1987 Honda Accord

I’ve tracked down the suspicious rattle I remarked on in the March 26th, 2003 posting. It’s the power steering. I noticed a few weeks ago it was louder one day, and when I popped the hood, you could see the PS fluid surging back into the reservoir all foamy, and I knew the noise. And more recently I was at a stop light, and it was real quiet, so I listened to the noise, and it changed as I turned the wheel slightly. I’m not too concerned. I should just occasionally add fluid to keep cycling out the old and cycling in the new fluid.

The car is still running well. This nice weather has had me engaging in more spirited driving. It occasionally (although more frequently, recently) makes a slight noise as I let the clutch out in first gear. I usually have the radio on, so I can’t hear the sound well, and it has never done it more than once in a day. I think the synchro on first gear is worn, so it’s not always fully engaging the dog teeth until I release the clutch. But that’s just a guess. I ordered the D-ring for the thermostat housing. Now I just need a big adjustable wrench, and a few few hours to change it. I haven’t lost any coolant in a few weeks though, but with summer looming, I’d like to fix this tiny imperfection in my cooling system if I can.