[CL9]2004 Accord Euro Lux 120,000km - recent acquisition - some issues

Finally got some time to do some work on the Euro.

Fuel filter replaced. It's a 50 minute job but not overly technical. Bought a cheap pattern fuel filter and the manufacturing tolerances weren't as good as the could have been. There were at least 3 problems that I noticed but it worked in the end.
The Honda fuel filter is quite interesting. It's a full flow filter as it doesn't appear to have a bipass. The element is basically a toilet roll with no centre and the fuel travels longitudinally past the paper rather than through the paper.
My filter was black and squeezing the paper made a stream of blackened fuel come out.
The fuel pump itself must be under a lot of stress as the filter blocks.

Air filter replaced. Different vendor but I had to slightly file the location tabs to make it fit. I've never had these problems with pattern parts in the past.

Throttle body cleaned. It wasn't too bad. I have no idea why the link above uses isopropyl alcohol. It's part of the fuel system - carby cleaner works perfectly.

EGR plate thingy cleaned. As above. Carb cleaner works fine.

Earth point for battery where it attaches to body removed, cleaned & replaced.

Coolant dumped and refilled with tap water (I'm in Sydney, it's quite soft water) to flush it through. I'll put coolant in next week. That stuff was black.

Power Steering fluid replaced. Old fluid was black and full of contaminant. Also quite viscous compared to the new fluid.
For those interested in DIY, I looked at a few "tutorials" from "experts" on YouTube and I was appalled at their lack of mechanical ability. The biggest issue was they ran the pump dry and it started squealing. Not one tutorial showed the vehicle running afterwards. By my calcs, the pump moves about 2-3L/minute. How these idiots think they could pour 2L of PS fluid into a reservoir while holding a camera & trying to look cool is beyond me.

I syringed out the old fluid from the reservoir, removed the inlet & outlet pipes and removed the reservoir to clean it (used methylated spirits).
I refitted the reservoir and the line to the pump.
I blocked off the inlet spigot with a piece of old fuel line with a bolt in it. No clamps required.
I extended the return line using a 1/4" drive socket as a joiner and another 600mm length of hose I had on the "useful things" shelf. I routed this hose into a 1L honey bucket sitting in the engine bay behind the fans.
I then topped up the reservoir with about 300ml of Penrite HPSO.
This method is all an amalgam of the good parts of the YouTube experts.
At this point I did it my way. Instead of running the engine until the reservoir ran dry and spinning the steering wheel from lock-to-lock (this empties the steering rack), I started the engine and turned it off almost immediately (should have pulled a fuse to stop it starting but hindsight is wonderful). This would result in about 200ml of fluid coming out. I would then top up the reservoir and repeat. I did this about 3-4 times and as I was contemplating opening the 2nd 1L bottle of HPSO the fluid started running clear (ish). Given the amount of contaminant that appeared to be in the system I think it better to run the PS for a while and do another change further down the track (6-12 months).

Had a quick drive. Lots of initial smoke from all the carb cleaner. PS feels better than before but need to experience a few sweepers to be sure.

Find yourself a workshop manual from honda online. That may help with methodology.

The honda way is to let the steering pump, pump out all of the fluid with a hose off.

The general knowledge is honda coolant should be used as it does not have silicone additives. Also power steering fluid should be honda as well.

There are online parts places like OEM Acura Parts which has part diagrams and posts to Australia. Generally it is better to spend a bit more on genuine parts.


I would also check the engine mounts. Might explain a few things.

edit: In terms of isop alcohol, it is a single substances that evaporates, leaving nothing behind. Stuff like cleaners and greasers often have detergents etc which will leave traces of stuff.

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Originally Posted by Dxs

The honda way is to let the steering pump, pump out all of the fluid with a hose off.

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That's basically what I did, without letting the pump run dry, which tends to ruin seals & bearings

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The general knowledge is honda coolant should be used as it does not have silicone additives.

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That's not a unique Honda trait and coolant has moved on a bit since 2004.

The Honda Type 2 fluid is just a 50:50 OAT (Organic Acid Technology) premix consisting of
1) Ethylene Glycol 47-53%
2) Diethylene Glycol <3%
3) Potassium Hydroxide <3%
4) Hydrated inorganic acid, organic acid salts <5%
5) Bittering agent >30mg/kg (Added so you don't eat it)

OAT coolant has been in common use since the mid-90s in Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, VW/Audi, Jaguar, etc.

Penrite, Nulon, etc all make compatible OAT coolants that meet or exceed the Honda Specification and sell for a cheaper price.

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Also power steering fluid should be honda as well.

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If it meets or exceeds the Honda specification, why wouldn't you use Penrite HPSO?
In this case it complies with Honda PSF, Honda PSF-II, Honda, PSF-S & Honda PSF-V and is compatible / mixable with the OEM fluid. It will be fine. In fact, I've done a few km since yesterday andthe steering is beautiful. All kick-back gone

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There are online parts places like OEM Acura Parts which has part diagrams and posts to Australia. Generally it is better to spend a bit more on genuine parts.

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Great. Thanks

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I would also check the engine mounts. Might explain a few things.

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Still coming. Ran out of time

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edit: In terms of isop alcohol, it is a single substances that evaporates, leaving nothing behind. Stuff like cleaners and greasers often have detergents etc which will leave traces of stuff.

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Sure, if it was a MAF that doesn't like contaminants but it's a throttle body & inlet manifold. The ideal cleaner is throttle body cleaner.

Cabin filter replaced with $5 unit from AliExpress
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Fitted fine. Can't see any negatives with it except it took a long time to come.

Spark plugs done.
Minor improvements in starting / running / power. It amazes me the resilience of modern platinum spark plugs & ignition systems.

Auto trans fluid replaced with Penrite ATF LV full synthetic and the external filter replaced (AliExpress again). As expected, only part of the full capacity drained. I managed to get 3.8L out. I'll do it again in 6-12 months after the new stuff has had a chance to clean out the internals.
Shift quality is near normal. The light throttle shudder when in top gear has gone.

Started cleaning the brakes starting at the front right as they squeal and feel a bit wooden and the pedal travel is a bit long. As expected, the slider pin lubricant had turned to soap-like consistancy and the rails and pads were clogged with dust & debris. A couple of hours work just on one brake assembly (including cleaning the wheel) and it was back how it should be. While I had the wheel off I bled that caliper. Pedal feels the same but I was doing it solo. I'll do it again with a helper. Squeal is gone from that corner. 3 more to go.
While I had the wheel off I noticed the lower control arm compliance bush was starting to fail. This explains some of the odd cornering behaviour.

Cleaned all the dust & leaves out of the sunroof surround & plenum area.

Pulled the factory floor mats out and washed them - several times. They are now a reasonable shade of beige.

Cleaned and dressed the leather seats. I think the drivers seat is beyond redemption.

Finally this car is starting to become pleasant to drive.

Just ordered all 6 bushes for the front LCAs. $70 delivered

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Originally Posted by brad1.8tsi

Just ordered all 6 bushes for the front LCAs. $70 delivered

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Where did you get the bushes from? Will it be difficult to install?

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Originally Posted by Martin77

Where did you get the bushes from? Will it be difficult to install?

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Ebay: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/330951369398

Difficulty?

Removal of the arm shouldn't be difficult with normal hand tools, jack stands, etc.

Removing the bushes from the arms will need a decent bench vice and a good hacksaw to split the bush or a press with suitable accessories. I'll just cut them out at home.

Putting them in will need a really good, really strong, large vice or a press. My vice is a cheap POS so I'll probably drop them into a mechanic near home and get them pressed in. It will take about 1 hour I'd think - about $100

Difficulty is a bit relative. I've been fiddling with cars for 38 years and have done a lot of work on Minis, Land Rovers and Thornycroft Fire Engines. Anything after that is a doddle. Hondas are usually quite logical in how they are put together and not overly difficult to repair