SOLVED! Post 2853 Leaking Injectors, Dealer Techs Rock! Extended Cranking after Engine Swap 3.4L 5vz

sorry to always be raining on your happy thoughts, but.....

wrong !!! he didn't understand what boot you were talking about.

this is a tie rod dust boot: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Help-13...ter-/181193320685?hash=item2a2ff6a8ed&vxp=mtr

never in my life have they ever included the bellow boot with the tie rod. the "boot" they are talking about is the little grease boot that fits over the bolt where it connects to the spindle. that's like saying the hub cab is included when you buy the tire, they are completely unrelated separate parts.

what you call the tie rod boot, he calls the steering rack boot so tell them your talking about the big boot that goes from the steering rack and clamps onto the shaft of the tie rod and they will tell you the same thing, that that boot is a separate part and doesn't come with the tie rod.

and as I mentioned earlier, unless your keeping the car "more" then a year, you don't have to do anything but wrap it with duct tape. that torn boot lets dirt in there and will cause the tie rod grease to get washed away and in about 2 years from now you will need to replace the tie rod if you don't change the boot. did you catch that? 2 years from now "maybe", and you might not even need to change it then

on what planet does it make sense to replace perfectly good CV shafts that cost $140 or even $80 when you only need the two boots that cost a grand total of $14.40 each or $28.80 for the pair?

there are only 3 things I would fix on your car

1 - add Freon so it has a/c, it takes 5 minutes to do it and have cold air and not sweat your ass off the rest of this summer so why not do it?
2 - replace the two outer cv boots, only because I know your keeping the car for at least a year or more longer.
3 - if you cant find some "take off" tires at a local tire fix a flat shop then put some of the cheapest new tires you can find on it, again, only because I know your keeping the car for at least a year or more longer.

the best $45 investment you will make on the civic is the a/c retrofit kit: http://www.walmart.com/ip/EZ-Chill-AC-Recharge-and-Retrofit-Kit/16888792

 

@keakar , was it the bellow boot that you said to duct tape?

A new one is only $10 but duct taping it instead would save a ton of PITA labor for Eric. You really think it would last a while like that, even driving through basically small ponds constantly with our wet weather?

Just to be sure we are talking about the same part (too many boots with different names!), here's the pic of what I'm asking about - if we can really get away with duct taping:

 

yes that's the one to duct tape

here is what happens when its bad, the water from the road splashes in there and washes away the grease so "over time" it "eventually" has no grease and "slowly" starts to wear since it has no lube. this takes a "long" time so its nothing that happens in a month or two but more like in a year or two.

if you duct taped it to keep water and dirt from blowing over and in it then its doing the same job as the boot was doing. just be sure when you wrap it that you go about half way up the boot or at least to the third rib with a continuous wrap so that the boot doesn't slide out from under the tape as it flexes when you turn the wheel. when you wrap it you want to be sure it keeps its acordian shape because it needs to flex as the wheel moves left and right

after the duct tape is done its best to go over the duct tape with electrical tape because it is more water proof and can prevent the duct tape from starting to unwrap over time.

to change the boot you have to break the locking nut next to the boot loose then unbolt and separate the tie rod from the spindle (wheel hub) and then unscrew the tie rod making sure to count the exact number of turns you turn it so you can put it back on the same exact number of turns. if you don't mess up the number of turns there is no need for getting an alignment after. I replaced both of my tie rod ends and boots on my 99 taco and it drove perfectly straight after without needing to hold the wheel.

about 2 months after I replaced them, one split on me so "if" you do it I think its worth buying the oem one I showed you on ebay for $17 so you don't have to worry about if that cheap $10 boot might split like one of mine did. the ones for my 99 taco was only $7

 

not sure if that made sense but when you wrap it you want it secure and snug but not tight enough to compress the shape of the boot so think of it as wrapping a wound and your not wanting to cut off circulation. its like wrapping a sprained ankle and your just trying to make the tape stick good while not trying to squish it out of shape.

before you wrap it, clean it all up good with carb cleaner and a rag, it "has to be clean" for the tape to stick.

to be honest you could even leave it like that and just make a hole in the bottom of it to let and water that gets in it have a way to drain out

 

Finally got a chance to sit down with Eric and review all the advice posts you guys have helped us out with on the Civic.

He'd never heard about those split boots, and now that he sees what they are/how they are installed, we are definitely doing that!! Thanks for the advice @bldegle2 ! $40 for both at Oreilly. Much cheaper than replacing the whole CV shafts, and looks like it will be much easier/faster too.

On the compliance bushings, we decided he will take a closer look at them before buying new ones. We can always pick some up locally if need be.

Eric found a set of used tires for $160 - a new set is $400, so $160 is a bargain. Alignment is $60.

Thinking we will get everything done (including the stuff we already did - master cylinder, plugs, thermostat, etc) for less than $500. Only time will tell if it's wise or not to invest even that small amount into the Civ, but I'm hoping these fixes will keep 'er going for at least a few more months or even longer.

The good news is the engine sounds better than it has in a while - that pinging/detonation sound is totally gone, and it runs smoothly/sounds quiet. Unfortunately we do still see a small amount of oil leaking in the driveway, but the VTEC seals he already replaced seem to have resolved the major leak. We'll keep an eye on the other leak for now. I know Honda said the two oil leaks they'd address first were the VTEC seals that Eric already did and something called a breather box. At least we have an idea of what to look at next if we decide to bother. @hetkind , Eric said the oil looks darker but not black. Should we wait to change it til this Techron tank is totally used up? Or change it after the next tank we put in?

I'm all ears for advice to find shortcuts/$ savings along the path of these repairs, so thank you so much to those of you offering suggestions in that regard!!

And to the peeps that think it's a bad idea to do any repairs to the Civ - I probably invited some of that criticism myself, by initially insisting that we replace the Civ rather than repair it, and soliciting your opinions, etc. But then we realized, short of a transmission or engine failure, repairing that little beast would be the cheapest route in the short term. Parts are cheap, Eric doesn't mind working on it (kind of a good practice car - would be way more devastating to f' something up on the truck than the Civ!), and the car gets nearly as good of MPG as a new Corolla, at 22 young years of age. Did I mention it's paid for, and the insurance is next to nothing? So right or wrong, smart or stupid, this is what we've decided to do in the short term, so either help us get 'er done as cheap/easy as possible, or keep it to yourself - please and thank you!!

PS: @keakar , just saw your posts. I wish those damn bellow boots came in a split boot!! Thanks for the tips, I'll go over them with Eric tonight!

@koditten , finally did the paypal for door handle this morning

 

Oh yeah, one more thing. Part of the reason I am taking all this suspension related stuff so seriously - boots, bushings, all this crap - is that once I nearly died on the interstate in a little Chevy Nova that lost all control suddenly. Was doing like 70mph. If anyone had been in the lane next to me, I would definitely be dead. Probably the most terrifying thing that ever happened to me. I was 18, and was not maintaining the car, and I can't even say exactly what part it was that failed, but I remember it was some axle or joint or tie rod or some such thing.

Anyway - ever since then, I like to be sure we stay on top of any potentially failing parts that sound even remotely related to what happened that day.

 

No need to change the oil until it is black. If you are getting oil into the breather box, it isn't a leak, it is blow-by and is best ignored. The only way to fix that is rings and a rebore.

Howard

 

well since your going to spend $500 on it, then you have no choice but to keep it now, after all you spent more then its worth according to book value ($420)

when you go to change oil use 20/50 oil and it wont leak anymore or if it does, it will create a dirty buildup at that spot and eventually stop the leak by itself.

if it still leaks after that then if you can see where its leaking from "sometimes" you can stop a leak by cleaning it up good and putting a blob of silicone on the outside like a patch to keep it in the engine.

and don't worry, no one here would tell you to ignore anything that could be a safety hazard

 

Thank you!!! Happy Thursday TW!!

 

Yup, I didn't mean to insult you or demean the Civic. You like what you have and you want to keep it running. Just remember that, although it's a Civic, at over 15 years old it's going to have a major mechanical failure at some point sooner than later. Then, financially, you would be better off with something new or newer.

That all being said...

Good luck with the work!

 

well tomorrow it will be a lovely 97 degrees here with a heat index forecast of 105+ degrees, sounds like lovely weather for doing yard work doesn't it? lol

when you go outside it feels like your about to

 

Jen, the only real concern I might have for your Civic, would be the timing belt, when was it last replaced?

 

Agree. We would never replace an engine or transmission in an old Civic. Completely different planet than the truck.

But it's anybody's guess as to when something major like that could go on the Civic. No one can really say. So we take a calculated risk that it won't be tomorrow or the next day, and repair things that seem worthwhile in the meantime.

 

We overpaid some asshole shop a few years back to do the timing belt and water pump. I should dig out my receipt, but I bought it with 70K miles, and it has ~225 now. Guessing those were done mid to late 100K's???? I'll take a look, thanks for asking about it!

 

OK, timing belt and water pump were at ~125K. We're at ~225K now. Uh oh, I'm guessing we are overdue for those again, if we go "by the book"?

 

Actually, $500 is not a bad investment even though the car is worth $420 as per Kelly...you get all the necessary stuff fixed as per the suggestions, then in a year or so you can sell the Civic as a project car to some youngin'....and you may possibly sell the car for a bit more than the $420....$500 for basically a 12 month rental is dirt cheap....just baby the car and it should serve you well for the next 12...

The split boots will save HUGE on any mechanical dis-assembly, I doubt seriously the compliance bushings really need replacing as they don't look weird in the pic, just be honest with your alignment guy so he understands you are just trying to get another year out of the vehicle, otherwise they will probably have a long list of shiza for you to replace....

When I got my Tacoma 6 years back, I took it in for an alignment, they came back at me with a list of stuff that needed replacing, I told them I would have to think about it, took the list and replaced the stuff they listed, all except the steering rack (they wanted like $900 for a used one installed), it only needed new bushings, did it all for less than $150 myself...

When I took it back in for alignment, everything within spec, so I never paid a dime to the alignment shop and got the dang thing fixed on the cheap, now 6 years down the road and all is still good...

Fix it, relax and use it for a year, then buy a better vehicle as funds allow...

Also, just to put your mind at ease, I just replaced the timing belt and water pump on the Tacoma, it had 281,000 on the originals, no leaks, ran fine, but did it because it was time, probably would have lasted a lot longer....forget the timing belt and water pump, drive it, then sell it...

 

Ha!!! Holy crap, this is truly hilarious. Guess what I just found?

A receipt from a diagnosis done by that overpriced import automotive shop. It states:

"found torn boot on steering rack and PS fluid leak of gear. VTEC solenoid gasket leak"

What is funny about this? The date. This diagnosis was done in October of 2005. Yes, 10 years ago. Apparently we somehow survived with the above problems for the past 10 years, because we never fixed them, only diagnosed them at that time.

Wow, gotta show this to Eric. Too funny. I go looking for problems on the Civic, and I find them. But wait, they were there for at least 10 years already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That car is such a trooper......

 

Hate to say it, yep!
I believe Hondas are interference fit, so if the belt breaks, the piston could hit the valves...

 

Shit. Shit shit shit. That doesn't sound cheap or easy either. Shit shit shit. This could change things.

Is there some way to evaluate their condition? Or is this something you need to follow the recc' schedule on, or be prepared to face the consequence?

 

If you are not having a problem, just forget it, now you are getting into the 'get rid of the car' right away expenses...does your water pump leak? And, did you drive the piss out of the car after the last fix in 2005...if the answer is no to both, just repair the axles, tape the bellow, replace the tires and get it aligned...otherwise you will be creating another money pit...