183 replies to this topic

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Did some additional research….    I noticed a powder coming off the Oem hatch wires while cutting/soldering.   Originals had lots of very thin copper strands…..     it’s a specialized cable design for this application.

 

the harness wire flexes w each open/close of the hatch.  Enough back and forth bending = breakage.

 

I researched robotic/automation industrial flex cables.  Very thin strands are more flexible.  I assume the wire insulation is design to handle repetitive flexing.  And Honda added talc or something w the copper wires to dielectrically lubricate internally as they flex???
 

appears the off the shelf wires I used insulation failed first, then shorted against the other wires.  Wasn’t room for me to wrap in electrical tape for additional insulation

 

if I can’t easily acquire robotic wire, then I’ll scavenge Honda oe hatch wire from my used stock and make jumper wires for future repairs

 

Cars gotten a lot of use past 3 years.  Pulling sports equipment out of hatch several times a week really worked the harness a lot.  Short term solution is we’re grabbing stuff out from the behind the seats instead

 

going to have to live w it as it’s in daily service….

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

15th Annual Road Trip 2nd of 3:  Dallas to Indianapolis to Chicago to northern Michigan to Rochester, NY….   and possibly Maine

 

 

Going to visit a couple RPR members… dropping off parts and picking some up.   hope to have time for conversation and coffee….   Hunting…. Picking up MadMax from Detroit metro since I’ll be gone for about two weeks total

 

 

 

 

 

MadMax driving Texas summer….  Early morning.  Only time to drive wo AC.  Summer was so hot, we got him a more modern car w strong ac.   It was killing him.  And the sun was killing the plastics/rubber/fabric of my car.   We won’t use these cars now as true DD.   Too much sun on this old plastic car.

 

 

 

 

seats getting trashed after almost 300k on the car

 

 

Got some seat covers for $60/seat.  Bottoms fit great.  Head rest not at all.  Upper section is better than my old black towels.   A bit sloppy.  But works for now

 

 

Removed the retractor to fit bottom on.  Punched holes through fabric for the bolts

 

 

 

 

posted before how the bulbs were melting the plastic base tot he cyclops rear light.  At least the grey rubber bulb holder wasn’t discolored.

 

 

Led much brighter and cooler

 

 

Replacement bulb.   Works fine

 

 

My silver star fog light bulb stopped working.  Wen to remove to replace and was broken apart….

 

 

 

 

 

order several blower fan resistors.  No idea when these will become NLA

 

 

Cup holder still works

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

 

 

went to a north Dallas Honda dealership.  Got to chat w some of the mechanics,   Cool dudes

 

 

Plan was to do oil, tranny and coolant changes and be on my way.   Getting into this.  Just happened.  Boot torn 75% around .  Sucks bc I just replaced the boot 37k ago.

 

Rebooting history…

 

1st rebooting.  100k original, replaced w aftermarket’s . (100k)

2nd rebooting. 167k.  Replaced w Honda nos.  (67k)

3rd rebooting. 205k. Replaced Honda nos (38k)

4th rebooting.  259k. Original axles getting lots of backlash.  No clicking.  Drivers axle was replaced w nos Honda.  Passenger was used OE 98k axle w NOS Honda rebooting.   (54k)

5th rebooting g 296k.  Figured the new axles would backlash much less and allow boots to last longer.  Nope. My old stock of Honda boots…. Rubber is failing.   Will continue to use up old boots, then have to switch to aftermarket’s…

 

 

For me, the liters always fail first.  I’m keeping the inners and just replacing the outers.  Also found passenger inner tie rod bellows cracked.  Replacing g also

 

 

 

 

Another issue Ive had w this car is drivers axle will hit the control arm when the car lifts out of dips on really bad roller coaster roads.  I assume the car body was shifted from the 1988 accident from the original owner.   Axle is bent a little.  Not good on joints and tranny

 

 

 

Used a mirror and flashlight to find the spot of impact.  Plan to lightly grind away some metal to help out

 

 

 

 

The spartan 296k engine bay

 

Underside.  Some oil seepage from the original oil pan seal.  I never replaced it

[CSPCRX]

I don’t think anyone truly drives these cars like you do!  
 

interesting on the axle hitting the top of the torsion bar arm.  Something has to be bent for that to be so close.  Are the alignment numbers in spec?

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

The axle thing must be the 1988 accident???   Doesn’t make sense.

 

hers some updates I forgot to post before I did the trip

 

 

i straightened the axle

 

 

since I just rebuilt these axles 35k ago, I saved the grease for the joints and reused.  Here’s an example of the inner grease.  Not really dirty.

 

 

 

 

I like the oem bands from 38 years ago.  They snap right in place.  Cam lock

 

 

 

 

Replaced the torn passenger steering bellow w an oem boot.  Slapped a little more lithium on it.   No dirt detected.  Caught it in time

 

 

 

just a side note.  I removed my outer joint and wanted to point out an oem inner tie rod has a 4 space alpha-numeric manufacturing code.  I rebuilt the rack at 250k ish.  And searched the used stock for a good oe pair of inners.   The outers have the same type of number imprinted on the bottom

 

 

I did replace the oe Phillips screw here w a metric Allen socket.   Much easier to remove 

 

 

 

 

 

took a dremmel and shaved off 1/8” off the LCA end tube.   I don’t expect this to fix it.   Hopefully help it.   This part is so stout, I don’t expect structural issues

 

 

 

 

 

spray bombed the area for rust protection and ability to monitor impacts

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

15th ANNUAL ROAD TRIP 2 of 3, MAYBE 4…….  DALLAS-INDIANAPOLIS-MICHIGAN-NEW YORK

 

 

Home sweet home!

 

 

 

 

traveled 5409 miles over 16 days.  This trip beats my record of about 5000 miles when I graduated college in the 1990’s hurrah road trip.  Gas was $3.25 when I left.  Came back and it dropped to $2.77.   Most expensive was upper New York State $3.90.  Cheapest Ohio $2.55

 

 

Had 4 problems w the car on this trip.  First was the passenger headlight went out when I entered michigan

 

 

 

 

Second was my passenger brake light went out a week later……. Good old Honda….   No cup holder, but spare bulbs right where you need them,

 

 

 

Third was my drivers door somehow punched a hole into the lower rocker garnish.  I had raised the door checks like 10-15 years ago.  I’m sure they need to be raised again.   And the hinges replaced.  Door sags a little.   Sill it now cracking down into the rocker area.  And there’s evidence of rubbing on the sill about 1-3” upd from the new hole.   Another plastic repair project….   Issue happened before I drove into the woods.  Not sure what’s up

 

 

 

Fourth, I burned 1/3 a quart of oil after 5400 miles….   Well that’s damn good imo….

 

 

 

I’ve never taken a car past 300k before.   Not like it’s a huge deal for a Honda.   But pretty cool.   Took this pix during my last leg of the of the trip on the way back in NY on I90.    She’s sitting at 301,326 awaiting an oil change

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

This car served as a cross country commuter, airport taxi, daily driver and finally a heavy freight hauler.   Came back from Texas w a full load of body panels, transmissions, axles and other misc parts.   Hard to stop quickly on the highway

 

 

visited an RPR buddy and dropped off a set of rims.  Visited another friend and picked up a tranny in Chicago, then off to 12 day hunt trip.

 

 

 

crossed into Michigan from Chicago

 

 

 

parked under a pine tree on a windy day.   I’ll be picking these little guys out of my engine bay, sunroof and spare tire well for the next five years
 

 

 

 

 

 

MadMax and I taking lunch 

 

 

 

 

loved our father and son time.  He was out for 6 days.  Emeries for a lifetime 

 

 

 

 

 

 

at the tail end of the Michigan leg w MadMax, we went to a yard on the way to Detroit airport.  Cars been sitting for a year unpicked.   MadMax’s first junkyard trip and glad it was a crx.   The yard wouldn’t let us go back and pick.  I had to convince them to let me back and pull off the plastic parts wo breaking them.  Hit 4 yards total on the trip.  Prearranged these visits a good 3-10 months ahead of time.  Stuffs hard to find.

 

 

 

 

visited more old friends before leaving Michigan on my way to New York.  Drove through the night.  Typical drivebys 

 

 

 

 

had some time to kill before meeting another RPR member Dear_Boss in Rochester.   Spent the day in and around Niagara Falls.  I spent the last 3 days living out of this car.  Was difficult packing everything in here and too many valuables to leave in a parking lot unattended 

 

 

 

 

 

 

dear_Boss had been holding a transmission for me for the past 15 months off this car.    I still need to comb through his post.  AbSolutely amazing.    We just touched the iceberg in conversation.   He shared several great ideas i can’t wait to implement.   Brilliant guy.  Is/has worked on several different cars.   Well versed.   Hope to do another trip his way.   Awesome to see his car in person.   Again, I need to scrub through his thread!!   Looking forward to future conversations 

 

 

unpacking, cleaning up, sorting stuff out

 

next trip planned for Denver and Florida 

[CSPCRX]

Amazing trip, your the only person I know who owns a 1st gen that truly drives it.

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

You’ve got the best of both worlds….   A nice track car w a modern, powerful engine - nicely done btw..    And you’re well preserved stock crx!    

This cars been factored in as part of my retirement plan for the past 20 yrs.  I hope age doesn’t create a “this old house” keeping her running in the decades ahead.   I’m liking and realizing the gravity of the electronic system you installed.   Getting ride of the vacuum system, dizzy, ecu….  Reliability boost

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

I had several alternators torn apart laying across the dining room table.  Had to finish the rebuilding project and clear the table for thanksgiving.  I had found my beaters original 160-170k alternator I removed around 2002-03.  The belt would chirp from what I thought was a seizing bearing.   
 

 

 

Apparently the bearings were fine.  The stator is out of round causing the rotor to rub.   Then I compared MadMax’s 108k alternator w the same seizing problem.  Roth rubbed stator same location.   My theory is corrosion of the aluminum housing distorted the stator.  In this pix, appears corrosion on the bottoms of the alternators (note, both alts are positioned in the pix how they are in the car.   Crx#3’s housing is cracked in 4 places

 

 

Up close to beaters stator.  I dremmeled the “T”’s down to get the rotor to clear.   As I looked closer to the dremmeled ares….   I noticed the deterioration of the insulation protecting the copper wirings.  This alt worked when I pulled it out of my car in 2003. I assumed the alt  was fine.  Tested the stator windings and it failed the resistance test.  My theory here is the constant rubbing created heat and deteriorated the insulation.   Notice the T features to the upper left corner look good.  The ones on the bottom are corroded

 

 

since the 170k alt is toast, switched gears and started rebuilding the 219k alt I picked up this past summer.  Getting better at removing the seals from the bearings.  Bottom right: dental pick pushed into seal on the inner race side.   Since it’s easy to damages these seals, I realized to push the second seal out through the opening from the other side - see bearing upper middle of pix for reference

 

 

 

Up close of a seal I damaged before.  Hard to pop these out wo seal damage.   I won’t reuse this one

 

 

 

 

The crx has a weight capacity of 500#.   I figure I hauled about 350# of parts.  These parts, my weight and gear is probably 750#.   Breaking on the way back home was a bitch

 

Since my door skirts are cracking, was able to find a black set matching the car for my doors.  Hoping to be able to pop these on.  The red car we picked off of in Detroit had a good side skirt and a pair of lower sills.  This is perfect timing as I now need them to also repair the car

 

transmissions, booster and climate controls are for rebuild projects down the road

 

several of these parts I purchased ahead of time.  Shipping was crazy.  Like $150 per transmission, the set of rims I hauled up north for an RPR member would have been $200.  So I waited and pick this stuff up on this trip.    I figure I saved $1000 on shipping.  Calculated tolls/fuel was about $550 for this trip.  Figured this was a good cost savings measure

[CSPCRX]

That’s a heck of a parts haul!

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Cancelled  the Denver trip last month.   Switched plans and flew to NYC to pick up a new (used) car for my daughter.

 

 

 

I did the best I could to brain washer her in getting a CRX.   She use to sit on my lap when we’d drive the neighborhood.  Love how all kids look so happy behind the wheel….   Her car seat is sitting in the passenger seat.  My wife didn’t like this one bit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did parent taught drivers ed together……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day she got her license.  She drove off in the CRX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She didn’t get a CRX, at least it’s a Civic!  She bought this off an old lady 17k.  Garage kept.   No salt issues since never driven in those conditions

 

 

 

 

 

 

On to the beater….

 

Havent done much to the CRX.   Have the Florida trip coming up in February.   Took a dremmel and sliced open MadMax’s 108k alternator w the locked rotor and cracked housing.   The case popped apart once I cut the sides - was pretensioned.  Appears corrosion between the housing and stator.   Looks like the aluminum swelled up, creating tension and cracking the housing.   I had 2 out of 12 alternators I’d been working on w locking/dragging rotors.   Both came from salty northern climates.  Appears a pattern forming

 

 

 

i had driven in the rain for three days straight on the Michigan trip last fall.   Floor boards got damp.   And the carpet really stunk.  I rarely driving in the rain knowing I had leaks.   When I do, I pull the corners of the carpet back and dry it out.  This trip I just could do it,    Pulled the carpet back.  Shined a flashlight underneath.  Looks like the seam rust I knew I had is getting worse.   Digging into that next….

[CSPCRX]

Hope the rust isn’t too bad!

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

16th ANNUAL ROAD TRIP    DALLAS TO PANAMA CITY

 

Visiting family.   My daughter is taking off work to come w me.   Looking forward to spending the time w her!

 

 

 

Time to get going on the car

 

 

 

 

Drivers door sagged enough to break out the lower sill

 

 

 

Drivers door closed.   A little low

 

 

 

hinge sag w door popped open about 1/2”

 

 

 

 

Flipped the door strike to get rid of the wear on this part.  Raised it up as far as it would go.  Also brought the strike inward to get the door to close tighiter.   Hoping to reduce highway wind noise from the top of the window

 

 

 

 

The car has alway had a slight musty smell when left closed up.   I’ve had water leaks over time.   Drove in the rain for three days on the Michigan trip.  Wasn’t able to pull the carpet corners up like I normally would if I had to drive in the rain.  Car reeked when I got back.   And MadMax spilled a strawberry smoothie on the passenger floor this summer…. Result of no cup holders.   I spilled my share of drinks as well.   I pulled the carpet and rubberized felt liners.  Soaked in the bath tub and washed several times.  Soaked in a vinegar solution to try and neutralize any mold.   Them soaked in Downey “unstoppables”.  Process took 3 days including drying time

 

 

 

 

Obvious source are the rust seems in the floorboards.   Chipped away the seam below the clutch pedal and it’s worse that I thought.  There’s a gap on the passenger floor side as well

 

 

 

 

When I bought the car in 1993, my friends brother in law spilled a strawberry shake in the front passenger seat.   Left for the Navy.  I I got to clean it up a year later.   Back then I pulled the front carpet and hosed it down on the driveway.   When I did this. I had sunroof drain tube separation and water got to the floor boards.  There was a little rust in 93 forming behind the seats.   I smeared grease there an placed duct tape over it.   Pulled it up and it worked great.  Wasn’t the best solution back then,   But it worked.

 

 

 

If the rust under minds the unibody, the ill go to plan B.   I had bought this spare CRX as a rust/accident free 150k to to replace the Beater in the event I smacked a deer in Michigan someday.  It’s the car on the far right

[CSPCRX]

Nice that you have “parts cars”.  I’d do that if I had the room.  My doors sag as well.  I know Chedda has a rebuild kit for the hinges.  May look into that as well.