For hondas having such a strong reputation on reliability there sure are a lot of problems with them in this forum lol

1) I changed my spark plugs and wires today cause my check engine light was on and saw hella oil on the plugs. considering the age and mileage (260,xxx) on the car I figure its time for a new head gasket. It was changed right before I bought it in November but I may have underestimated its fragility and messed it up in the hopes I could get it drive like my old eclipse. How easy is this to fix and about how much would it cost? Could there be another problem?

2) Its automatic and I hate it. How difficult is a 5-speed conversion?

3) How do you recharge the AC in it? I bought the stuff but my nozzle where the hose is is suppose to attach is to small (if im putting it in the right place)

Appreciate any help, thank you.

 

1. wtf spark plug/valve cover gasket

2. it's been done a lot. look on some accord forums for write ups.

 

its not just the head gasket that could be making the oil be on the plugs. take the valve cover off and check the tube seals they could be bad and with 260k...it wouldnt hurt to replace them if they havent been before anyway

 

1)Are you refering to oil on the outside of the plugs or on the portion that is inside the engine? If its on the outside then valve cover gasket/spark plug tube seals as mention above. If its on the part of the plug that goes into the cylinder then rings or valve guide seals.

3)I'm not sure what year honda switched over but possibly you have R-12 and not 134a? If thats not the case then maybe you are looking at the wrong spot on your ac line. There is a high pressure and a low pressure fitting. You need to plug on the low pressure one to recharge the ac.

 

+1.

1993 still came with R-12. Now, it MAY have been retrofitted if it's had any A/C work done through the previous years. However, if it has been retrofitted to r-134a, the technician was supposed to place a label under the hood to inform further technicians that the car has already been retrofitted.

For the OP, in case you might not know. Retrofitting is the process of converting your A/C from R-12 refrigerant to run on R-134a refrigerant because R-12 is environment unfriendly. It's standard procedure. All the recharge kits sold to the public are for R-134a, as you need to be ESCO certified to purchase R-12 (I believe)

 

It's on the outside mostly, but there was some on the inside that I believe just happened to go on it when I took it out. Im hoping anyway. How difficult is it to change the gasket/tube seals or rings?

Where would I be able to find an R-12? If I ask the guys at advanced really nicely do you think they'll get it for me?

 

Honestly, no. It's illegal to buy it without the proper licensing. Not to mention, R12 is very expensive compared to the widely available R-134a.

Assuming yours hasn't been retrofitted yet, you should look into buying a retrofitting kit. They are sold at the same places you'd buy a recharge kit. If you're uncomfortable doing the work, look into having a professional do it. Refrigerant is supposed to be "serious bidness"

For reference, I've been ESCO certified for over 3 years and I have yet to purchase one single can of R-12, even for a personal vehicle. Retrofitting is the way to go.

 

Like he said, no one will sell you R-12 now.

Installing the valve cover gasket and tube seals is easy. Just unbolt your valve cover, remove the old gaskets and install the new ones. Your local napa/advance should have a valve cover kit that has both the tube seals and gasket together.

 

gayyyy, thanks tho man, i appreciate it greatly
any idea on the cost/time of the retrofit?

butt kickin awesome, always wanted to take off my valve cover but never had any reason to lol, ill take care of that after class tomorrow.

 

I work at Autozone as my second job and we cant even order r-12. I have an EPA certificate to buy it, and I would have to oder it from a place that does A/C work. Headgasket shouldnt go bad in 4 months, I dog my car daily! The spark plugs being oily could be as simple as a valve cover leak, or as major as bad rings etc. What codes is your check engine light throwing