So you're planning on joining the ranks on one of the most prestigious websites on tha intarwebs by purchasing a shiny new fourth generation accord?
First off. Congratulations! Also, the following can (and probably is) located somewhere here on the forums, but right now, the search function is being an jerk and giving me an error. In lieu of that, I decided I'd try to recollect all that I knew and post it here for posterity.
Second, here are some little tips to avoid big problems later in the long run. All of it coming from first hand experience with the car, being a proud owner for about four years now.
Let's start with the pre-purchasing part.
Of course, other than looking at the mileage, test driving it for transmission issues and agreeing on a price, there are a few more things you should definitely take a look at.
Some can live with or without some of these problems with or without the knowledge to fix them. You will definitely run into, at the very least, one of these, unless purchasing from a previous cb7tuner owner who took very good care of their ride.
Sometimes, just getting one rust free is enough as all the parts to fix the other listed problems are much easier to come by than doing some body work.
Now, some things you should take care of immediately after purchase.
After all of that, the rest will be smaller things, like tires, headlights, signal lights, corner covers. Maybe with a little more cash you can get some rims, new bumper or skirts. I'm not really into making my car pretty (stock and clean is enough for me), but it is a pretty car and a good candidate for kits nonetheless.
If its above 200k like mine, you might want a new catalytic. I suggest doing all of the above first, however, as you don't want to destroy a brand new 100 dollar cat just because you're still running rich (or just letting gas through) due to a bad O2, spark plugs, wires or poor idle quality.
Some more things you might want to consider:
In conclusion, this is about all I can remember for now. If I've missed something which is probably the case, feel free to post up and I'll edit my post to include your tips so my fellow newbies don't have to read the entire thread.
I'll try my best to manage this thread (or if it already exists in some form, just leave it as another source), but with full time work, part time school and the holidays coming up, I can't promise much!
That, and I'm playing with the vtec on my cb's h22. Still an auto (yes I can still hit vtec with my automatic, albeit at great risk to the tranny), but now that the forums are back up, I can dig up the info on that 5spd swap!
First off. Congratulations! Also, the following can (and probably is) located somewhere here on the forums, but right now, the search function is being an jerk and giving me an error. In lieu of that, I decided I'd try to recollect all that I knew and post it here for posterity.
Second, here are some little tips to avoid big problems later in the long run. All of it coming from first hand experience with the car, being a proud owner for about four years now.
Let's start with the pre-purchasing part.
Of course, other than looking at the mileage, test driving it for transmission issues and agreeing on a price, there are a few more things you should definitely take a look at.
- All Water Lines/Hoses
From my experience, these are some of the first things you'll be replacing frequently. If you've got the money, just replace them all. The most difficult one is the Oil Cooler line. I think anyone here can agree that that hose is an effing sob pos mofo to replace. Its location is already a pain, but the fact that you're desperately trying to remove it without bending or breaking the Oil Filter's cooler neck will frustrate you quick.
- Oil in Coolant
If there are black spots in the coolant (or in my case, it was brown), there's probably a head gasket leak. It might also be what's blowing the hoses. If you've got a good head gasket and hoses, that should alleviate most of the fluctuating idle problems the f22 has.
- Rear Brake Light Wiring
This is tricky. The brake light waring light comes on, but all three are working properly? I fixed this with the help of my dad who's not only a mechanic but also an electrician. It was as simple as running a wire from one light's negative to the other side's negative, but I forget which wire and which side. If you see one side out as well as the center windshield light, its most likely just the side brake light as they share a common ground. Fixing the rear brake light should also fix the center.
Of course since I lack the info for this fix, it might be easier to just pick up the whole brake wire harness for each side. Now, I'm not talking about the entire body electrical harness. The rear brakes actually have a sub harness which is just a few wires that plug in to the body's, so no cutting and splicing will be required. Maybe cutting it at the junkyard, but after that, its easy enough to just plug it all together again.
- Rear Fender Rust
This is the bane of most cb7's body's. The rear fender seems to collect water rather well just slightly above and behind the rear wheels. If you see even the slightest bit of dust, grind it, paint it and putty it as soon as possible. In the four years I've owned mine, the little pock turned into a pocket and eventually it will become a chasm if I don't do something soon. Living in NJ doesn't help either.
Some can live with or without some of these problems with or without the knowledge to fix them. You will definitely run into, at the very least, one of these, unless purchasing from a previous cb7tuner owner who took very good care of their ride.
Sometimes, just getting one rust free is enough as all the parts to fix the other listed problems are much easier to come by than doing some body work.
Now, some things you should take care of immediately after purchase.
- Relocate Main Relay!!!
This can be a REAL pain in the ass at first, and it may take countless hours of scouring to find out whats wrong. So what happens is, the car starts, runs fine and all is dandy. But, when you get to where you're going, you shut it off, but then realize, "Crap, I forgot something." That, or you just need to go, and the f22 just keeps turning, but it won't start. The symptom is the Check Engine Light won't go away with the key in the Acc. position until you either let it cool down, or smack the left side of your dashboard violently. This is due to the Main Relay not switching on the Fuel Pump. If you have the time, just moving it away to anywhere but where it was originally seems to always fix the problem. Its located under dash on the driver's side on the left wall (hence why smacking it violently can get it to switch sometimes).
- Basic Tune Up
I said Main Relay first, since that can be the cause of a lot of stress as you dig and search and replace part after part trying to fix it. Once you're sure its in a cooler and less likely place to fail (anywhere but the dashboard wall), you're good to go on the Spark Plugs, Distributor Cap, Rotor, Wires, Air Filter, Fuel Filter, Oil Change, Radiator Flush and Transmission Flush.
It is essential to do ALL OF THESE (and I may be missing some) with any car you are purchasing if it isn't brand new from the dealer. The steps are all over the forums if you can't find a cheap Haynes manual to tell you how.
Also, try to use Honda ATF if you can find a NAPA or other auto parts store that carries it. It will save you trouble later on as Hondamatics are picky when it comes to liquids. Close seconds are Dexron II Oils from quality brands, and I personally haven't run into any problems yet, but I'm still looking for Honda ATF even though my car "seems" to run fine.
On that note, my father's G1 '88 Acura Legend ran from California to New Jersey on non-Honda ATF, and not more than a few months afterward, we renamed it Slippy.
If you bought a manual, then screw you, can i haz it?
- Idle Air Control Valve
If you're not leaking green stuff and have a good solid head gasket, but your idle is still bouncing like , It may be this part or the FITV. If you can replace it, great. If not (more likely since they cost 160+), a junkyard part or filter cleaning may suffice. Just take the sucker off the IM with the removal of three bolts, remove the filter and spray it with some carb cleaner. Make sure you get as much carbon off as possible and dry it quickly to prevent damage to the rubber part.
Aside, a less likely cause is the Idle Adjustment Screw. You can screw (pardon) with that as much as you want, but a seriously bad idle usually has other more probable causes.
- Fast Idle Valve
This is the funky looking thing at the right of the IM, opposite the Throttle Body. Two small bolts lock down a cover to an oddly shaped nylon/plastic/uhmw? threaded plug that holds down a copper/brass/some kind of metal cone. If the engine is running, press down on the cone and the idle shoots up. Release it and it should smooth out. But if its a really high mileage engine, chances are the weird plug/screw/piece has loosened up through the years and made its way to the top of the FITV. I've read some posts where half-way down to completely bottomed did wonders for their idle.
In my case, I tried both, and bottoming it out doesn't seem to do any worse, so I left it there.
- O2 Sensor
Even in a lower mileage CB7, you'll still want a new O2. It can be the cause of idle problems as well and may kill your gas mileage even when there's no CEL. Sometimes a faulty (not necessarily bad) O2 won't throw a code, and your CB might be hesitant and then suddenly jumpy under full open throttle. People always recommend to stay OEM, which means buying a shiny new NGK O2. My f22a6, however, had a funky shaped plug and no matter where I went, the NGK had a different one. I'm guessing it was on a whim that Honda did that (something like how they switch pins a6 and a11), or an engineering thing, but I got a Bosch Universal sensor and its worked fine.
- Intake Air Bypass, if you got one.
This will likely only apply to the F22A6's out there (SE's and EX's). The A6's in these two trims had a larger Intake Manifold with a second set of runners. Under heavy acceleration, they would be opened to increase air flow to the head. During idle or lower load, they closed partially or completely to improve fuel economy.
These little black boxes have a nasty habit of rusting out and completely falling apart in your hands, so a new one from Majestic may be necessary. Or, you can simply plug the vacuum from the actuator valve directly into the IM. This probably lowers economy, but it can be a temporary fix until you get a new IAB
- Seafoam
There are numerous posts on how to do this, but here's an extremely short verision.- Buy Seafoam
- Start and run car til its operating temp (temp guage is in the middle and won't go any higher) DO NOT REV IT WHEN YOU START IT, JUST WAIT!
- Turn off the engine and remove the brake booster vacuum from the brake booster. Its the large round drum on the driver's side firewall and the largest vacuum hose that goes into the rear of the IM.
- Start the engine with your thumb over the hose. Then remove your thumb while you SLOWLY pour Seafoam into it. I can't stress slowly enough. It will increase the RPM's as you pour. If you pour too quickly, I think it will splode.
- After pouring about a third or half a can, shut the engine off and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Replace the brake booster vacuum and start the engine. Let it idle for a bit to let the oil reach the cylinders, THEN REV IT! You can opt to drive it hard and pollute your neighborhood if you wish, but I suggest against it. DO NOT DO IN A POORLY VENTILATED AREA!!!
- Finally, pass inspection (hopefully).
After all of that, the rest will be smaller things, like tires, headlights, signal lights, corner covers. Maybe with a little more cash you can get some rims, new bumper or skirts. I'm not really into making my car pretty (stock and clean is enough for me), but it is a pretty car and a good candidate for kits nonetheless.
If its above 200k like mine, you might want a new catalytic. I suggest doing all of the above first, however, as you don't want to destroy a brand new 100 dollar cat just because you're still running rich (or just letting gas through) due to a bad O2, spark plugs, wires or poor idle quality.
Some more things you might want to consider:
- H22/H23 swaps are common and a very easy one to complete.
- F22B's and F23's can be done as well.
- Less common are H23 Vtecs and F20B Vtecs, but also can be done.
- Or boost it. With an 8ish:1 comp ratio and nice iron sleeves, the f22 is a good candidate for it. At least as far as I've read. It may have aluminum walls? Is it only the f23 with Iron? Ah well.
- All motor is the final and most expensive option. There's even a site dedicated to the engine. f22parts.com. They have an e-bay store as well as an online store. I can't speak for their parts, but they offer a lot.
- Then, there's Bisimoto. Best known for his use of the F22 in an Insight for drag runs, his custom headers, cams, pistons and other parts all come at a premium, but many have vouched for it here on cb7tuner to be worth it.
In conclusion, this is about all I can remember for now. If I've missed something which is probably the case, feel free to post up and I'll edit my post to include your tips so my fellow newbies don't have to read the entire thread.
I'll try my best to manage this thread (or if it already exists in some form, just leave it as another source), but with full time work, part time school and the holidays coming up, I can't promise much!
That, and I'm playing with the vtec on my cb's h22. Still an auto (yes I can still hit vtec with my automatic, albeit at great risk to the tranny), but now that the forums are back up, I can dig up the info on that 5spd swap!
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