The 1989 Civic hatchback

In reply to tuna55:

Thanks!

Good tip on the motor mounts. I'll try that this evening, although I'm pretty sure they are gone.

Does it look bad to you guys? Does it sound right to the guys that know?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/3u1t0jCjaX8

Yeah I'd say those look pretty loose.

Audio on YouTube is really hard but it sounds about clacitty. Have you checked the valve lash?

That's moving around about as much as mine does at full power on the dyno. Most of the movement is controlled by the rear mount. At this point the front mount is surely trashed, they all are. I haven't had good luck some some aftermarket engine mounts (Anchor brand), so try another. Now I have poly mount inserts in the rear and front mounts as that limits movement a lot, but avoids some of the harshness that you get putting the inserts in all of the mounts.

It is hard to tell from a cell phone video, but the valves probably need an adjustment, they seemed a little loud. Was the motor cold or warm? If cold, someone messed with the fan wiring as it is not supposed to come on with the key. Is that exhaust manifold the style that has a small log manifold with a close coupled cat or is it a larger 4 into 1 style? The heat shield looks like the log manifold style which means less power. Next time under the hood, look at the intersection of the engine and trans on the front side of the motor and there is a small flat spot where it starts to flare out that will have the engine number stamped on it, something like D15B2, please give it a check to see if this was swapped at some point. You can also check the transmission to see what you have:

ook above the oil fill, there is a stamp that will say PL3/####
PL3/A### = small bearing case - DX/HF/STD
PL3/B000 = large bearing - SI/ZC
PL3/3000/6000/9000 = large bearing - SI/ZC

I had just pulled back in from getting it inspected so it was at full operating temp. It passed by the way

Honestly I was thinking about trying the window weld on the mounts.

I haven't had chance to check valve lash yet. I will once I get the shop manual from AngryCorvair.

I just checked, and it says D15B nothing after the B. It does have the log manifold with the cat tucked in close. That sucker is hidden, I didn't think the car had a cat.

I also was able to take a peak at the front springs Which are 350lbs. It also looks like it has aftermarket upper A arms on it.

So that's 350F and 250R. Those may be a little stiff for what I want to do.

No problems transferring the title at lunch. She's all mine now, all mine mwah haha ha haha

Nick (Bo) Comstock wrote: No problems transferring the title at lunch. She's all mine now, all mine mwah haha ha haha

you say that with delight.

I hope that it stays that way!!

In reply to tuna55:

I am delighted. I always wanted a small hatch. And I don't have a ton of money tied up in it so even if it lunched the engine tonight there are enough cheap options out there that it wouldn't be a huge deal. And it's not my only means of transportation so I'm not stressed to keep it running. Plus it actually has an aftermarket unlike anything else I've ever driven so there are tons of directions I could go with it.

Yeah, pretty happy.

Just making a list of things I need to address.

Priority items.

. Motor mounts

. Alignment (done/sort of)

. Timing belt/valve adjustment

. Passenger window regulator

Second priority items.

. Tune up

. Figure out how to set ignition timing

. Bleed brakes

. Figure out shocks and spring rates

Third priority items.

. Auto cross wheels and tires

. Rally cross wheels and tires

. Build skid plate

. Steering wheel

Put valve adjustment on the list while you are doing the timing belt.

Buying this cheap special tool will make the valve adjustment much much easier.

Tool

Took it to work today so I could secretly use the little gravel road the runs around the backside of the shop as a small test track to check it's off roadiness.

I learned a few things.

The spring rates didn't actually feel that bad.

It really rotates easily. Very easily.

The shocks are done.

The steering rack ratio is very slow.

It has tons of rattles.

It really wants to rotate.

Found these while digging for set up info.

Seems a shame to take a car with that much range of motion and hamper it with tiny short springs and low travel shocks.

Then lift it!

I have started buying some of the parts to swap a faster-ratio DC Integra rack into my EG - on my car at least you basically need the little crossmember that retains the rack (or hog out the EG one), the rack and a u-joint.

I would assume you can do the same on a DA Integra with your EF, but am no expert.

In reply to AngryCorvair:

I don't really want to lift it, I just don't want to artificially limit it's wheel travel to two inches. Which is what it feels like now. (BTW, the FSM came in mail today. Thank you again!)

So I went to get it aligned as visually it looked like it had about an inch or more of toe out in the front. The tech was a tool and we got into an argument over my adjustable camber links in the back, which he said emphatically that those were the toe links and the camber links were in the front of the trailing arms. I resisted the urge to smack the E36 M3 out of him. He also said the inner and outer tie rod ends were shot, which I can't find any slop at all in. Just a complete tool. At least he set the front toe. I'll be doing my own alignments from here on out.

I don't know how legible it is but here is the printout.

Today I decided check the compression just to make sure this thing wasn't completely trashed. I would say it's in good health if just a little on the worn side. Take note that cylinders two and three had a lot of standing oil in the spark plug holes, so those are higher due to basically being wet measurements while on and four were dry. Still not too bad.

Cyl 1

Cyl 2

Cyl 3

Cyl 4

The plugs looked to be in good shape and the color looked nice too. I just check the gap and put them back in.

I also decided to run some Seafoam through it just for grins. Here is a boring video of that. But at around 2:15 you can get an idea of the exhaust sound https://www.youtube.com/embed/3NT7bmwh_o0Immediately got better idle.

After that I took it out to run it a little. I like to put it in second and run it up to redline then let it engine brake back down. I found an empty road and ran it up and down a couple times. I decided it would be a good time to check my brakes out real good. As there was no one around. At about 60mph I stood on the brakes good and hard only to be rewarded with a loud pop and the pedal going all the way to the floor. I popped a brake hose. Being only a mile or two from home I limped it home in first gear and used the E-brake to stop. So glad I got those fixed.

I was lucky it happened on an empty back road instead of a panic situation on a busy highway. Some PO didn't route and attach the hose properly and it was rubbing on the rim. Notice the super secure zip tie holing the hose to the bracket. I will be going steel braided but am throwing new auto-zone cheapies on it for the time being. Remind me to pull the front wheels immediately upon bringing a new car home in the future.

While I had the wheels off I took a picture of the adjustable upper arms. It also has no front sway bar on it.

So it appears that a replacement passenger side window regulator is not a thing that exists anymore. May have to get creative.

I have some projects I need to address on the Civic.

Before that happens it's time to service the bike.

Before that happens I need to clean and organize the disaster that is my garage.

I wanted to get up early and get a head start on it but the boy was sick all night and I'm lacking motivation.

I will go get it done.

I will go get it done.

I will go get it done.

Before shots.

That alignment looks way off to me, that positive camber in the rear may be the cause of the oversteer you stated in a past post, and there is 1 deg difference from left to right at the front and back which doesn't seem like a good thing. I love your civic I've had more than 10 of that generation and loved them.

In reply to GillesDecourse:

Yeah that guy was a moron. The gravel excursion was prior to have the alignment "set". He got the toe close enough that I'm not going to mess with it until I get the new suspension under it. Once that happens I will set it myself.

Okay, got the garage half assed picked up. Now it's off to service the bike so I can get back to the Civic.

I have more stuff than I have room for it. I need to figure out a better way to organize everything.

You have some interesting stuff in that shop.

What's the spring tension gauge on the back wall for?

In reply to ssswitch:

That's for my multi year project of making my own long bow.