...finally decided...

[joshsayswhatt]

well the discussion is settled. i got a 94 dx hatch. now i have millions of questions with no clue on where to go for answers. can any one help me?

i have a bunch of tech questions and some "from where" questions and probably need some help mechanically. if anyone is close to the tuckerton area then that would be great but i need some online help too.

[The Captain]

Well start posting questions and i'm sure us honda guys can help.

[pearl]

yes.


why dont you just ask your questions in your first post?

[joshsayswhatt]

well first off some backround info. i got the car with 160k on the motor and body. the body was beat up on the driver side door and quarter panel it was sideswiped and the mechanic that had it, fixed the head gasket because the girl that sold it to him let it over heat because of a radiator leak and the head gasket blew, so he got another guy to fix the headgasket and he put in a new radiator. now my question is the temperature gauge is showing its running below the middle closer to cold and i drove 110 straight miles, is this bad?. it has an oily smell to the engine after it runs, is that just because of the motor being dirty, or is it burning oil? there is a humming from the rear end, what could it be? and the last ? for right now, when i rev the engine high it doesnt back fire or sound bad but black smoke puffs out of the exhaust, and a dark liquid comes out, is that cause of oil or what? and also after identifying what those problems might be, how could i go about fixing them?

[joshsayswhatt]

i do want to put a nicer exhaust from headers all the way back, but i dont want to do that if more oil is going to get into the exhaust, ^question above^. but also body wise, is there any good places to look for fenders, door skin, hood, rear quarter panel sheet metal piece, front seats. trying to get it cheap like from a junkyard but i will buy it new if i need or if its cheap enough.

[joshsayswhatt]

oh and before i forget, the front end is a little shakey, its not like jerking me off the road or causing me to steer harder but it just gets shakey, especially when you get going around 50 and then let off the gas, is that normal? never had a fwd car so this whole experience is new

[The Captain]

Originally Posted by joshsayswhatt

now my question is the temperature gauge is showing its running below the middle closer to cold and i drove 110 straight miles, is this bad?. it has an oily smell to the engine after it runs, is that just because of the motor being dirty, or is it burning oil? there is a humming from the rear end, what could it be? and the last ? for right now, when i rev the engine high it doesnt back fire or sound bad but black smoke puffs out of the exhaust, and a dark liquid comes out, is that cause of oil or what? and also after identifying what those problems might be, how could i go about fixing them?

Alright, I'll try to touch on a few of the questions the best i can.

1. My honda runs with the gauge slightly below the middle temp. I think that is normal...but HOW much closer to cold are you? Mine would be...say...1/8-1/6 away from middle. If you're severely off, that could be an issue.

<----- Not my picture, but around where it should be running.


2. Black smoke = rich fuel mixture. But with the smell and the smoke, I think a leak down + compression test are in order to get an idea of the health of the motor. Dark liquid really shouldn't come out.

[The Captain]

Originally Posted by joshsayswhatt

oh and before i forget, the front end is a little shakey, its not like jerking me off the road or causing me to steer harder but it just gets shakey, especially when you get going around 50 and then let off the gas, is that normal? never had a fwd car so this whole experience is new

That sounds like a wear/ misalignment situation. Kinda of hard to tell just from a description, but having someone look at it, they could probably give you a better answer.

[joshsayswhatt]

ok cool well do you know anyone who could look at it, and yes the temp gauge is around the same as the image. so thats good, but with the head gasket blowing could that have caused oil to get into the exhaust manifold and eventually make its way back to the muffler?

[joshsayswhatt]

someone please help me out with my other questions

[BigWhiteTodd]

ebay all your body stuff and seats stuff like that best deal or craigslist some times and have you changed all your fluids like antifreeze.... as for the exhaust mine does the same ever since the head gasket went so i guess it is oil from the motor bu i could be wrong some correct me if so.

[joshsayswhatt]

ok thanks alot.

[dragonfly2k3]

remember your smoke colors.
oil=blue/white
fuel=black
coolant=white.
id say by your description its a fuel delivery issue?

[joshsayswhatt]

so whats the first step in fixing a fuel delivery issue?

[dragonfly2k3]

finding where the problem is. Id check the regulator, i dont think ive ever heard of a regulator breaking in the maxed out position, but i guess anything is possible. Or it could be crushed down like mine was...

[ThatTealHatch]

for the body parts check out certi-fit in pensauken. the only thing id recommend oem is bumpers. all of certi-fits metal replacement fit pretty damn well and its cheap

[joshsayswhatt]

looked into certi fit
really good prices and they have everything. thanks for the help