Imminent J-Shite acquisition

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Less than 24 hours after my return to the Mecca of shite that is the UK, I have agreed to purchase this (I was going to buy the Saab 900 that rawy has on offer for £250, but the deal had to be cancelled for reasons outside of my control or his):

 

On autotrader for £375.00 ONO, I spent about 20 minutes looking at it and having a tiny test-drive, and agreed to buy for £350. I guess that, regardless of the details, this is not too bad for a working car with 8 months of MoT and 3.5 months of tax remaining. I was quite impressed by the honesty and no-nonsense attitude of the seller (which I reckon may be a bit rare for a builder!)...No history, but the engine sounds great, the 'box is smooth, and there are no funny noises from the steering or suspension. However, there are quite a few niggling issues, and I would welcome your ideas on them:

 

i) A crusty patch on a rear wheel arch. The structure seems quite solid still, but I don't know how long it's going to stay that way. Is there anything that can be done to stop the rot from spreading?

 

ii) Passenger window stuck in the "up" position. Not good for the satnav-free shiteist who sometimes needs to ask for directions! Is this usually a broken electric motor or what?

 

iii) Cruise control doesn't work...and it's one of my favourite little luxuries...Is it worthwhile to try and locate a module from a scrappie, or can the fault be traced to a component part?

 

iv) Aircon not giving any cold air...Well, I guess that's simple...just run to the nearest aircon specialist and see whether a topup can sort the system or new hoses etc are also needed. Had they switched to R134 by then, or could it still be R12?

 

v) Clutch pedal travel seems to be far less than it should be (but I've never driven a Honda before...well apart from a Rover 820!). The gearchange seems to be unaffected- shall I be worried about it?

 

vi) the radio seems dead...Haven't had a careful look at it...anyone know whether it's a normal-sized jobbie that can be replaced by a Pixmania/Argos special that costs a tenner, or do I need to faff about with fascia adaptors and such rubbish?

 

vii) SRS light on. Can't really be bothered to fix that, is it definitely an MOT PHAIL from 1.1.2012?

 

It's definitely not perfect, but it seems like an excellent stopgap while I try to sort myself out....

[Guest]

Sounds about the usual issues from one of those, they rot from underneath the rear bumper and it spreads onto the arch.

 

The clutch travel on them is pretty ordinary though, so yours sounds like it might want a new clutch or something soon.

[r.welfare]

Good choice. I like Hondas.

 

Taking your questions one by one:

 

1) Don't tell me - is the rust where the rear arch meets the bumper? They all do that - mud trap. Give it a good clean out with a hose, ideally drop the bumper and get some Waxoyl behind it.

 

2) Buggered regulator. Standard fault on these and their twin (the Rover 600).

 

3) My later model has a switch on the dash that needs to be engaged before the cruise will work (also, the brakes need to be tapped before it will engage) - try this first. Then check the fuse.

 

4) Should be R134a at that age. Could be lack of use; could be the a/c rad which, on my later one at least, is in front of the main rad and is susceptible to road debris.

 

5) Wouldn't worry too much about it as long as it engages OK.

 

6) You'll need an ISO adaptor as these have either 16 or 20-pin non-standard connectors. Ebay be your friend here.

 

7) Yes, it will be. Try disconnecting the battery for half an hour, then get under the seats, disconnect the connectors, clean them up with WD40 or electrical contact cleaner, and disconnect/reconnect a couple of times.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Thanks for the ideas...keep them coming! Interestingly, the rot patch seems to be towards the front of the arch...

[r.welfare]

Does it have a rubber strip covering the lip of the arch? If so, take it off and throw it away, they're designed to stop stone chips but over time warp and then retain mud which accelerates the rot process.

 

On the cruise control front it would be nice if it worked, but I've found that these buggers are not particularly economical anyway, and using cruise tends to depress economy even further - that said, mine's an auto so it tends to drop out of overdrive 4th/kick down to maintain speed up hills when on cruise quite frequently.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Does it have a rubber strip covering the lip of the arch? If so, take it off and throw it away, they're designed to stop stone chips but over time warp and then retain mud which accelerates the rot process.

 

Cheers for that...Im picking it up on Thursday, so I can't check right now, but that sounds more likely than something starting all the way from the bumper.

[r.welfare]

Oh - try Kwik-Fit for an aircon recharge. If they can't get the temperature at the vents down by 10% then you won't be charged. A useful freebie to identify if there are major problems in the system - did this with my wife's Avensis, although they can't diagnose faults they can tell you if the system doesn't hold a vacuum.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Look out for

 

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

On the cruise control front it would be nice if it worked, but I've found that these buggers are not particularly economical anyway, and using cruise tends to depress economy even further - that said, mine's an auto so it tends to drop out of overdrive 4th/kick down to maintain speed up hills when on cruise quite frequently.

 

The good thing about the cruise in powerful cars is that it removes the temptation to go fast. You set it at 90km/h and never touch the pedals again- it does sometimes annoy lorry drivers who are trying to go a couple of miles over the(ir) limit, but I don't care as it saves me a packet!

[scooters]

you can't go wrong with £350 for a decent length MOT - never driven one of these before so interesting to see how you get on with it. I had an 80's Honda estate wedge and it was tough as old boots.

[Shep Shepherd]

Seems like a fine car for the money, even if it does need a small amount of attention

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Yeah, I guess it's a good deal even if not really my style- I normally prefer something a tad comfier and more unhurried...think Granada/605. However, I was quite impressed by the torque of the VTEC- I'd been expecting it to be mediocre in the lower end of the range. I guess the real challenge is to ignore most of the little things that need fixing, because if I'm going to spend money of them, it'll end up costing me nearly a grand (some new tyres may be needed, too) incl. the purchase price, and for that I could've gotten a similar car with an LPG conversion thrown in for free....

[scooters]

I think you need a mid 80's Nissan Cedric!

[r.welfare]

However, I was quite impressed by the torque of the VTEC

 

What engine does it have - is it the 2.2? Spottedlaurel tells me his 2.3 manual has decent torque levels at low revs, but my 1.8 has very little, which allied to the autobox makes economical driving a bit of a chore (I resort to using the Tiptronic function instead).

 

Mind you, the damned thing is so reliable I don't really mind it's foibles.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

However, I was quite impressed by the torque of the VTEC

 

What engine does it have - is it the 2.2? Spottedlaurel tells me his 2.3 manual has decent torque levels at low revs, but my 1.8 has very little, which allied to the autobox makes economical driving a bit of a chore (I resort to using the Tiptronic function instead).

 

Mind you, the damned thing is so reliable I don't really mind it's foibles.

 

yes...It's the 2.2, which actually is 2.15. Even after 165k miles, and having spent the last 6 years with an owner who appears a bit laid-back about maintainance (well, at least the oil was the right colour and didn't seem to contain any antifreeze or other foreign matter), it seems pretty capable across the range, and even quite civilised.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I think you need a mid 80's Nissan Cedric!

 

That would suit me perfectly...especially if I could find one with leather upholstery!

[r.welfare]

Cambelt interval is 72k on these, so if it's passed through 144k in the hands of the last owner (which I suspect it might have done if he had it 6 years) who has been a bit 'laid back' on the maintenance front, I'd recommend getting it at least checked for peace of mind.

 

Changing it is a DIY proposition if you're mechanically minded but a bit involved (main belt plus balance belt, special tool for getting the crank pulley off etc).

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Cambelt interval is 72k on these, so if it's passed through 144k in the hands of the last owner (which I suspect it might have done if he had it 6 years) who has been a bit 'laid back' on the maintenance front, I'd recommend getting it at least checked for peace of mind.

 

Changing it is a DIY proposition if you're mechanically minded but a bit involved (main belt plus balance belt, special tool for getting the crank pulley off etc).

 

Yes, I think he told me he did about 70k in it. I will ask him whether he's changed it, I'm confident he'll be honest about it, and I'm also convinced that he will say he hasn't done it! Thanks for that, hadn't really thought about the cambelt...I do have a basic understanding of things, but usually I eff them up when I get involved, so I don't think I 'd risk doing it myself...especially seeing as I don't have any space or tools at the moment. If it's not a very complicated job, I guess at least it will not cost a fortune in labour.

[scooters]

I think you need a mid 80's Nissan Cedric!

 

That would suit me perfectly...especially if I could find one with leather upholstery!

 

 

one of mybiggest regrets was not buying onelast year - I got offered one for £700 - it was mint - black and chrome, dark tint on the windows with the full spec - everything working, FSH and an immaculate grey leather interior. New tyres, brakes, MOT, stainless exhaust, service - only had 45k on the clock....I tured it down because at the time I was slogging 1000 per week and needed somthing a bit more of an A/B road daily rather than a cruising waftobarge - but really regretted it - I told the guy to stick it on RR and it went in about 5 mins.

[r.welfare]

I don't have my copy of Autodata to hand, but I think the 'book time' for the belt change is about 2 hours. The tensioners are proper pieces of kit - none of this plastic crap - so you could choose to save some wedge by not changing them; the two belts will probably be about £50 (as opposed to a full kit with tensioners at £100 or so), plus it would be sensible to spend an extra £30 on a new waterpump at the same time. There'd be no extra labour charge to change it if the garage is doing a belt change. Stitch in time and all that.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I think you need a mid 80's Nissan Cedric!

 

That would suit me perfectly...especially if I could find one with leather upholstery!

 

 

one of mybiggest regrets was not buying onelast year - I got offered one for £700 - it was mint - black and chrome, dark tint on the windows with the full spec - everything working, FSH and an immaculate grey leather interior. New tyres, brakes, MOT, stainless exhaust, service - only had 45k on the clock....I tured it down because at the time I was slogging 1000 per week and needed somthing a bit more of an A/B road daily rather than a cruising waftobarge - but really regretted it - I told the guy to stick it on RR and it went in about 5 mins.

 

bloody hell, I would have paid a grand for that!

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

2.2 VTEC eh? That's a super rare combination!

 

I had a Rover 623 for a while and that was more than powerful and refined enough for me. The 2.2 would be an interesting comparison against the Rover 620 Ti, similar power but very different torque figures and characteristics.