Honda Civic Tune up

[Garth]

I’m getting ready to do a tune up on my daughter’s 1998 Honda Civic. The vehicle has 347 000 km (215 600 mi) I was planning to replace the spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor and rotor. I’m looking for some advice on what type of spark plugs to put in. A mechanic at the local garage suggested Iridium IX and a guy at Partsource told me I should stay away from the Iridium plugs as they would be too hot for the car due to its age. He suggested a cooler plug such as the NGK “VPower”. Thanks in advance for any advice regarding the best choice of plugs to use.

Another thing I’m wondering about is whether I should be replacing the distributor cap and rotor with OEM parts or whether NAPA or Partsource parts are fine? I read a few posts which said that Hondas do not like aftermarket parts. I read a post from Eric who said to stick with the OEM distributor which makes sense so I’m wondering if the same would hold true for the other parts such as the distributor cap and rotor. Any opinions??

Topic

[college man]

[quote=”Gearwrench” post=174966]I’m getting ready to do a tune up on my daughter’s 1998 Honda Civic. The vehicle has 347 000 km (215 600 mi) I was planning to replace the spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor and rotor. I’m looking for some advice on what type of spark plugs to put in. A mechanic at the local garage suggested Iridium IX and a guy at Partsource told me I should stay away from the Iridium plugs as they would be too hot for the car due to its age. He suggested a cooler plug such as the NGK “VPower”. Thanks in advance for any advice regarding the best choice of plugs to use.[/quote]

If the wires are OE I would leave them. If not OE NGK. For the plugs check your owners manual
and put in what was recommended for the engine. It will be NGK I’m guessing platinum. Don’t get
sold on other plugs.

[hondaguy453]

+1 with collegeman!
Use NGK plugs on Honda’s. The part number should be listed on the hood on the emissions label. As for spark related parts, go OEM. Like you’ve read, Honda’s don’t like aftermarket parts lol.

[Garth]

Thanks for the advice! I got to work removing the distributor rotor and found that the screw is on there tight. I don’t want to strip the screw. (I can’t understand why the Honda engineers decided to use a phillips head rather than a robertson head.) I have a KD impact driver that I could use to hopefully loosen the screw but I’m not sure if the banging that’ll go on will damage the distributor or shaft. Is using the impact and hammer a good idea or is there a better way to tackle the tight screw?? Thanks.

[hondaguy453]

No no, don’t hammer it lol. You can damage the shaft. I’ve had to use vice grips to break it, then just unscrew it with a screwdriver. They’re a pain in the butt. I dunno why Honda thought that would be a good idea… Most likely due to budget lol.

[Jake F]

An aftermarket cap and rotor will be fine on a Honda. The Iridium IXs are useless on that vehicle because they’re aimed for performance, not longevity and ideal resistance. Don’t forget the trans/diff oil and belts check during the tune-up. Good luck with the rotor screw. Vice grip on the head sounds like a good idea instead of hammering it 😆

[Mike]

On some cars, the underhood sticker that has engine info will list the recommended plug manufacturer, the plug part number and the proper gap.

[Caleb Stovall]

I’ve had to cut the rotor off before so I could get access to to that screw with vice grips.

[Garth]

Whew! Good thing I waited for a reply before getting back to working on the rotor. Thanks, guys for taking the time to post your advice. Appreciate it!!

[Josh]

Don’t forget to change the fuel filter, I personally use one from Wix also a 3x drain & refill on the transmission using HONDA ATF/MTF….not generic import fluid.

[Jake F]

[quote=”jonsey1886″ post=175123]Don’t forget to change the fuel filter, I personally use one from Wix also a 3x drain & refill on the transmission using HONDA ATF/MTF….not generic import fluid.[/quote]

Castrol’s Import Multi-Vehicle (IMV) trans oil is pretty slick on the foreign builds to be honest. I’ve had Supertech in my trans for the summer, but IMV has kept my differential top notch with little torque suffering even during 115ºF days.

[Garth]

[quote=”creativepotato” post=175018]An aftermarket cap and rotor will be fine on a Honda. The Iridium IXs are useless on that vehicle because they’re aimed for performance, not longevity and ideal resistance. Don’t forget the trans/diff oil and belts check during the tune-up. Good luck with the rotor screw. Vice grip on the head sounds like a good idea instead of hammering it :lol:[/quote]

Thanks for your advice, Creativepotato! I ended up using the philips head impact bit on an 8mm socket and was able to put enough pressure and torque on the screw to break it free without damaging it. I did go with the cheaper NGK Vpower spark plugs and the vehicle seems to run well with them. Good point about the trans oil. The vehicle has logged 350 000 km already and would probably appreciate a filter and oil change.

[Garth]

[quote=”jonsey1886″ post=175123]Don’t forget to change the fuel filter, I personally use one from Wix also a 3x drain & refill on the transmission using HONDA ATF/MTF….not generic import fluid.[/quote]

I took your advice and replaced the fuel filter, jonsey1886. It was a good thing I did because when I poured the gas out of the old one, it came out quite brown! I’m not sure what you mean by a “3x” drain? I’m assuming one would also change the trans filter as well??

[Jake F]

[quote=”Gearwrench” post=175494][quote=”jonsey1886″ post=175123]Don’t forget to change the fuel filter, I personally use one from Wix also a 3x drain & refill on the transmission using HONDA ATF/MTF….not generic import fluid.[/quote]

I took your advice and replaced the fuel filter, jonsey1886. It was a good thing I did because when I poured the gas out of the old one, it came out quite brown! I’m not sure what you mean by a “3x” drain? I’m assuming one would also change the trans filter as well??[/quote]

The 3x drain would be a pan drain and fill, drive enough to cycle the oil through the torque converter (25 miles+ highway), then repeat. Many people including myself with older trannys like to take this route instead of risking a low-pressure flush at a shop or dealership. The downside is you’ll always have older fluid mixed with the new stuff.

[Garth]

Thanks for the explanation of the 3X drain, CreativePotato. Do you not change the trans filter as well?? Wondering, too, what the danger is in getting a low pressure flush from a dealership or garage, not that I’d spend the money on this. I like tackling things myself. Thanks.

[Author]

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