New here - looking for answers on my '92 Accord LX Automatic

[Idz21]

Hello ladies and gents. New forum member here looking for some help.

So I've been driving my '92 Accord LX for approx 7 years now and was recently looking to perform some very subtle mods. I'll be buying a new car soon and decided that I could part with my old faithful so I decided to keep it.

Here are some things I was looking to fix/change/upgrade/mod.

1. Shocks - it seems that my shocks are starting to let go. After close to 13 years I'm startingi to hear loud thumping noises when driving over small holes in the road. Also whenever making left hand turns, especially, I hear some more grinding which I believe is coming from the shocks. - So I was wondering what the best solution would be here for the best-bang-for-the-buck shocks which are a little stiffer than the stock ones. If you guys could offer some help with regards to the brand/model and price. I'm thinking it would probably be best to replace front and rear shocks. Although the rear shocks seem to be holding up well being that most of the car weight is in the front where the engine is housed.

2. Wheels - I'm still riding the stock 14s and was again looking for a pair of, most likely, 15s. Nothing extravagant, just something that doesn't require plastic hub caps. If you could offer some information and prices for these.

3. Transmission - this will be a fix. My transmission has always been messed up in the sense that when depressing the break and switching gears, without moving, from Reverse to Drive, the car jerks. I almost failed inspection because the guy though that my engine mounts were either loose or broken. I'm sure other have had this problem and was wondering if you could offer advice as to what the best solution would be here.

4. I'm open to suggestions for other subtle mods I could perform, very cheap at that, which might give my lady a little kick in the rump. Are there any engine modifications, air intakes or such which I would be able to get done for a fairly cheap price that might pep up my car a little? Again, I'm looking for something that will improve the ride a little bit. I realize it's an old car, and it still does drive pretty damn well.


I appreciate your help very much, and am looking forward to your responses and suggestions.



-Pete

[Huffa]

Idz21

You hear some grinding, you say???......Better check the drive shaft boots and see if they are not ripped!! With them ripped all the grease comes out, goes dry and you start to hear them grind.


How many miles on car? I also just had both drive axles replaced at 170,000 on my 91 SE because they or one was ripped.

I just was over at a freinds and he has something like 97?? stock Honda 14" wheels NOT hubcaps....NICE wheels (4 of them) for a 100 bucks!! I would of bought them myself but my Accord has 15" jobs.

You very well might have a bad front motor mount !! I just replaced mine. You can see if it is bad by prying the top rubber donut "seals" (guess for dust?) and inspect the rubber in mount to see if it is cracked. This would be also known as the torque rod that is in front of where radiator is. They go for 50-70.00 depending on where purshased.

Freind is from Allentown, PA area that has wheels.

Picture possible I think? Let me know.

They do drive VERY WELL considering their age and miles!!!!!

I'm amazed with mine, how it rides with the original struts on yet but sure new ones would help it too with 170,000 on it. Personally for me, I'd want the same damping charcteristics of the STOCK ones and not a bit stiffer.

Stiffer on an older car could possibly lead to earlier rattles which I surely don't want. I like a smooth ride over turning prowness but thats a "to each his own" kinda deal, so what ever floats your boat!


-Huffa....... Kinda-Fonda-Honda!!

[Idz21]

Originally Posted by Huffa

Idz21

You hear some grinding, you say???......Better check the drive shaft boots and see if they are not ripped!! With them ripped all the grease comes out, goes dry and you start to hear them grind.

I'm not sure if it's so much grinding as it is like a bumping type noise when turning the wheel to the left and breaking at the same time. Sort of like taking a left-hand turn at a high speed and applying to break as to not make the tires squeel.

Originally Posted by Huffa

How many miles on car? I also just had both drive axles replaced at 170,000 on my 91 SE because they or one was ripped.

I got 140,000 on mine and I believe I had my right drive axle replaced approx 6 months ago. The mechanic told me that it was cracked and there was leakage and once the all the fluid leaks out the car wouldn't be driveable anymore. Was quite an expensive repair. About $300+ I'd say. Sound about right?

If my explanation above sounds like the drive axle [left-hand turns] I'll go in to get it checked out.

Originally Posted by Huffa

I just was over at a freinds and he has something like 97?? stock Honda 14" wheels NOT hubcaps....NICE wheels (4 of them) for a 100 bucks!! I would of bought them myself but my Accord has 15" jobs.

If you could post up links of your friends 14s, and if possible I'd like to see your 15s - also the price you paid. Thanks

Originally Posted by Huffa

You very well might have a bad front motor mount !! I just replaced mine. You can see if it is bad by prying the top rubber donut "seals" (guess for dust?) and inspect the rubber in mount to see if it is cracked. This would be also known as the torque rod that is in front of where radiator is. They go for 50-70.00 depending on where purshased.

I had the engine mounts inspected by a mechanic after I failed inspection on my 1st attempt, and he had told me that the mounts are just fine (I had at least one of the mounts replaced about 3 years ago, as one of them was completely broken off). I was told that it was my transmission which was causing the bucking when switching gears to R or D.

What I do to minimize the bucking is to switch the car in gear and then, in an almost stick shift like manner, I release the break which minimizes the opposing force to the car and it smoothly rolls out. That's just a trick that you pick up after driving a car for so long.

Originally Posted by Huffa

Freind is from Allentown, PA area that has wheels.

Picture possible I think? Let me know.

They do drive VERY WELL considering their age and miles!!!!!

I'd be interested in seeing pics, as stated above. I know where Allentown, PA is, as I actually worked in the Council Rock school district in my last job. So if I like what I see a pickup would be probable.

Originally Posted by Huffa

I'm amazed with mine, how it rides with the original struts on yet but sure new ones would help it too with 170,000 on it. Personally for me, I'd want the same damping charcteristics of the STOCK ones and not a bit stiffer.

Stiffer on an older car could possibly lead to earlier rattles which I surely don't want. I like a smooth ride over turning prowness but thats a "to each his own" kinda deal, so what ever floats your boat!

I fully agree with you. I'm also amazed at how well my car still handles itself. I might have been going out of my realm with looking for stiffer shocks, but I was looking for only a slightly stiffer feel. So if on a scale of 1-10, where 1 = stock, I'd like new shocks to fit in the 2 or 3 out of 10 category.

Originally Posted by Huffa

-Huffa....... Kinda-Fonda-Honda!!

Thank you very much for your responses. I really do appreciate it. You have helped me quite a bit with your explanations and suggestions to my problems.

[Huffa]

The 14" he has are from a Civic I believe. They are very easy to clean with a spoke type of design. I'll either find a link with the same ones or go over and take a digital pic of them.

My 91 SE came with 15" and are the stock ones. I thought they all had 15" until you mentioned the 14'ers.

[mydelsolrocks]

umm, i think civic rims will not work. while it is true that they are 4 lug, they are like 4x 100 where the acc is (i think) 4x114 I am not tooo sure on the acc size but i know for a fact that civic rims will not work with acc rotors/drums.