1997 Honda Accord....Advice/Concerns?

[ExplorerDMB]

Well I am looking at possibly getting an Accord from a friend of mine for work and to travel to my new classes that are 45 minutes away (and on interstate). I haven't looked up the service bullitens at work yet off of alldata on this vehicle, but it runs pretty good. No idle problem, hesitations or anything of that nature; which is great. It has 105K on it and its the 4dr with I believe the 4cyl. I haven't exactly looked under the hood yet (I will next week). But I'm just trying to see what people think of them and any "bad situations" they've had with them. Thanks

-Drew

 

[svande8952]

I have a 96 Accord and it has been a great car. Never any problems for the last 4 years that I have had it. They are the most reliable cars on the road today (arguably).

 

[ExplorerDMB]

What kind of mileage do you get out of it? Do you have the 4cyl? What things have you had to do to it (repair wise)? Thanks

-Drew

 

[dreamr]

Older and middle aged honda's are hard to kill, just be shure that the previous owner didn't act like it had a big block v8.

I have thought about picking up a mid to late 90's Honda ass they are super cheap around here.

However I kid myself. When I go to buy a daily driver I am going to start looking for a fox mustang that has been treated well. I will also pick up a 351 at the same time. While I drive my "DD" Mustang I'm going to build it a new engine. When it goes in the 5.o engine goes on the stand for a rebuild and goes..........where???????? :exp:


Wait wake up Bryce..............

 

[ExplorerDMB]

haha that sounds like a fun thing to do. I'm similar on that part...hard for me not too look up stuff for my vehicles or a friend of mines. Anyway, it was a girls car - and she is very small, so I doubt she got it over 4000 Revs. It has 105K on it, it's an auto (only bad side of it is that); so what should I do to it maitnance wise. I will pull the plugs and check the gaps on 'em to see whats going on there. Are the Hondas EDIS or do they have distributors? I believe they do. I will check the auto fluid of coarse, and I might try out some of those fuel system cleaners at work. I will probably go through all the fluids and see whats going on there. Any advice would be great. Thanks

-Drew

 

[svande8952]

I have the four cylinder non-VTEC engine, I get about 25mpg around town and about 30-32 on road trips. I have only done preventive maintenance on it, ie. timing belt, plugs, airfilter, tranny fluid and filter and oil changes of course.
I bought it with 52k on the clock and now it has 110k, not a hiccup the whole time, I'm even thinking of leasing a new one for my wife.
BTW-I have mine over 4000 rpm frequently with no ill effects.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

Thanks a lot svande8952! I don't believe hers is a v-tec either, so I should hopefully see similar mileage. I will 85% of the time use this as a highway machine, and my truck as my "around town" hoarse. Thanks for all the information.

-Drew

 

[devildoy45]

i have a 98 accord. its single overhead cam vtec that gets about 32mpg consistently. it makes up for the gas milage than my explorer gets.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

Well that's good. I plan on using it for long distance and fuel economy. I might put a cold-air intake on it and possibly a cat-back system...but I do not want it loud at all....I will do what most ricers don't do - leave the silencer on! I might throw a flowmaster under it and see how that sounds.

-Drew

 

[boominXplorer]

might throw a flowmaster under it and see how that sounds.

-Drew

DEffinitally! I talked my buddy into putting one on his integra. Its VERY quiet (70 series i think) but gives the gains of open exhaust.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

Its VERY quiet (70 series i think) but gives the gains of open exhaust.

That is all I want. Thanks Chris. And I don't think it's the 70 series...I believe it's like a 60 series. It's on the website anyhow, I can just look it up. Does it sound kind of deep or is just normal sounding?

-Drew

 

[boominXplorer]

That is all I want. Thanks Chris. And I don't think it's the 70 series...I believe it's like a 60 series. It's on the website anyhow, I can just look it up. Does it sound kind of deep or is just normal sounding?

-Drew

Throaty. He has an intake it is no louder than the intake, so its balaned out well. It could be the 60 for all i know

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Out of 4 Honda vehicles we have ('98 Accord EX-V6, '90 Accord EX, '96 Acura 3.2TL and a brand new '05 Odyssey), only the '90 Accord has the 4-cylinder engine. It currently has 225,000 miles on it and it still runs like a champ. The engine and the tranny are still original and have yet been rebuilt. *knock on wood* That thing still gets about 30mpg with not a lot of problems other than spending money on maintenance. Our '98 Accord EX-V6 has about 70k miles on it and gets a constant 27mpg. My 3.2TL is non-VTEC and gets about 20mpg and our brand new Odyssey gets about 18mpg. That's not bad for a 255hp V6 with VCM minivan that weighs around 5000lbs and it still needs time to be broken-in. If you're going to drive it to and from school, an Accord is perfect for that. You won't regret it.

Be sure to check if the timing belt has been replaced. If it hasn't, then be prepared to spend about $600 or $700 for a new timing belt and water pump.

Also, the Accords have distributors, even with our '98 Accord. But our '96 3.2TL and '05 Odyssey are distributorless.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

[QUOTE='96explorereddiebauer]
Be sure to check if the timing belt has been replaced. If it hasn't, then be prepared to spend about $600 or $700 for a new timing belt and water pump.[/QUOTE]

Timing belt huh? I believe I accually saw a service bulletin on the 97 I'm looking at, but it was a recall made in 01 I believe for the timing belt (I think)! I'm not 100% but I think I saw something on Alldata about it. But if not, I'm sure the timing belt cost is all cause of labor right? Maybe I can get a guy at the shop to help me out one day over a weekend and get it done at the cost of the belt and a few lunches/dinners. Thanks for the input!

-Drew

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Timing belt and water pump are maintenance items. It does not have any problems, or shouldn't have any problems. If the belt goes too far and breaks, then your engine will be dead, literally. So definitely ask if the timing belt has been changed. 105k miles is around that time for a new timing belt and water pump, BTW.

Oh, check out this website, it's all parts and stuff and have diagrams...and we all love diagrams!!! And on top of that, the prices aren't too bad either.

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/catdisplay.jsp

 

[ExplorerDMB]

I doubt they've changed it. Hopefully I can get it from them for real cheap and then doing the job wouldn't be bad at all. We'll see. And like I said, I could do it for price of the belts (I saw there were two) and the cost of the water pump. Anyway, you've been a big help - thank you!

-Dre

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

You are very welcome. The two belts you see are the belts that drive the accessories in your car such as power steering pump, alternator, etc. The timing belt should be under the cover behind the belts. That's the belt you want to change and the water pump, which should also be in there. Shoot...why not replace the rest of the belts so you won't have to mess with it. lol. It's a very labor-intensive job so that's why it costs so much to replace the timing belt and the water pump.

 

[X~FACTOR]

Honda cars are the most realiable cars out there as long as you don't mess with the engine (and suspensions). Honda built it to last, don't mess with it.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

Honda built it to last, don't mess with it.

What do you mean don't mess with it? It's already got a few things on it (wheels/tires are the only mod that I see that would effect anything). Everything else is like window tint, white face gauges, and I think thats it. I hope atleast. I don't want to put money into it - just $ that will fix it or make better mileage!

-Drew

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Just keep as many things that affects the engine and the drive train stock and you should be ok.