX model. "

not sure, but there's definitely something wrong with it. There are three buttons on the sunroof controls (shown here): http://media.photobucket.com/image/civic%20sunroof%20controls/morningveiws/civic/DSC01421.jpg

The first one is lowering, the second one is tilting, and I'm not sure what the third one does, but when I hit it nothing happens.

Quote :

"and you can fix your headlight from vatozone as well. they sell these adapters you can put on a drill and buff your headlights. or google some home remedies and call it a day."

I figured replacements would just be cheaper at least in terms of time invested.... right? they can't be that expensive.

7/6/2010 9:52:34 PM

In case I accidentally click on this thread:

7/6/2010 11:54:17 PM

for the sunroof: top is close, middle is vent/pop up, bottom is open. I haven't been in one in years but it seems like when it's vented, you actually have to close it before you can slide it fully open.

for the rotors, you're not going to gain any stopping power with nicer rotors. they'll just last longer or keep from warping as easily. Autozone rotors should be more than fine.

7/7/2010 12:05:50 AM

how do I get that out

7/7/2010 11:24:47 AM

If the headlights are cloudy/hazy 3M makes a headlight restore kit that hooks up to any cordless drill and works very well. It's basically a few different grit sandpapers, polish and a buffing wheel. I paid $19 at WalMart for it and it took about 45 minutes to do both lights on my civic.

7/7/2010 1:11:46 PM

Is this a replacement for the Rx-8?

7/8/2010 8:06:16 AM

Yep

7/8/2010 8:24:28 AM

i hope you were not friends with the gas clerk...you will see him half as often.

7/8/2010 8:27:51 AM

heh

I found out that the trunk key lock doesn't work. I can only open it using the lever below the driver's side seat.

7/8/2010 8:41:36 AM

someone gave you the valet key

7/8/2010 10:01:38 AM

are you serious?

7/8/2010 10:24:36 AM

Yeah, I'll bet that it won't lock the glovebox either.

7/8/2010 10:24:40 AM

god damn it.

how do I fix that?

7/8/2010 10:30:39 AM

Quote :

"god damn it. how do I fix that?"

Probably have to work with the dealership on that one, right?

Quote :

"i hope you were not friends with the gas clerk...you will see him half as often."

Took my '97 LX to Charlotte from here and back last weekend (from TN) and averaged 42 mpg even with a CEL on because of a bad primary O2 sensor

Oh, and to counteract Ahmet's shitty off topic picture:


[Edited on July 8, 2010 at 10:53 AM. Reason : .]

7/8/2010 10:51:25 AM

haha yes...

It's stunning to go from averaging 230 miles for a 14 gallon fillup of premium gas to this.

I have a full tank and I've gone 100 miles and it's just now dipping below the F on the fuel gauge.

7/8/2010 10:55:26 AM

I had a similar problem with a BMW I bought. Went to the dealer with the VIN number and they ordered a key. Only cost ~$20 or something.

7/8/2010 10:57:31 AM

I, too, will counteract ahmets shitty picture with this gem:

7/8/2010 7:03:00 PM

After doing some testing, I'm pretty sure it's a mechanism in the trunk lock, and not the key.

7/9/2010 1:14:04 PM

i just rekeyed a drivers door in a 2003 civic.

remove the entire lock from the trunk and take it with a key to a lock smith. They might need a new cylinder for the lock as well.

i used :

Busse's Lock Service
2003 Wake Forest Rd
Raleigh, NC 27608
(919) 828-9605

Mine was 30$. If it's in the trunk its probably easy to remove. The door one was a PITA.

7/9/2010 2:40:15 PM

so this probably isn't something a mechanic could fix

7/9/2010 2:47:45 PM

any mechanic that parts inside the lock and lock cylinders for a civic could fix it. i could fix it but honda wont sell the parts separate. HMSJ

7/9/2010 2:51:33 PM

In reference to the cloudy headlights..

Use any aluminum polish. 45 minutes is bullshit. I cleaned my 96 hx's headlights in less than 10 minutes and did a better job than that bullshit headlight cleaning kit i bought before.


my question:

WTF was honda thinking NOT putting cruise control on the HX.. and how hard is it to add this?

as i understand i would need a vaccum canister, a dash button, and some assorted wiring? or is the wiring part of the dash harness? is there a separate cruise control computer or is it integrated into the PCM?

7/12/2010 11:19:26 AM

It would probably be a lot easier to add one of those aftermarket kits than to use the real Honda one. I knew a guy who used to install them in college and it didn't seem too difficult.

7/12/2010 11:50:21 AM

[user]In reference to the cloudy headlights..
[/user]

just use toothpaste and a rag.

7/12/2010 2:30:19 PM

YAY MORE PICTARS!

I've read that polishing headlights will remove the top UV protective layer, which will make them get cloudier, and more quickly. Anybody know more about this, perhaps somebody here has done it to a car some time ago that mostly sits outside?

7/12/2010 5:15:40 PM

if it's cloudy already. the uv layer doesnt matter anymore.

7/12/2010 5:18:25 PM

^^Spray clear over lights. ive done it many many times

7/12/2010 5:33:39 PM