Ep3 Garage kept since april '07 and about to start driving it again...advice??

[freshdy02ep]

What's up fellow hatch lovers,

Had my Si since november 2002 and drove it daily up until 2007. Just about at the 100,000mile mark. Went into the armed services and my ep was left in a garage since july of '07. its been driven once every six months or so since then for the last (almost) 4 years. Recently replaced the battery and put new tires/rims on it. Never had it serviced for 100,000 miles. Just looking for advice on what i need to look out for/need to do to prepare it to be driven daily again. I have an injen short ram and replaced the midpipe for 'mods' but looking to revamp engine and suspension with aftermarket this summer. Any advice would be appreciated on what i need to do to prep her. Thanks!!

[Mechanic]

Welcome home. There's a lot of lip-service out there about "supporting the troops" but too few willing to actually serve in any capacity. Thanks for your service.

The decision to drive your car every six months or so was really smart. I used to the same thing. I also used to do all sorts of elaborate preparations before deployments, but over the years (three decades) I did less and less, and discovered it made no difference. That wasn't luck; it was mostly a result of today's much better fuels (unleaded) and synthetic oil products (engine and tranny).

WRT what you should do now, were it my EP3 I'd do the obvious -- change engine oil & filter, tranny fluid, brake fluid, anti-freeze -- and drive on. Belts, hoses, etc., seem to last forever, as do most components if you don't beat on them.

I defer to others WRT modifications except to mention that I recently sold a low-mileage '02 EP3 to CarMax for $9500, and the buyer's representative made the point that the only reason they were offering that price was because the car was in excellent condition and totally original. (I actually had bought a set of tires to mount on a set of new HFP 16" alloys I had, but the buyer wanted the OEM wheels and tires instead. That may be an extreme example of how important OEM is to a potential used Honda buyer, but it made a $500 difference in the sale price.) That may or may not make a difference to you, of course, depending on how long you intend to keep your car.

Again, welcome home.

[03silverEP]

It would be a good idea to change all the fluids (brake, radiator, oil). And check for normal "wear & tear" items-> Brakes, bushings, tie-rods, c/v boots. Since it's been exercised occasionally the brakes probably are not rusted & seized from sitting for too long.

If you had say a 1/2 tank of gas, add 5 gallons of 93. Don't know or not but that gas could be funky.

But really that's all minor stuff, car is ready to go. A new Honda doesn't self destruct because of a vacation :)


**Thanks for your service, it's very brave to enlist during wartime.

[AKEP]

flush your fluids brotha.

[superbraut]

I agree with the rest, just change all your fluid. Welcome Home! Your service is much respected.

[LLH]

Never had it serviced for 100,000 miles.

:meek: like never changed oil? noting? huh? cant be.. :mbiggrin:

[freshdy02ep]

Thanks for the feedback, i appreciate the info. I did have my oil changed regularly when it was daily driven, but i was under the impression that extra things had to be done for the 100,000 mile mark....she has been running absolutely fine though but i will still change out all the fluids and i was told i should look at changing the timing belt....

[ttttrigg3r]

Whoo welcome home and thank you for serving our country.

[Mechanic]

Fresh: Your EP3 doesn't have a timing belt. Hondas/Civics built in the 80s and 90s did, and if a timing belt broke at speed, it usually resulted in one or more pistons hitting the valves. Very expensive. Your EP3, however, has a timing chain. It doesn't require replacement or adjustment. Your EP3 does have a serpentine belt that turns the water pump, alternator and AC compressor. If it hasn't been replaced previously, it would probably be a good idea to replace it now, but if it fails it will only ruin your day, and the belts often make a hell of a noise before they give up the ghost. I recommend OEM belts and hoses if you are going to replace them. Honda belts and hoses are a bit more expensive (but available online), and they are of known quality.

[SandBagger]

tire pressure is a must. also check for tire rot.

[showoff3civic]

Thanks for the feedback, i appreciate the info. I did have my oil changed regularly when it was daily driven, but i was under the impression that extra things had to be done for the 100,000 mile mark....she has been running absolutely fine though but i will still change out all the fluids and i was told i should look at changing the timing belt....

no need to change the timing belt, it doesnt have one! k series motors are chains baby, have the valves adjusted and your good to go