My '93 Civic

I have a '93 Civic Ex 5-speed with 200,000 miles on it. I was wondering if there was anything I could do to spice up or extend the engine life, since I'm very far from affording a $2000 engine. I don't know much about cars outside of the basics, being why I'm here. Also, I have a few rust patches on the car, they all seem penetrated. If anyone knows how to fix or cover that up 'cheaply' I'd appreciate it. Finally, I'm looking for any cheap way of making my car look nicer, inside and out. Thanks

I don't think you have anything to worry about with your motor for a while. You have at least a 100,000 more miles on it if you drive it right, and if your motor goes on you, you can get the same one for much less than $2,000, even less than $1,000.

:evillol: 200,000 miles is alot of miles for most cars , but not for a honda especially if u giv it a tune up and take good care of it.

Yeah, I've seen a honda with over 300k on it, original engine and trans. Just remember to be good to your engine and trans, like change thier fluid often, and they will last a long time.

And as for rust.....cheap way is to use one of those rust grinding wheels that you put into a drill, grind the rust away, use a wire brush if you have to, and then spray some "rust converter" on it (the stuff that turns rust spots into black primer), then use some ordinary bondo on it, apply it just like you'd fix a hole in drywall, sand it smooth, prime it, wet sand it, and paint it with a $5 spray can available at most auto stores. (some hondas have odd paint codes, where both dupli-color and plastikote dont make that color).

This will make it look good for about a year or so, but it will come back eventually. If you do that you might spend upto $30, if you have stuff like a drill, something to spread the bondo with, etc..

ok. The rust is, as far as I can tell, is all the way through and at a corner of the edging. How would I use the bondo (I know what it is but have never used it) when its on a corner? And I've already found the right paint. Would it stay in place for long? And as for taking care of the engine, I don't know much about it. I know to check fluids, but is there anything else I can do? The engine seems to idle kind of low. I haven't had any experience with decent cars, so is it normal for it to do that? Its getting colder and I'm afraid of that hurting the engine or myself having trouble getting it started. I normally don't get much time.

:sly:

When you have gotten the rust off, if the hole is much wider across than 1 - 1.5" , you might have to use a piece of sheet metal, or window screen. What panel is the rust on, and where on that panel? I have done alot of rust work, and can tell you what needs to be done if I have an idea of where it is, or a pic would work great.

As for being good to the engine, change oil and filter every 4,000mi or so, every 3-5 oil changes change your transmission fluid (i get that for free, so I'm not sure what it really costs to do this). And use common sense, dont jam the car into the gears, dont run it past the redline, dont run it at the redline for long periods of time. And of course, ALWAYS do the 30,000 mi and the 100,000mi services, even if you do it yourself. At the 100k service, change the waterpump, many dealerships strongly recommend this, and it is not to make them more money. And if your car starts making funny noise, or something isn't like it used to be, investigate it, and fix it.

When you say idle low, how low? for some, idling at 500rpm is in the acceptable range. When the engine is warm, it shouldnt be idling at much more than 750.

I have rust on both sides on the rim above the rear wheels. Its hard to tell quite how bad it is, but I put some pressure on it with my finger and it crumbled inward a little. I'd say it was penetrating. I also have a small rust spot right above the black trim under the car. its at the corner right in front of the back tire. If it should be idling around 500 then that sounds about right. But sometimes it sounds like its about to die. Would that be a hose or vacuum problem? I have NO history real history on the car. I guess I'll look into the transmission fluid, but how would I tell if the water pump needs changed?

Just change the pump when the timing belt gets changed, every 100k. Two reasons to do this, 1 If you get it done somewhere, it's right there, just 4 extra bolts, and no more labor cost. 2 it's fairly cheap (as compared to what it can cause)

Here's a helpful hint on vacuum leaks, first, look for hoses that are cracking, replace them (you can just take the old one to any autoparts store, they will get you a new one), second, if you still cant find it, get a spray can of carb cleaner, and spray the ends of the lines 1 by 1, you will be able to hear the idle pick up when you spray the leaking one.

If the bottom lip of the wheel well is still there, and fairly solid, you may be able to get away with not adding any metal to the car. If the lip is there, and the rust isnt much more than 2-2.5 inches wide, the bondo will probably stay in, if it is wider, you need to add metal. By adding metal I just mean cut a strip of a duct from a hardware store, and get 2 rivets per metal strip, and drill through a fairly solid part of the body, and the metal strip, and rivet the strip behind the body on both sides, this gives something for the bondo to hold on to. Don't worry about the rivets, bondo over them, and remember, it doesnt have to be 100% rigid, just solid enough that it wont fall off by normal vibrations while driving.

aboot the paint. I have the right kind and everything, but Its getting colder and its damp outside. The problem is that I have no place to store the car to spray it. If possible I'd like not to have to wait until spring. Is there any way to paint the rust spots over w/out worrying about the dampness?

oooo...oooo...oooo...I know how amateur this sounds, as I am, but how could I add some power to the engine without risking extra wear on it? I have 200000 on it and it looks not necessarily bad, but pretty dingy from the outside. I have no idea about the inside.

The dampness just means that the paint will take longer to dry, or you could heat it using a small electric heater placed near the fresh paint to make it dry faster.

The only things that I can think of right off the top of my head that will add minor amounts of power without possibly damaging anything would be exhaust, cold air intake, and a header.

I just went to get an estimate from my body guy and he told me that, if I had to wait to get the rust done, spray it down with WD40 or take some used motor oil and put it in a spray bottle and mist it down. The oils will help to slow the rusting process just as quick fix. Problem being you're gonna be dripping oil for days, so you'll need to take the necessary precautions to save your driveway.

ok. Thanks