Vaugith
New Member
Hello everyone! I just picked up an Integra a week ago and found this great community. I've seen a lot of badass Integras here, and a lot of very knowledgeable and helpful forum members. This is my introduction and first post. Hopefully one day my little car can be up to par and I can be knowledgeable enough to help others on here. But until that day... I've got a lot of work on my hands.
Here's my situation:
I had a very reliable daily driver in mint condition for my transportation needs, and although extremely plain and boring, it met all of my needs. I wrecked it. Stuck with limited insurance money and a rental car due back at the end of a weekend, I made an impulse buy off of Craigslist. The guy I bought it off of sketched me out a bit, and the situation even more, but from the first time I drove the car I was having fun. That's a lot more than my old '00 Camry could ever do for me. The guy was a bit misleading on his post, but it is CL, so I gave him some slack. It was an open title that didn't have his name on it, but I liked the car, so I again gave him some slack. When I got the car home and really started noticing the mechanical issues, I was a bit worried, but I had extra insurance money to play with, so I didn't think too much of it. Then the DMV didn't like the title. I contacted the seller again, and after a crazy day of dealing with people I had never met who spoke no English, I was down 240$ and had an EXEMPT/PRIVATE title in my hands. Free and clear? I guess. It seemed they were the type of shop that bought cars at auctions, half fixed them, and then dumped them on CL through a "private" seller. He sure seemed to have enough cash purchasable name brand label bling to back that up anyway. So now I've got this car... I drive an hour each direction to work every day in mixed traffic, and I really need it to work out for me. I want it to. I took it to a shop and told them to do the work they could with the money I had... Bad idea. They didnt prioritize the work the way I would have, and charged me an arm and a leg. Lesson learned, from now on I do my own work. I have limited mechanical experience but I am very willing to learn, and I DO know how to use the search function. Any and all advice is appreciated, please don't hesitate to ask for any information or pictures, and sorry for being long winded. I enjoy typing.
OK, about the car.
Its a 95 LS sedan. The odometer says 47k miles, but the seller said the odometer was acting up and it was closer to 147k. Not that I particularly trust anything he told me.
The mods Ive caught so far are as follows:
s2000 red leather seats, hex bolted in for security. Very comfy. He said a pair was worth 5k$?
White powdercoated GSR rims
Wheel locks. I know nothing about these, but the tire shop said they were the good kind.
The tires are brand new 185/60R15 84H FALKEN ZIEX ZE-612 PLUS. It was the size of the old ones that were on there before. I read that the 205/50/r15s were a better fit for the car, but there weren't any in stock and the ones on the vehicle were horrid.
Lowered 3.5" on Yonaka coilovers. They look to be in pretty good shape.
Slotted rotors on the front
Amber turn signals
HIDs
B18A1 engine swap
Gates timing belt kit
Gates air filter
Some kind of flashy fuel rail and hose thingie
Some kind of huge ass cushy red engine mount
A spacer on the hood hinge to keep the hood off of the top of the engine after the swap... I think.
The work I've done:
Left rear hub assembly - the wheel was loose as all hell
Replaced 3 serpentine belts - the belts were oil soaked
Put in some cotter pins I found missing in various places
Tires
Fixed the common condenser drain hose water leak
The issues that need to be addressed, in order of urgency:
Front brake noise - just started hearing this. the rotors and pads are good, I'm going to take them apart and inspect them this weekend and bleed the lines a bit while I'm at it.
Horrible wailing whine - Owner told me it might be from the power steering pump and it has been doing it for some time. Shop told me its from the AC compressors bearings. Its relative to engine RPM and doesn't change with AC on or off.
Oil leak - There's some sort of leak on the lower drivers side of the engine that the shop found. Im not sure where, I'm going to try to get a better look this weekend. Also, the oil pan is leaking...from everywhere. The oil was on the belts, so the shop replaced them.
Timing belt/ Water pump/ tensioner / seals if leaking - Shop was concerned about these issues due to the oil leak as well, and also because its a new car to me, but I didn't have the money or the space to do it at the moment. Going to have to wait.
Engine mount - There's a huge after market one on the top drivers side, a completely shot one on the bottom drivers side, and I haven't been able to see the passengers side one yet. The steering wheel vibrates something fierce at idle.
Power steering pump - I think it might be leaking. Need to investigate further.
Right front out tie rod end - Shop made a note about it, but said it wasn't urgent.
Clunk - Some kind of clunky noise from the right left when I go over bumps. Sometimes.
Air filter - looks pretty dirty. Not sure if I'm going to try to clean it or just get a new one.
Coolant hose - looks swollen at the clamp
Moonroof - opened the first time I tried it on the test drive no problem. Next time I tried it moved just a hair then gets stuck. I can hear the motor... And get it open if I push up on it. I'm just going to leave it be for now
Rear left window - doesn't always come back up according to seller. I didn't have the balls to test it. My lucks not that great.
Tune up - The acceleration and response is a bit sluggish at low rpms. I'm going to try to get some plugs and wires and maybe a fuel filter done this weekend as well. I've ordered a distributor coil.
Windshield Washer system - Somethings shot. I don't hear the motor.
Also, when I actually have money, Ill replace this shot sound system, add a basic security system, and of course tint. I HATE not having tint.
Points of discussion:
Am I f***ed?
The suspension - Seller said it was lowered 3.5". Ride height is 11.75" all around when the car is empty. That's measured center of wheel to top of wheel well right? Cant find info on the stock ride height anywhere. The front suspension looks like its set quite differently than the rear... Not sure what that's about, but the skirt looks level from the side. It does not have a camber kit, but the camber doesn't look that far off. Any easy way to check it? Im not sure how much I like it lowered. Its fun, but I scrape a ton and if its hard on tires... I might just raise it back up a bit. Im going to drive it more and decide. How can I figure out how far would I have to raise it to get the camber able to be adjusted within spec without a camber kit?
The front door speakers - Fitting actual 6.5's as opposed to 6.3s... How do I even...? I need to build an extension ring... any advice?
Locks - I have one key. It doesn't fit in the locks on the trunk release or for the back seat. Whats the lock on the trunk release do, and is there any way to remedy this?
Light thingie - There is what looks to be a security light on top of my steering wheel. What gives?
Pictures!
Its a little dirty right now. Ill clean her up soon and take some better pictures.
Some of the pieces don't fit quite right
This ones because of the spacer though
Love these seats
Bulls*** mileage. Whats the red thing?
My key wont turn these. What the hells the lock on the trunk release do?
The speaker and baffle that was in the door. I love these baffles, but they are 6.3"... f***in Japan.
The Yonaka coilovers. Notice the difference in adjustment.
Front
Rear
To the engine bay
The unknown fuel rail and hose thingie
Looks a little dirty...
Theres fluid around the power steering pump. Probably leaking somewhere
Unknown brand engine mount
The completely shot drivers side lower mount
Best shot I could get of the oil leak. The pans like that the whole way around, and I think there might be another leak a touch higher up
Thank you for reading that huge ass wall of a post. I look forward to your feedback!
Here's my situation:
I had a very reliable daily driver in mint condition for my transportation needs, and although extremely plain and boring, it met all of my needs. I wrecked it. Stuck with limited insurance money and a rental car due back at the end of a weekend, I made an impulse buy off of Craigslist. The guy I bought it off of sketched me out a bit, and the situation even more, but from the first time I drove the car I was having fun. That's a lot more than my old '00 Camry could ever do for me. The guy was a bit misleading on his post, but it is CL, so I gave him some slack. It was an open title that didn't have his name on it, but I liked the car, so I again gave him some slack. When I got the car home and really started noticing the mechanical issues, I was a bit worried, but I had extra insurance money to play with, so I didn't think too much of it. Then the DMV didn't like the title. I contacted the seller again, and after a crazy day of dealing with people I had never met who spoke no English, I was down 240$ and had an EXEMPT/PRIVATE title in my hands. Free and clear? I guess. It seemed they were the type of shop that bought cars at auctions, half fixed them, and then dumped them on CL through a "private" seller. He sure seemed to have enough cash purchasable name brand label bling to back that up anyway. So now I've got this car... I drive an hour each direction to work every day in mixed traffic, and I really need it to work out for me. I want it to. I took it to a shop and told them to do the work they could with the money I had... Bad idea. They didnt prioritize the work the way I would have, and charged me an arm and a leg. Lesson learned, from now on I do my own work. I have limited mechanical experience but I am very willing to learn, and I DO know how to use the search function. Any and all advice is appreciated, please don't hesitate to ask for any information or pictures, and sorry for being long winded. I enjoy typing.
OK, about the car.
Its a 95 LS sedan. The odometer says 47k miles, but the seller said the odometer was acting up and it was closer to 147k. Not that I particularly trust anything he told me.
The mods Ive caught so far are as follows:
s2000 red leather seats, hex bolted in for security. Very comfy. He said a pair was worth 5k$?
White powdercoated GSR rims
Wheel locks. I know nothing about these, but the tire shop said they were the good kind.
The tires are brand new 185/60R15 84H FALKEN ZIEX ZE-612 PLUS. It was the size of the old ones that were on there before. I read that the 205/50/r15s were a better fit for the car, but there weren't any in stock and the ones on the vehicle were horrid.
Lowered 3.5" on Yonaka coilovers. They look to be in pretty good shape.
Slotted rotors on the front
Amber turn signals
HIDs
B18A1 engine swap
Gates timing belt kit
Gates air filter
Some kind of flashy fuel rail and hose thingie
Some kind of huge ass cushy red engine mount
A spacer on the hood hinge to keep the hood off of the top of the engine after the swap... I think.
The work I've done:
Left rear hub assembly - the wheel was loose as all hell
Replaced 3 serpentine belts - the belts were oil soaked
Put in some cotter pins I found missing in various places
Tires
Fixed the common condenser drain hose water leak
The issues that need to be addressed, in order of urgency:
Front brake noise - just started hearing this. the rotors and pads are good, I'm going to take them apart and inspect them this weekend and bleed the lines a bit while I'm at it.
Horrible wailing whine - Owner told me it might be from the power steering pump and it has been doing it for some time. Shop told me its from the AC compressors bearings. Its relative to engine RPM and doesn't change with AC on or off.
Oil leak - There's some sort of leak on the lower drivers side of the engine that the shop found. Im not sure where, I'm going to try to get a better look this weekend. Also, the oil pan is leaking...from everywhere. The oil was on the belts, so the shop replaced them.
Timing belt/ Water pump/ tensioner / seals if leaking - Shop was concerned about these issues due to the oil leak as well, and also because its a new car to me, but I didn't have the money or the space to do it at the moment. Going to have to wait.
Engine mount - There's a huge after market one on the top drivers side, a completely shot one on the bottom drivers side, and I haven't been able to see the passengers side one yet. The steering wheel vibrates something fierce at idle.
Power steering pump - I think it might be leaking. Need to investigate further.
Right front out tie rod end - Shop made a note about it, but said it wasn't urgent.
Clunk - Some kind of clunky noise from the right left when I go over bumps. Sometimes.
Air filter - looks pretty dirty. Not sure if I'm going to try to clean it or just get a new one.
Coolant hose - looks swollen at the clamp
Moonroof - opened the first time I tried it on the test drive no problem. Next time I tried it moved just a hair then gets stuck. I can hear the motor... And get it open if I push up on it. I'm just going to leave it be for now
Rear left window - doesn't always come back up according to seller. I didn't have the balls to test it. My lucks not that great.
Tune up - The acceleration and response is a bit sluggish at low rpms. I'm going to try to get some plugs and wires and maybe a fuel filter done this weekend as well. I've ordered a distributor coil.
Windshield Washer system - Somethings shot. I don't hear the motor.
Also, when I actually have money, Ill replace this shot sound system, add a basic security system, and of course tint. I HATE not having tint.
Points of discussion:
Am I f***ed?
The suspension - Seller said it was lowered 3.5". Ride height is 11.75" all around when the car is empty. That's measured center of wheel to top of wheel well right? Cant find info on the stock ride height anywhere. The front suspension looks like its set quite differently than the rear... Not sure what that's about, but the skirt looks level from the side. It does not have a camber kit, but the camber doesn't look that far off. Any easy way to check it? Im not sure how much I like it lowered. Its fun, but I scrape a ton and if its hard on tires... I might just raise it back up a bit. Im going to drive it more and decide. How can I figure out how far would I have to raise it to get the camber able to be adjusted within spec without a camber kit?
The front door speakers - Fitting actual 6.5's as opposed to 6.3s... How do I even...? I need to build an extension ring... any advice?
Locks - I have one key. It doesn't fit in the locks on the trunk release or for the back seat. Whats the lock on the trunk release do, and is there any way to remedy this?
Light thingie - There is what looks to be a security light on top of my steering wheel. What gives?
Pictures!
Its a little dirty right now. Ill clean her up soon and take some better pictures.
Some of the pieces don't fit quite right
This ones because of the spacer though
Love these seats
Bulls*** mileage. Whats the red thing?
My key wont turn these. What the hells the lock on the trunk release do?
The speaker and baffle that was in the door. I love these baffles, but they are 6.3"... f***in Japan.
The Yonaka coilovers. Notice the difference in adjustment.
Front
Rear
To the engine bay
The unknown fuel rail and hose thingie
Looks a little dirty...
Theres fluid around the power steering pump. Probably leaking somewhere
Unknown brand engine mount
The completely shot drivers side lower mount
Best shot I could get of the oil leak. The pans like that the whole way around, and I think there might be another leak a touch higher up
Thank you for reading that huge ass wall of a post. I look forward to your feedback!
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