'92 EJ2 DX build

[curtisspencer23]

I got my first Honda a ej2 dx coupe. I'm looking to learn more about cars, thinking this would be a good start.

Everything is stock at the moment. The car is clean for the most part, besides a cracked window. There's like some kind of foam around the head, maybe to keep it sealed. I want the car to be a competitive autoX, possibly track car, but keep driving it daily.

I'm going to start slow this week with some New falken tires and an alignment because the front wheels shake when I hit 75 mph. I've been reading online that it can be that or maybe an axle issue. Its definitly on the driver side in the front. I'm gonna upgrade my suspension and brakes before I move onto the engine. I don't want to over build it for my current skill level and not know how to drive it.

I know my post was a bit winded but i hope to learn from you guys. Comments or criticisms are welcomed. Ive never built a car before but I build homes for a living so I hope I pick up on things fast. Any mods you guys would recommend to a noob?

View attachment 27780

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[xxBLOOD88SHOTxx]

Maintenance, always a first no matter what you are doing.

 

[curtisspencer23]

Maintenance, always a first no matter what you are doing.

Thanks for the advice, bloodshot. It has 250k miles on it. My hope for the car is to clean it up, add some nice seats, new gauges, better brakes and suspension.

What should i do besides change the oil? Should i try seafoam or any other engine treatment? Also, can you build a solid D-series engine? From what ive read everyone says to just swap in a b.

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[HockeyZombies]

Shakes? Maybe tires are not aligned? A bad motor mount/tranny mount could be issue. Try a high mileage oil like 10w30 Quaker State Defy or Pennzoil High Mileage. Check tranny fluid,if its brown then drop pan and replace gasket. Dont flush unless previous owner did regular changes. Drain and fill every 10k till solid red. Get a turkey baster and some Honda power steering fluid and baste and refill each oil change till its clear. Baste fluid into cup 1 and add new fluid to cup 2 that equals what you removed from cup 1 and add. Its a slow process but steering will get better I promise. Add a bottle of Gumout All in One and clean your throttle body too. Change pcv valve too. No seafoam...its alcohol based and destroys rubber seals. Check MSDS on Seafoam..there is nothing in it that cleans. Using products Gumout w Regane as it protects against ethanol which protects and cleans entire fuel system. Use top tier gas or non ethanol fuel.

Want paint to shine? Wash by hand with Dawn Dish Soap till rubbing finger makes a noise. Apply water based polish and buff. Top coat with Turtle Wax Ice. Clean headlights with 3M headlight restore or white crest toothpaste. Buff it on,wait 5mins and buff out. If hard to remove add tiny bit water. Repeat if necessary.

 

[curtisspencer23]

Shakes? Maybe tires are not aligned? A bad motor mount/tranny mount could be issue. Try a high mileage oil like 10w30 Quaker State Defy or Pennzoil High Mileage. Check tranny fluid,if its brown then drop pan and replace gasket. Dont flush unless previous owner did regular changes. Drain and fill every 10k till solid red. Get a turkey baster and some Honda power steering fluid and baste and refill each oil change till its clear. Baste fluid into cup 1 and add new fluid to cup 2 that equals what you removed from cup 1 and add. Its a slow process but steering will get better I promise. Add a bottle of Gumout All in One and clean your throttle body too. Change pcv valve too. No seafoam...its alcohol based and destroys rubber seals. Check MSDS on Seafoam..there is nothing in it that cleans. Using products Gumout w Regane as it protects against ethanol which protects and cleans entire fuel system. Use top tier gas or non ethanol fuel.

Cool. Im getting new tires friday and going to have the car aligned and change the oil as well. Im not sure how well it was previously maintained, so ill put in fresh oil and a filter.

Thanks again for the tips, hickeyzombies .I'l let you know how it turned out after i do everything. On a side note, would you recommend Hawk brakes or a different brand, and what kind of suspension? Thanks alot for answering all my noob questions.

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[HeX]

@curtisspencer23, I combined your comments from the other thread identical to this one, then deleted it. I also tweaked the title and added punctuations & more clear wording in all your posts. Please write clearly & punctuate in your future posts. Easier to read posts encourage better responses.

Before anything, you should inspect the "foam around the head". If you meant the head gasket then that could be head gasket sealant and you need to find out if the head is repairable or start considering an engine swap very soon. Get the engine handled before tackling anything else. And yes, a D-series can be a solid built engine for a daily driver.

I personally suggest Akebono brake pads & Techron fuel cleaner. Im not a fan of GumOut because Ive never heard as many good things about it as HockeyZhombie states. As cheap as GumOut is, I cant believe its better than Techron.

For more maintenance ideas, check out this thread.

http://www.clubcivic.com/forum/threads/how-to-better-mpg.215664/

 

[curtisspencer23]

Thanks hex if the head is bad would it be more cost effective to do a engine swap. Sorry I'll work on my grammar I've noticed that's a big deal on car forums. Thanks for all the advice and tips

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[HeX]

Thanks hex if the head is bad would it be more cost effective to do a engine swap. Sorry I'll work on my grammar I've noticed that's a big deal on car forums. Thanks for all the advice and tips

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It would definitely be far more cost effective to swap in the same type of engine, but if you can afford it then a B-series engine swap would be much better. However, with your current limited automotive knowledge, I would say itd be best to just swap in the same motor and enjoy the reliability while you research and learn more.

You may also want to read this thread below about tranny flushing. I dont agree with Hockey Zombies' comments here about not flushing the tranny, and yet he states in the other thread that multiple flushes would help in a tranny thats lacked service which is what I'd suggest if one flush doesnt yield smooth results.

http://www.clubcivic.com/forum/threads/manual-transmission-flush-options.228889/page-2

 

[curtisspencer23]

It would definitely be far more cost effective to swap in the same type of engine, but if you can afford it then a B-series engine swap would be much better. However, with your current limited automotive knowledge, I would say itd be best to just swap in the same motor and rnjoy the reliability while you research and learn more.

That's what I was thinking I don't want to over build the car beyond my actual driving abilities. Say I do a d series swap with a vtech I still have a lot of potential to build a solid daily driver/ autox car ???

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[HeX]

You misunderstood. Either you swap your potentially damaged engine for an identical one of the same code or you might as well swap in a B-series since you'd be changing ECUs anyways. Start researching engine swaps to understand what I mean.

 

[curtisspencer23]

Oh ok I get what your saying now I'll look into b series engines any b engine you would recommend ?

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[HeX]

Punctuate, man! Punctuate!

B-18 engines seem to be the best bet & the easiest to install. Research and you will see, as there are multiple options.

 

[jnewman0910]

Yeah as hex mentioned before research the swaps I'm still learning about the Honda realm and there are several b-series engines. Take care of your engine man see what is wrong first


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[curtisspencer23]

It would definitely be far more cost effective to swap in the same type of engine, but if you can afford it then a B-series engine swap would be much better. However, with your current limited automotive knowledge, I would say itd be best to just swap in the same motor and enjoy the reliability while you research and learn more.

You may also want to read this thread below about tranny flushing. I dont agree with Hockey Zombies' comments here about not flushing the tranny, and yet he states in the other thread that multiple flushes would help in a tranny thats lacked service which is what I'd suggest if one flush doesnt yield smooth results.

http://www.clubcivic.com/forum/threads/manual-transmission-flush-options.228889/page-2

I'm getting New tires and a alignment as we speak,for 160 bucks it can't hurt. I'm going to flush the tranny fluid when I change my oil later today seems pretty basic. I been looking at b series engines I may just stick with a d engine and do a mini me but I'm still debating.

I build houses I know it's not cars so I'm hoping it will be easy for me to pick up also I have a cousin who is a Mechanic and smog tech. I'll snap a pic of the engine to show you the foam I'm talking about it seems Mickey mouse together.

Yeah as hex mentioned before research the swaps I'm still learning about the Honda realm and there are several b-series engines. Take care of your engine man see what is wrong first


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Thanks bro I'll definitely do that what do you currently drive just curious,about some of the other builds

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[jnewman0910]

Thanks bro I'll definitely do that what do you currently drive just curious,about some of the other builds

I picked up a 97 ex got it in February still getting around to taking care of the maintenance needs first

Also I'm looking at doing a swap as well I have a lot of miles as well 224k


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[curtisspencer23]

Also I'm looking at doing a swap as well I have a lot of miles as well 224k


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I been researching honestly I'm leaning toward the mini me side as for as bang for my but and adding a turbo

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[jnewman0910]

Gonna have to look into those I'm not thinking turbo but I don't really know what the mini me is really so gonna have to do more research


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[HeX]

Smog tech stuff tends to be rather simple, so make sure to talk to him first before making any assumptions.

 

[Turbo_Freak]

tbh, I wouldn't waste the effort on the mini me. it's still gonna be slow. Save the cash on fixing the maintenance issues and upgrade the suspension next.

 

[curtisspencer23]

Smog tech stuff tends to be rather simple, so make sure to talk to him first before making any assumptions.

Sorry for the late post but I got the car some new hankook tires and a alignment and that fixed the shaking issue. Now it's on to the engine part of my car in the pics is that foam like stuff around the head. I'm replacing the windshield next week when I get paid and probably the brakes next I'm not sure what I want to do yet as far as brakes upgraded.


On the d series vs b series I'm getting over the mini me idea just because now. I can drive at 80 mph comfortably and the car seems like a turd but two grand on a Engine seems pricey but,i want to build and modify cars and if you want to do it right it'll cost money. I considered some ebay parts but I don't want to be cheap and have bad quality parts. So I'm going to focus on the brakes and suspension until I can save up for a engine swap and also educate myself more about cars.

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