Lude Generation

So, here we are again.

A new project, and back to the model that started my love for Honda 14 years ago..the 4th Gen VTEC Import.

I'd like to start this thread by saying a big thankyou to @thebusofwoe (Chris). He drove me 2 1/4 hours to collect & fix the car after a hard day's work. Then 2 1/4 hours back. Then over an hour diagnosing other problems. Then 40 mins back to his place once we'd finished. Now that's commitment to the cause if ever I've seen it!

None of this would have happened without his help, that's for sure. Working for Honda, and knowing what he's knows about these cars..I definitely took the right guy along.

Dem boy got skills!

Cheers Chris, I genuinely appreciate all of your help. You're a legend.

On to the car..

It's a 1992/J H22A JDM Import BB4. M2A4 gearbox, no ABS, & 2WS. And it has A/C installed - which doesn't work (no gas in the system at all).

All the electrics work as they should, apart from the aerial which doesn't fully retract. It has a Gen5 sunroof, and a grey interior (including dash & door trims) which I'm not sure I've seen before..

Paintwork is good (had a respray in 2007), but the rust is starting to come back through in the usual places. Not too bad yet, but needs attention.

Anyway, here are some pics of the car..

























So as you can see, overall looks pretty good. Just a few bits & pieces that need sorting..

The worst of the problems is that the O/S/R wheel appears to have suffered a heavy impact, as the wheel has been pushed back about an inch into the arch (as pictured). The rear of the car also tilts ever so slightly lower on the R/H/S, which leads me to believe that the impact has also damaged the respective shock absorber. You can clearly see there's a massive difference between how the left & right sides sit. So this needs fixing ASAP as it affects the handling quite negatively, and is causing the wheel to rub on the arch quite badly round corners & over bumps.

The other main issue is that the ECU keeps throwing a code 15, and triggering the engine management light. The distributor needed to be replaced to get the car running in the first instance as the old one was knackered. Since then though, the car runs fine. I have tried changing the ECU, but the code still remains.

And when I was changing the ECU, there was also a fair amount of moisture under the carpet. Not sure what the route cause of that is yet..

Also, gonna have to spray up my spare rocker cover - for obvious reasons.

Any suggestions on colour?

Here is what we've found so far that needs attention;

1. O/S/R lower control arm
2. OEM rear shock(s) - one is a suspect looking aftermarket job
3. Tracking
4. New spark plugs
5. Oil & filter change
6. Vtec Solenoid Seal (as it is leaking)
7. Oil Filter Seal (oil is leaking from seal behind the nut..)
8. Timing adjustment
9. Valve clearances
10. Nightbreaker bulbs (it is literally like having two candles guiding your way - although I am aware that Gen4 headlights are known to be pitiful..hopefully nightbreaker's will help a bit)
11. Clocks need swapping out as the odometer doesn't work

Once all that's been done, it should be heading towards being a half decent motor.

Then after that it will be a case of start tackling the rust issues, and making some upgrades!

Plan on swapping out the Lexus lights tomorrow for OEM's as well, cos they're not my thing really..

Anyway, that's all for now..I'll update with some advancements soon.

Hey mate, that's my pleasure. I will do my best for every member on here so it's fine, really . That wheel is so bent now seeing it in daylight . I have found the fault diagnosis in the manual today on code 15. So I would like to run through that to find the route cause of code 15. As well as swap out other various mechanical items . Tbh, I really do like this car also. It will make a lovely base once the niggles have been sorted .

Looks like a very nice car to start from with a few nice bits on already, shocks are being collected tomorrow mate

That's great, cheers Dan. Hopefully they will make all the difference!

It definitely is a good base Chris..just hope changing the shocks & LCA makes a significant difference to the handling. I still get a niggling feeling that there's something going on with the steering rack or front bushes..but we will see.

Nice purchase mate 4thgen bb4 FTW

The steering rack felt fine to me mate. Honestly, feels normal to me.

I want me one of them CDA's too

Yeah, it just feels a bit vague..but that could be as a result of aforementioned issues. And the front of the car feels very light/skittish/imprecise/inconsistent.

Sometimes, to go round a corner it feels like I just have to turn the wheel normally & it goes round..then other times, it feels like I have to use full lock just to negotiate the same corner.

It's a really strange feeling.

And yeah, CDA is working well. May upgrade to an AEM V2 in due course though.

Dibs on the cda . We will get it sorted mate, don't worry.