179 replies to this topic

[Old School REX]

I know your travels probably won't bring you anywhere near Tennessee, but if they do let me know.

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

What's the nearest town. I'll check the map. Are you on the east side of the state?

Was getting ready to do a fuel pump. Sat in the car and kept turning the key to engage the pump. Every now and then, I could hear the relay make two clicks. The pump would work on the second click. Sounded like the relay reeds got stuck, then snapped in place and the pump would go. So short of the long of it, replaced the relay and now comes on every time. After nine years, it finally happened on a regular enough basis to solve it wo playing the parts swap game. Maybe it wouldn't start 1 in 50 times, but would always start on the next turn, so it was never a priority. Always wondered if it would give out on one of these trips, so I brought my own spares package.

Got the car packing. Looking forward to getting out of here and getten some birds.....

[E-Man]

Returning to Long Island on this trek?

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Eman, not this trip, but we are doing a family trip to NYC in the near future. I'll keep you posted.

[1985 CRX SI]

Going anywhere near North Eastern Ohio?

Jeff

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Jeff, unfortunately, not on this run. I usually drive the red eye express and drive all night so I get there the quickest.

So just got back from the first "Double D" trek. Clocked just under 3000 miles and the rex purred like a kitten. Caught the tail winds of The Storm out of Canada as is collided w/ Sandy, so the car got pushed around a bit.

So, got 7 pat out in the back woods of michigan. Miles and miles of walking, but so tranquil...



ported the shotgun this year to keep the muzzle down while firing. walk for hours and then one jumps and flies like a rocket. I get less than one second to shoot. My arms were so cramped form holding the shotgun in ready position for 8 days straight. But well worth it. Saw several woodcock, squirels, chipmonks and rabbits. I don't eat them, so I don't shoot.


This hole almost stuck me out there. WAs about 2 miles from civilization. I missed the deepest part when I had to head back out the way I can in because the hole kept getting deeper and deeper... Just like old times. Just plow through in 2nd gear and never let off the gas. Let the momentum carry you through.


Crossing I80 just south of the MI boarder at dust. Camera couldn't get the chicago sign at night.


Only CRX I saw was this rust bucket in Houghton Lake. Guy had several 80's era foreign cars rusted pretty well. Was asking $650. The tail panel was cracked and lots of rust unerneath. No one was home to ask Q's, but took some pic. This looks like the same red crx I saw last year at a garage in a different nearby town.


rear view.

All and all, great trip down memory lane. This time, I hunted all the old spots from my youth and added several new to the list.

Be back in another month. This next trip will head in to Canada for some parts awaiting my arrival.

Great rockin' my 80s discs... for 19 hours each way.

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Got back from trip #2. Clocked about 3500 on this one.

On the way up, a deer got hit in front of me in Indiana recently enought that she was still alive. Wanted to make sure she was put down as soon as possible so an Indiana State Trooper came. She had already died by the time we got back to the scene. So he issued me a permit and I took her away.




Took a quick side trip to pick up parts in Canada.





Hunted for a few days w/ my father. So got 2 deer total and one partridge. (one deer was w/ the car of course).



Headed to Wisconsin to see my brother and his family. Drove through the Upper Penninsula and crossed the Mackinaw Bridge.

All and all, a great trip. I drive staight through, and normally through the night. So Its just hard to take side trips to visit members. Purpose of the trips is for me to unwind after working 60plus weeks all summer in the TX heat. So Its hard for me to justify spending time out w/ friends and members when I'm away from my family. I appreciate all the offers to visit. Over time, I trip to catch one person each year however.

My wheel bearing held up fine and no issues w/ the car. This trip was driven a little more in the day time, so more people than normal were checking out the car. A few people came up to me at the resteraunts/gas stations and aske me about it.

I actually got across the Border this time w/o issue. Handed USBP my receipts, emails, maps, lic, drivers lic, etc. The officer said his wife use to have a white 86si and she really missed it.

Car wash, oil change and off to mothball the car until next Fall.

Clocked 6400 miles total this year. I love this little guy. I haven't done a tune up since before 2004. I think I've put close to 20K over the past 5 annual trips. Time to have a look-see over the car before next years trip.

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

ROAD TRIP 2013! via Double D express.......

Been a busy and strange year. almost couldn't make this one. Normally, the first leg is 10-12d, I could only manage 4 on this one.

I left Beater on the side of this house this year covered for the past year. fired here up the week before, loaded her up and left. clocked about 2600 on this one.

last maintenance performed was 2004 or before. so same rotor, wires, plugs, filters and valve timing, tranny oil. hoses and belts still look great. original fuel pump still noisy. right front wheel bearing still has a little play.

only new thing on this trip was i got pulled over in mich for a headlight. I pulled a new halogen out of the glovebox on the highway and the bulb came back on when I wiggled the wire, so off w a warning. the next night, the light didn't come on and I had to wiggle the wire again. I think this is a prelude to the connectors micro-corroding. so that's my only new reliability issue to watch for future trips.

drove 20hrs straight on the way up. Actually got 6hrs sleep in the front seat on the return trip. was a record for me.

saw a 2nd gen and a wagovan on the way up. GLH will like this, there was an 86-87 black Shelby charger being trailered in great shape. nothing on the way back home.

2 days in the woods. 3 pat and 1 woodcock ( shot by accident).

no time to visit friends or members.

off to do the oil change and load for the deer hunting trip

I'm adding to my list an angled Phillips screw driver to replace the igniter and a 3' wire w alligator clips to check for spark in the event of a shutdown - i keep forgetting those pieces. i also carry a spare wheel bearing since the one is showing wear.

I'll drop a report after the 2nd 2500 mile trip.

sore butt and right heal as usual.

also noticing my plastic front fenders/header panels beginning to crack a little more each year. this cars been out of the sun for 12-13 years now. when i repaint,I won't waste my time w the old oem, I'll try out the new fiberglass.

more to come......

220 or 225k on her now, I have to look.

[gustav129]

Nice. I enjoyed reading this thread. I'm debating on driving to MN this summer.

Sent from my Event using Tapatalk

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Got back from the second leg of the trip.  clocked another 2600 miles.  again, no issues.  Puts a total of 5200 on the car for this year.  oil changed and sleeping in storage.  I don't think I put fuel stabilizer in it last year for just sitting 11 months. 

 

I had some pix but they are like 14mp, so they wouldn't upload to the gallery.  Just more pix of birds and roadsigns.  Drove the second leg nonstop both ways.  I did 18:45 on the way there and 19hrs the way back.  Included gas/bathroom/food runs.  I took my right shoe off bc my heel would get sore.   I'd prop it up between my calf and the counsol where the stick shift is to put my knee at a different angle.  That changed the pressure on my heel.  No plans for cruise control.

 

Time for a maintenance run.  Fluids other than oil have not been changed since 08.  need to check my records to see the last time rotor/cap/filters/wires were replaced and valves adjusted.  I believe they were last replaced in 2003-4 when I first put the car in storage, then reserected the car from storage in 2008 for the annual trips.  Car is just unter 222K and I've put around 25K on her since 08.  Keep in mind the only parts that are non oem are oil filter and brake pads, tires and muffler. 

 

Issues to be repaired monitored

left front bearing

O2 sensor gives light when doing 85 plus on hw, plant to leave in place until its an issue

rattle in muffler, replace when it gets noisy enought - rusting out from sitting

new honda battery in 08, plan to replace before 2014 trip

Wire conntections (drivers halogen connector getting mircocorrosion).  I think this will be the major show stopper for the car as it enters 30yrs of service...

 

I wish I had more time to drive the car around more, but the Beaters a great workhorse for these trips and its priceless to drive my college car back to my old stopping grounds from that era.

 

I'll followup after maintenance to report on general wear and tear.  Hopefully this will encourage others to undertake some road trips.  I do have to preface that if I felt i had a pending mechanical issue that were not predictable, I wouldn't take this car out like this.  However, the loose wheel bearing is a major risk, but it is a very slight wiggle and it has not gotten noticably worse in the last 10K I put on it since detection.

 

Oh, fenders are original and are cracking to the point I'll need to repaint in a few years.  Michigain rust spots I fixed back in 1996 when I repainted the car are all holding up well here in tx.  Nothing is coming through.  Storing the car on top of plastic was definately a good thing

 

see ya in 2014

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

The original point of this post was to get advice from Peppers on what to bring on a road trip.  It morphed into several roadtrips.  I always wanted to add the basic reliability (parts replacement) of this particular car so I (and you) would know what to pick up at the local yards if you came across the pieces.  Now we are in a different game, parts are really getting hard to find.
 
History on Beater #1.  And I call it my beater not that I've "beaten the hell out of it", but it was a salvage title and I've pulled a trailer w her.
 
Philosophy changes on how I maintained the car.  When I first had it, I wasn't as smart about how long something would last and would replace as soon as I saw an issue beginning.  Later, I would monitor a problem and repair it when I "knew" it was about to fail.  By that time, something else in the area of that part needed to be replaced so I would fix 2 issues w/ only one labor investment.
 
Bought in 93  78K for $4200 from a friend in Sumerset KY.  Car was given to him as a wedding gift and we towed it to Michigan in his 85 prelude si.  I kept looking out the back window of the prelude and shitcanned my 80 horizon TC3 and bought the rex w the VW 1.7L
 
Just assume general maintenance done at regular intervals.  Below are out of the norm issues
 
93 85K new complete aftermarket exhaust
93 86K new aftermarket upper radiator hose
94 90K replaced timing/pump w oem.
*** moved Michigan to Long island NY - less salt,  a little more sun.  Lots of road abuse on those parkways!****
94  gas smell under hood.  finally determined leaking OE fuel injector.  Fuel leaked not at seal, but fused connection of the metal to plastic in the middle of the barrel.  I replaced all injectors/seals - way over kill looking back at it.
94 97K  Finally got around to repairing hazards. Connection at batter pos cable bad (still oe bat cable connections to this day)
95 100K  front pass strut begain seaping a little.  Bounce test was fine.  replaced struts of oe.  Replaced clutch/plate/bearing w oe.  aftermarket cv boots and oe ball boots.
95 105K  ND radiator leaking. replaced oe.  Replaced muffler under warrenty - thns Tuffy!  AC stopper working. I later found out if you swap the cooling fan and thermo sensor wire harness boot connections to the radiator, you blow the climate control modual below the radio (took me 30hrs of testing all peices down the damn black and blue sensing wire to find that.  (later found the dealer did the same to my concourse before I bought it when it was in a front end collision - that one took 30min to troubleshoot)
95 109K  found out rims were bending from hitting all the potholes driving in NYC.  got used rim from my favorite junkie in Mich.  Later took the bend rim to a shop to repair.  They just pounded it out and it looked like crap.  It was still not perfect.  wanted $130, I walked out and ordered another rim from Mich for $50 and gave him the big NY middle finger.
1996 found concourse car and bought as a spare.  Work beer trades w/ local honda parts buddy and began buying maintenance parts to support both cars from what I assumed to be until I was 80yrs old.  Later started on weather trim, seals, plastics.  never had restoration in mind.
96 113K  calipers dragging.  replaced w oe not knowing I just had to grease the pins - idiot!.  Replaced aftermarket rotors, warped immediately.  returned and bought oe. From that point forward, no more aftermarket.
96 119K  girlfriend broke blinker switch, replace oe.  another bent rim on the wayinto playin the city.  Used rim.  I bent out the kink myself.
97 139K found mudgards in junkyard.  never knew they existed.
97 142K added hitch and brough my rowboat back from michigan.  spend most summer weekends on great south bay off Robert Moses.  got lots of funny looks.
97 148K $400 maco paint job.  I wet sanded entire car,  brazed and repaired wheel wells.  replaced sunroof (rusted), gas door (bent), door rubber window strip (NOS) and rusted metal strip between bumper and taillights.  cleaned out sunroof switch that gummed up.  Car broken into NYC.  pass cylinder spn out.  repaired.
1998 Moved to Dallas  Relow package ferried both crx to TX  (Rust free wet dream began, began buying TX CRXs).  Still not planning restorations
10/98 152K new muffler
5/99 157K replaced rust sticking ebrake cable w junkie - no tx salt!  replaced dr wheel cylinder, rebult pass w oe parts/seals.  dizzy oring.  Charged A/C and found out electrical issue w ac I caused from the radiator repair.  AC back on line.
3/00  162K  found out on inspection that steering rack was cracked from impact.  replaced w junkyard and new oe bellow boots.  New OE ball/tie boots.  Car died on highway. Kept turning the starter.  Melted the ignition wire at the column. Had to get it towed.  Replace ig wire and car would not start up every now and then. But I always got it going. Always thougth it was a fuel pump.  later found out it was themain relay.
7/00 167K  out cvs cracking (damn aftermarket!) replaced outer only w oe
12/00 174K oil cooler hoses hard as rock and begain seaping. replaced w oe. Calipers sticking, regreased pins
7/02 177K  several oil leaks. pulled motor, replaced all coolant/heater related hoses, all dymamic oil seals replaced - camshaft, main lower, transaxle, ext.. CV hub seals.... everything.  NO gaskets touched.  motor not opened other than valves.  REplaced cylinder head engine mount, began cracking.
2004 begin lawn business and used crx and trailer to pull equip for first year to see if I really wanted to quit corporate and go full time.  Car got some moderate to heavey use.Pulled some 2000 pound loads of rock/soil.  Alternator had been sticking. I opened it up, very hard w salt corrosion, the copper armatuer end peice was almost worn through.  so I just put in a used alt off an 100K car OE.
8/04 192Kreplaced broken exhaust hanger. 
Car sent to storage - no prepping other than jacking the car up on plastic as usual.
10/08  storage reserection!  Car eventually fired up on old gas.  It took some turning.  but I could tell when each injector would "unstick" and would come on line.  Until all 4 fired.  replaced leaking fuel rail oring on  end cap.  replaced front pads, filed rotors smooth.  brake cylinders trashed. rebuilt w oe cups, polished inside w 400 grit paper.  cyclopse brake line does not work.  Rubber stoppers on break/clutch pedals disintegrated, replaced oe.
2010-12?  had some sporatic starting problems w car.  On trip to michigan, it finally stopped long enoughfor me to trouble shoot, spark test, fuel test, voila, main relay.  No issues since (kept all parts in car w  tools were ever I went).  Rear wiper stoped working. Peppers helped me and found wire harness broke at lift gate wire pivot, repaired.
2014 228K  Begining maintenance inspections for overhaul.
Seals hoses, belts, boots all in great shape.  Passenger wheel bearing getting a little play.  Hearing some ticking coming from tranny when I put it in reverse,  need to check dizzy for shaft endplay, never repaced rear wheel bearings,  will be checking all that stuff.  tie/ball joint checked annually for tightness.  Muffler was used after I took off the OE.  its starting to go.
 
More to come after this winters inspection and reconstitution.
 
Anyway, I replaced serveral exhuast systems, alt (wore out), steering rack (crack), main relay, calipers, rear cylinders, front struts, fuel injectors (leak), rims (kinked from NYC parkways), Ignition wire(I over used and melted solder) radiator. FUel pump is loud, but still works.  Suspention bushing mostly cracked.
 
dizzy, ignitor, tranny/eng, starter, fuel pump, oil pump, ball joints, cvs all still going.....
 
Plan is to continue annual trips to michigan until I can no longer hunt using this car, or until I smack a deer, which is what I believe will kill the car someday.

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

Time to dust off Betsy for 2014 hunting trip. Approved for two trips again this year! Bird and deer as usual- typical 5k journey.

Shot some clays, spot on. Hunting w the ar again this year. Fine tuned w some mods. Looking forward to more field trials.

Now, off to see where I was w the maintenance from spring. Cars has not budged since. Sitting on blocks. Been offline for months working other issues. Getting a little more time now to work it

[greasemonkeyreborne 5x1g's]

changed radiator fluid

flushed brake system. I've been removing calipers,rear cylinder at ~10yr interval and spraying brake fluid inside to flush sediment and standing contaminats. I think I did this for the first time in 08??? I had lost of black crap come out then from the calipers. did it this year and nothing unusual came out. off to the rear cylinders. I just open them up to inspect the cups and cylinder bore for pitting.

tie rod joint and ball joints still tight. boots I believe were replace in 02. one ball joint boot has stress marks on it. I'd guess I'll get another 2-3 yrs out of it how I drive it. lca's original 87. I replaced the steering rack bc the aluminum housing was cracked from impact. I think the car it came out of at the time had 100 k on it. I used those joints so I think these are at about 160k now.

cvs and boot tight and good

the cross bar that connects the pan head to the axle was bent. noticed this during lasr years inspection. will pull a spare bar and replace. panhead mount is rust free and solid. couldn't budge w crowbar.

this apparently was a salvage titled car in 88 out of jersey. I had now idea when I bought it in the early 90's. so this explains the odd stuff that's damaged on it... front plastics now cracked and I can see different color paint, panhead bar bent, steering box cracked.

I removed my fuel pump cover last dec and noticed more rust on the metal tubes than I'd like it see. pushed the boots back where it enters the body and it looks good inside. pressurized line is the worse and most critical. looks like the flex hose connecting the tube to the pump is rusty as well. long term plan will be to replace all three tubes and flex tube. I won't have time before I leave, so I'll pack the flex tube and match the main metal tube and have a flare tool and connectors w me just in case. I just don't feel like pulling the dash right now. car lived in jersey, ky, mi and back to nyc before I brought it to tx. appears the salt and moisture was held in place by the plastic cover accelerating the corrosion here. so others w rust belt si's should check out this area.

to pull the cap and rotor to inspect and clean. I always wiggle the dizzy shaft hear to see how it's holding up. I don't pack a spare dizzy at this point, unless it wiggles.

muffler hanger needs to be replaced, crack starting

battery holding charge over past 10 months of non use. charging now. I'll hold off another year before I think about replacing

I've never replacked,adjusted the rear bearings. will do that when I get to the drums.

I tell ya, you take care of these cars, and they take care of you

[zakats]

'Good to see you're sticking with it

[NWClassicHonda]

I always enjoy your reads sir.