V6 Newbie Project

[Mangoman]

The vibration is certainly not normal. I made a conscious check on mine yesterday and there is none at all. And I wasn't holding it rigid, just a very relaxed 2 finger grip, (which is generally all it needs to keep on the straight and narrow anyway). And even in parking with sharp turns I just use the 'One-Handed' method.

And don't forget I'm running 18 inch wheels with a 40 Aspect Ratio which would normally amplify any vibration. Not to mention 36psi inflation. (34 Rear). I just find the car very balanced with nice precise turn-in with that set-up.

And with reference to your Steering Wheel, I wish mine went lower! At the lowest position there's a good 4-5 inches gap to the tops of my legs. I'd be happier if it went another 2 inches lower!...  (And I haven't got matchsticks either  )

Now the Front Seat Back. Like Welland99 states, there is a slight amount of play at the top of the backrest, but this is normal on nearly all backrests. At the Pivot it most probably has a couple of millimetres movement but by the time it gets to the top of the backrest it has increased somewhat. Basic physics ol' chap...  

I think what you need to do is drive another one to make a comparison. I know when I first drove mine it felt like it was going to fall apart - but I just looked past this.... 

But I will admit for the first couple of weeks I thought, "What have I done"!!!! 

I hope you get it sorted and start enjoying it - it took me a good couple of months!

[kag8]

17 hours ago, welland99 said:

Which bit of the seat wobbles?  My drivers seat base is fixed firmly to the floor, but the back rest has some forward and backward play when it is latched in the driving position.   I don't notice the wobbling back rest when driving - only when standing outside. 

Mine seems slightly worse than yours in that when I shake the back rest (which has a lot of play) the base moves slightly too. Although I only noticed all of this when looking for loose bits. When I'm sat in the seat driving my weight keeps the seat firm so don't notice any movement though.

I have attached a repair bulletin which seems overly complicated and requires replacement of a plastic bracket which isn't cheap itself weirdly for what it is. Also having searched online apparently it's only going to break again.

There is also this repair I came across which seems more solid but not sure how applicable it is to accords. https://www.civicforums.com/forums/182-7th-generation-civic/347427-diy-driver-seat-rock-permanent-fix.html

2008-07-14_143236_accord_seat_repair.pdf

[kag8]

16 hours ago, welland99 said:

On the vibration issue......

I sometimes feel a vibration through the steering wheel on very bumpy roads.  In fact, I think it is linked to some play at the top of the steering column.  When stationary, I can feel play in the steering column if I move the steering wheel up towards the windscreen.  If I adjust the position of the steering wheel lower, the play seems to disappear.  (unfortuantely, it's not practical for me to leave the steering wheel lower, as I wouldn't get my legs comfy. )

Yours seems a different issue as its only on bumpy roads. I can't get the vibration to go away even by changing the steering height.

The vibration I get is almost constant and I think it is RPM related. I'm now positive I can feel it in the footwell and the centre arm rest too, whilst subtle at idle it is there and only gets worse as I rev. It seems most violent behind the centre dash footwell section (I stuck my barefoot around lol the cabin haha) so near the RR motor mount on the engine bay side.

5 hours ago, Mangoman said:

The vibration is certainly not normal. I made a conscious check on mine yesterday and there is none at all. And I wasn't holding it rigid, just a very relaxed 2 finger grip

Thanks for checking. Now I'm sure its not normal. It doesn't feel normal. The steering should be rock solid and comfortable to hold.

 

5 hours ago, Mangoman said:

And don't forget I'm running 18 inch wheels with a 40 Aspect Ratio which would normally amplify any vibration. Not to mention 36psi inflation. (34 Rear). I just find the car very balanced with nice precise turn-in with that set-up.

 I'm running 18s too! 34psi all round. I know not all tyres are equal but mine ride like crap. I can feel each and every little bump. Have you got original stock shocks on yours? Or have they ever been changed (even if with OEM ones)?

 

[Mangoman]

4 hours ago, kag8 said:

I'm running 18s too! 34psi all round. I know not all tyres are equal but mine ride like crap. I can feel each and every little bump. Have you got original stock shocks on yours? Or have they ever been changed (even if with OEM ones)?

 

That I cannot tell you I'm afraid, I have no record of them being changed.

But I will say that the suspension is what I would consider on the "hard" side of soft. Not bone-shaking, but firm and quite 'crashy' on bad road surfaces like potholes etc. But I would imagine the large wheels with the resulting low aspect ratio has a lot to do with this.

Also mine tends to sit quite proud on it's haunches with a gap a 5.5 inches between bottom of wheelarch to top of rim on the front and 6 inches on the rear.

As can be seen here: (And the overall diameter of the wheels/tyres is slightly more than the standard wheels/tyres are - about 10mm bigger. Hence my Speedo is within +/- 1 mph correct according to my Satnav).

Sorry I can't help further...

Ciao.

[hughezee]

On 07/06/2017 at 4:19 PM, kag8 said:

 I'm running 18s too! 34psi all round. I know not all tyres are equal but mine ride like crap. I can feel each and every little bump. Have you got original stock shocks on yours? Or have they ever been changed (even if with OEM ones)?

 

Changing the springs will improve the ride quality, after lowering mine it did and due to the assumed age of your shocks it would wise to replace them as well

[kag8]

On 10/06/2017 at 2:19 PM, hughezee said:

Changing the springs will improve the ride quality, after lowering mine it did and due to the assumed age of your shocks it would wise to replace them as well

Ive got my new springs and front shocks just need to get them installed. Also the engine mounts. Whenever you are ready mate. 

Need abit of diagnostic help today though. Mentioned on another thread that I was getting a knocking sound. Its very similar to what I got after my droplinks were changed. Coming from the right hand side (driver side). Last time I took it back to the garage and asked them to refit the drop link which sorted it. But now its back and I can feel the knock in the pedal and steering wheel especially when turning right.

Even the slightest right turn can produce the sound. So if im not 100% straight when approaching a bump it will knock over the bump.

A couple of days ago it fixed itself. Car drove fantastically. No knocks. Which was weird. And its back again.

Yesterday i took a very sharp left turn at low speed and heard a faint ticking sort of sound...researching online its pointing towards the right cv joint being the culprit. Going to try have a look later today but its only recently the front suspension was checked so Im thinking its the shock absorber mounting??

[Laird_Scooby]

Rule of thumb for CV joints, noise on one lock means the CV joint the other side is suspect. In other words, turning right on full lock will make the left CV joint "clack-clack-clack" and turning left will make the right CV joint do the same if one or both are knackered.

A very light ticking when turning to the side where the CV joint is suspect is usually a sign as well.

In other words i'd be looking at your left hand CV joint as a starting point but checking the other one as well and all the usual ball joints, drop links and so on. Don't disregard the drop links just because they're recent - i had to renew the ones on my Volvo after 6 months because of potholes, speed humps and the fact they were probably fake.

If you're taking the car to Stu for the springs and shocks, i'm sure he'll have a look at the CV joints as well but from the way you've described it, that's your problem.

[kag8]

Thanks @Laird_Scooby for the quick and as always very helpful reply!

I had a look and grabbed everything I could to check for play.

I previously mentioned I could twist the tie rods. Still can. But im comfortable that this is normal as no up-down or side-side movement and the twisting can be seen at the joint.

The CV joints. Boots look fine no splits no oil BUT there is a bit of play. Both right and left side cv joints. Enough play to cause a clicking sound. I think this isnt normal right? It should be solid? Could CV joint also contribute to the high speed vibration and uneven tyre wear? If i need to change both what are tha part numbers please?

For the main diagnostic of the knocking sound. It is after all coming from the drop link on driver side. Well not exactly the drop link which is solid. But the bar (sway bar?) which connects to the top nut on drop link. At certain angles if I pull on the bar near the top nut of the drop link I can recreate that exact loud knocking noise. I wonder what is causing this noise to develop as if I have to keep going back for drop link to be refitted every month thats a pain lol. Could it be steering related (still not happy with the clicks and creaks i get from it)? Or is it just a case of poorly fitted drop link or poor quality part?

Another bit that could contribute to the noise is the undercarriage plastic thing is loose so Im sure occassionally it gets pushed up against the cars frame/chassis and makes a noise. Minor but something Ive made a note of to fix at some point.

Btw I meant to do another p/s fluid drain and refill. Sucked out a tiny bit to inspect the colour. Looked goldenish still so will leave it for a few more weeks before changing. I still havent got round to changing the O rings. Will probably wait and see if Stu thinks its necessary...then I turned around and my son had spilled all the old p/s fluid I had collected in an empty engine oil jerrycan from previous flushes. Shared parking area. Neighbours not going to be happy!!

[Laird_Scooby]

You're welcome!

2 hours ago, kag8 said:

I previously mentioned I could twist the tie rods. Still can

Track rods - they're meant to turn so you can adjust the position of the track rod ends to get the wheel alignment correct. If you can twist the tie rods (a different component) then you'd have a serious problem!

2 hours ago, kag8 said:

The CV joints. Boots look fine no splits no oil BUT there is a bit of play. Both right and left side cv joints. Enough play to cause a clicking sound

Depends how much play there is and if the joints make a real noise when you apply full lock to the steering. Could possibly under certain circumstances cause vibration at speed. Get Stu to have a look when the shocks/springs are done.

2 hours ago, kag8 said:

For the main diagnostic of the knocking sound. It is after all coming from the drop link on driver side. Well not exactly the drop link which is solid. But the bar (sway bar?) which connects to the top nut on drop link.

Sway Bar (American), anti-roll bar (English) bushes could be to blame. The bar is held to the underside of the car with "D" clamps and split "D" bushes. If one or both of those bushes are worn then it will knock as well. Usually the drop links, could be poor quality or fake drop links. Again, Stu is your friend in terms of being able to have a look and confirm whether they are dead or not.

The plastic belly panel/undershield really needs to be attached properly but shouldn't contribute much noise of the kind you're describing, more of a flapping noise at speed.

2 hours ago, kag8 said:

my son had spilled all the old p/s fluid

Moral of the tale - kids and fluids don't mix! Best case scenario is they spill them all over the floor, worst case is they drink them or get them in their eyes - neither is good!

Best way to avoid this is to not take your kids out with you while doing anything on the car until they're old enough to not spill/drink anything they don't know about. If you do take them out, make sure that any fluids are out of reach and preferably in sealed containers that they'd have trouble opening. Antifreeze for example is pretty poisonous if drunk and a number of cats die each year from drinking it because it smells and tastes sweet to them, chances are it would to kids as well.

[kag8]

Thanks mate. All very useful tips. Ive learned so much!

I can imagine all this online diagnostic advice/guesswork getting on ppls nerves now haha. Best to pay Stu a visit and sort out the car fully.

[kag8]

3 hours ago, Laird_Scooby said:

preferably in sealed containers that they'd have trouble opening.

Thats the thing it was a sealed oil container not sure how he managed to get it open. Still not a good enough excuse on my part. Have to be extra careful and keep him away in such scenarios.

[PTR200S]

On 01/07/2017 at 9:27 PM, kag8 said:

Thats the thing it was a sealed oil container not sure how he managed to get it open.

You do know that only kids can open child proof containers, don't you?   you know the thing, drugs, antifreeze, drain cleaner, bleach etc... all the stuff that , apparently, they like to drink  and that reprogramming anything from the tele to the satnav is best left to them too !

[kag8]

9 hours ago, PTR200S said:

and that reprogramming anything from the tele to the satnav is best left to them too !

So true. He keeps accessing a secret service menu on my phone and changing settings!

[Laird_Scooby]

IS that like the MCDonalds secret meu? 3 praqts pssied but nit out! YET"!!!!

[PTR200S]

9 hours ago, kag8 said:

So true. He keeps accessing a secret service menu on my phone

 so now we know what you do for a living!  MI6 per chance? 

[kag8]

Haha not mi6 that would be too exciting for me.

Btw, I was in stafford today and spotted a green v6 coupe. Got so excited as havent seen any other coupes around.

Then on the way back home via birmingham i spotted another coupe (not sure if v6) in the exact same colour as mine!

2 coupes in 1 day? What are the chances of that!

As for this thread sorry its degenerated into a diagnostics one, ill try post pics of my car soon to spice it up abit. Been taking several randomly from different angles when i catch myself admiring it so will share.

Happy weekend guys!

[kag8]

Hi guys,

It’s been a while. As promised. Finally sat down to try and upload some pics.

Now my phone camera isn’t the best and when I tried to plug in to the computer it wouldn’t detect the photos so had to email them to myself. Also to compensate for my camera quality I do use some editing apps to play around with the lighting etc, it looks nice on my phone itself but may not come across as good on different screens.

First up:

A few of you on the facebook forum may have seen this. I tried out the chrome altezza lights. Quite liked them. Especially at night and on certain angles. In the end, I felt it would suit a darker car more. Sold to a HPUK facebook member so you may see it again!

 

 

I then reverted to stock. But was still itching to make it different. So a friend of mine quickly wrapped the tail lights using matt black film. It was more of as a let’s see how it will look so was not done perfectly. The film itself was cheap
eBay one which didn’t have protection on both sides so on application got scratched up. If you ever wrap anything, ensure the film you buy has protective layer on both sides before buying. Anyway, this is how it looked.

 

 

Didn’t like the tinted lights (didn’t expect to like it) so reverted back to stock!

 

 

You might remember I had messed up my driver side headlight trying to defog it.
I, therefore, used it as an excuse to order and fit new headlights. Much prefer the look of these. I was tempted by the halo type ones but those were too pricey and after the fail of chrome altezza lights, I thought to stick to a more close stock look.

 

 

I also had a mesh grill for a few days. Whilst I color coded the stock grill (I prefer the 2001-02 front bumper 1 piece with the small badge look). The mesh grill looked really nice too so was in a dilemma. But in the end decided to stick with stock after color coded (using left over spray paint I had – did a decent job I feel). Still looking for a smaller badge to stick on. Sold the front grill to another member (sorry again @Mangoman for the mixup that happened with this), who is quite active so you will see it around. 

 

 

I took this pic at the local park. I was driving around and noticed loads of old school cars coming out of the park and realised there was a classic car event. So parked up and took my boy to the exit gate. We watched as the cars all excited. Best way to view all the cars without walking haha. Whilst walking back to my car I couldn’t help but take a picture. The guy in the blue coupe to the right couldn’t believe it when I got the pushchair, push-bike and a whole load of other stuff into the boot lol.

 

 

I managed to lower the front and narrow down the arch gap to acceptable levels. I often load up the car in the back and so haven’t yet lowered the back (will need wheel archs to be rolled to prevent rubbing tyres) so for now it does lean downwards at the front. I like the look though!

 

 

Funny story, the garage I went to started work on fitting the new shocks and springs and then they tell me they don’t fit. I couldn’t believe it. They showed me how the spring wouldn’t seat well at all. I took pics and pm’d Stu on facebook. Before he could respond though I realised what they had done. They were fitting the rear springs on the front shocks! Idiots lol. No harm done in the end though except wasting valuable time. Got them fitted and dropped the car from an almost 5 finger gap to just about 3. Not a major drop. But I can stop staring at the wheel gap and getting myself down about it!

A few assorted pics that I have taken during ownership, a few after I had tried to clay bar and detail the car but it rained in between, still looks nice. The eagle eyed members will notice embarrassing fail of a touch up job I did on the rear arch. Oh just a btw, I tried the Sonas quick detailer but I personally find the demon shine makes my car shine and look detailed better, maybe its the colour of my car.

As for the mechanicals. Apart from the usual atf and psf fluid changes the main thing I have done is change the front shocks and springs. I find it is definitely more stable at high speed. The ride is slightly better. I do still need to do the wheel alignment and swap around my tyres before the outer thread on the fronts wear out too much and this should hopefully 100% sort out the shimmying/vibration at high speeds. Which garage has the alignment values for lowered cars? I have the new vacuum mounts as well which I want to fit soon (STUUUU!). Oh and that knocking sound? Was the front driver side drop link again. Over time the nuts get loose and need re-tightening. All fixed for now.

Hope you enjoyed the post!

[Laird_Scooby]

All great stuff there! Worrying about the drop link nuts coming loose so frequently though!

[kag8]

50 minutes ago, Laird_Scooby said:

All great stuff there! Worrying about the drop link nuts coming loose so frequently though!

Yes, it is very weird. It's just the front driver side that keeps loosening. I probably should have left the old one in there but was trying to do the 'right thing' in changing them in pairs (left one was snapped), could be poor quality link too but I thought FEBI was a good brand. Anyway, if it loosens up again I'll get both the front ones taken off and re-installed. Once more after that then I'll just have to change it again with another one.

[kag8]

Sorry for the double post but might as well share this story whilst I'm online. Some weeks ago I had gone to a 5-a-side football pitch. This place gets really busy and carpark always full. So as driving round looking for parking I slooowly drove towards and past a group of guys who had just finished playing. None of them were looking at me or the car directly whilst approaching apart from occasional glances over the shoulders. I could however hear them talking amongst themselves...arguing, "its a skyline", "r32" "nah its an r33" etc, the moment I drove past I look in my mirror and see the whole gang turning to see what car it really was!  haha, it's funny how none of them complimented me/the car directly or gave me a thumbs up but were slyly eyeing my coupe. When I turned to reverse park ofcourse they all turned around quickly so as to not get caught looking! When I oogle at other peoples cars I always give the owner a thumbs up or flash my lights, - don't hate appreciate!

I would de-badge but I actually like it being spelt out for people that this a 3 litre honda, V6! VTEC! haha

[Mangoman]

Looking gorgeous!!!  

I especially like the Lights and Wheels..... Where did you get the lights from as a matter of interest??

And some really nice photo's aswell - Cool! 

[kag8]

Thanks mate!

Check these headlights out, comes with the grill too!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/122086952890

In my experience it took about 5 weeks to arrive due to the Global Shipping Programme (parcel zig zagged across USA before finally being shipped to the UK) but had the piece of mind that all duties vat etc were paid upfront.

That seller has other designs and combo packs too.

There was another design I'm trying to find again, very similar to mine and the above, but had a LED strip at the bottom almost as a 'Z' design. You'll see what I'm talking about when I find it. I think I didnt go for it in the end because of price (relative to value of our cars in the market nothing seems worth it haha) and I dont think that seller was opted in to GSP! Oh and ofcourse the LED strip needed some wiring done to get it to work. It did look very cool though, modern but stock looking.

 

[kag8]

Found em!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201673323302

Well not so much a 'Z' but more like an 'L'.

See if you can find them by a seller who is opted into GSP on the ebay dot com website.

[Mangoman]

Thanks.... My concern is if the are RHD compliant?

[Laird_Scooby]

15 minutes ago, Mangoman said:

Thanks.... My concern is if the are RHD compliant?

My thoughts exactly Bill! While they look awesome, if they won't pass the MoT test then they're a waste of money.

That wonderful little graphic was shamelessly stolen from gov.uk :

https://mattersoftesting.blog.gov.uk/the-mot-headlamp-aim-test-is-changing/

It explains things in a lot more depth but the basic go/no-go question is where is the "kick-up" on these headlamps? If it's on the left as per the graphic then it should be possible to align the headlamps correctly, if it's "mirror image" with the kick-up on the right then they are right hand dip (RHD - not to be confused with right hand drive!) for the USA and Europe and won't pass our MoT tests.

The big question is which side is the kick up!