Deckoz

So, used to work on Honda's but it's been about 8 years since I've had my hands on one. Circumstances led me to this:

- 2001 Spa Yellow
- 213K miles
- garage kept
- no rust
- single owner(older woman 63yrs)
- husband was in car industry 30 yrs, provided full maintenance records (which were outstandingly organized)
- no leak except a slow upper vtec gasket
- performed a compression test myself, 207(1) 207 208 208(4) believe factory spec is 210 for the AP1
- VIN Matches Engine serial within 3 numbers

Anyway I picked up the car from the couple, they knew they could sell it for more but turned away several "kids" as they wanted it to go-to the "right owner"

Anyway what I'm getting at is some of the maintenance, that isn't part of scheduled maintenance so far:

- OEM TCT Replacement (sandblasted myself)
- OEM NGK pfr7g-11s (1.05mm gap, 26ftlb)
- Dielectric Coil Ends
- Removed, Cleaned and Flow Tested injectors
- replace MAP, upper and lower VTEC, TCT, CAM, Valve Cover , and Sparkplug gaskets
- cleaned IACV(minor)
- checked throttle body, EGR, and PCVs for cleanliness(basically spotless, what you'd expect from a clean motor)
- Done a valve adjustment, and inspected retainers, looked fine, however have ordered ap2 retainers and keepers, and a valve compression tool so will replace them soon.
- Coolant Flush
- Trans Fluid(Honda MTF)
- Oil changed to Castrol GTX Conventional, and Honda S2k Filter
- New OEM Air Filter(for now?)
- Adjust Throttle and Cruise Cables to proper lash
- Bleed Clutch fluid was basically fresh, but did it anyway as I removed the slave cylinder to lube the ball pivot, followed with clutch adjustment.
- Flushed Brakes/changed fluid
- Flushed Washer Fluid Tank
- Removed shifter, replaced ball cage OEM and relubed, again it looked fine but did it anyway.
- removed all vacuum hoses cleaned exterior and interiors and dried them over 2 days.
​​​​​- Radiator and heater hoses look fine, but have ordered HPS Silicon Radiator and Heater Hoses preventatively due to the age of some of the hoses.

What basic ENGINE maintenance with this mileage have I overlooked?

- I need to flush/change the Diff fluid. Hard to find a definitive answer
- thermostat, again preventative, should I order OEM or grab a colder temps thermo? Living in NC
- drop oil pan and replace banjo bolt
- flip driver and passenger side cv's
- should I replace the knock sensor? (In the past I remember them being brittle) haven't removed the plug yet see next bullet
- rewrapping the wiring harness, have already started removing and replacing old tape slowly
- was considering dropping the gas tank to replace fuel filter, and flush the tank of any contamination

What are your guys thoughts on the above and or anything I am missing strictly mechanical maintenance of engine and trans.

6/05/17 The car, As purchased
July '18
August '18
September 18'
October '18
November '18

miloking

thats incredible condition for any miles let alone over 200k!!! ...just goes to show miles dont mean anything at all its just about owners

miloking

I would stay away from banjo bolts. They are fine OEM unless you got FI.
swaping axle cups probably worth it if you have vibrations otherwise just grease them. Dont forget to torque the axle nut as per TSB.
Also change the cabin filter, i bet its nasty.
Otherwise just change all fluids like you said... and enjoy the car...

IA-SteveB

Man, that car looks great for the mileage. It just goes to show that proper care can pay off.

HawkeyeGeoff

I will echo his opinion on the banjo bolts as well. Lots of us run track days without doing this.

jonner

rpg51

Beautiful car. That engine compartment is incredible. Why is it that you open some hoods and the valve cover is flaking off paint and the entire compartment is filthy but yours looks virtually brand new after more than 200K miles. That shows the car has been very well cared for.

The other thing about the banjo bolt is that the job is not easy because of the cramped spaces and there are several stories of stripped/cross threaded blocks caused by folks attempting that particular upgrade. If it were me, I would leave it alone.

rpg51

So, is it impossible to get new carpet from Honda now?
I have the extended mats and they are excellent. Fortunately I got them down before any damage to the carpet.
How do you repair those holes?

rpg51

I'll just put this here: The OEM hardtop is really nice.
I realize it will cost you nearly what you paid for the car.
On the other hand, they hold their value if you take care of them and its pretty clear you take care of stuff.
What is the condition of the soft top itself? The rear window? If its less than ideal, you could get a new soft top with glass window for less than an OEM hardtop. Just a thought.
I think you are doing a magnificent job with this car. I like the goal of leaving it stock.
Alignment bolts ok? If it were me I would get an alignment done unless an alignment was done very recently and I had the numbers.
You will likely get another 200K miles out of this car.

rpg51

I don't think its the weight of the OEM top the makes it challenging to take on and off by yourself so much as it is the extremely awkward dimensions of the thing. I think the OEM top weighs something like 50 Lbs. if I remember correctly. A good quality ceiling hoist will work. That is what I use. But, truth be known, I rarely use the hardtop. Its just hanging in the rafters ready to go. You might be able to find a good used oem top - probably tough to find yellow, but you never know. And, you could always paint a used one. I don't know about the other top you are considering, but i do know that the OEM top is really very nice, with a good headliner. I recommend it highly.