Sometimes she smokes, sometimes she don't?

Forgive my noobness here but, I have a question for you folks. I bought an 89 CRX DX (Siler with black interior) a few weeks ago and truly enjoy driving it! Having 211,000 miles on it, it had a few problems that I was able to fix. The probs I had were:

1. The dome light, clock, and cigarett lighter didn't work
FIX: I rewired the vehicle's constant memory wire that also supplied power to the above mentioned items... They all work now.

2. Engine oil was black.
FIX: Changed oil, filter, cleaned engine.

3. Dirty Air Filter
FIX: Changed filter and cleaned air box

4. Tranny oil (5 spd) was as black as my Germ Shep dog!
FIX: Changed Tranny Oil

5. Rear cargo cover was split into two pieces
FIX: I used 4 black hinges from Home Depot to "fuse" it back to gether. Works like a charm for $6.00 total

6. Vibration at speeds of 60 MPH plus
FIX: Tires haven't been rotated in a while... I rotated and balanced them. Smooth ride now!

7. Nasty Exhaust leak from the rear of the car.
FIX: Discovered rusted out area of exhaust pipe that comes out of the resonator and goes to the muffler. Replaced the pipe... Car runs quiet and idle is smoother now. Wife is happy!!

8. Battery cable connectors looked like crap.
FIX: Replaced with new shiny ones... I took this "Fix" a step further and replaced the factory battery ground and all the other ground wires I could find to include the one that goes from the valve cover to the body... Interestingly, the idle of the car was a bit smoother and the engine seemed to be a bit peppier....

9. After fixing the above "issues" I reset the car's computer....
FIX: Don't know if this 'fixed" anything.... just thought it was a good idea to do it...

10. Interior panle was loose on the passenger side.
FIX: Previous owner used car as "pickup truck" and knocled the panel loose. I was able to re attach it using all factory retainer clips. Cleaned the panel with STP protectant.

11. Car looked grungy
FIX: Washed and waxed car. Buffed it and wow... to be an 89' the body is in great shape!!! No damage or missing parts... factory steel wheels are a bit rusty though... they'll be replaced when I'm not so poor.

12. This is where I need your help. My 1.5L DX has a slight problem. Sometimes I get some smoke coming out of the tail pipe. It happens mostly after I come to a complete stop at a redlight and idle for a minute or so. When I take off, the car emits a huge puff of smoke. Not quite sure of the color... I'm guessing blueish white... sometimes darker than that though. Now, here's the interesting part. Sometimes, the car doesn't do it at all.... Doesn't matter if I've driven for a while or if the car is cold... Any ideas? Thanks for taking the time to read this and reply reply! Troy

You posted all that stuff for 1 thing? I was gonna give up after #10 . . . .How is the oil level now? IMO it's got 200+k & burning some oil.

:iagree: lol@ car dirty washed car funny stuff man.

I tend to get carried away... LOL!!!

You guys were right. It's burning oil... I have been keeping an eye on the coolant level and it's stayed full... The oil level on the other hand is now half a 1/4 quart low.... What options do I have to repair this? Troy

You've got a few options. You can try a can of Restore, this stuff works great if your piston rings are not working at 100%.

You may also try some other additive that will swell your valve guide seals.

If you want to be more sure you can test the compression. You will at least have a better idea of where the oil is leaking from and buy the appropriate additive. GL

I sure do appreciate your reply! I have a new bottle of CD-2 Oil Treatment that supposedly "helps stop oil burning" If it doesn't work, I'll try Restore. I hope either one works. I'd hate to rebuild or replace the engine... That sounds expensive.

Junkyard engine or rebuilt --- http://www.nippon-motors.com/honda.htm. Too many miles, IMO to fix the current engine.

I sure do appreciate your reply! I have a new bottle of CD-2 Oil Treatment that supposedly "helps stop oil burning" If it doesn't work, I'll try Restore. I hope either one works. I'd hate to rebuild or replace the engine... That sounds expensive.

No problem. BTW, welcome to the forum! :wave:

If any of these additives work at all it will probably take a few hundred miles to find out. Let us know what happens. GL

Thanks for the junkyard/rebuilt engine link. I'll check into that. I'll also let you guys know if the oil additives help out in any way.

12. This is where I need your help. My 1.5L DX has a slight problem. Sometimes I get some smoke coming out of the tail pipe. It happens mostly after I come to a complete stop at a redlight and idle for a minute or so. When I take off, the car emits a huge puff of smoke. Not quite sure of the color... I'm guessing blueish white... sometimes darker than that though. Now, here's the interesting part. Sometimes, the car doesn't do it at all.... Doesn't matter if I've driven for a while or if the car is cold... Any ideas? Thanks for taking the time to read this and reply reply! Troy

Kinda sounds like the time when my valve stem seals were going bad, it usually happened at stop lights and when i started my car after letting it sit for a while.

Here's an update. I added CD-2 Engine oil additive this morning. I researched the product and found that it worked best if you drive at"in town" speeds for the first 50 miles. After that, you can resume normal driving. Well, I did just that. I cruised the beaches of Destin and Ft Walton for most of the day. The amount of smoke is significantly less now.

Junkyard engine or rebuilt --- http://www.nippon-motors.com/honda.htm. Too many miles, IMO to fix the current engine.



BEST SITE EVER! Have you ever gotton a motor from them or seen one from them? Best prices I have seen in along time! I would feel much better getting a b16 from them rather than e-bay! :screwy:

it's either Valve Seals or Piston Rings... bolth not worth fixing, just swap the motor for a DOHC ZC or a D15B. you don't need to get the transmission just the motor... the problem is you have a DPFI so if you go with the D15b you will need to also buy a MPFI changeover (88-91 SI manifold, ECU, Dristibutor) to get up and running.

Ugh.... not having a good day. The car overheated today. I think it's the thermostat... I'm liking your ideas of swapping the engine out. What is an estimated price for buying the engine, swapping over the DPI system , ECU, and the labor to do all the work? Would I be better off rebuilding the engine or replacing it?

BEST SITE EVER! Have you ever gotton a motor from them or seen one from them? Best prices I have seen in along time! I would feel much better getting a b16 from them rather than e-bay! :screwy:

I believe the best site to get a motor from is http://www.hmotorsonline.com

I don't know about the best site, that was posted just for reference. We have gotten a few jap. engines/tranny's from there, but lately we've been getting them from a place called America Japan.

Update..... The smoke coming from the tailpipe is much less now. Hoping to get a few more miles out of the original engine. Will most likely do a ZC swap in the future. Also tackled the above mentioned overheating problem. It was the thermostat. I changed it out and flushed the coolant system today. Now, she's running cool.