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Comments
I have been lucky with Hondas, no oil burning until the car got over 150K miles.
With 92K miles, my 03EXV6 still keeps the oil at full mark level at every oil change.
Knock on wood.
Have an appt to have the timing belt package done this Wed.
Will see how the old belt looks after 92K miles/8 yrs+1month.
Are you also replacing other parts? Water pump, tensioner pulleys et al.........
best, ez
It also looks like a 56 should fit, but they seem to be harder to find.
I am OK with light modification.
I don't need a monster battery, but it gets real cold here and I do a lot of 1 mile trips with the lights on and the deffoger going - death to batteries when it is near zero out. It also looks like most of the better batteries are not even available in the 51r size.
Not knowing why Honda uses the plastic enclosure (heat?) I decided to install an Optima battery and reinstall the enclosure. They can handle my abuse of leaving the car sit for months at a time.
Mrbill
The timing belt was replaced. It still looks good. No signs of crack. Could go another 10K miles.
Two cam seals & front crank seal, water pump, and accessory belt were replaced.
The auto tensioner was also replaced because it started leaking. This is a known problem for 2002 Accord V6.
I did have to take out the battery box so the new battery would fit. Will probably buy the box for the V-6 and install that. Or I might get something aftermarket that helps keep the heat off better. Heat is what kills batteries and it gets over 100 way too often in SD (hit 121 in the shade 2 years ago). I may get something silver to reflect the engine heat away.
Season's best from foggy Northern CA, ez sends..................
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.efdf924/5486#MSG5486
I'd of course like the get the best battery I can for her car. I'm wonder if I'm still the same group 54 as you in my '07 i4 and could go the same route you did. I'm nervous about anything too complicated since I'm not very familiar w/ car battery replacement. So when you say "take out the battery box," is that something I can do? How much is a replacement box from the V-6 that you're planning to get? or aftermarket?
If you think doing what you did is not for the faint of heart, what's the easiest/best way to go? In my old 2004 i4 Accord (which is now my sister's), I think I put in a battery from sears many years back and as far as I know it's still in there. I guess it's doing ok, I'm not really sure. I'll post details on that later
Any suggestions as to what type of rotors, or anyhting else I should do would be deeply appreciated.. Never expected this from Honda .. I may have 18k miles on it.
having said that they do have a very slight pulse that shows up sometimes if you are braking extremely lightly as you coast to a stop you can just feel the brakes grab and release a little as the tires rotate. I know better than to fix this since cutting the rotors will just make them thinner and they will be much worse after a few weeks. No reputable shop should have turned them twice and expected them to get better. New rotors are the answer.
I actually just went through this on my wife's Sienna as well. She wanted (not needed) new front brakes at about 92k. The shop said it would be fine to turn them I said I just wanted pads don't turn. They gave me some gobbldegook about safety and said they had to turn them. Sure enough they warped within a week after they were turned even though they had absolutely no pulsing before the brake job.
They replaced the rotors with some generic brand (I just paid the difference for the new rotors) and they are fine again.
As far as changing the battery goes it is simple. All you need is a 10 mm wrench. Undo the terminals to the battery and the two nuts on the battery hold down (4 10 mm nuts total). Remove the hold down and remove the battery. The plastic cover for the battery is in two pieces. The top piece will come out with the battery as it is just sitting on top of the battery. The bottom piece is then just sitting on a steel plate and can just be lifted out.
If you want the simplest procedure possible to install the new battery do what I did (since it was 5 degrees and I didn't want to mess around too long). Just place the battery on the steel shelf and bolt it down with the original hold down. You will need to bend one small tab on the hold down to make it fit better.
I will install the hold down from the V-6 (about 3 bucks) for a perfect fit as the I4 hold down does not contact perfectly (still plenty good to hold the battery, but not ideal). You can either leave the battery naked or buy new upper and lower covers from Honda. The lower is about $25 and the upper is about $15. The covers help protect the battery from engine heat and maybe keep it a little warmer in the winter (you could argue they protect it from engine heat then as well).
Being a cheapskate I will probably cut the lower cover to fit the new battery and then buy the upper cover.
The battery I wound up with was an Everstart Max from walmart as it was well rated by Cr and wal mart is everywhere and always open if I have a problem. The Bosch batteries that pep-boys sells and the duralast (top model) from autozone (I think) were also top rated as was the diehard gold (more expensive).. This is for a group 35 battery.
Also - I made a mistake about the original size it is a 51r not a 54. Part of the problem with the 51 is that it is so thin that nobody makes their premium batteries in that size.
I was a little disapointed that my original only lasted 3.5 years (it gave me problems last year at 2.5 years, but I nursed it through the winter) as my Integra original battery lasted over 7 years under the same conditions.
One other note. Some battery gurus feel the Johnson Controls versions of the Everstart Max are better than those made by Exide. Walmart carries both.
The Everstart MAXX from Walmart that I had put in my Buick had a 9 year warranty and only lasted about 7.5 years. Walmart prorated the replacement! Actually, I was impressed. That battery lasted longer than any battery I ever had before.
I searched for a Johnson Controls battery for my replacement in my newer car. Walmart didn't make the battery for my car. Advance Auto parts had a battery that was vented for use in my car under the seat--by Johnson Controls.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
http://www.hondapartsnow.com/Page_Product/PartDetail.aspx?catalogID=65&productID- =5&yearID=38&doorID=4&gradeID=487&areaID=2&transmissionID=7&originID=-1&colorLab- elIDs=-1&colorLabelID=-1§ionID=5&idAndImageID=11980%20465815&isBigPicture=Fa- lse&pageName=Battery%20%28V6%29
I bought the blessed shin-itsu grease stuff, for $14 online, reportedly straight from Mr. Honda's eh :sick: something. I cleaned all the weather stripping around the doors and windows and then treated all of the rubber with the grease. While I still think this is one of the most ridiculous automotive maintenance tasks I've ever had to perform, it did do the trick and the commute is much quieter. Now its just the dash rattles.
Oh and as far as some other threads, 50k and I haven't replaced tires or brakes (except fluid) but its all highway driving.
I am at a point, with the car almost paid for, where I am trying to decide: do I want to modify it to make it enjoyable or just start over with something else and payments?
We have a 2005 Accord LX 4 cylinder automatic with just under 30,000 miles. My wife drives it on short local trips. The car is very well maintained.
The car sits out at night (no garage). We live in a cold climate and the overnight temperature is near zero and single digits.
We've noticed when it gets colder outside, the car takes longer and longer to crank over to start (6 or 8 cranks). It takes quite a few seconds to crank over, then the engine feels like it's slamming as it does start. We put a new battery in it last year because the battery was 4 years old and we felt there wasn't enough cold cranking amps to keep up the extended cranking when it gets cold. We have the new battery in it and it still takes a long time to crank. We also had the oil changed last month, too. The car runs, drives, and shifts fine after it starts.
I have a newer 2008 CR-V with the same 4-banger engine. It sits outside too next to the Accord, and it starts (slowly) in about 2 or 3 cranks in zero weather and doesn't slam when it starts. Both cars get gasoline from the same station.
Does anybody have any ideas why it takes so long for the Accord to start when it's cold? When the car heats up or the outside temperature warms up, the car starts perfectly fine.
Rather than keep it cranking in the first try, I've found that a quick release of the key after 2 or 3 cranks, then waiting 5-10 seconds before trying again, works very well. On the second attempt, it starts up in an instant. So far, at least, this seems to be the best way to deal with a battery which frankly isn't as powerful as it ought to be, regardless of age. It's the biggest shortcoming of an otherwise well-equipped vehicle, in my view.
The slamming, which only occurs infrequently with me, is annoying, even more so because I really don't understand it. Someone else in the forum can perhaps enlighten us.
I did read in the owners manual that it cranks longer because of emissions. My accord always cranks a few times before it starts, even in the summer and even when the battery is full of juice and can crank forever. My Integra would start almost instantly.
Both the Accord and the CR-V crank a few times before they start in all weather (hot or cold). Both of them crank the engine very slowly. I've heard other Hondas start and they're slow too.
I'm just concerned that there's something going on with the fuel delivery in the Accord causing it not to turn over until after about 6 or 8 or 10 cranks. In sub-zero weather, there won't be enough battery (even a new battery) left to keep cranking it that long.
Once the Accord has been driven or the outside temperature rises above single digits, the car starts perfectly fine every time. Figure that one out!!
and even last year after I got a new battery, it was still pretty sluggish. Always fired up eventually, but not a warm and fuzzy wait.
one thing that I found (at walmart) was that they didn't carry a higher output battery in that size, so it is about the same 450CCA rating as the pitiful OEM.
I also have an Odyssey and Acura TL that fire up immediately (especially the TL) and sound much more energetic. They also both have higher capacity (750ish) ratings.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
The car still cranks a few times like it does in the summer, but they are faster cranks and the car never seems like it won't start.
Interesting story about batteries. When Nissan first started bringing cars to the US they wondered why they were getting so many complaints about dead batteries. Turns out in Japan everybody would put a blanket over the car at night to keep it warm. In the US nobody did that so bigger batteries were needed.
I'm afraid to put too much more CCA's. Years ago, a trusted mechanic told me if you put a much higher CCA rating battery in the car, you may be replacing the starter within the year.
Seems our granddaughter is at the "push button / flip switch" age.
In summary:
1. Advance said I had good battery but alternator was bad
2. Honda said alternator was ok, but battery was bad
3. Battery was probably fine all the time
My only consolation is that the battery was approaching its useful life anyway and better to have it changed before the cold weather arrived.
Live and learn...
I did all the seals on the doors and on the frame where the door closes, as well as the window tracks (the windows are much faster now). Hopefully that will help the longevity of the window motors, since all the window motors on my '93 Accord failed between 5 and 7 years (not terrible, but on my '96 FORD Contour they never failed).
Best,financially, to keep the car,if you think it's a good unit.
Yeah, I think it was always the wrong car for me to buy. Its a size to big and not very interesting to drive. The upside is 32 mpg on my commute, and it holds a child seat in the center rear position and allows the use of the two outside seats by normal people.
You have already taken the depreciation:Why start the depreciation all over,again?
I am weighing that against the modifications I would like to make the car more palatable to me, knowing the expense of those modifications and their affect on resale value. Firmer suspension and lower profile, firmer tires (and wheels) offsets a lot of the savings. And would likely make whatever loose rattle issues I have now considerably worse.
Well, if you have the 17" wheels, that is relatively easy, but since I have the 16" wheels coupled with 205/60 tires, I am SOL there. I have been keeping my eye out for a stock sport or aftermarket 17" wheel that will let me run 215/50R17s which have a lot more options. There are several Honda/Acura wheels that will work, and a billion aftermarket ones.
Some of the spring manufacturers make a "mild drop" spring that only lowers the car about 1" so it should still do well enough in snow. Coupled with some sport oriented shocks, that should give a much more connected feel. The Acura TL has thicker sway bars and that is an easy afternoon upgrade for the rear, somewhat more involved in the front since you must drop the sub-frame.
If I can get H/A 17" wheels and TL sway bars, that would make the shocks and springs the only non-oem parts.
I understand - in addition to a $70 VISA card bonus - that Costco also factors in here on decent pricing................
season's best, ez....
Perhaps I'm wrong about this, but the Michelin tire seems to hold up better in time (because of a softer rubber, maybe?), which makes it a better tire to have at say 6 yrs/20,000 miles. At least, that's how my thinking goes right now.
The more tire-savvy experts here may disagree, of course. As always, I'm more than willing to listen and learn.
EDIT: Michael2595 got his post in before mine, and I gather he doesn't find that Michelins hold up so well. My own experience is different (with previous cars), so there it is: no definitive conclusion. And it may very well be true that you're just paying extra for the name when you buy Michelin. I just like to think that I'm good at not wasting money.
In all fairness, I would note that I put two Blizzaks on the front wheels from November thry March each winter (4 wheel snowtire freaks please don't yell at me - I've heard it all - we can agree to disagree b/c I've been doing it for 30 years w/o a problem), so that prolongs the Michelin's life somewhat, and they do tend to get noisier as they get older, but I've found them to be great all around tires with good traction and puncture avoidance, right up until shortly before I decided to swap 'em out for ones. I have never had a flat.
I've also had Michelin Pilots in the past (used 'em on my old '99 Maxima GXE) and found them to be a vast improvement over the original Bridgestone Potenzas that came with that car.
To a large extent, once you've vetted objective quality, the rest is really subjective t/b/d by the individual driver.
Happy tire hunting!
-FS :shades:
both were replaced with Yokohamas that have performed very well, and are lasting much longer (especially on the van, already more on the replacements and they are only 1/2 worn).
For the Accord, the Yokohama Avid H/V4 is a good option (what I have). Not the best for snow though from the tests at tirerack, but if you live in Fla, not an issue!
I also put BF Goodrich Advantage TAs on my 2000 Acura Tl (same size as the Accord). fantastic deal from BJs (with a coupon), and they have done a good job in the 2K we have on them. Even did great in snow up in Syracuse according to my son.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.