Prelude Kelly

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2010-04-04T21:36:00.001-04:00

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104,253

2009-12-28T19:01:00.000-05:00

Oil and filter change, 5qts of Penzoil 10W30.

mine! all mine!

2009-11-17T23:23:00.001-05:00

Kelly no longer belongs to the Winchester Savings Bank on paper - she's aaaaalll mine. Woohoo!

102,570

2009-11-08T01:44:00.000-05:00

Cleaned and re-oiled the K&N air filter.

101,622

2009-10-11T00:38:00.001-04:00

Replaced exhaust manifold (DC Sports).

101,456

2009-10-04T18:59:00.001-04:00

Replaced all four tires with Michelins, P205/50R16 Pilot Exalto All-Season. Also replaced left upper control arm - all at Hogan Tire, Woburn, MA.

100,342

2009-08-27T07:27:00.001-04:00

Replaced the EGR valve. Also changed the oil - 5qts of Penzoil 5W30.

98,583

2009-06-15T22:34:00.002-04:00

OK, so the nut-over-the-hole solution for the O2 sensor worked, but not in the long term. The cold weld stuff just doesn't stay on the exhaust. Ended up replacing the lower half of the exhaust header with a new part from DC Sports.

98,277

2009-04-29T21:21:00.000-04:00

Replaced the passenger side sway bar link.

97,581

2009-03-21T17:18:00.000-04:00

Installed new lug nuts all around.

97,565

2009-03-20T20:11:00.001-04:00

Removed the EGR valve and cleaned the air intake passages with carb cleaner to clear code PO401.

oxygen sensor

2009-03-10T06:47:00.006-04:00

There are three ways of doing something: the wrong way, the right way, and the Stan way.

My car's oxygen sensor started malfunctioning, so I faced a dilemma: take the car to the dealership and pay a $100+ markup on the price of parts plus $100+ for labor, or try to do replace it myself. Actually, it wasn't really a dilemma - of course I was gonna try to do the work myself.

After a few tries at unscrewing the old sensor and in the process completely screwing it up, we were back in the dilemma. The sensor was rusted on solid and would not budge. Does Stan accept defeat and take the car to the dealership now?

Heck no. A Stan way had to be found, and it was. First, we drill a hole in the exhaust pipe:

Then, we cold-weld a nut of the appropriate size over the hole, and screw the oxygen sensor in. Done*.

* Of course, I'm skipping past a few hours of excruciating pain in freezing temperatures, but hey, nobody said that the Stan way is the easy way.

97,475

2009-03-10T06:45:00.001-04:00

Oil and filter change: STP filter, 5.5qts of Castrol GTX 5W30.

97,472

2009-03-07T15:27:00.002-05:00

Replaced the power steering belt and the spark plugs (NGK V-Power Copper Core).

97,385

2009-03-07T15:26:00.001-05:00

Installed a Denso primary oxygen sensor.

94,114

2008-12-25T21:30:00.001-05:00

Oil change: 5qts of Castrol GTX 5W30.

92.958

2008-11-10T22:43:00.000-05:00

Replaced the starter brush assembly.

saga (almost) over

2008-09-12T22:27:00.003-04:00

Almost six months after I ventured off on this journey of mechanical self-discovery, my car is back in operating condition. I still have to finish a few things - get rid of the SRS light, adjust the clutch pedal, get the car inspected - but things are looking up.

Oh, as a bonus, while the car was sitting in the garage, some smelly mold started growing on the inside. Ah yes. Icing on the cake.

battery

2008-08-07T15:16:00.002-04:00

Relocated the battery to the trunk, ran Summit 2ga cables through the car and into the sealed battery box.

Now playing a waiting game with the Honda dealership, as I really need the suspension bolt that they keep on perpetual backorder.

slave clutch cylinder

2008-07-07T10:39:00.001-04:00

Replaced the slave clutch cylinder, along with the clutch fluid hard line.

progress

2008-06-27T06:56:00.002-04:00

It's been a long three months, but things are looking up. Transmission is back on the engine, the ATTS unit is hooked up, and the last thing I need to do before putting the engine back is to run the wires to the trunk for the battery.

flywheel, clutch

2008-06-15T22:50:00.001-04:00

Installed a 11.5lbs F1 Racing flywheel, Exedy OE clutch.

front engine mount

2008-06-14T11:16:00.000-04:00

Replaced the front engine mount.

timing belt

2008-06-13T06:48:00.001-04:00

Replaced the timing belt, complete with the manual tensioner conversion.

water pump

2008-06-09T23:16:00.001-04:00

Replaced the water pump today. Very happy to start putting things back together.