I've been registered here for a few months, just haven't taken the time to say hello. I picked up a '97 HX w/manual trans in late July. I drive about 130 miles a day for work, and figured the extra 15mpg over my old accord would pay for itself...eventually. I knew getting into this that I'd have my share of work to do, because the car has almost 190k on it, but I like to think I'm pretty handy. However, I sometimes wonder if it was the brightest idea money wise. The car has a lot of little issues, which I guess could be argued as expected for a vehicle of this age and mileage. I consistently get 40mpg, but hope to eventually get closer to 45.

The engine light has been on since I bought her, but she drives really nice...smooth, tight suspension, all stock. So far, the biggest things I've done have been replacing a few orings (VTEC solenoid, and distributor) which stopped a pretty good leak...but a couple weeks later I got a new leak...not tracked down yet. I've replaced the AC blower motor, and the AC condensor fan motor. Neither of those jobs went perfect either. When I kick the AC on high, I smell what seems to be an electrical smell... but whenever I pull the kick panel, and glove box out of the way, I see nothing, and the connector doesn't even feel hot... The AC condensor fan motor was a pain to get in while maneuvering around all the hoses and such, and I wasn't able to get the fan blade to seat all the way, maybe 1/8 in off, and now I feel a vibration whenever the ac runs, which I attribute to that.

Ok, so did I mention that I thought I was a pretty handy guy ? Well, I spend 3 hours on the road every day, and I have a list a mile long of things that I've done and things that still need attention. The steering wheel is a mess so I bought a cheap cover that fell apart and ended up doing that again...this time with a decent leather one. I replaced the power mirror switch, and that actually still works. I had to put new washer nozles on the hood, which seemed a little odd (there were none before), but they work now. I've also been inside the drivers door to try to figure out why the pwr lock doesn't work on that side. Between the disassembly and the online service manual, I've come to the point of just accepting that the unit needs to be replaced.

I tracked down a short in the spoiler LED and fixed it, killed a colony of ants, restored the headlights to clear from yellow, put on new wiper blades, and even given her a bath finally.

Other things that I know need attention are, CV axles both make noise, there is a crack on the top of the exhaust manifold (under the heat shield)...just a hairline, but will need attention eventually, clean the EGR passageways, and probably do a brake job. I took it to honda to have the oil changed (i know what you're thinking...DIY'er and all, but they had a 9.99 special...honda filter, million point inspection, etc....just couldn't put it thru the wash cause the antenna is broken and wont collapse out of the way...ha ha ha )...the service guy told me there is all sorts of other stuff going on that I didn't realize...said the clutch was on its last leg...I get some chatter when she's been running for a while, and says upper and lower control arms ??? I haven't looked at them, but assumed the suspension wouldn't feel so good if they were bad...and being a bit cynical about other ppl wrenching on my car, I always double check things before letting somebody sell me on a bunch of stuff...

The codes I had pulled originally from the engine light said there was a VTEC problem, and there was an O2 problem, and an EGR problem. I haven't had the codes pulled again yet to see if replacing those orings and the filter on the VTEC solenoid might have fixed the VTEC one. Fingers are crossed tho.

In addition, the guy I bought it from had no idea if the timing belt had ever been changed...so I've been praying for time to address other things and get to that to get a good look. He only owned it for a couple years tho, so It probably had 130-140k on it when he got it...hopefully that means the previous owner most likely had it done...and I don't have to be in a big hurry to pull things apart and get a look...but I am a little frightened at this point.

Tonite, I was picking my son up from scouts and the engine started to miss. It didn't leave me stranded anywhere, but the problem was still there when I got home. Some pretty good missing...very unsettling.

Man, if there were just more time in a day ! I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment.

So, to come to the obvious point, ya'll will probably been seeing a lot of me ...HA HA HA HA>...

I have to say, knowing you guys are here is a big help. Now, if I can just keep from accidentally burning her to the ground long enough to fix her...

Take care everybody.