1987 Honda Accord

I love using Bondo in places where it won’t be seen. I patched a hole in the wheel well today. I didn’t even clean up the rust first. It was about a 1in x 2in hole. I used a lot more hardener than last time, and the stuff sets up in under 10 minutes. I just slapped it on, all messy, but it’s almost completely hidden. I’ll paint it black later in the week.
I also cleaned up my battery terminals, because they keep corroding. I put some grease over them which should help this time.
I also played around with the carb a little to try and get it to idle better. I lowered the idle, but I don’t think I had an effect on the fast idle. It still feels like it should kick off the fast idle cam sooner. I’m not really worried about it though.

I’ve just added a photo album that includes the pictures from when I rebuilt my carburetor.
I haven’t been driving my car too much recently, so it doesn’t have any new problems. Most excellent.

The coolant leak from around the thermostat seems to have stopped. Corrosion isn’t always a bad thing.

I still get some vibration while braking, but it seems that it requires higher speeds now. I only felt it over 60MPH. The steering wheel is cocked a little to the left, so the alignment must be off, which accounts for the vibration. I was very careful to install the new tie-rod end in the exact same place as the old one, but the car could still use an alignment it seems. I have little interest in spending the $50 however. I hate to think I didn’t really need to install the new rotors, so I choose to believe the alignment is only half the issue.
I’ve been doing more highway driving recently, and as a result, my car is now getting about 35MPG. It previously was closer to 32MPG.

I just replaced my rotors, because they were vibrating when I braked above 40MPH, my left tie rod end, because it was worn and I’m sure it wouldn’t pass inspection, and my oil, because it’s been 3000 miles since I last changed it.
I went to Lappens for all the parts. They are a little more expensive than Autozone, but considering how many times I’ve walked out of Autozone empty handed because they had the wrong part, they were out of stock, or they flat out didn’t carry the part, I’m not interested in shopping there anymore for replacement parts.
Lappens doesn’t carry the High Mileage Pennzoil oil, so I got the regular stuff. I think my engine is in good enough shape that it can handle it. I’ll probably pick up some High Mileage formula from Autzone for my next oil change however.
Also, Lappens only carried Fram and Pennzoil oil filters. I settled for the Pennzoil, but it doesn’t look like a great filter. The model number is PZ-33 if anyone cares.

Anyhow, the rotors are real easy to replace. Remove the wheel, remove the caliper, remove the caliper bracket, and the rotor is held on with two screws.

The tie-rod end was a little trickier. I decided against buying a ball joint puller, which was a mistake. It took several really hard whacks with a 4lb hammer to knock the thing out of the steering knuckle. I was worried I’d damage something else, but all went well.

Here’s a few pictures of my car without a rotor, with a rotor, with a caliper, and the new tie-rod end

I’m planning on getting out early tomorrow morning, before the traffic, to break in the new rotors.

I took off one of my rotors today. It didn’t look very smooth at all. I know it only takes a little to cause a vibration, so I think I’ll just replace the rotors. I don’t know anywhere that will remachine them for me, and new ones aren’t all that expensive anyhow. I’m planning on also replacing the left tie-rod end since it’s clearly got too much play in it.
The car also needs an oil change. I hope the weather cooperates with me tomorrow.
I know new pads and rotors should be ‘bedded’, but that’s tough where I live. I can’t think of a road nearby where I can safely break in the brakes. Maybe if I get up real early Sunday morning I’ll have some open roads.

My old 94 Civic had really tall gearing, and I loved it. You could cruise on the highway at 65MPH with the engine turning at a mere 2000RPM. Which also happened to be where the peak torque output was. The engine produced very little resistance so even at 65MPH, you could lift off the throttle and the car would coast well.
In contrast my 87 Accord’s engine is turning just shy of 3000RPM while driving at 65MPH. This is about 1000RPM short of the peak torque output. The engine is providing more resistance, and so even coasting down a steep hill, the car will decelerate to about 55-60. I supposed aerodynamics are also a factor.
The lower engine speed in my old Civic also meant it was a quieter and smoother ride. It was much more at home on the highway than my Accord is.

I’ve got some significant vibration in the front end during braking over 40MPH. I’m sure the new brake pads brought this on, but I think the worn ball joints are making it worse. I also noticed a significant amount of play in the left tie rod end when I was doing the brake work last month. I’ve always stayed away from suspension work, but I may not be able to any more.
Here’s an intersting web page about the myth of “warped rotors.”

I just finished removing the evaporator. The evaporator box acts as the duct between the blower unit, and the heater, so you have to remove the box, gut it, and then reinstall it. I also had to plug up the grommet holes. I used some rubber and liquid gasket on the grommets themselves to close the hole, and then reinstalled the grommets. It’s a pretty easy task overall. One interesting note about my car is that the glovebox is a different color brown than the rest of the interior. It’s a much darker color, and it just looks out of place.
The evaporator itself probably only weighs about 5 pounds. It does restrict airflow from the blower, I wonder if I’ll notice any change.
On that note, removing the condenser will cause a significance increase in airflow over the radiator. That should be a good thing. I never liked the design that placed the condenser right in front the radiator. The 5th generation Civic used smaller, side by side units, which I thought made more sense.