Greetings All!

My 2000 Honda Civic EX Sedan has been outta commision for quite some time now.

I want to get her back on the road and would appreciate your time, input, and advice on how best to do so...

This car to my generation or at least to me is the equivalent of the 1964 Chevy Impala.. i.e. this will be my project car, my car I pass on to my grandson, in other words this is my 64' Impala, i.e. my grand restoration project

First I should say the car is BONE STOCK.. all OEM stuff here... so with that in mind..

Location is Chicago and winters here get as bad or worse then those infamous WISCONSIN winters everyones always dreading.. and I plan on running her this Winter..so

2000 Honda Civic EX 4DR Sedan, 98,000 miles on it, runs like a charm..err. or it did...

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, HARSH WINTER DRIVING Conditions when giving advice on this restore project..

1. First I need a new battery, Believe it or not, till 2 weeks ago, the ORIGINAL battery was still runnin this beauty.. so whats the best battery replacement?

2. Second, new tires.. again, still using the original tires that came with the car.. they are almost NASCAR racing bald now... So what are the best tires to get, probably for all seasons, but most importantly for winter usage...

3. The car has no power.. I believe there's a leak or hole somewhere in the exhaust..but where? How do I find it? It being a 9 year old car, I just want to put a a WHOLE NEW EXHAUST in it... so walk me thru that.. if not the process itself, the cost and shop knowledge NOT to get ripped off when I have it done..

4. Besides regular oil changes, I have done nothing else,, well maybe a "tune up" at about 80k miles.. but what else should I be doing? Want to get another 100k miles on it!!

5. Anything else I'm missing or should do? Any special care on the paint job? Has some chips on the front end, but don't want that spread of cancer to be an issue..

I love this car and want to keep it FOREVER.. again this is my project car! It holds a lot of sentimental value as you can tell.. basically my 1st car and I worked my a$$ like a slave in order to buy it BRAND NEW!! thats where the love comes from!

THANK YOU

oNe

p.s. I'm not above trying aftermarket stuff on there either, like cold air intakes.. my goal is NOT to make it "Fast And The Furious" but hey a little high end performance can't hurt nathing right?

 

First, go to any auto parts place like autozone. they'll have a battery. even walmart has them now. just make sure to get one with a higher cold cranking amp (CCA). that should make it through the winters easy. I used to live in chicago so i know. I have a 98 LX.

again, the same thing. go to firestone or some tire place and ask them. they know far better than most. I just got mine installed for around 280-300. I'm not sure now. btw, it is also a good idea to get the unlimited lifetime alignment plan to make the tires last longer.

go to my link and get the service manual. it will tell you more than you ever want to replace the system. I have replaced 2 out of the 3 sections (i.e. the muffler and the middle resonator or B pipe). I have not yet replaced the catalytic converter yet. it's not hard to do. again, I typically order from a part store nearby that will warranty it lifetime. it pays dividends. trust me. the power seems to be indicative of your lack of maintenance, not your exhaust.

now we get to the best part.

you will need to do a lot of stuff.

1. Get all your fluids changed or change them yourself. Brake, Clutch (if it has a manual), power steering, coolant, transmission fluid. You need to replace all of them.

2. Get your timing belt replaced ASAP! If it breaks, it ain't gonna last the 100k miles you want. Normally this process replaces the water pump, all 3 drive belts as well.

3. Get a major tuneup done on it. Replace the spark plugs for sure, probably consider replacing the plug wires if they show signs of tear. Some go further here so I'll leave it up to them to pipe in.

I just got some paint in a spray can and went over it. There is nothing much else you can do unless you pay for a brand new paint job. no paint lasts forever.

 

AWESOME REPLY POST!!

most informative!! and appreciated!!

I hope to..no I WILL have #1 and #2 done by this weekend,..maybe even today...

I'm sitting here and debating the options..

Firestone $315 OUT THE DOOR for Affinity Touring
Tires Plus $362 OTD FR710's

and LASTLY Sam's Club $300 OTD for BF Goodrich Touring T/A Pro Series

DOES IT REALLY MATTER? SHould I just say F it and have Sam's do it?

I just need new tires and that they run good in COLD COLD WISCONSIN winters!!


and DUDE at Autozone would "only" sell me the RED TOP OPTIMA battery for $175!!!

Said all the "fast" cars had it.. I'm thinkin he thinks since I'm a young dude and have a civic that I'm trying to "Fast and the Furious" it..

So really whats up with these RED TOP OPTIMAS?



oNe

p.s. once the new "shoes" and battery is in, then next is #3

 

you dont need the red top. and go with the bf goodrich

 

Pretty much any battery will do as long as the CCA's are a bit higher than stock. Like it was mentioned before, higher CCA=better for winters. I just got an Autozone Duralast black and yellow nothing special battery. Have had no problems with it.

I also agree, you should get the timing belt and water pump replaced. It's due by mileage AND by age.

Tires don't matter all that much. New rubber is new rubber. Whatever it takes to get that thing back on the road.

Has it been sitting for a long time? You may want to make sure no pests have gotten into her and nibbled on some wires if it's been that long.

 

well your next thing you should do is replace that timing belt. it is the life of the motor. if it breaks it will cause your valves to stick open and the piston will come up and pimp slap that valve that sticks down... and its bad for even if its idleing and it breaks, but if your driving it with the motor reved up it could slap quite a few valves and maybe even break the piston head... needless to say its the life of the motor!
to me thats more important than any tires or exhaust... you can leak exhaust fumes all over the place and just be loud and anoying. but a timing belt breaks your stranded and not moving and probably stuck with finding a replacement motor for it and thats not cheap!


and one last thing i would never compare a 60s impala to a honda.LOL thats a slap in its face. IMPALA POWNS any stockish civic. not all but most civics even modified (like the civette) but thats really not fare for the impala.LOL corvette power shoehorned under civic body!
and i highly doubt the civic will last that long with typical driving! defiantly not with any winter driving! road salt will eat that thing alive in time! its not like old school american made steel that could take a beating. civics are unibody and if the floors start rotting out the car can fold in half, totally unlike a old school that has a frame and floor boards separate that can easily be patched and repaired to like new or better.
dont get me wrong you can still clean up the civic nicely and have it nice all around... but the longevity of em driven around any kind of road salt and not stored in the winters... not so good.

 

About the batteries.. I know that CCA should be higher then whats already there i.e. OEM battery..

but the reason I was asking is this.. PRICE..

Autozone Durablast Gold is like $90
Napa's is $95

and then we have Walmart's and Sam's club where its only $55..

Thats why I was asking whats up with the batteries? There has to be something for that big of a price difference right? What would it be?

So I'm guessing you guys REALLY, REALLY want me to change that timing belt and water pump..
....OK GOT IT. Here's the thing.. where do I start? Is this something I can do, or is this a shop job? Like where do I start? Does Autozone have the parts, does it matter if I get them there or from Walmart, skooL me here feller's..

Any specific reason you THROWING out the BF GOodrich's, I mean outta curiousity what do they have over the FIrestones that your recommending the BF's?

I do not have internet access at home, I'm doing this from a friends house and computer, so thats why i can't download those manuals. But my girl is at the public library getting me a Chilton's Honda Civic/Del Sol 1996-2000 Repair Manual, only drawback is that its not available till MOnday..

but yeah any and ALL advise and tips and input is gREATLY appreciated!! I'll be the 1st to admit I'm a wannabe gearhead but NOT QUITE one yet, tho I have done all my own oil changes and such...along with tire rotations and air filter swaps.. but thats about it..


Don't get me wrong, tho the CAR has been sitting idle for a LONG time, it hasn't been quite that idle.. I mean I WOULD NEVER let my baby go down like that.. i.e. rodents and pests inside of it.. it was stored indoors for those 4 years, underground garage, and I made sure to go downstairs and run it for like 10 min's AT LEAST every other week.. OH AND BEST BELIEVE I washed it ALMOST EVERY WEEK.. so its not in the state of despair that you were imagining it...its more like it wasn't being used... long story short, I had some nice wheels on it.. NOT suitable for winter, besides the pain in the **** to switch out wheels every winter back to the OEM wheels.. It got to the point where I couldn't afford to buy new OEM tires on the OEM wheels and thats where the "storage" part came in since I couldn't drive it in winter on those wheels and z rated tires in a foot of snow, no no.. so thats the background on it...

and I wasn't comparing it to a '64 Impala.. what I was trying to say is that this car is my '64 Impala in the sense that I want to keep it for the rest of my life and even if possible pass it on to my grandkids, god willing.. IN other words the same way people nowadays are actively hunting and restoring those old caddie's and '63-64 IMpalas, is the same way I imagine 50 years from now people will be hunting and looking for Honda Civic's.. YOu get me now? So 50 years from now when its a cool HISTORIC thing to restore a Honda Civic because we'll probably have flying cars by then.. my family instead of having to hunt one down, can say, hey great granddad has a an ol' 2000 Honda Civic, and that thing is in MINT condition DUDE... hopefully that clears it up some..

again just how I'm imagining things will be 50 years from now..

thanks again!

PEACE


oNe

 

About the batteries.. I know that CCA should be higher then whats already there i.e. OEM battery..

but the reason I was asking is this.. PRICE..

Autozone Durablast Gold is like $90
Napa's is $95

and then we have Walmart's and Sam's club where its only $55..

Thats why I was asking whats up with the batteries? There has to be something for that big of a price difference right? What would it be?

So I'm guessing you guys REALLY, REALLY want me to change that timing belt and water pump..
....OK GOT IT. Here's the thing.. where do I start? Is this something I can do, or is this a shop job? Like where do I start? Does Autozone have the parts, does it matter if I get them there or from Walmart, skooL me here feller's..

Any specific reason you THROWING out the BF GOodrich's, I mean outta curiousity what do they have over the FIrestones that your recommending the BF's?

I do not have internet access at home, I'm doing this from a friends house and computer, so thats why i can't download those manuals. But my girl is at the public library getting me a Chilton's Honda Civic/Del Sol 1996-2000 Repair Manual, only drawback is that its not available till MOnday..

but yeah any and ALL advise and tips and input is gREATLY appreciated!! I'll be the 1st to admit I'm a wannabe gearhead but NOT QUITE one yet, tho I have done all my own oil changes and such...along with tire rotations and air filter swaps.. but thats about it..


Don't get me wrong, tho the CAR has been sitting idle for a LONG time, it hasn't been quite that idle.. I mean I WOULD NEVER let my baby go down like that.. i.e. rodents and pests inside of it.. it was stored indoors for those 4 years, underground garage, and I made sure to go downstairs and run it for like 10 min's AT LEAST every other week.. OH AND BEST BELIEVE I washed it ALMOST EVERY WEEK.. so its not in the state of despair that you were imagining it...its more like it wasn't being used... long story short, I had some nice wheels on it.. NOT suitable for winter, besides the pain in the **** to switch out wheels every winter back to the OEM wheels.. It got to the point where I couldn't afford to buy new OEM tires on the OEM wheels and thats where the "storage" part came in since I couldn't drive it in winter on those wheels and z rated tires in a foot of snow, no no.. so thats the background on it...

and I wasn't comparing it to a '64 Impala.. what I was trying to say is that this car is my '64 Impala in the sense that I want to keep it for the rest of my life and even if possible pass it on to my grandkids, god willing.. IN other words the same way people nowadays are actively hunting and restoring those old caddie's and '63-64 IMpalas, is the same way I imagine 50 years from now people will be hunting and looking for Honda Civic's.. YOu get me now? So 50 years from now when its a cool HISTORIC thing to restore a Honda Civic because we'll probably have flying cars by then.. my family instead of having to hunt one down, can say, hey great granddad has a an ol' 2000 Honda Civic, and that thing is in MINT condition DUDE... hopefully that clears it up some..

again just how I'm imagining things will be 50 years from now..

thanks again!

PEACE


oNe

 

well the timing belt isnt really tuff HARDEST part is removing the crank shaft bolt! everything else is just checking and double checking.

just multiple things to remove like the 3 accesory belts, ac, power steering, alternator.
then puting a jack under the oil pan with a block of wood and just put MINOR tension on the jack. you just want to hold the motor inplace not lift it. and thats just because you have to take off the top motor mount on the side to get the new belt in.

just be sure to buy a manual for your car and read up before you tackle it.
tho you can always price out some local shops for them to do the work and judge for yourself if you wanna go thru the hassle.
just get some quality OEM parts and have them use your parts instead of there cheap aftermarket parts.

 

I tend to agree with itinerant on the tires. just get the cheapest one. the biggest thing is the speed rating. if they are all the same, then I go for the cheapest.

likewise with the battery. if they all have the same CCA, then get the cheapest. My guess is that autozone's is higher cca so that's why the cost difference.

Mind you, I never trouble with the oem CCA either.

lastly, get the timing belt replaced. if you are not able to do it yourself, shop around. even ask the people about labor only charges and you bring it the parts yourself from an oem shop etc. that would also be cheaper as these guys make money off the parts as well.

sounds like you took good care of it.