I just bought a 2000 DX w/ Auto tranny w/ 71K miles for $3700.

I want to give it a good tune up and wanted some tips/tricks on other mechanical areas I should be focused on. Questions below:

1. Where can I get owners manual?
2. Good brand of plugs and wires?
3. Intervals between tranny fluid? Flush or just drain and Fill?
4. When to do Timing Belts, Water pump, other belts etc…? (I'm certain the TB is still original)
4a. Any way to easily check the condition of the Timing Belt?
5. Cold air intake mod? Good or Bad?
6. Any other areas I should look into?

Thanks in advance guys.

I look forward in being a good member to this nice forum.

 

1. You can download the Honda Service Manual from this forum.
2. Platinum spark plugs are much better than copper plugs..not sure of what brand but I got Bosch and they work good for me.
3. Well just drain & fill will get most of the fluid clean but if you really wanna get all the dirty stuff out then a Flush is best....and every 30,000-35,000 miles.
4. Timing belt & water pump you can do at the same time to save time, every 90,000 miles. The other belts..i think 15,000 miles(but not sure)
5. Cold Air Intake......some say it's a waste of money & just gives your car sound..others say it just gives you 1-2 hp(as opposed to 10-15 hp as brands advertise). I say 1/2 a horsepower & sound!
6. You should look into everything if you mean repair-wise. There's nothing that lasts forever on a car. If you mean mods..idk about that..don't like them too much.

And Welcome to the Forum...Enjoy that Civic!

 

repair manuals

SpoonerTuner.com - Free downloadable Honda Acura Factory Service Manuals by HELMS

or is this not what you are looking for?

 

On the spark plug thing, iridium are the best that I'm aware of, ngk makes decent ones

 

One last thing, if you want a hard copy of the owners manual, a dealership should be able to order you one

 

Hello guys!

I have very similar questions, so decide to use this thread.
I have '98 Civic LX and was wandering how the condition of the timing belt and water pump would be checked without a lot of labor? I bought the car with 20K miles on in and now I have 33K. I am not sure when the last time the TB was changed.

Thanx in advance!

 

well its alwayz good to have the manual in hand incase you ever need it.. so i would say get it from autozone..you can get the NGK iridium plugz n wires for great price on ebay..its about time to do the timing belt get it off of ebay for like 7$ or you can get it from autozone for like 33$ if you like..oil change and a tranny flush is a must..i dnt know if you wanna go cold air intake on an auto matic considering if its raining season and you sck up a puddle it wont look good for your engine unless you got 2 cars to choose from like i do..maybe a short ram air intake would go good on a daily driver.. sum more fun mods you can put on is replacement parts body n paint work..full catback exhaust..hid kit.. n more good luck..

 

If im not mistaken, they are usually good for 80k-90k miles... however, because of the age, i would atleast check it for cracks and ware.

You need to pop the valve cover loose to be able to remove the upper plastic cover for the timing belt area. You are also about due for a valve adjustment, so if you are comfortable with doing that, i would go ahead since you are loosening the valve cover anyway.

 

Vartok:
Thanks for you reply.
I also heard that from somebody. To take the valve cover off then inspect the t-belt.
Do I need to replace gasket?
How hard is it to adjust valves?