frustrated at my lack of options

[emosun]

I'm so frustrated at my lack of options when it comes to my poor cb9.

So right now , the car has been unbelievably patient with me in terms of waiting for things to get fixed. The list of things that are broken keeps getting longer each year. Shocks , brakes , oil leaks , power steering , just some of it's faults. My short term solution for a lot of these faults has been to use each system less and less to avoid it breaking further. To literally drive the car slower to keep it from blowing any gaskets or being over stressed. I drive the car at about 25% throttle at any given time and never exceed 3000 rpm. I feel as though the car is just dying and I'm just prolonging it's death.

What I'm most frustrated at , is my lack of options.

Local mechanics will drive it and simply brush it off as either "it's fine" or "it's an old car buy a newer one". It infuriates me that nobody will get in it and simply say "yes , something is wrong" and then go about fixing the issues and actually care about fixing it. Taking it to a shop is an option that seems to yield no results.

I can (and have tried) fixing issues myself.

I'm a sub contractor by trade and my skills in construction can transfer over to repairing physical things on the car. I have done tons of body work. I replaced panels and whole doors. I can fix interior parts and panels and replace seats. I also have been building computers and doing house wiring for 13 years and have a bit of electrical knowledge. I can change bulbs on the car and installed the car stereo and built in power inverter and replaced the tcu and rewired the door controls with ease.

But when it comes to engines or heavier mechanical tasks , I'm a useless bastard.

I know how an engine works , I can change spark plugs and wires. I even replaced a few easy to reach gaskets on top of the engine. But when it comes to diagnosing a problem with any gas engine I don't know what the hell I'm doing at all. I once tried to change the front shocks. I ended up somehow pulling one of the front axles out and it refused to go back in. I had to call a tow truck which towed the 3 wheeled honda to a shop that fixed the axle and installed the shocks for me.

I just don't have good tools , I dont have a shop , or a garage , or even a paved driveway. All this coupled with the fact that I don't have that bit of engine experience to know exactly why an engine isn't working right. It makes me fixing my own engine issues almost impossible.

So with shops being not an option , myself being a terrible option , I'm left with wanting some sort of honda accord savior to descend from the heavens onto me and just fix the car. heck I'll even help. But those types of people also don't seem to exist in my tiny town of 6000 people. I have to admit , I'm the only person in my town with a cb7/cb9. I'm sure if this was a chevy pickup truck I'd have tons of help.

So as you can see my options really suck right now and it felt good to some and vent here. lol. It's really annoying to have no options and KNOW that the car could be fixed if it were in a different situation.

[CyborgGT]

Does your job pay well enough, and allow the time, for school? I've gotta say, going through the full automotive course at a local community college was the best investment I've made so far. I went in there knowing absolutely nothing about the mechanics of cars, and since then I haven't ever had to take my car to a shop unless it required welding (which I plan to go back to school for) or pressing (I have a small press, but it's too small for some jobs). I can't imagine the labor costs I've saved. But I feel you on the mounting maintenance; my daily has hit this point. Fix one thing, another wears out. I just try to keep up to at least avoid it becoming "fix one thing, another two wear out."

The only other option is to learn by doing. Read as much as you can, either through books or the internet, and use the info to experiment. I started out with a mechanic's tool set, and have slowly accumulated more tools over time as I got to jobs that required more specialized equipment. So far, nothing's been too terribly expensive on its own, and AutoZone rents out many tools for free.

Not to mention, you've got us. If you're stuck on something, just ask. It's hard to diagnose issues over the internet, but we can try to help.

[sonikaccord]

Does your job pay well enough, and allow the time, for school? I've gotta say, going through the full automotive course at a local community college was the best investment I've made so far. I went in there knowing absolutely nothing about the mechanics of cars, and since then I haven't ever had to take my car to a shop unless it required welding (which I plan to go back to school for) or pressing (I have a small press, but it's too small for some jobs). I can't imagine the labor costs I've saved. But I feel you on the mounting maintenance; my daily has hit this point. Fix one thing, another wears out. I just try to keep up to at least avoid it becoming "fix one thing, another two wear out."

The only other option is to learn by doing. Read as much as you can, either through books or the internet, and use the info to experiment. I started out with a mechanic's tool set, and have slowly accumulated more tools over time as I got to jobs that required more specialized equipment. So far, nothing's been too terribly expensive on its own, and AutoZone rents out many tools for free.

Not to mention, you've got us. If you're stuck on something, just ask. It's hard to diagnose issues over the internet, but we can try to help.

This.

The only way to really learn is to dig in. Engines are very complicated all together, but become very simple when broken down into individual systems and components. There are only a handful of ways to permanently kill an engine and most of those involve neglect.

My advice is to just take some time and go through the CB Service Manual. It has helped me tons when I was a little wrench. Once you've tackled one section, you pretty much learn how that system works on any car and can transfer that knowledge to any other vehicle with minor changes here and there of course.

[emosun]

Does your job pay well enough, and allow the time, for school?

I'm lucky if my job pays me. lol. I still live at home

The only way to really learn is to dig in.

well I really cant just starting digging into my engine on the only vehicle I own. not to mention again I dont have the tools or a space to actually do any heavy repairs on the car

[Fleetw00d]

The best investment you can make is a factory service manual. A Chilton or Haynes can be helpful, but the factory manual covers everything.

Where are you located? I sometimes take on rescue projects (93 SE at the moment).

[h22sparkle]

Your best bet bros is to keep trying to fill out or make a business for yourselves to make those ends meet. Try to get everything the best of it and don't stop pounding away at those jobs if your low on cash.

Doing side jobs will help you earn more money to press that to put your actual money and spare money in two different parts so that every job you get to work on someones cars and you can save your money to what you need to do with your own money.

[Raf99]

Good rant. I remember being here. But in the end there will always be things that a skilled mechanic will know better than yourself. It's called experience. But don't let that stop ya from learning, I'm sure there are folks below your skill level ranting about how they wish they knew how to do more than put gas in the car. Just don't give up!

As for the car, ya.... it's old. Sure, anything can be fixed with enough money but over time things do break Hey, if you had a Ford, you would of replaced the car twice already in parts :P

[deevergote]

If you really dig into the cb7, you'll probably come out knowing more than a professional mechanic, honestly. I'm still at a fairly basic level myself, but I know more about this specific model than any non-cb7-enthusiast pro I've ever met. I'm lost on anything else, but I know enough about the cb7, or at least where to find what I need, that I would never need to trust a pro. All I ever had was this site, a Helm manual (for a Prelude... so engine only), and a basic set of tools. I learned by doing, or by researching (I know many things that I've never actually done.) most of my work has been done in the street in front of my house.

Can you afford a second car? I find it easier to truly commit to a learn-as-you-go project when I'm not under pressure to get my daily driver back on the road.

[h22sparkle]

I honestly think that in order to better yourself you need more experience and more knowledge in research especially with what car your looking at. Others can be more of a issue than others.

You can search on youtube or most of all the forums for that specific car. You will never find a more knowledgeable site other than those on how to fix things because other have been there and done it already. Then you have to have the right tools harbor freight is a really good start eventhough others may not see it that way.

Would you believe me that when you are checking the cooling system its best to pressure test for leaks first after the car is cooled. Then proceed to check the radiator you can do that with a infra-red thermo-gun.Then moving onto checking other things than the waterpump and thermostat.

A friend of mine fixed the coolant bypass valve,I changed the thermostat the car still overheats. So then I looked up on youtube and they said pressure test the system and I remember'd that I brought the harborfreight tool radiator pressure tester and just like that I found the leak.

I noticed shortly my boy who installed the bypass valve previously used the same factory clamps the car came with which are only good for one use. After you remove the factory clamp it will never hold the same again so aftermarket clamps are needed to hold the water hose down tighter. Without that knowledge it can be such a simple fix now I remember the term CTR (Check,Test,Replace) without that your just pissin money away in the wind.

[ontheroad92]

i am going through the same thing. mine has been giving me trouble since april! i have searched this forum and another one like crazy trying to figure out what has pissed off my car so much. i am ready to put some of y'all in a box and ship y'all here to figure this shit out. i've had this car since 2003 and driven it cross country! i just got it back from a dealership who can't work on it due to age! i get it. i get it because i am a ridiculously stubborn ass human, and i refuse to buy a new car. i am fortunate i am in the city so i can use public transit and ride a bike. i would be utterly fucked otherwise and probably hitch hiking.

[deevergote]

I KNOW we have some truly knowledgeable members in your area, ontheroad92. I'm sure one or more would be happy to help you out! Most of the people here are happy to help out another local in exchange for some cheap beer and pizza!

I'm almost in the opposite position these days. I don't have a project, and it's driving me nuts. I'm trying to talk the wife into letting me buy an old Volvo to wrench on. My 26 year old Miata is in excellent mechanical condition, and it came modified pretty much exactly how I would've modified it myself (with a couple non-urgent exceptions...) My Cadillac just had some repair work done to it, but I'm honestly a little afraid to take a wrench to that thing. It's so damn complicated and computerized... and heavy! I just want a nice 240 or 940 to play with (and eventually V8 swap.)

[ontheroad92]

deev, you are welcome to come to atl anytime! and no, no pizza and beer. red beans and rice with andouille sausage or cinnamon sugar roasted pecans here!

[F22Chris]

If you change it to pizza and beer I might look at it.

[sonikaccord]

if You Change It To Pizza And Beer I Might Look At It.

X2

[Crankshaft]

My first car was a volvo, the only good thing that i miss about that car was being rwd, aside from that i dont think i ever spent as much money on another vehicle just to keep it running and dont even meke me bring up the price of parts; having to replace rotors on brake system because they cannot be turned isa female dog. Accords are not that expensive to fix given that you know where to locate parts, for ignition on both my cb and my wife CD i use exclusively honda parts as i learned my lesson with the aftermarket; i was one of the first idiots out there to have a accel distributor crack on them,the whole accel ignition was about $150 of pure garbage.

I KNOW we have some truly knowledgeable members in your area, ontheroad92. I'm sure one or more would be happy to help you out! Most of the people here are happy to help out another local in exchange for some cheap beer and pizza!

I'm almost in the opposite position these days. I don't have a project, and it's driving me nuts. I'm trying to talk the wife into letting me buy an old Volvo to wrench on. My 26 year old Miata is in excellent mechanical condition, and it came modified pretty much exactly how I would've modified it myself (with a couple non-urgent exceptions...) My Cadillac just had some repair work done to it, but I'm honestly a little afraid to take a wrench to that thing. It's so damn complicated and computerized... and heavy! I just want a nice 240 or 940 to play with (and eventually V8 swap.)