got my first honda. have a few maintenance questions

[mixtape86]

Hey guys,

I just picked up a '94 Honda Civic LX Sedan this past weekend. I have been driving a 5.7L Camaro until recently, but it doesn't make for a great daily driver with 50+ mile trips each day. I figured I would drive the Honda on weekdays and the Camaro on the weekends.

So far I love the Honda. I'll be honest, it actually surprised me. It has decent power, gets phenomenal gas mileage, and it's pretty roomy. However, it is in need of a tune up though. So far I noticed that the alignment might be off (pulls slightly). Also Pep Boys was having a special on 5 quarts of GTX High Mileage oil with a Purolator PureOne filter which I grabbed yesterday. I also got a bottle of Gumout all-in-one which I need to put in when I fill the tank next.

I'll admit that I don't know much about Hondas. I was raised with domestics, but I really wanted to give the much praised Civic a try. All in all, I love the car. All my friends say she'll run forever if properly maintained. I'm hoping you guys can point me in the right direction on how to do so. I'll start browsing around the site, but if anyone has tips or suggestions, I'd greatly appreciate them. Here are a few questions I have so far:

1.) I showed a few pics of the engine bay. The spark plug wires don't look that old, but what do you guys think about changing the wires and plugs? How about the cap and rotor? Also, what brands do you suggest?

2.) I want to change the air filter of the car, but I was toying with the idea of putting an aftermarket cone filter on the car. I am not really looking for power increase, but it might allow for a few more mpg's. How restrictive is the stock air box?

3.) I believe I only need to put 4 quarts of oil in for the oil change. Is that correct? Unfortunately the car did not come with an owners manual.

Thanks so much guys. Hope to have her running like new soon. I appreciate any tips you can give me.

 

[Laozy]

Nice find man.

 

[s_crowley 17]

Welcome to the site, what are your plans?

 

[s_crowley 17]

I usually bought 5 quarts and used 4.5.. i believe most people do that..

 

[RonJ]

Enjoy the new car.

When you buy a used 5th gen Civic, it's wise to replace the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor with OEM parts.

Any CEL codes?

(Thread moved to Members Rides section)

 

[WalkingComplex]

plans? and how about pix of ur camaro? One thing to know though. Listen to RonJ(^^Him^^). He's the Civic guru of ClubCivic.

 

[mixtape86]

Thank you guys .

As far as plans for the Civic, I'm most likely keeping things pretty much stock. Any modifications will be to benefit mpg, or just things to prolong the life of the car. There are no CEL codes which is pretty nice for the year/mileage. The previous owner picked up a new Audi so I'm pretty sure he just let the car go for that reason instead of some underlying problem (or so I hope ha). For 16 years old, this car is not in the least bit bad.

Also, what do I gap the spark plugs at?

and how about pix of ur camaro?

94 Z8 t-tops 6 speed. Easy on the eyes, though a pain on the wallet . I have one pic on my comp (my wallpaper)

 

[Gre8one7]

gap them to 1.1 mm or .043 in

Make sure the tbelt and that is in good condition also.

 

[HondaBlood]

Nice, gotta love the 5th Gens. But to make a suggestion. Don't put that Gum-Out crap in your baby man, there
is no cure all in a bottle! Take her to a shop and have them use the MotoVac on her, it will clean her intake, fuel rails, valves, and cly. It may cost a bit more but its well worth the price...

 

[mixtape86]

Thank you guys . As far as the Gum-Out, I've only read good things about them . Well, the worst I read was that someone claimed it did nothing for them and just wasted a few bucks. Can't hurt I'd imagine.

I plan on stopping by the local Honda dealer tomorrow to pick up 2 quarts of ATF and a fuel filter. I will inquire more about the timing belt too. When it comes to simple maintenance items, I am a DIYer. However a timing job may require a shop's help.

I actually picked up a few more goodies for the Civic on my way home today. Four NGK 7098 plugs, a can of Seafoam, Rain-X Bug Remover, and a Napa Gold airfilter.

 

[pmac193]

Nice car and welcome to the site.

I'd suggest buying a haynes or chiltons manual, you should be able to find one at your local auto parts store.

The napa air filter you have is fine, don't bother with a cone and if you want to replace the spark plug wires go with oem or NGK ones.

 

[mixtape86]

Went to the local Honda dealer today to find out that they don't have a fuel filter in stock for a '94 Civic LX. Also found out that it would have cost over $30 if they did . I'm surprised since Civics are so widely popular that they didn't order any. So tomorrow I'm heading over to Napa for a Napa Gold fuel filter.

I ended up getting two quarts of Honda ATF. However I forgot how many quarts I need. Was it 1.6 quarts? Or is that for a manual trans? I have an auto.

 

[Melt]

wish i saw this thread sooner i got some atf i woulda shipped you from when i had my 94 accord

anyways, youre off to a good start ... and since nobody has addressed it, yes get a short ram intake, they are cheap on ebay .... although your gas miles may actually go down when you first get it cause it sounds cool at WOT

ever consider some 5 spoke vette rims for the camaro?

 

[WBJ]

Yah man nice find. The engine is a lot cleaner than I expected to see. NGK plugs are OEM for most Hondas and the wires really dont matter for brand. You can get the mid range ones from Autozone/Advanded Auto with a life time warranty and just switch them out once a year! Thats what I do on my daily Honda. Unless I missed this suggestion, replace the rotor button with in the dist. cap as well and you will be set. Ive owned 4-5 Hondas and they all lasted until about 275k-280k miles until they died. So from the looks of things you have at least 100k more to go. And thats only if you were like me and bought it from a guy that didnt take car of the car. If the previous owner kept up with regular maintanice then you should get more than that!

 

[mixtape86]

wish i saw this thread sooner i got some atf i woulda shipped you from when i had my 94 accord

That's my luck lol. Thank you though. I ended up paying around $11 per quart today . Do you know how many quarts the automatics take for this year? I read somewhere that 1.6 quarts is fine, and somewhere else that I should expect 3 . Do manuals and automatics take the same amount?

anyways, youre off to a good start ... and since nobody has addressed it, yes get a short ram intake, they are cheap on ebay .... although your gas miles may actually go down when you first get it cause it sounds cool at WOT

I checked out some videos on Youtube, and surprisingly this car sounds amazing with an intake! For such a small engine, I was shocked. Though since I have the Napa Gold filter, I'll be going the stock intake box route for now.

ever consider some 5 spoke vette rims for the camaro?

Funny you should mention. I picked these up over the winter . I'm having trouble finding spacers so I haven't put them on yet. Plus the rear tires are toast .

 

[Aaron.]

looks good

 

[Melt]

That's my luck lol. Thank you though. I ended up paying around $11 per quart today . Do you know how many quarts the automatics take for this year? I read somewhere that 1.6 quarts is fine, and somewhere else that I should expect 3 . Do manuals and automatics take the same amount?

if i knew id tell you, i actully had one of these for a little while as a project but it was taking up too much of my time so i sold it

http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=83851
http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=87033

Funny you should mention. I picked these up over the winter . I'm having trouble finding spacers so I haven't put them on yet. Plus the rear tires are toast .

those look nice! Deff throw up some pics of the camaro when you get em on

 

[mixtape86]

looks good

Thank you .

if i knew id tell you, i actully had one of these for a little while as a project but it was taking up too much of my time so i sold it

http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=83851
http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=87033

those look nice! Deff throw up some pics of the camaro when you get em on

Wow, even in the same color ha. Sorry to hear you sold it. Though sometimes we bite off more than we can chew. My new rule has been, "If I can't drive it home, it's not coming home." . Do you still have the Integra?

As for pics, I will be sure to take some .

 

[Melt]

no integra anymore, needed the truck and couldnt afford insurance on 2 cars, out of all my hondas though that was my favorite.

and i was able to drive that civic home lol with it smoking like hell ... had to get a jump start halfway though cause the alternator was out.

 

[DRISSN]

how much did you pick your civic up for? nice camaro, but imo chevys can't pull off the sawblades... they look good on vws though.