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Getting it done...

Since the car has been sitting for a long period of time on the street, it would be a wise idea to actually do things like oil change and tune-up before attempting passing the smog inspection. I was too excited to consider that. Once it failed, I had been granted 30 days to fix it and re-inspected for free. Here is a list of what has been done and approximate cost of parts and supplies.

Cost analysis of '88 Civic ownership

Everything tuneup related was pretty straight forward. Depressurizing fuel system was kinda iffy but it tuned out rather simple, no mess whatsoever. With spark plugs I tried to point gaps towards combustion chambers (found it somewhere online).
Hole in the exhaust pipe... more like a crack , actually. Tried epoxy kit from NAPA to patch it - what a piece of crap - lasted 2 days and then just burnt through. it is either new pipe or welding. My buddy Aaron is an awesome welder, and fixed it for me for 20.00. Most difficult part - taking pipe off, why? Because nuts are actually welded onto a bracket, and spraying them with PB Blaster won't do shit, just put the ratchet to the bolt end of the assembly ;-)
Then I realized why my throttle sticks. The plastic that secures the throttle cable through firewall was broken and some dirt and grime collected on a wire. Took it out, WD40 all over, and some... duct tape for time being. Later I swapped the throttle cable with one I found at the junk yard in newer civic. Slightly shorter - but it still does its job. It seemed like the spring that brings foot pedal back is bit soft so I clipped it and bent a new hook in it, will do for now. Junk yards are full of these.

Apr. 13, 2008 00:49

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