dollywobbler Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 Home! I'm sure it doesn't help that everyone thinks Hondas are really reliable, so don't service them. At all. Anyway, let's get this Caper up to date! In the beginning, there was a Nippa, and it was small, and simple and quite bouncy. I arrived at Caersws and sounded like I'd won the jackpot as the ticket machine spewed forth my impressive collection of tickets. Then there was a train, which was not so good. However, the legroom was more enjoyable than that in the Nippa. After too long, Birmingham was achieved. It was mostly chaotic, with slight demolition around the edges. RoadworkUK, Six-cylinder, scruff and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 Then there was a better, faster train, though it was horribly packed, with suitcases overflowing. Quite stressful. My tickets required me to change seats fairly frequently, which is good. Coach C was like a bloody sauna. I was moved to Coach F for a while, which was better. I hopped off again at Taunton (I think) to change to Coach D and grab this picture. Coach D had many benefits. Lovely, cool air being one. 10p being another. I blew my winnings on a cup of tea. Sadly, I needed another £2.20 for this, and was horrified at the lack of proper milk. The South was achieved. Plymouth was reached, the car was checked and I headed off. I had checked it very badly... dave21478, oldcars, Coprolalia and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 So badly that I only discovered that BOTH headlamps were not working after I'd set off. No petrol station shot, as it had half a tank! Bonus! This shot is close though. It was getting dark, so I thought I'd better investigate the lack of illumination. Turns out both headlamp bulb connecters were mildly melted. Fiddling about got things looking better. Next, I needed to find somewhere to park up for the night. After a tip-off from a pal, I headed up to St Agnes and found a likely layby. It was dark by this time, so I got the bed set up and hoped for the best. I had the best night's kip I've ever had in a car, though that really isn't saying much. The seats fold into a bed which is not bad, but hardly luxurious. Or flat. The lumps all seemed to be in the wrong place, but I got comfortable eventually, and was glad of the privacy glass. I awoke expecting lovely views, but it was grim and misty. Annoying. Time to find Twosmoke's garage! RayMK, Jim Bergerac, anonymous user and 7 others 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainagain Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Is it just me or does it remind you of a Mk1 Punto but much bigger? chaseracer and purplebargeken 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 At Twosmoke's garage, good things happened. The engine was swiftly in bits. Lifting the car confirmed that the wheel bearings are fine! Bearing-type noise is just dodgy tyres backed up by dodgy alignment. Breakfast was enjoyed.* The spare wheel was found - under the passenger seat! Some numpty had rounded off the tensioner bolt, and done it up to many torques. Twosmoke has many useful tools. The headlights are a-peeling... We gave the poor thing a service. I think it had been a while. This is the transmission fluid. This is the oil filter, complete with suspiciously Japanese writing... (car imported in 2008) The air filter was little better... Sorry Twosmoke. Action shot! After cramming an awful lot of work into a morning, it was time to depart. I must remember to pay... scruff, Tickman, trigger and 16 others 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 On the way to Bideford, I had to admit defeat and actually put some fuel in. I then discovered that the trip reset is broken, so took a photo of the mileage for later calculation purposes. After overnighting with my parents, I set off this morning for Wales. That involved an essential stop at Gloucester Services. Wales was achieved. And home. Driving impressions. The steering is horribly light, to the point that it feels like the front of the car has been lifted off the ground. They're like this apparently. Annoying given how good the Prelude's steering is. It goes like stink though, even if it is a bit too keen to kick down. There's a huge gap between third and fourth, which is perhaps why. It can lose steam quickly in top on hills. The handling is woeful, though cheap, nasty budget tyres with the insides worn off can't be helping, nor can the alignment that has caused this wear. I don't have a lot of confidence cornering hard in it. At 70mph, it's doing about 3250rpm, and it seem very happy at this. The high-up driving position is nice, and those shapeless seats are surprisingly comfortable. The gear selector is a bit rubbish, but I think I'm getting used to it. Going from D3 to D4, it's far too easy to end up in neutral by accident. It's a pretty shabby design to be honest. You shouldn't have to use the release function to switch between D positions in my book. There are issues with the transmission, as discussed earlier. Perhaps I'll treat it to another fluid change at some point. We've only replaced 3.2 litres, which is about half the capacity apparently. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to pull the gearbox apart and clean the filter out, but I don't think that'll be happening soon. I do need to get the stat changed though. Cool runnings are not good. I'm very happy with it though. Despite the flaws, it's nice and effortless to drive and makes me feel like I need to develop a new active lifestyle to go with my lifestyle vehicle. NorfolkNWeigh, HMC, Uncle Jimmy and 15 others 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainagain Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Does this have electric or hydraulic power steering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 Does this have electric or hydraulic power steering? Hydraulic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 The seller of this car is a bloody idiot. I asked him if the timing belt had ever been changed. He said he couldn't find anything in the history. There's a bloody invoice for it after it was changed in 2013. The transmission fluid was changed at the same time, which suggests to me this transmission has been playing up for a while... There are also two bills for wheel alignment in the past two years, which suggests either the wrong figures are being used, or something is quite wrong. oldcars 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twosmoke300 Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 It was good to chuckle at your pronunciation of a Cornish place name - payback for all the Welsh ones ! Also you learnt an important lesson - Porthreath bakery pasties are rubbish trigger, drum, holbeck and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honey Badger Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 From what I understand about Honda Autobox filters you just cant get at them without totally stripping it down, hence lots of Accord coupe owners fit a Magnafine filter. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Magnefine-3-8-Inline-Magnetic-Transmission-Filter-Original-Made-In-Australia/161388175172?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D39218%26meid%3Db6da90fb67fd481c9c698df407d1b911%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D222222069508 This is the one fitted to my car, it's spliced into the return hose from the ATF cooler, if you just used a Z1 compatable fluid then the Mannol eqivelent is £45 for 20 lts on eaby dollywobbler and chaseracer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cort1977 Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 What year is it? Some Honda boxes like the one in the wife's Odyssey switched to an accessible filter around 2005. They made up for this by not including it in the servicing schedule but it is there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 It was good to chuckle at your pronunciation of a Cornish place name - payback for all the Welsh ones ! Also you learnt an important lesson - Porthreath bakery pasties are rubbish Ha! Well I get the last laugh, as I've just found your small screwdriver in the back. Sorry... I have at least paid my bill now. From what I understand about Honda Autobox filters you just cant get at them without totally stripping it down, hence lots of Accord coupe owners fit a Magnafine filter. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Magnefine-3-8-Inline-Magnetic-Transmission-Filter-Original-Made-In-Australia/161388175172?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D39218%26meid%3Db6da90fb67fd481c9c698df407d1b911%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D222222069508 This is the one fitted to my car, it's spliced into the return hose from the ATF cooler, if you just used a Z1 compatable fluid then the Mannol eqivelent is £45 for 20 lts on eaby Good info. Thanks. Fluid is still nice and clean, but I suspect fitting an extra filter is a bit late in the day for this stable door. What year is it? Some Honda boxes like the one in the wife's Odyssey switched to an accessible filter around 2005. They made up for this by not including it in the servicing schedule but it is there. 1997. We had a good look at it, but there's no sign of anything easily accessible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honey Badger Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 I don't know if the SMXs have a gearbox ECU, sometimes disconnecting the battery after a change can make the TCU relearn it's shift points, mine drove like shit for a a couple of hundred after a ATF change but then smoothed out, no slipping though just hard changes. Looks like the fluid is cooking though, thats usually due to a fooked torque converter heating the fluid. Does it list which ATF was used in the 2013 change, Honda DW1 can be quite harsh on older gearboxes. There have been reports of it killing the torque converters by overheating, might be true, might not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twosmoke300 Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 I used whatever comma reccomended for the change I did yesterday . Iirc the Honda stuff is atf z1 but time constraints meant I used comma oil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 Aye, Dexron II I think it was. I did note on a search that DW1 is the recommendation. Not cheap though, and sounds like it might be best avoided anyway. Nowt to do now but keep driving it for a bit and see how it behaves. By the sounds of it, most S-MXs are living with one problem or another in terms of transmission. They_all_do_that_sir 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cort1977 Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 There's a whole debate about Honda transmission fluids on the Odyssey minivan forums (yes that is a thing and it is just as boring as it sounds). Anyway, consensus seems to be that Honda Z1 and now DW1 may not be that great and any half-decent ATF will be fine. Fluid in wife's van is looking a little dark due to towing a trailer in 100 degree heat so several changes with Valvoline ATF and changing the filter are on the cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 I've done some more transmission research tonight, and my conclusion is that almost every S-MX on the road is f*cked! Lots of people report the same rpm at 70mph as me, but I think that actually means their transmissions are knackered too. One clue is that one other owner admitted that his is also running cool. I have managed to confirm that the ECU does indeed take engine temperature into effect. This is why I have once (just the once!) had the torque converter lock up. I was starting to imagine it, but it was a rapid acceleration to 70mph after sitting and idling for a while, so a rare case of it actually being at full operating temperature. Also lots of talk of 'flaring' on gear changes, but, touch wood, very few reports of complete and utter failure to move. One bloke even lost third gear. For over a year! The lack of torque converter lock-up may explain why it's burning the fluid up. Presumably, it's designed for the converter to be locked up at motorway speeds, not still using the converter. I need to make a thermostat a priority, not just because I want to be cosy. I've now ordered a 'stat, and it should be just a 20 minute job apparently. Handily, there is a drain plug somewhere. I should have paid attention when Twosmoke was draining it! Will be good as there's fresh coolant in there now, and I'm also very wary of dropping coolant due to our cat... Honey Badger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Honda Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 One bloke even lost third gear. For over a year! Well? Did he get it back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Spares & Tyres Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 That was imported into the UK by Worcester Road Motors of Stourport on Severn, but you probably know that anyway if you have all the history Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 Well? Did he get it back?I doubt it. Haven't found any further posts on he subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 That was imported into the UK by Worcester Road Motors of Stourport on Severn, but you probably know that anyway if you have all the history Not much history, but has that company's number plates still. There are quite a few with this sequence, so I guess they bought quite a few over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 21, 2016 Author Share Posted September 21, 2016 OMG RATLOOK YO. twosmoke300 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holbeck Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Starcross. A couple of weeks ago this pic would have included a Nissan Navara stuck up to its axles in mud. Completely disappeared at High tides mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainagain Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Hydraulic.this might be of interest: http://www.autospeed.com/cms/article.html?&title=Modifying-SpeedSensitive-Power-Steering&A=110778 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 21, 2016 Author Share Posted September 21, 2016 Jeepers. Interesting stuff, but a bit beyond me! Getting hold of a manual could be fun for a start... I'll just try to drive less like a twat I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honey Badger Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Jeepers. Interesting stuff, but a bit beyond me! Getting hold of a manual could be fun for a start... I'll just try to drive less like a twat I think. See if you can find any information if it's had it's power steering fluid changed, if they dont get Honda PSF they can feel light and it will ruin the pump and/or rack. This might be the reason it feels overly light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mouseflakes Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 I hopped off again at Taunton (I think) to change to Coach D and grab this picture DW, take a rest from all these collection missions - you're exhausting yourself man... Pillock and mercedade 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 21, 2016 Author Share Posted September 21, 2016 Ha! Nicely spotted. I changed carriages so often I rather lost track... Thanks for the PAS tip. S-MX owners report that they have the lightest PAS in the world though, so probably situation normal. Anyway, cleaning time! I'm sure this thing changes size depending on what angle you're viewing from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
320touring Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 I suspect " Big fish Wee fish cardboard box" syndrome oldcars 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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