Buying a used DA9 - oil leakage under hood?

[Rayle]

Hey everyone, there's this used DA9 for sale (should be able to get it for <$1000, no rego or RWC), went to inspect it today and there's a lot of (what looks like) oil under the hood. Any ideas what's wrong/what will be required to fix?

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/4139/imgp0405large.jpg

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/6581/imgp0427large.jpg

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/2074/imgp0406large.jpg

Some other (comparatively) minor things:

There's a pic of what looks like rusty welding after the.. catalytic converter?

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/5219/imgp0414large.jpg

The rear, right disk rotor seems badly rusted, though the others all look fine.

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/6729/imgp0416large.jpg

Also one of the rear windscreen, there's quite a large gap between the windscreen and the roof panel, looks much worse in real life. However, from the interior you can't even see it.

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/3772/imgp0421large.jpg

And lastly, there's one of the underside of the car, if you look closely you'll see that the panel thingy on the left of the picture is hanging significantly lower than the right, seems like it was bent or something.

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/7794/imgp0442large.jpg

The number plate is also crinkled and there's some issues with the paint work on the bumper, might be related to the underside issues... might these be a problem down the road?

One more thing: the passenger door's lock is broken, and the door is stuck locked. Any ideas?

Let me know if the pictures are too big..

Do you think it's worth buying? Thanks in advance!

[Chriskoss]

Hey mate
firstly with the oil leak
most da9's have that problem, however looks worse in that pic
the only way to tell if its really leaking bad is to first check the oil level and check it after driving etc every week.. secondly degreasing the engine so its clean then checking a few days later if any new oil appears
it could be leaking from the crank seal (common prob) or just the head, and if the head gasket is fine and its not leaking much theres really nothing to worry about
the rotors can just be replaced for as little as 100 a pair.. nothing to worry about there
for the panel under the car, jst looks like a stone guard which is just a plastic bit , can find a new 1 at the wreckers or just get under the car and secure it back
hope that helps

[grifty]

it really depends on the cars kms, mechanical condition, body and interior condition to see if its worth buying

that oil looks like its coming from the rocker cover so its a fairly easy and cheap gasket to replace.

that rust on the exhaust welds is normal, nothing to be worried about :)

if the car has been sitting there for a while then its normal for the brake discs to start rusting up, most of the rust should go after a few drives.

i dont know anything about the gap between the window and roof panel since i have never looked at a DA9 in detail.

oh and about the splash tray hanging abit lower then normal is probably because one of the clips/screws fell out, its nothing to be worried about.

i would try taking off the passengers door trim to have a look at what is keeping it locked.

[thj822]

if it drives good and engine is good i say go for it and should have a clean interior. or otherwise i wouldnt buy it

[Rayle]

Thanks guys, really put my mind at ease. Unfortunately I can't take it for a test drive as it's not registered and the seller was advised by VicRoads not to let people do it due to insurance concerns, but they started the engine and it seems to work fine. I don't think the passenger door lock itself is broken, just seems that the latch thing on the inside to lock/unlock the door is broken.

Someone on g2ic said their DA9's rear windscreen has looked like my pictures for about 7 years and hasn't had any problems/leaks, I'm just worried the RWC might be an issue due to this.

Anyway, I'll get a mechanic in to take a look, see if there's anything I've missed, and if everything is good, it'll be mine! Thanks again everyone.

[grifty]

i think the rear window is normal, just to be sure shoot jdm_b16a a pm since he has recently restored a DA9

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/member.php?3126-jdm_b16a

[jdm_b16a]

Most people have answered the OP's questions but just to reiterate:

1. Cam seal is gone. Easy to replace. Get genuine Honda camseal.

2. Rust around weld - standard. No problem unless the exhaust is cracked or has a leak. You'll know if it has by the sound.

3. Ditto the rusty rotor - just means the car has been sitting for over a week without being driven. Check the pads for wear and the rotors for scouring/grooves is more important.

4. Gap at rear hatch is standard. It's offputting but standard. Check the boot for signs of water.

Also check under the passenger carpet for signs of leaks under the cowling below the windscreen. Damp or wet means you've got to replace grommets under the hood cowling. A common problem.

5. the undertray hanging down just means the plastic screw holding it up has let go or is not there. Easily fixed.

As always, if the car starts, doesn't blow smoke, idles OK and doesn't have exhaust leaks, you should be good to go. They sell for about $1K on eBaY with blown headgaskets/engine damage.

Peter

[backdog]

Replace the cam end plug and the rocker cover gasket. Fixed.

As for crank seal, Chriskross are you serious????

[jdm_b16a]

As for crank seal, Chriskross are you serious????

I think he probably meant Cam seal. Crank seal is way down the bottom (as we know!)

Peter

[EK1.6LCIV]

just age :) mates one is like that atm, pretty easy fix

[Rayle]

Well, I've committed to buying it, and I'm picking it up tomorrow. Got it for just over a grand! However, wasn't allowed to test drive out of insurance concerns so the gearbox is a mystery.

I've heard that the OEM cam seals will fail again in <5 years, anyone know where to get an STR one? Also heard that the 96+ Integra cam seal was designed and is much better. I've enquired with AKMotorworks to see how much a Golden Eagle one will run me. The power steering fluid is also leaking, hopefully that'll be an easy fix, going to try changing the O-rings on the pump.

Also, what oils are you guys running? The manual I have says 5w-30 or 10w-30, but I've read that since the engine is old, it's best to run something a little thicker. Thanks again everyone.

[EK1.6LCIV]

10-30w here

bit of work ahead of you, hope the gearbox is fine (should be)

show progress :)

[Chriskoss]

yeh I mean cam seal, wateverssss lol

[string]

The cam plugs are the same for all the non-Vtec B's. I bought an aluminium o-ring seal a few years back and was very happy with the way it fit and sealed. Got one for my sister too when she bought a Teg with the classic oil leak.

Current engine as it is on the stand has a new OEM plug - individually they're cheaper.

[Rayle]

Aite, I'm going to order the cam seal and valve cover gasket on Monday. Thanks!

It came home with me yesterday, gearbox seems fine so that's a big relief. However, there's wiring issues with the headlights: on the right headlight, with lowbeam only the corner light comes on. With highbeams, all of the lights come on, so I'm pretty sure it's not a blown bulb. The left bumper indicator might indeed be blown though, anyone know what size that is/if there's an easy way to check whether it's the bulb or something else?

Anyway, took off the front bumper so that I can fix my lights... mechanic told me they're faded and need to be fixed.

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/4620/imgp0452large.jpg

Also, it seems that whenever the car rocks, due to doors being shut or people getting in, or even just pushing the front of the car down, the catalytic converter (or what I think is the cat converter) squeaks.

http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/584/imgp0464large.jpg

Is that common? Time to keep reading that service manual...

[jdm_b16a]

No, that's the resonator, prevents the exhaust from "droning". Cat will be further up the chain, near the downpipe. If its not then you have no cat which is illegal.

BTW, looks like a good buy. Bit of work to clean her up but should be OK.

Peter

[aaronng]

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/6729/imgp0416large.jpg

The rear, right disk rotor seems badly rusted, though the others all look fine.

If he has been driving the car, and the right disk rotor is rusted on the friction face, that means that the rear right caliper has siezed and needs either a rebuild or replacement.