What to know when buying an 02-03 ep3 with high mileage.

[NightRaven]

Hey everyone,

I'm new here, so to give you some background I used to own an 02 Civic LX, moved onto a '98 Audi A4 (terrible decision.. even slower than the stock civic) and that car was just ... slowly totalled away haha. Then I started school and didn't feel the need for one. But now I am back in the market! Looking to spend between $3k-5k, maybe stretch to $6k and currently can't decide if I should get a dc2 or ep3.. but regardless, I'm wondering if anyone could give me a specific list of things to look for and check for when buying an 02-03 civic si with anywhere from 120-180k miles. I'm also keeping the rsx type s as an option if there is one at a decent price, so info on that is appreciated as well. I know the obvious things like clutch, timing belt & tensioner, and water pump.. but anything specific to the ep3's to keep in mind?

[27rocks]

Don't have to worry about a timing belt because the K-series engines all have chains.

[mitchlikesbikes]

our cars usually have syncro issues too especially with high miles. just make sure to give the tranny a good test on the test drive and be sure that there aren't any horrific gear grinds into second and third. other than that these things are pretty solid and seem to last forever from what i've seen. and like 27rocks said, k series motors all have timing chains so no worries there.

[bizzle]

It wouldn't hurt to look at the cams, but it's not really feasible to rip the valve cover off a car you are about to buy. At least take off the oil fill cap and look down at the one lobe you can see. Look and then crank the engine to move the position and check a few times until you have seen the entire lobe. If it's all chewed up, don't buy it unless you can swap the cams. I have an 05 with 126k and I noticed recently (it's probably been like this for a while but I just noticed) that the lobe you can see has chips in it. I fear what the rest of them look like :(

I've read a lot saying to make sure all the door key locks work. Apparently they break a lot.

Besides all the normal stuff when you buying a car, check the lights, windows, mirrors, anything power and see if it works. Make sure the engine is ICE COLD when you go see it, check for yourself to see if it's warm at all. If it's warm, let it get cold and make sure it starts up and runs normally. Check under the car for rust, damage, etc.

[BlkDeathSi]

check the motor mounts, the stock ones are fairly weak. Also I replaced my a/c 3 times before i just recently traded in the ep with 131k. If it is lowered check for steering rack creaks and pops.

[apexracing]

Hello friend. I bought my ep with 190k for 4300$. It's a 03 vivid blue pearl. And is in great shape. Things to check are the oil, coolant. Make sure to drive in tight circles to the left and right to check for bad cv shafts and wheel bearings. Check the pads rotors and calipers. And if you can get under it check the oil pan and front sub frame for rust or damage. Also check the moonroof out and make sure it opens and closes smoothly and that there is no rust arround the glass or the seal. Just some things in addition the above mentioned stuff.

[talonXracer]

Pop the rear seat up and check for corrosion, also lift up the spare tire and check for corrosion there as well.

[Grookes]

Check the lowbeam headlights. My '02 had melted wiring after about 9 years (no wiring modifications). If dead, might or might not be part of a recall (mine was not). A couple hundred $$ to fix.

This thread could probably be combined...
http://www.ephatch.com/forum/showthr...honda-civic-si

[NightRaven]

Great guys, thanks for looking out. I will definitely bookmark this thread and refer back to it when buying... the ep3 is very practical but why oh whyyyy must it have essentially no vtec :( That's what I was looking forward to most in my next car, not sure if I'm going to have enough for an engine swap after purchasing the ep3. Ah well... can't have your cake and eat it too, can't have your vtec and use it too. Thanks for all of the help and of course if anyone has more to contribute, all help is appreciated.

[NightRaven]

our cars usually have syncro issues too especially with high miles. just make sure to give the tranny a good test on the test drive and be sure that there aren't any horrific gear grinds into second and third. other than that these things are pretty solid and seem to last forever from what i've seen. and like 27rocks said, k series motors all have timing chains so no worries there.

Another quick question.. I know from researching on clubintegra.com about the infamous tranny problems with dc5. Since the rsx base and civic si share the same k20a3 engine, I'm assuming these problems are the same and just as common on the ep3?

[ep3jd]

Which problems are those?

[apexracing]

hes talking about the second gear/ third gear syncro. personally its how you shift. My 03 has 199k and the only grind i get is when i try to shift into third too fast at high rpm. if i take the extra second no grind exists.

[NightRaven]

I personally rev match (as close as possible) every shift, up or down... if I do that I shouldn't have many problems, regardless of how bad the previous owner was?

[mitchlikesbikes]

I personally rev match (as close as possible) every shift, up or down... if I do that I shouldn't have many problems, regardless of how bad the previous owner was?

revmatching when done properly basically eliminates the need for synchros anyway doesn't it?

[apexracing]

Well a test drive will tell you for certain but yes that should do it as its the proper way to go about shifting any ways.