Acura Integra Tips and DIY

Replacement rear trailing arm bushings, 94-01

Corey — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:40:20 +0000

I just had the rear trailing arm bushings replaced in my 1996 LS sedan. The part number is 52385-SR3-000.

Removing the Integra distributor to replace the o-ring

Corey — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:25:43 +0000

There is an o-ring behind the distributor that prevents oil from leaking from the hole in the head of the engine. Here is a picture. The o-ring is the black ring up against the back of the distributor body.

Mine was in decent shape but still leaking. Here is how to change it:

Disconnect the negative battery terminal
Etch the outline of the upper distributor mounting flange so you can replace the distributor in the exact same spot
Remove three 12mm bolts that hold the distributor in place
Pull the distributor straight out without moving the shaft on the back
Replace the o-ring
Put it back together

The back of the distributor has a shaft assembly you can see in the picture. This shaft must line up and mesh with the intake cam. If you look inside the hole in the head that the distributor covers you will see the "female" end of this shaft link.

It may be easier to handle the distributor if you remove the spark plug wires and distributor cap.

SIDE JOB: Chevy Aveo lights not working

Corey — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 03:13:49 +0000

I happened upon a friend's car that was having electrical problems, and I can't resist an opportunity to solder some wires.

This troubleshooting guide was written about a 2005 Chevrolet Aveo. The Chevy Aveo is also the Pontiac Wave, Suzuki Swift and Daewoo Kalos. This problem may also affect 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008 models.

SYMPTOMS

Speedometer/Instrument panel lights not working
Interior lights not working
Tail lights or brake lights not working

CAUSE

S101 Splicer pack overheats and burns wiring under the hood

HOW TO CHECK

Open the hood and remove the fuse box cover
Look into the fuse box at the splicer (use diagram at right, click for full size)
Decide whether or not to take the fuse box apart, remove splicer and re-connect wires

There are no other steps. It is not possible to pull the wiring out and inspect the wires for signs of burning without removing and separating the whole fuse box. The top of the S101 may be burnt and discolored, and this would be 100% confirmation that you should follow the steps provided below.

HOW TO TAKE IT APART

Disconnect the battery (negative first), wrap the wire ends in rags, and cover the top of the battery terminals with a rag so none of your tools become conductors of its charge
Remove the engine compartment fuse box cover and the 10mm nut on the fusebox ground wire in the bottom right hand corner
Remove the two 10mm bolts that hold the fuse box in place in the engine bay
Remove white and grey harness connector on the left side of the fuse box
Break the splicer free from its perch in the fuse box (don't be shy, we're going to remove it completely)
Separate the upper and lower halves of the fuse box while minding the electrical tape on the right side
Remove the bottom of the fuse box and set it aside
Twist the fuse box upside down so you can pull the splicer out from underneath and assess the situation

HOW TO FIX IT

The concept here is to remove the splicer and join the wires together with a soldering iron instead. The splicer exists to connect the 14 wires in 3 groups. Unfortunately, its design is prone to failure. The following diagram shows which wires to solder together using three colors. Click for full size.

Cut 7 wires off the row of the splicer that contains
1. Green with yellow stripe
2. Brown
3. Green
4. Brown
5. Green with yellow stripe
6. Brown
7. Green with yellow stripe
Solder all 7 of these wires together
Cut 4 wires off the other side
1. Purple with white stripe
2. Brown with white stripe
3. Brown with white stripe
4. Brown with white stripe
Solder all 4 of these wires together
Cut the last 3 wires from the splicer
1. Purple
2. Purple
3. Purple with white stripe
Solder all 3 of these wires together
Cover everything in electrical tape
Put your car back together while connecting your battery last (positive first)

OPTIONAL STEPS

Destroy the splicer
Start car
Use lights

Integra DC hatch rear spoiler delete

Corey — Sun, 29 May 2011 19:57:50 +0000

What size are holes under the spoiler?

3/8", 3/8", 3/8", 7/16", 7/16"

Do you have more pictures?

Keys cut this morning, what a difference

Corey — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:57:20 +0000

I can't believe what a huge difference there is between the key I had been using and the new ones I got cut at Acura this morning.

Making some more progress on my tan-to-black interior swap

Corey — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 23:58:44 +0000

Integra carpet dyeing

Corey — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 01:22:14 +0000

Before

After

Instructions here

I used 6 bottles of dye

Integra carpet cleaning

Corey — Mon, 10 May 2010 22:55:58 +0000

Before

After

Torn axle boot

Corey — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:46:48 +0000

Repair Integra motor mounts with polyurethane

Corey — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:02:13 +0000

I bought a '96 sedan at the end of 2009. Among the various issues I need to address, all three of the vibration-absorbing rubber motor mounts are torn. I bought the front two new from Honda. After removing the rear mount, I decided that I would fill it with polyurethane instead of replacing it.

The first picture below is of the rear mount while I was cleaning it up in the sink. The other three photos are actually the front two mounts that I replaced. I filled the rear mount, and loose-bolted it in place on the car so that it would cure in the proper position. I want to know how hard it is going to be after it fully cures, so I filled the two front mounts last night.

Clean the damaged motor mounts.
Let the mounts dry. Prepare a workspace.
Seal one side of a mount. I used Gorilla Tape to hold the wet polyurethane in place.
Fill the motor mount with polyurethane, and let it cure for at least 8 days.