92 EG8 revitalized

[jameswanser]

First, a little history. I bought this 1992 LX 5 speed sedan approximately 10 years ago with a salvage title and around 130k miles on the odometer. It was my daily driver until 03/2013, when the head gasket blew with approx. 280k miles on the odometer. Needing a car immediately for work, I bought my 99 Civic the same day the 92 blew it's head. The 92 sat for a few months until we changed the head gasket and my son started driving it to work and school.
Fast forward a couple of years, and it's now parked in my driveway again because my son just shipped off to basic training in the Air Force.
My daughter, a senior in high school, may be needing a car in a few months when she starts college. Since the 99 is an all around nicer car (working A/C, softer suspension, nicer interior, etc.) she's going to be driving that, and I'm going back to the 92.
My son didn't do much in the way of upkeep on this car, other than making sure it was gassed up and occasionally changing the oil. With the exception of new tires, brake pads, and a new wheel (due to an incident involving a curb) my son hasn't changed anything on the car after he started using it for work and school. All the changes from stock had been performed by me in the years prior. So, this thread will mainly show repairs and updates to the car as it returns to service as my daily driver.
Car stats:
Skunk2 adjustable upper control arms (front)
Ingalls adjustable upper control arms (rear)
Goodridge stainless brake lines
5th gen Civic EX front/rear sway bars
Civic SI shock tower bar
Polyurethane suspension bushings, shift bushings
5th gen Civic EX front knuckles/brakes; rear trailing arms/disc brake conversion
Brembo rotors (front)
EBC "Greenstuff" pads
2nd gen Integra 40/40 proportioning valve
5th gen Civic EX brake master cylinder
15 in. Konig Helium wheels
Tein "H type" springs
Tokico HP shocks
K&N drop-in air filter, modified OEM air intake
stainless clutch line
BBK high flow fuel pump
NGK plug wires
Greddy stainless header and cat-back exhaust system
Fidanza short throw shifter
3rd gen Integra shift knob
3rd gen Integra front seats
Ferio rear window garnish
Stanley clear corner lights

And now for some old pics...

 

[jameswanser]

ok, WTF? I've posted images before (although it's been awhile) and didn't have issues. Now, I can't even see my own images? IRL was posted straight from photobucket. So what did I do wrong?
Eff it, I'll figure it out tomorrow!

 

[Killa_CiViC]

Try using the direct image location and just img brackets.
Need to see if I've ever seen your car around town.

 

[jameswanser]

Ok, so I figured out how to post pics. Man, do I suck at this!
Here are a few pics of the head gasket change in 2013....

 

[jameswanser]

So, a few months ago I got a call at 11 pm from my son, asking for help. While he was a work, he left the dome light on and killed the battery. When he tried to open the hood, the hood wouldn't open. Turns out the hood latch cable finally broke. We took loose the splashguard and fender liners, so we'd have enough room to pull out the bottom of the bumper cover and reach the hood latch manually. Apparently he forgot to reconnect all the screws on the liner when we were putting the parts back on, and halfway home the liner began rubbing on the tire. So, first things to replace are the driver side fender liner and the hood latch cable.
I was able to pull a decent liner from my local Pick N Pull yard for about $15, and the latch cable I ordered last week just arrived in the mail yesterday. Also, the clutch master cylinder has been leaking into the footwell. Carpet (and the plastic/foam padding underneath the dash) is trashed and falling apart because of the fluid. I've replaced the clutch cylinder, but haven't adjusted it yet or filled/bled the system. Ended up removing the seats and ripping out the carpet (aside from the clutch fluid, carpet gets damp when it rains, so it was pretty bad already).
Also noticed the PCV vacuum line was collapsed, so got another when I picked up the fender liner.
I'll be posting new pics of the car and the replacement of parts once I figure out how to download them from the wife's new phone.

 

[endo617]

Download Photobucket App and upload pics through there. Really easy.

 

[jameswanser]

Download Photobucket App and upload pics through there. Really easy.

Thanks. Unfortunately I mistyped it. It's not a new phone, it's a new camera. And looks like it might be the computer's media drive instead of the card itself. Card not being recognized when inserted in the drive. If I can find the original camera box, might be able to locate a data transfer cord.

 

[jameswanser]

well, this past weekend I replaced the hood latch, that driver side fender liner (just as well, since I had to take the old one out to replace that latch cable), bled the clutch lines, and adjusted the clutch pedal. Man, that was a pain in the ass to adjust. Not difficult, just a lot of time and tiny adjustments to get it right. Put all the seats and center console back in, bumper on, and fluids topped up. Also noticed one of the exhaust hangers near the resonator was loose (the rubber bushing was attached to the hanger on the piping, but had come loose from the hanger on the chassis). A couple of minutes fighting that bushing, and it was back on.
I decided to take it to work Tuesday, so I could give it an extended test drive. Not bad, but it sure creaks more than I remember, and I hear some thumps as well while driving. May need to lube the suspension again. Also, transmission is getting noisy when the clutch is out, so I think the bearings in the transmission may need replacement sometime in the near future.

 

[jameswanser]

Finally, some pics of the clutch master cylinder replacement, plus some pics of the "customized" airbox (it got cleaned up while I was waiting for the K&N filter to dry).
Found that vacuum hose had collapsed, so I grabbed an extra I had lying around and replaced it.
That master cylinder must have been leaking for a while, because that floorboard was NASTY.
And, a picture of the braided clutch line I snagged a couple of years ago from a Pick N Pull. Think I paid $5 for it..

 

[jameswanser]

AND, bumper was off to replace the hood cable

 

[Mr.Baker]

Getting some use out of this thing, it definitely is a "family" car.

 

[jameswanser]

Yup. My son told me last week that while he's in tech training, he wants to use the car (pretty much all summer). Had planned to drive it myself while my daughter uses my 99, but she's going to be traveling most of the summer before she goes out of state for college, so looks like she doesn't need it anyway. ALTHOUGH, been eying a couple of Integras on Craigslist lately, so not sure how much longer I'll be keeping this EG.

 

[jameswanser]

pulled the front wheels off last night and took a good look at the suspension. Looks like the outer tie rod on the driver side is worn, and the passenger inner tie rod boot is torn. So, looks like new tie rods are in the immediate future. Also looks like the sway bracket bushings and end link bushings are worn out, so will be replacing them as well. Might be replacing the lower ball joints as well, since they are the original ones, and the car is over 20 years old (not sure of the warning signs for failing ball joints).

 

[jameswanser]

I started removing the steering knuckle/hubs, as well as removing the tie rods. Due to weather, I had to stop halfway through.


The tie rod boots are shot, and the lower ball joint boots aren't any better condition.


knuckle removed. That ball joint tool in the lower right of the picture sure made it a lot easier.

Old ball joint didn't have any circlips. Makes me think they'd been replaced at some point. And... removed. Those knuckles are filthy, but I'm not going to spend a lot of time making them pretty

Driver side axle boot is ripped, so looks like I'm replacing this as well

Shiny new axle installed. The weather turned after this, so didn't get anything else installed. Inner tie rod bellows (on both sides) were torn. Was able to get the passenger side removed, but not the driver side. Not enough access, so looks like I'll be "borrowing" a tool from my local parts store to get this tie rod off and the new ones installed easier (was tight access, but still a little easier when replacing the tie rods on the 99).
The bellows were attached with zip ties, so appears someone had replaced them at some point in the past.

 

[jameswanser]

Well, neither of the local parts stores had an inner tie rod tool that fit my tie rods (all too large or too small). Also was unable to find a large enough crow's foot wrench, so I had to buy my own inner tie rod tool set. Was $40 at Harbor Freight. A really nice selection of adaptors, and a really well put together tool, but I hate spending $40 on a tool I'll have very limited use of. With that said, it worked beautifully, and had the driver's side off in less than a minute. Was even able to use it to torque the new parts correctly. Really, the hardest part was getting the new bellows installed onto the ends of the steering rack.
I hope tomorrow to reinstall the steering knuckles and get everything back together.

 

[jameswanser]

photos of the new tool. As you can see, it has changeable inserts that lock into the end of the tool via a sliding collar

 

[jameswanser]

Well, I got the steering knuckles installed, but still need to install the outer tie rods and torque everything down. Hope to finish up after work tomorrow night ( I ran out of light tonight)

 

[jameswanser]

all done, and on the ground. alignment tomorrow morning, then my son will take it off my hands for a few months

 

[jameswanser]

Well, it's official. The car is now posted for sale on Craigslist. My boy is in tech training, and the car's been parked for a few weeks. Registration expired yesterday, and I've got one too many cars in the driveway. It was a tossup between the 92 and the 99, but since the 99's registration still good until January the 92 is the one leaving first.

 

[jameswanser]

So, the drama continues. Son called me today and asked "for $1500-$2000, would I be able to fix the 92 up that it'd be reliable for him to drive to California?" And, would I be able to do it in a few weeks? He's looking to get use of the car again, instead of buying his own when he reports to his base in Cali. Fort Worth to California isn't a short trip across town, and he'll be stationed there for a minimum of 3 years. I told him if I were going to keep the car and give it to him for use, top things I would do are:

1. replace the engine. It's over 300k, and needs to be rebuilt before too much longer. The head gasket, timing belt, water pump, and power steering pump have all been replaced in the past 2 years, but nothing in the bottom end. I have a spare block that needs cylinder honing and rings gapped/installed, and I don't have the tools/time to do it right now.
2. replace the transmission. It's starting to get noisy when the clutch pedal is out, so I think the bearings will need changing.
3. replace the calipers front and back, along with new rotors (and maybe even brake booster). Caliper piston seals in the front were replaced 6 or 7 years ago when I updated to EX brakes, but the rears are exactly as I pulled them from the yard. And, at stop lights the brake pedal slowly creeps to the floor. So, I think the booster has a leak.
4. replace the windshield seals
5. install a new A/C belt, replace all the seals, and likely new compressor. Leaking power steering pump ruined the A/C belt, and it eventually snapped. That was a couple of years ago, so I'm sure the compressor seals are probably junk now. Kid just decided easier to drive with windows down than bother replacing the A/C belt

Brakes are fast and easy fix. Engine machine work and piston install, looks like I might need to get a local machine shop to tackle (again, time and equipment not something I have at the moment). Same with the trans, would likely just have to have him buy a good rebuilt unit.

Now, keep in mind that I'd been planning on using the proceeds of selling the car and buying a used Integra, MX-5 or Subaru. I've got to decide in the next few days what I'm going to do- keep the car up for sale, or let him have it and start work on the rebuild?