86 Crx
10-09-2004, 06:35 PM
#1
Durkedurkistan
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86 Crx
Hey all, brand new to the forum and the world of Hondas. Bought a 87 CRX for under a grand yesterday. It's a 5 speed, and the body is in really good shape. What do I need to know about this car (normal maintenance problems, etc.) Also any websites for accessories would be helpful. I am also missing the driver's side rear window if anyone has a parts car.
Thanks
Thanks
10-09-2004, 08:14 PM
#2
Rotorphile.
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The only normal problems I know of with them is the bouncing idle (sometimes easy to fix, sometimes not) and the rust. It will rust out from under you if you aren't careful.. watch the edges of the rear wheel wells, the metal under the car right behind the front wheel well, the floorpans, the rear bumper area, etc.
(former '87 Civic Si owner myself)
(former '87 Civic Si owner myself)
10-11-2004, 12:08 PM
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I'll take a stab at it...
Rust-- definitely keep an eye on that! It's a common problem which can turn into a big one.
Not everyone knows this about Hondas, but you can lock the door with the lever while the door's open by holding the handle on the inside. Otherwise you'll have to close the door and lock w/ the key.
Sunroof sagging. Most CRXs (all generations) have one rear edge of the sunroof which sits lower than the other when the roof is open. My opinion is you can avoid this by not opening the roof all the way on bad roads.
Water in the spare tire well usu points to sunroof drains getting clogged.
Often you'll lose the low speed to your climate control blower. There's a resistor pack kind of behind the glove box which has either broken a contact or blown a resistor. The cheap fix is to go after the pack with a soldering iron and repair what's broken. IIRC, your RX-7s I think the FAQ tells you to resolder your ECU to fix the blower!! But I digress.
I had to replace the hatch struts on both my CRXs. It's a waste of time to deal with the heavy Si hatch w/o good struts.
The first step to fixing a squeaking hatch (common) is to back out the rubber bumpers where the corners meet the upper tail light support area. I added more rubber to mine so I could make the hatch even tighter.
Hmmm. You're coming from rear drive platforms. CV joints fail on front drive cars. Expect to replace a half-shaft or two if the previous owners haven't. Check the boots now and replace just the boots if there are tears and no clicking sound when turning corners. I believe in hitting all CV boots as well as the steering boot with Armor All at every oil change.
Front ride height is controlled by a bolt inboard from each front wheel. A small change a front corner ride height will result in a larger change at the opposite rear corner. I would look at this if your left rear tire rubs the wheel well over freeway overpasses/bridges. I upgraded my suspension instead of troubleshooting that one, but it's common.
The alternator *will* come out through the bottom. Take your time.
The PGM-FI light may come on after driving for a half and hour or so. It's a known gremlin and usually isn't an indicator of a problem you need to hunt down. This even happened on cars fresh off the showroom floor. Sometimes freshening the ignition system, like w/ new plugs and wires, can temporarily fix the grimlin. Other times it just takes a little longer for the light to come on. No "symptoms" cause it, though.
Alot of Honda folks I've known swear by Honda oil filters. And Castrol non-synth oil. Most folks I know believe synth oil in an old engine will just "find more leaks". I've never tried it.
I think your RX-7s had rear discs. Typical of rear drum brake cars, the star adjusters quit working eventually. Replace or pull the drums and adjust them yourself every once in a while.
I have a few more tech tips on my website, http://www.mullinator.com/crx/
Make sure you check out the forums at redpepperracing.com. There's alot of 1st gen discussion over there.
Parts? Here are my recommendations. In my experience you can't go wrong with these folks. I could write a book full of testimonials for most I'm listing.
Replacement parts: rockauto.com
General aftermarket: optauto.com
Aftermarket and custom-designed in-house stuff: opmautosports.com (OPM really knows 1st gen CRXs)
Suspension: ground-control.com (they know 1st gens, too)
Dealer: manhonda.com (if you call them, make sure you're talking to the Internet Catalog dept, NOT the parts department)
Book: if you do your own work you'll want a copy of the Helm factory service manual. Get it from eBay or helminc.com
Axles: raxles.com (don't do a single CV joint, replace the whole half-shaft)
I'm not associated with any of the above vendors / resources. Hope that helps! -scott (former '86 Si and '85 Si owner who considered the TII as the first car after the CRX but ended up w/ a Turbo Supra which was about to get TII injectors when I spun a bearing!)
Rust-- definitely keep an eye on that! It's a common problem which can turn into a big one.
Not everyone knows this about Hondas, but you can lock the door with the lever while the door's open by holding the handle on the inside. Otherwise you'll have to close the door and lock w/ the key.
Sunroof sagging. Most CRXs (all generations) have one rear edge of the sunroof which sits lower than the other when the roof is open. My opinion is you can avoid this by not opening the roof all the way on bad roads.
Water in the spare tire well usu points to sunroof drains getting clogged.
Often you'll lose the low speed to your climate control blower. There's a resistor pack kind of behind the glove box which has either broken a contact or blown a resistor. The cheap fix is to go after the pack with a soldering iron and repair what's broken. IIRC, your RX-7s I think the FAQ tells you to resolder your ECU to fix the blower!! But I digress.
I had to replace the hatch struts on both my CRXs. It's a waste of time to deal with the heavy Si hatch w/o good struts.
The first step to fixing a squeaking hatch (common) is to back out the rubber bumpers where the corners meet the upper tail light support area. I added more rubber to mine so I could make the hatch even tighter.
Hmmm. You're coming from rear drive platforms. CV joints fail on front drive cars. Expect to replace a half-shaft or two if the previous owners haven't. Check the boots now and replace just the boots if there are tears and no clicking sound when turning corners. I believe in hitting all CV boots as well as the steering boot with Armor All at every oil change.
Front ride height is controlled by a bolt inboard from each front wheel. A small change a front corner ride height will result in a larger change at the opposite rear corner. I would look at this if your left rear tire rubs the wheel well over freeway overpasses/bridges. I upgraded my suspension instead of troubleshooting that one, but it's common.
The alternator *will* come out through the bottom. Take your time.
The PGM-FI light may come on after driving for a half and hour or so. It's a known gremlin and usually isn't an indicator of a problem you need to hunt down. This even happened on cars fresh off the showroom floor. Sometimes freshening the ignition system, like w/ new plugs and wires, can temporarily fix the grimlin. Other times it just takes a little longer for the light to come on. No "symptoms" cause it, though.
Alot of Honda folks I've known swear by Honda oil filters. And Castrol non-synth oil. Most folks I know believe synth oil in an old engine will just "find more leaks". I've never tried it.
I think your RX-7s had rear discs. Typical of rear drum brake cars, the star adjusters quit working eventually. Replace or pull the drums and adjust them yourself every once in a while.
I have a few more tech tips on my website, http://www.mullinator.com/crx/
Make sure you check out the forums at redpepperracing.com. There's alot of 1st gen discussion over there.
Parts? Here are my recommendations. In my experience you can't go wrong with these folks. I could write a book full of testimonials for most I'm listing.
Replacement parts: rockauto.com
General aftermarket: optauto.com
Aftermarket and custom-designed in-house stuff: opmautosports.com (OPM really knows 1st gen CRXs)
Suspension: ground-control.com (they know 1st gens, too)
Dealer: manhonda.com (if you call them, make sure you're talking to the Internet Catalog dept, NOT the parts department)
Book: if you do your own work you'll want a copy of the Helm factory service manual. Get it from eBay or helminc.com
Axles: raxles.com (don't do a single CV joint, replace the whole half-shaft)
I'm not associated with any of the above vendors / resources. Hope that helps! -scott (former '86 Si and '85 Si owner who considered the TII as the first car after the CRX but ended up w/ a Turbo Supra which was about to get TII injectors when I spun a bearing!)
10-11-2004, 04:51 PM
#5
Rotorphile.
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Originally Posted by mullinator
IIRC, your RX-7s I think the FAQ tells you to resolder your ECU to fix the blower!! But I digress.
(...)
I think your RX-7s had rear discs.
(...)
but ended up w/ a Turbo Supra which was about to get TII injectors when I spun a bearing!
(...)
I think your RX-7s had rear discs.
(...)
but ended up w/ a Turbo Supra which was about to get TII injectors when I spun a bearing!
2) All FC's had rear disc brakes. His TII and GXL share the same vented rear dics as my Sport, normal four lug base models came with solid rear discs.
3) TII injectors.. 550cc x4, nice big injectors. Hell, non turbo models use 460cc's.
Back on topic... redpepperracing.com is indeed an excellent resource for the 3G Civic/1G CRX.
10-12-2004, 06:57 AM
#9
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