MotorwayJustice
New Member
Hello, everyone. Proud owner of a 273,000mi 1989 Integra LS. This little car just makes me smile. Bought it as a project / daily driver.
The car was "salvaged" in 1989, but the Carfax doesn't indicate anything about body damage, flood damage, or anything like that. It's simply a salvage title. The car came from California, and actually just passed CA emissions in December of 2009. Twenty years old, and the car has next to no major rust. "Honda rust" is even nonexistent, although I suspect some body repair was done to the rear fenders. The car made its final long journey from California, heading east across the country, and made it to New Jersey, where I purchased it for $330. This old car just won't die, and I plan to keep it running as long as I can.
The lightest car I've driven was a 2007 Civic EX, which tipped the scales around 2700lbs. The Integra's eagerness to enter corners is laugh-inducing and has brought a smile to my face everytime I find myself... accidentally... on any of my favorite back roads. My shifter bushings have to be replaced, but the shift feel is better than that of my 2007 Civic, and the car heel-toes beautifully. After reading around, I also found out that in 1988 (identical to the 1989) the Integra made Car and Driver's Top 10 Cars of the Year. Good to know, and it's easy to see why, even 20 years later.
Unfortunately, when I got my hands on it in February, the CEL lit up right when I hit the freeway. So far, I've replaced the O2 sensor, which got rid of the burning fuel smell whenever I opened the window. The CEL still illuminates, but not nearly as frequently. (The ECU diagnostic code is still one flash for "Oxygen Content"). The spark plugs don't don't show any symptoms of a bad air fuel mixture. They're just old and worn. Three of the four cylinders are in good shape. The spark plug from the fourth cylinder had significant oil leakage on the sparkplug, but the car doesn't appear to be burning oil from a quick look at the exhaust (I'm looking for blue smoke, right?). Haha, I can live with three and a half cylinders. Spark plugs should be done tomorrow, and hopefully the CEL will keep itself quiet while I get the car inspected.
Some quick questions for the first gen owners:
Are the manual transmission Integras supposed to have clutch safety switches? This is the first car I've had that doesn't have it, and I almost bumped into a snow drift with the starter motor.
The Chilton's service manual says Acura recommended 91 octane or better. I haven't noticed any knocking with 87 octane, but did notice poorer fuel economy. Do you guys usually put in premium? I don't feel it's a big deal paying for premium. My previous turbocharged car recommended it, too.
I had to drive through wet salty roads and realized i didn't have any washer fluid. After emptying half a bottle of washer fluid, I realized it all leaked onto my boots. Nice, right? I hear the washer pump motor working, so do you think I should, if possible, replace the gasket between the pump and washer fluid resevoir?
I noticed the driver's side interior fuse panel cover was missing. Unfortunately, this means I don't know which fuse and relay does what. Does anyone have a photo of this panel? I can just keep a copy of the picture or something. I really don't feel like paying for a 20 year old plastic panel.
Thanks for your help, and thanks for reading.
The car was "salvaged" in 1989, but the Carfax doesn't indicate anything about body damage, flood damage, or anything like that. It's simply a salvage title. The car came from California, and actually just passed CA emissions in December of 2009. Twenty years old, and the car has next to no major rust. "Honda rust" is even nonexistent, although I suspect some body repair was done to the rear fenders. The car made its final long journey from California, heading east across the country, and made it to New Jersey, where I purchased it for $330. This old car just won't die, and I plan to keep it running as long as I can.
The lightest car I've driven was a 2007 Civic EX, which tipped the scales around 2700lbs. The Integra's eagerness to enter corners is laugh-inducing and has brought a smile to my face everytime I find myself... accidentally... on any of my favorite back roads. My shifter bushings have to be replaced, but the shift feel is better than that of my 2007 Civic, and the car heel-toes beautifully. After reading around, I also found out that in 1988 (identical to the 1989) the Integra made Car and Driver's Top 10 Cars of the Year. Good to know, and it's easy to see why, even 20 years later.
Unfortunately, when I got my hands on it in February, the CEL lit up right when I hit the freeway. So far, I've replaced the O2 sensor, which got rid of the burning fuel smell whenever I opened the window. The CEL still illuminates, but not nearly as frequently. (The ECU diagnostic code is still one flash for "Oxygen Content"). The spark plugs don't don't show any symptoms of a bad air fuel mixture. They're just old and worn. Three of the four cylinders are in good shape. The spark plug from the fourth cylinder had significant oil leakage on the sparkplug, but the car doesn't appear to be burning oil from a quick look at the exhaust (I'm looking for blue smoke, right?). Haha, I can live with three and a half cylinders. Spark plugs should be done tomorrow, and hopefully the CEL will keep itself quiet while I get the car inspected.
Some quick questions for the first gen owners:
Are the manual transmission Integras supposed to have clutch safety switches? This is the first car I've had that doesn't have it, and I almost bumped into a snow drift with the starter motor.
The Chilton's service manual says Acura recommended 91 octane or better. I haven't noticed any knocking with 87 octane, but did notice poorer fuel economy. Do you guys usually put in premium? I don't feel it's a big deal paying for premium. My previous turbocharged car recommended it, too.
I had to drive through wet salty roads and realized i didn't have any washer fluid. After emptying half a bottle of washer fluid, I realized it all leaked onto my boots. Nice, right? I hear the washer pump motor working, so do you think I should, if possible, replace the gasket between the pump and washer fluid resevoir?
I noticed the driver's side interior fuse panel cover was missing. Unfortunately, this means I don't know which fuse and relay does what. Does anyone have a photo of this panel? I can just keep a copy of the picture or something. I really don't feel like paying for a 20 year old plastic panel.
Thanks for your help, and thanks for reading.
