What's making a "rucka-rucka-rucka" noise when I'm
turning at
full lock?
back
to
Driveline
When I'm parking or making a tight turn, I hear a sort of rucka-rucka noise from the front of the car. Is there something wrong?
Yup! Your CV (Constant Velocity) joints at the outer ends of your half-shafts are worn. They may not be worn out, but they're at least thinking about quitting! The noise will gradually get worse, and show up even when you're not turning at full lock. The only cure is a half-shaft replacement, not all that expensive for Hondas.
Incidentally,
when looking
over a used Honda, or most front-wheel-drive cars for that matter,
ALWAYS take the car to a quiet space in a parking lot, roll the windows
down, turn slowly through a full circle in both directions, and listen
for that tell-tale chucking, rucka-ruck serenade.
Why
are my lugnuts so hard to undo?
back
to Driveline
Two possible reasons:
A dab of anti-seize on the stud
threads is quite effective in keeping
the nuts free, but what kind and how much is the tricky part. Lubing
the lug nuts is a very contentious subject, with proponents and
opponents galore. It is true that certain kinds of lubricants
lower friction to an unacceptably low level, resulting in overtorquing
and broken studs. It is probably for the reason of unpredictable
variability that
Honda does not recommend the use of lubrication on the lug nuts, but
prefers that you leave them dry. Honda's torque figures intend the use
of dry studs.
Having said that though, light
use of a copper or aluminum-based anti-seize is generally OK, so long
as you lower the specified nut torque by 5 or 10%.
How do
I get those silly little screws out so I can remove my brake rotors?
back
to top
Aren't they a pain in the
neck? They go
all the way through the hub assembly and stick out the other side, so
the ends usually rust. It's difficult, but you can get to their
backsides with penetrating oil. Still, a device known as a hand impact driver is
usually the
thing for this. Hand impact
drivers are available for about $20
and vigorous application of a middling heavy hammer to one of these
usually does the job. Be sure and get a 3/8 inch Phillips tip for the
wrench though, not the skinny little 1/4 inch ones that are intended
for multiple-bit screwdriver sets. The screws are a #3 Phillips too,
don't try a #2 or you'll strip them.
One trick that works
sometimes is to simply insert the screwdriver into the hex, put some
twisting force on it, then repeatedly strike the end with an 8-oz (half
pound) hammer. This approximates the function of the hand impact driver
without having to make a trip to the hardware store.
I'm told seating of the
Phillips screwdriver's head is enhanced it you grind just a touch off
its tip. This helps ensure the sides of the driver's head are pressed
firmly into the screw's slots before the tip bottoms in the screw.
If worst comes to worst
and you do strip
them, you'll have to drill the little suckers out of there. All they do
is hold the rotors in place until you put the wheel on, so I suppose
you could even not bother to replace them, but if a garage did that,
you'd think they were pretty sloppy wouldn't you?
If
you
do decide not to replace the little screws, you should be aware that
each time you remove the caliper, the rotor will be free to tilt on an
angle
on the hub. What happens then is that flakes of rust, grains of sand
and dirt and the like can fall between the rotor and the hub. And when
you button everything back up again, the rotor will be crooked. So if
you've just done the brakes and all of a sudden you get a brake
vibration, pull everything apart and clean the hub and back of the
rotor until they're both spotless.
How do I
reset my Check Engine light?
back
to Engine Electrical
After reading
a fault
code, it's better
to record the code number (Diagnostic
Trouble Code, or DTC),
then reset the engine's ECU/ECM and wait to see if it comes on again
with the same
fault code, rather than go rushing off to the dealer for repairs. The
dealer is probably going to do just that himself anyway. A great many
errors are transient and do not recur. If the light comes back on with
the same or related code,
then you get it looked at.
A note: the idea of
"transient" errors (mentioned just above) is less relevant these days.
Prior to '96, the Check Engine light would illuminate if the ECU/ECM
received sufficiently bad signals (or no signal) from one or more of
its inputs. With OBD-II, the light generally comes on once the ECM
determines that the engine has exceeded federal emissions limits by
150% under specific conditions, as calculated by the ECM. This system
is more reliable in reporting actual problems rather than transients.
The crude way
to reset the ECU/ECM is to just disconnect the battery for a minute or
so.
A more sophisticated way is to pull the fuse that supplies power to the
ECU. On most cars this is the Backup (or Backup/Hazard) fuse, a 7.5
amp (or 10A) fuse located in
the under-hood fuse/relay box. The ECMs on the very newest cars have
their own fuse, duly labeled as such. It's usually 15A.
Caution!
Removing this fuse also
removes
power from your clock and radio! You're going to have to reset the time
on the clock, and you'd better have the anti-theft
code for the radio
handy or you'll be sorry!
If your car is 1996 or newer, you can use an OBD-II code reader to clear the codes.
This will avoid pulling battery cables or fuses, so your radio won't
lock up. However, your car's computers will have done a lot of
work setting themselves up, and resetting the Check Engine light
by any method will erase all their stored
adjustments. You will not be able to take your car in for an
emissions test until the computer has finished setting itself back up
again. Depending on your driving habits, this could take a few days, or
up to
a month.
In addition, the very latest cars have computers that "learn" how to
set up the automatic transmission and the idle speed. These settings
will also be erased and will take time to "relearn", so the car may
feel a little funny until the "relearn" is accomplished.
A
very useful list of all known ECU error codes, OBD-II and before.
back
to Engine Electrical
Can I stop my power antenna from raising when I'm just
playing a tape or CD?
back
to Body Electrical
Sure! Just install a switch in
the power
lead that goes to the antenna motor.
How to
fix loose fuses
back
to Body Elecrical
Honda fuses are generally reliable but occasionally, especially in an older car, they can become intermittent because they are making a poor connection in the fuseholder. Pulling the fuse to check it often cures the problem, because re-insertion cleans oxidation off the fuse contacts, but a more permanent fix is to bend the fuse tangs just a bit with a pair of pliers, so they make a tighter connection. Turn the fuse so you are looking at the tangs end-on, and twist them through no more than ten or fifteen degrees, so they look like this:
\
\
That's enough to make them behave properly.My
car makes a buzzing noise at certain RPMs
back to Funny Noises
If you're lucky you may just have a loose heat shield on the exhaust or even just a loose muffler clamp. Or you may be a victim of the infamous Honda "A-pipe" rattle!
It seems that many Honda exhaust systems have a double pipe near the engine, with an inner and outer tube. This is in the interest of keeping the exhaust gasses nice and hot for the catalyic converter. Unfortunately, the welds on the inside don't always hold, and you can get a loose inner pipe rattling at certain times when the engine speed matches its natural point of resonance.
How to cure it? Well
you
could replace the pipe assembly, but that's expensive. A cheaper way is
to attack the pipe with a hacksaw and a brazing torch. Simply cut two
slots crosswise about a quarter inch apart, 1/3 of the way through the
outer pipe. Then with a punch, ding the narrow strip thus created
inward until it touches the inner pipe. Fill the hole with brazing
metal, making sure some of it brazes the strip to the inner pipe. Make
sure you don't leave any holes that will leak exhaust gasses.
Honda actually makes
something called a "buzz kit" for certain vehicles. This kit contains
all the gaskets and fixing bolts for the exhaust system. Apparently
these can work loose and wear out over time, causing a sort of
system-wide noise problem. I found this out by reading Click and Clack's "Dear Tom &
Ray" Archive.
What's that brrrr-click
I hear when the key is turned to ON but before I try to start?
back to
Funny Noises
That's just the fuel pump running. It runs for two seconds when the ignition is first turned to ON (II) but not to START (III).
Fuel pump
operation is determined by the PGM-FI
Main Relay, in conjunction with the engine's computer (ECU/ECM).
At about 10mph I hear a BzzzzzzzT noise from under the hood.
back to
Funny Noises
That's the
ABS pump charging up. It waits until the car is travelling about 10mph
before it pumps up its pressure accumulator.
What can an
aftermarket cold air intake do
for me?
back
to Performance
Increase horsepower? Well maybe. We've seen all sorts of claims to that effect. But it seems to me the most useful function of a true cold air intake is just to keep you from losing the horsepower you already have in hot weather. The cooler and denser the air coming in your intake, the more power you're going to get, and if your engine is drawing its air from under the hood and behind a hot radiator and it's 90 in the shade outside, you're definitely losing some performance.
There are two kinds of aftermarket intakes however. Sometimes you see them called 'wetlands' and 'drylands' style intakes. A true cold air intake draws its air from underneath a fender or from somewhere ahead of the rad. There are even some stock intake systems on Hondas that do this. Sometimes aftermarket versions of this 'drylands' setup is a little risky, if there's a possibility that large quantities of water can reach the intake area. Water does NOT compress like air, and inhaling liquid water in any quantity is disasterous for your engine! The 'wetlands' setup avaids this problem, but therefor usually isn't a true cold air intake.
One thing either will do however
is
change the way your engine sounds. Honda stock air intakes have
resonator boxes that attenuate the noises generated by your engine as
it breathes. Cold air intakes do no such thing. You'll hear a distinct
change in engine note at 5000 RPM on a VTEC engine as the IAB valve
opens and the short intake stacks come into play. Some mistake that for
the VTEC cams kicking in, but it's really the sound of resonance in a
tuned intake system.
How can
I remove
decals/stickers/pinstripes without damaging the paint?
back
to
Performance
The pros have special tools for
this purpose. An example is here:
http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/paint---body-equipment---supplies-exterior-interior-painting--finishing-and-detailing-pin-stripe-rem.html
For the home mechanic, newsgroup
consensus seems to be
that a
sharp blade and a modicum of heat is the answer. Anything from a
parking lot on a hot sunny day to the application of a hair dryer to
soften the glue, then some careful scraping with a knife-edge, razor
blade, or even an old credit card edge sliced off on a sharp angle. One
post even suggested a fingernail would do if you get the
heat right. Use isopropanol
or rubbing alcohol to clean up traces of glue afterward.
Regardless of the method used,
there is a high risk of scarring the clear coat. You may have to have
the line professionally buffed out afterwards
How do
I "roll" a fender to accept larger tires?
back
to Performance
Body shops that do custom work
have
machines that do a professional job of this, but if your oversize tires
aren't too big, you can just use a baseball bat. No, you don't take
whacks at the fenders with a bat, you use it like a prybar, resting it
on the top of the tire and prying gently upward along the inside of the
wheelwell, folding the metal back. There once was a really excellent
web
page on the subject, complete with pictures, on the now defunct
VTEC-Net.
Can
you supercharge a VTEC engine?
back
to Performance
Here's some advice from Gabe Gardner on the subject-
"Yes and no. You can run
low levels of
boost (6 psi and less) and be
ok. But if you want to run higher boost you must do the basic stuff
(beef up the bottom end). But the H22A1 has some other stuff that
needs to be stiffened up too. Here is an little snip from
www.hondaprelude.com and the recent discussions on blocks for turbo
charging."
"The 93-96 VTEC blocks are
solid decks
and the 97+ are open deck. There
might be some 97 TECS that are solid
if
Honda had left over blocks from
96 but atll the 5th gen are supposed
to be
open deck. I was told by a
friend that race SCCA and uses the
H22As
and he says he has to hunt
down pre 96 VTEC motors because he
does not
want to use the open deck
blocks. But even if you have an open
deck,
you can have a block guard
installed or just get a 96 motor and
built
it up while you drive you
car around with the original motor."
"H22A blocks have had a "solid
block"
design since their inception in
'93, as well as the Carbon-matrix
liners.
The liners are actually
Carbon fibre 'filler' mixed with
poly
resins to make the liner. The
aluminum (for the block) is actually
poured
around these liners. The
H22A motor prelude VTEC) and the
C32A (NSX)
are the only Honda blocks
in production that utilize that
liner."
What's
"Rice"?
back
to Performance
The epithet
"Rice Boy" is
not the racial slur it may sound like. It refers to the car owners of
any ethnic origin who modify their Japanese or Korean car in certain
tacky ways. Rice Boys are poseurs who accessorize their car, (all too
often a Honda), to make it look fast, without actually
increasing its performance.
The Rice
thing appears to waning of late, despite the number of tricked-out
"tuner" cars you see at shows. I read recently in the paper that the
"tuner" market is down to about a tenth of what it was ten years ago.
This quote was from a fellow in charge of the Guild of
Automotive Restorers in Canada. (The Guild operates a sister shop
called Vampire, which does
"tuners", customs and hot-rodding.)
Rice is;
A 'fartcan' aftermarket muffler with coffee can-sized chrome tip.
An elaborate spoiler like that excrescence on the back of some early Hyundai Tiburons.
Having a tach with a shift light in an automatic.
A DOHC-VTEC sticker on a Civic HX
A Type-R badge when you haven't got a type R
Quick-blink turn signals
Clear tailight lenses
Springs cut
to lower the
car for no other purpose than appearance
"HoNdA r00Lz"
decal covering
half of rear window
A plastic
racing-style gas cap sticker stuck on top of your plain old gas filler
door
Oversize
wheels and tires
just for show.
Does ABS
help you stop sooner?
back
to Brakes
Sometimes, but don't count on it. What it does do is allow you to steer and brake at the same time. In the past, people learning performance driving were taught that you should never try to steer and brake at the same time. A locked up wheel just won't make the car turn, it has to be rotating to change the vehicle's direction. Mr Clumsy Average Driver, in a panic situation usually tries to steer AND brake however, and the ABS system is intended to help him get away with it.
The problem is that few owners of new cars actually use their ABS. Some have even got into accidents the first time they were in an emergancy braking situation because when they heard the ABS chatter and felt the pedal pulse under their foot, they panicked and lifted their foot.
So one of the things you should do if the car you just bought has ABS, is find an empty parking lot someplace, preferably slick with rain or even better ice, and try out your ABS. Get used to keeping your foot down on that chattering brake pedal, and find out how much it takes to trigger the ABS. I drove a rental car once whose ABS went into action at the slightest excuse, usually for no good reason. It pays to learn your ABS system's features and foibles before you really need them.
You can find more extensive pages on the subject here.
Can you turn off ABS?
back
to Brakes
On some Hondas and Acuras, yes you
can,
without resorting to pulling fuses or connectors. If you feel that
under certain conditions you're better off without ABS, just leave your
parking brake up a notch from its fully released position before
starting the car. Not enough to engage the brake, just enough to light
the dashboard warning light. Start the car and drive away. After a
minute or so the ABS warning light will light, indicating that the
system has failed its startup check and is inoperative. It will stay
offline until the next time you start the car. Once the system is off
you can return the park brake to its fully released position.
Apparently this trick does not
work on very recent Hondas.
All of the
above have to do with a sophisticated yet diabolical device
known as an Integrated Control Unit,
or ICU, and all you can do is
replace it (unless you're a confident electro-whiz).
The ICU
handles all sorts
of odd jobs, from the stuff mentioned above to side-marker lights to
the oil pressure warning light to lots of other stuff. Problem is,
Honda produced a certain number of these units with some
defective/inadequate electronic components. This ICU is used in all
Honda products, probably with slight differences from model to model.
I'd
like to say I was the one to discover the cause of all this, but I
wasn't. The Generation 2 Integra Club
is the source for these fixes.
Two threads here, one having to do with the exact nature of the problem
http://www.g2ic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127170
and one having to do with replacement (and a link to associated
photographs at ImageStation):
http://www.g2ic.com/forums/showthread.php?mode=hybrid&t=56089
(Unfortunately,
you have to register as a member before you can view the photographs at
ImageStation.)
The
ICU is located behind the driver's kick panel, and in many vehicles is
covered by a fuse box. It is not difficult
to remove, but is very fiddly and time-consuming, since space and
wiring are short and connectors large.
However,
the cure is the same: Either replace the capacitors or replace the ICU.
As
for the wiring, you don't want to tear up your factory harness, and
luckily you don't have to. You can connect your new radio with
something called an aftermarket
harness, which is an extension between your OEM harness and the
new radio. It plugs right into your existing factory connectors, and
solders together between the OEM connectors and the aftermarket radio's
connectors. Most car stereo places sell these inexpensively for most
popular cars.
Combined with a wiring diagram (or a bit of work with a multitester),
the aftermarket harness makes
the job as easy as it can be.
Last updated Oct17/07