Periodic Maintenance

zueslewis

one that's meant for normal driving and the more frequent would be for schedule "a" or harder use.

Some cars, and transmission designs, abuse the fluid more and need changes more often. Given the tolerances inside a Honda transmission, it's not necessary.

maxhonda99

Toyota's have tight tolerances also, so do, for the most part, every other car manufacturer. But most require 30K.

zueslewis

up against a Chrysler or Ford unit any day.

rayt2

swschrad

with no warning?

I will put a 70s GM or mopar tranny up against anything, period.

unless you want to talk about mileage....

nippononly

the transmission fluid in my Matrix is not supposed to be changed EVER unless you use it to tow. It even has a lock-down clamp on the dipstick, along with a little sticker that says "transmission fluid does not need to be changed under normal conditions".

I have heard this is becoming more common. So maybe the '00 Accord was at a transitional time, when the interval for changing the fluid was lengthening, but was not quite at "never" yet...

fleetwoodsimca

...all become ZERO maintenance for (say) 100K, they still need a dipstick, to make me happy. An oldie with a leak not worth fixing can be kept up on fluid so easily, if you can measure it. Another option, if they just have to do away with dipsticks, is the motorcycle "view glass." That would be better than nothing.

cutehumor

maybe the manufacturers are not putting dipsticks..so all the transmissions won't last no longer than 10 years..and you have to come back to them to buy a new car. it's odd why they don't have a dipstick on a new car. how do you change trans fluid yourself with no dipstick?

acelink

Spraying WD-40 at every joint you see underneath the car? Could somebody inform me why we should do it and how? Thanks.

zueslewis

on components like ball joints, tie rods, driveshafts, etc, it means putting grease into the fittings with a grease gun. Many imports and some domestics don't have grease fittings since they use sealed, pre-greased components.

confuseddesi

Anyone can suggest me where I can get an A/C knob for my 95'Accord?

thx

zueslewis

the dealer shouldn't want more than $10-12.

yrmac

Has anyone tried the NGK Iridium Spark Plugs for the V6 Accord? I heard that using these plugs will enhance driveability/performance of the engine. Any truth to this or is this just a marketing ploy?

zueslewis

Just like the Splitfire craze a few years back that gave "dyno proven horsepower increases"!! and charged $5.00 a plug. The Splitfire DID increase power. On a dyno run with a modified Corvette, the plugs showed a 1.5 hp increase on an engine producing 325 hp.

That's a .0046 increase - the same kind of increase you'd see if you dropped the temperature of the dyno room by 3 degrees.

But - it is a "dyno proven horsepower increase".

fleetwoodsimca

I guess the case for Platinum plugs is a bit more convincing. What do you think?

8u6hfd

the iridium plugs will just last longer than the NGK platinums..

Anytime you put new plugs in...you're going to feel an increase of power (because the old plugs, as the electrodes wear, it takes a larger current to "jump"...thus more load on the alternator...more load on the engine).

zueslewis

as a platinum or iridium, but don't expect the response to be the same as bolting on a supercharger!!

Never, ever, get the bottom of the line Champion, Autolite, etc - the extra buck or so per plug is definitely worth it!

And, it's always been my opinion that imports like NGK plugs.

8u6hfd

So why do people say Japanese engines and Bosch plugs don't mix? I hear this a lot...but never got a good reason.

zueslewis

with no problems, but NGK plugs seem to last longer for whatever reason.

I use only Bosch Platinums in my Mustang - it runs too rich (on purpose) for NGKs - they foul a lot.

haspelbein

I usually pull my cars' plugs at 30K. At that point, there is usually just a slight layer of oxidation on the plugs, but any electrode wear is minimal. So, I've never felt any difference between old and new plugs. I've further switched between NGKs and Platinums on my Z3, and I've yet to detect any difference whatsoever.

8u6hfd

can't complain about $1.99 for Bosch platinum plugs. I tend to use those on Toyotas.

cutehumor

do these plugs last 100k miles? or should I stick with 30k miles with these platinum plugs

8u6hfd

the $1.99 Bosch Platinum plugs last about 60,000 miles.

The Platinum +4 should last about 100,000 miles. These cost $5.99 MSRP.

I think Bosch also has the dual ground platinums also

jander111

My 97 camry V6 calls for dual ground platinum. (There is a label under the hood says that.) My car has Denso plugs in it right now. In your opinion, can I replace them with Bosch platinum (dual ground)? It costs at least $10/piece for the Denso. Thank you very much!

tblazer503

I changed out someones plugs at 90k on a 97Civic, and it looked like a rat was chewing on the electrode.... i mean it was really bad... at least regap them suckers... the gap was about 4x what it shoulda been... lol

I have had lotsof good luck with bosch platinum +4's on my Civic, and will probably put them on the '03 Accord, but have to do some research on the spark system first...danged technology.

zueslewis

any dual ground platinum will work and the Bosch platinums are great and long lasting.

8u6hfd

The reason Toyota put a dual ground platinum plug was to get the 100,000 mile spark plug change interval everyone else is touting.

yrmac

I also heard that for the best bang(no pun intended) for your buck, you should be using copper plugs since they run hotter that platinums. However, copper plugs are notorious for its short lifespan and that is the main reason why manufacturers are using platinums. Most of street tuners are using iridiums instead of platinums and serious racers usually prefer coppers.

jander111

I will try Bosch. Even if they do not last 100k, doesn't matter to me -- no labor charge. The car has 120k now, maybe next set of plugs will be the cheapest I can find. Who knows if the car will last that long?

zueslewis

don't use "the cheapest you can find". They're not any harder to install and they only cost $1 more each.

fleetwoodsimca

I got great results when I replaced old NGKs in a Toyota 1.6L inline 4 cylinder with Autolites: I mean, the standard quality, no platinum, no iridium, only one ground prong electrode, etc. Autolites.
In a quite remarkable case, I replaced the 4 NGK plugs in a Kawasaki 1500cc V twin with standard, nothing special Champion plugs, and the improvement was VERY remarkable. This is only testament to the worn condition of the NGKs, I suspect. Now, if I have a point to any of this, perhaps it would be that while "standard" plugs will wear out more quickly than special plugs with "high" metal electrodes, that doesn't stop them from performing well in some applications. For a final regaling, I'll mention a Ford Explorer that came with double platinum plugs-- I experimented with a set of common Autolites, and got excellent service from them, albeit for fewer miles than if I had used platinum.

jander111

Yeah, I'll use them for next tune up, maybe in a month or so. What I meant is that IF the car still runs at 200k, who cares what parts are used, as long as it runs.

mike1qaz

I just recently changed the plugs in my sons Altima. The plugs in there when he bought the car at 103K were Autolite. At 173k we replaced with plain Autolite again. His car continues to run excellently. This application appears to work for his vehicle. BTW at 70K miles, his plugs looked textbook.

zueslewis

At 200,000 miles, it's just like being 90 years old and still being able to get up in the morning and go for a walk in the park.

You may be getting free use of things, but you're on borrowed time, so count your blessings.

8u6hfd

fleetwoodsimca:
Are you feeling the difference because you installed new plugs and the old ones were really worn (huge center to ground electrode gap)?

general suggestion:
If it hasn't been stated before...use anti-seize compound on the spark plug threads. They will be easier to remove later.

swschrad

and it's also pretty cheap. anybody who doesn't replace plugs like the old days needs it.

fleetwoodsimca

In the three citings I used in #281, the vehicles were on schedule or ahead of schedule for changing plugs. Noteworthy performance improvements were found only in the motorcycle engine, and I stated that I suspected the old plugs were quite worn out. No loss of performance was induced in any of the vehicles by replacing expensive platinum plugs with common plugs, and the only "loss" was service life when platinums were replaced with common. And, by the way, the NGK plugs removed from the Kawasaki engine were common plugs, not platinum.

chuckk1

Is there one on the 2000 Accord EX V-6? I bought a pcv valve, and looked, and looked around the engine compartment, and for the life of me, can't seem to find where it goes. Also the owner's manual does not call for pcv valve replacement in the maintenance schedule anywhere. Any body able to help me with this?

swschrad

there is a lot of falsework on the top of engines nowadays, and many times the PCV valve is underneath it or covered by a part of the intake manifold.

because of the R P A factor in trying to get to the PVC valve, the manual writers probably decided not to positively recommend a replacement schedule. if you recommend a replacement part, and it costs hundreds of dollars of labor to get to a $5 part, people scream.

IMHO, this is horrid engineering... they should put the recommendation in, as well as the name of the boy genius engineer who buried access to the thing, and his home phone number. taurus owners are among those who should take note of this....

this is a pollution part, and replacement is eventually required.

oh, yes, I haven't seriously gone looking for the PCV yet on my explorer 2000 5.0L, but a quick glance indicates I may also be calling Ford customer relations asking for the home number of the top-engine designer...

zueslewis

I bought a $3.99 PCV Valve at Wal-Mart to include in my tune up. The valve is still in the packet - I'll change it when I remove my intake manifold, when I have the engine rebuilt, since that's pretty much the only way you can get to it - it's buried.

inkie

Its under the rear plastic top cover on the engine on the left side if I remember correctly. If you look closly you can see it. Honda does not list it because its a high milage service item.

chuckk1

for your responses. Happy Holidays, one and all!

jc1973

can anyone tell me where it is on a 3.1 98 grand am v6 engine

haspelbein

Swshrad, didn't you once mention in a thread that you owned a 2.3L Ranger ?
I still have to change the PCV valve on mine. I do have the part, but I've not yet been able to locate the valve. According to the Haynes manual, it's somewhere close to the oil seperator. Problem is, that this should be at the rear of the engine, close to the abyss, which is the gap between engine and firewall.
I recently removed EGR valve and upper intake manifold to change my plugs (That's another story in itself.), and I still couldn't find it. Any idea how to access it ?

Maybe I'm completely wrong about you owning the 2.3L Ranger. If so, I do apologize.

swschrad

and on that car, there was a PCV in-line between two hoses in back, behind the throttle area, just under the last of the header at top drivers side rear of the engine. if you could get your hand in there, there's one large hose that goes into the intake, and if you follow that down with your fingers you will find the bump of a standard-looking PCV valve. not sure where the bibb on the smaller hose goes to, I suspect the back of the engine block, but separate the hoses and pull the PCV out of the other one, and you're half done.

it's tight quarters, small hands help. if you get up high enough to bang your head on the hood over the master cylinder, and fish about with a flashlight, you can just about see the larger hose out of the PCV take a molded turn and head out of sight again under the arms of the header.

haspelbein

I will give 'PCV Valve Fishing' another try. Thanks for the description. But overall, what an awful place to put that valve.

swschrad

could be under cover, which is where I think they hide 'em on taurii. had a coworker ask me to try looking for his PCV since he couldn't find it, I couldn't either.

fleetwoodsimca

Every engineer should be accompanied to the gallows by two lawyers... Ha! Ha!

haspelbein

...sentence them to community (car) service. That should do the job.

On the other hand, it's always fun finding a little engineering "easter egg".
Like the spark plug wire removal tool that is attached to the underside of a plastic engine cover of my BMW. As you remove the cover (protecting the wires), you get the right tool in the same step.

swschrad

particularly if you NEED the tool to avoid pulling the wire out of a stuck boot in a tight spot.