Well, first of all, I sold my GMC pickup yesterday. Good riddance to bad rubbish. This is important because now I have some money to fix up the Accord.

For those who haven't read my previous posts, I bought this 1996 Accord LX coupe 5spd not long ago, non-running, for extremely cheap (less than $250). I have since got it running and am slowly fixing it up a bit.

Yesterday, I replaced the oil/filter and was relieved to find that the valve cover issue is solved. No more Exxon Valdez level oil leak.

Today, I got some gas in a can and put it in the Accord, as it was pretty much empty. I drove it a little ways up the road, and other than the steering wheel shaking, it drives pretty good. I'm going to replace the tires soon, so if that doesnt cure the shaking, I will diagnose further.

I have ordered several things for it:
New Honda OEM radiator cap
New Honda OEM plug wires
Used OEM hazard switch
Flasher that is LED compatible (the turn signals dont work, however the hazards do, and became stuck on due to the broken switch, which I temporarily removed to stop them lol)

There is more to come. I found the tires I was looking at at Walmart online for about $52 each with free shipping. Probably going to go ahead and order those soon.

I'm really happy with the way it runs and drives (the shaking steering wheel is fixable, but I mean it doesn't pop out of gear, try to stall or anything like that). I'm looking forward to fixing it up. Once its road worthy, I will take it and have the windshield replaced, and the driver's door repaired. Once the radiator cap arrives, I will be able to better diagnose the coolant leak. If it is the water pump, I will order a high quality new one.

 

Further update: the new plug wires were installed and made a difference in how it runs. It's much smoother now, with no stumbling or rough idle. What's more, when i pulled the old ones out, there was no oil whatsoever on them, so my valve cover gasket repair was a success as well.

Today, the replacement hazard switch arrived, and much to my surprise, replacing it also fixed the inoperative turn signals! They must be wired through it somehow, and the old switch wasnt allowing the connection. Either way, they work now, and I'm happy. I had bought a replacement flasher, but installing it was unnecessary, so I stuck it back in my cabinet for future use.

The two tires should arrive by Friday, and I'm looking forward to getting them on and seeing how it drives. It starts easily and runs smoothly, I am very happy with how it is coming so far. This little Accord has some life left in it!

Once the tires are on, the water pump installed, and the door fixed, I will probably order a new HVAC panel, as the one in it is badly damaged. I may go ahead and order new headlights and side markers for it, too, but this all depends on how much it costs me to fix the door and if I end up having to pay to have the water pump installed.

Will keep this thread updated!

 

Sounds like you're making great progress on it. Keep in mind that you might want to think about adding a timing belt kit while you're in there to do the water pump. I only say that as the pump is driven by the timing belt. Getting the bolt out of the lower pulley is the hard part of the job (I've done 3 Accords now), along with setting the belt tension.
Sounds like you've got a good plan of attack going on though. Should be a nice 250 dollar car once you're done fixing it.

 

Thanks man! The timing belt is new, and to get it with the water pump was significantly more money. That is why I decided to keep the one it has. My budget is forcing me to cut a few corners, but if the belt wasnt obviously new (or near-new), I'd replace it or park the car until I could.

My only issue is that I ordered the pump on Aug 30th, but the seller hasn't said it's been shipped yet.

 

Ok. I wouldn't replace it either then. The last I looked the timing belts and pump kit cost 90 bucks from RA.
Do you know if it has a balance shaft seal retainer on it? Just asking, as I install one on every Honda that uses a balance shaft. If you order it thru Rock Auto, it's about 5 bucks plus shipping. I only mention it, as my wife's car puked it out, and dumped 3+ quarts of oil in 30 feet at idle in the driveway. I never knew that could happen, so it surprised me. Got the retainer from my local CarQuest for 11 bucks (same Dorman product) as I needed it now.

 

So, the two new tires arrived today, I had them mounted and balanced, and I put them on the car.

Its absolutely incredible the things I'm finding on this car. First, it was the missing valve cover gasket. Now, once I have the spare off, I figured out why the steering wheel was shaking so horribly. The spare was probably for a Civic, and they drilled out the lug holes so it could be used on the Accord. So horribly stupid. Its pictured for your shock and amazement, lol.

Anyway, it drives well now, no more shaking. It grinds a little when going into 5th, but not too bad, it's still usable.

The SRS light is on, and the horn and cruise do not work. I'm sure that's a clock spring, and I'll get Honda to replace that under their lifetime restraint systems warranty. But, that'll be after the water pump is put on and the driver door is fixed.

So, progress is being made! With the water pump and door fixed, it could be used as a daily driver. I'd want to replace the rear tires within a month or two if I was driving it any real distance.

I'm probably going to an import junkyard and buying an HVAC panel and a full-size spare tire for it, possibly next week.

 

WOW!! I thought the tire shop left the lugs loose when I saw the pic. That's a lot of grinding to do to go from 100mm to 114mms. That some real "southern engineering" for sure.
Keep in mind you might have to replace the abs sensors at the wheels, so have them read all of the codes, not just those for the SRS system. My wife's car had both lights on, and the SRS was a seat belt sensor, that was fixed for free. The ABS code was for the right rear (bad sensor full of rust).
Since you're still waiting on the pump, I guess you could order up another pair of tires. Then work on the door while you're waiting. I try to do that on my own stuff, as I don't like to have to rush a bunch of stuff all at once.

 

Well, the door isnt something I can do myself. A used door is only $50, but I'm going to see what a body shop will charge to repair this one. Evidently he was backing up with the door open and it struck a pole right where it latches. It's not major damage, but the door wont shut until it's fixed.

The next two tires are going to wait until that and the water pump is fixed. The water pump arrived today, and I'm waiting on a call from a guy who I hope will put it in.

 

Well, I think the Accord's starter has finally went out completely.

Yesterday, I drove it to the store about 1.5 miles from my house to get a milkshake. When I came out, the starter wouldnt engage. So, I was able to push-start it by getting it rolling and popping the clutch.

The previous owner said it would do this occasionally when it got hot. The ambient temperature was ~100°, so that would make sense. I got it home and parked it until after dark, several hours later. I tried it again, same thing, no starter engagement.

I found one on eBay for $49, so I ordered it and it should be here Friday the 13th. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, lol. But, anyway, I have replaced a starter on a similar Accord before, so I'm sure it wont be an issue.

 

Did you try hitting it with a hammer? Sometimes that gets you 1 more start out of it.