New (to me) CX

[fpoon]

Hey guys! New to the forum. Picked up a used CX courtesy Craigslist for CHEAP, and am going to use it as my daily driver. Gonna have my local mechanic check it out soon, but in the meantime...

Looks like I can switch any 96-00 gauge cluster in for mine to gain a tac. No problem. Seem to be going for $50 on eBay. Is there a DIY to make the odometer accurate? How hard is this to do?

Car drives great (for not having power steering, lol) but there is a pretty jarring shaking that occurs at 70+ish mph. Is this normal, or is something wrong?

SRS light is on. Reading around, seems like this is a common electric problem, and not so much a fault of the SRS system? Advance Auto should be able to help me out with that, but whats the best code reader everyone would recommend for this car going forward?

Once I get everything mechanically straight, I'm gonna do some stereo work, and that'll probably be it. Just a daily commuter here. But if anyone has any relatively cheap ways to get a little more "umph" out of this beast of an engine without sacrificing MPG, please let me know!

Thanks in advance!

 

[R3dline]

and welcome

 

[red98civ]

lets see some pics!

 

[fpoon]

Sorry for the delay! Grabbed some speakers from a buddy, and a new head should be in tomorrow via Crutchfield.

Pretty sure the shaking at speed is due to the tires, getting ready to order a new set. Is it worth the $ to get a better set of Michelin's than just regular Harmony's?

 

[whoopnip]

Hey guys! New to the forum. Picked up a used CX courtesy Craigslist for CHEAP, and am going to use it as my daily driver.

I think you and I are practically the only ones on this site from VA.

Gonna have my local mechanic check it out soon

I would have recommended you had someone check it out BEFORE buying the car, but obviously it's too late for that.

Looks like I can switch any 96-00 gauge cluster in for mine to gain a tac. No problem. Seem to be going for $50 on eBay. Is there a DIY to make the odometer accurate? How hard is this to do?

Almost nobody changes the odometer, I think it's rather difficult. It might be easier to swap in your current odometer to the new cluster.

Car drives great (for not having power steering, lol) but there is a pretty jarring shaking that occurs at 70+ish mph. Is this normal, or is something wrong?

Pretty sure the shaking at speed is due to the tires, getting ready to order a new set. Is it worth the $ to get a better set of Michelin's than just regular Harmony's

The problem is most likely wheel balance. You may not need to get the tires replaced yet; do you know how to check tread wear? If the tires have decent tread, you may just want to get them balanced.

SRS light is on. Reading around, seems like this is a common electric problem, and not so much a fault of the SRS system? Advance Auto should be able to help me out with that, but whats the best code reader everyone would recommend for this car going forward?

Try this first:
http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=115880

Once I get everything mechanically straight, I'm gonna do some stereo work, and that'll probably be it. Just a daily commuter here. But if anyone has any relatively cheap ways to get a little more "umph" out of this beast of an engine without sacrificing MPG, please let me know!

There are no ways to get cheap "umph" out of a Civic, and also none that don't sacrifice MPG. Sorry.

If you're willing to spend a bit and sacrifice MPG, we could go from there. But if it's just a DD, you're probably best off where you're at.

 

[EK|B]

That's a nice color for a hatch, keep it clean.

 

[iBeast]

That's a nice color for a hatch, keep it clean.

 

[el_betiyo]

Nice car man, good platform to start with

 

[fpoon]

Michelins on - drives like a different car. Amazing. I can't recommend those tires enough.

I noticed the trunk carpet was a little wet the other day, so I took the car through a carwash with my buddy driving and me sitting back there for some sort of seal leak. Nothing. But this morning I drove to work in the rain. Carpet was dry when I left the house, soaked when I got to work. So I looked UNDER it and voila! A quarter sized hose in the "frame" (for lack of better words). I'll try to post a pick. Simple weld a good fix? Looks like its been an issue for a while, the spare jack is rusted to trash.

Thanks for the SRS suggestions - problem fixed!

 

[guynlidia2006]

i would just jb weld the hole... then when it dries hit it with touch up paint.

 

[95CivyHatch]

hey man nice car. with the wheel shaking/vibrating id check the tire balance, possibly would need a front end alignment(not that expensive) check your ball joints too....

 

[whoopnip]

I noticed the trunk carpet was a little wet the other day, so I took the car through a carwash with my buddy driving and me sitting back there for some sort of seal leak. Nothing. But this morning I drove to work in the rain. Carpet was dry when I left the house, soaked when I got to work. So I looked UNDER it and voila! A quarter sized hose in the "frame" (for lack of better words). I'll try to post a pick. Simple weld a good fix? Looks like its been an issue for a while, the spare jack is rusted to trash.

Yeah, a weld would be the best fix. There are many easier fixes, though, but I can't guarantee their durability.

 

[fpoon]

Leak fixed, now for a new spare lid cover (the old ones nasty and moldy).

Cluster swap done. I'm gonna post a DIY for it this weekend - there seems to be a ton of people asking how to do it, searching doesn't turn up many results and other members just keep telling dudes to keep looking... "Odometer swap" is super easy. Just pop the two plastic layers (one clear, one black) off the face of the cluster, and unscrew the entire speedometer/odometer/tripometer from the back. Its the exact same part number as the one in the new cluster, and its just grounded with four screws.

Anyway, look for my DIY, and if you have any questions, PM me!

Stereo is next... Stock speakers....make me sad.

 

[s_crowley 17]

Welcome to the site !

 

[bud6770]

More "umph" wont happen without some decent $

But to stay on the cheap side and spice it up a bit, get an intake and some si rims, then maybe in the future a slight lowering and lip?

 

[whoopnip]

Stereo is next... Stock speakers....make me sad.

Yeah, aftermarket speakers are definitely a plus. The rears are quite the pain; you have to take out most of the rear interior. But it's worth it!

EDIT: You're actually in a hatch... not sure if you have the same problem. For sedans and coupes you have to strip the interior, not sure about the hatch.

 

[Robin...]

Good start man...