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I have been unable to get the compressor to turn on at all since that one time months ago… therefore I have been unable to take any dynamic pressure readings… the power supply wire going to the compressor (I believe this one is a single wire type with a grounded body) receives voltage when I turn the (new bypassed) A/C switch on with the engine running; therefore the compressor clutch is my prime suspect at this point.
When I checked RockAuto today, under the “RACK AND PINION BELLOW” in the Steering section, the bellows appear to be stocked. I personally used the Beck/Arnley brand for $7.95 apiece on my 1992 Accord. These came with steel band clamps, but I had to buy the special band clamp tool from Amazon for around $20 to properly install them. Does your $37.99 quote include the tool? If you don’t want to buy the tool, or if you mess up a couple of these clamps like I did the first go-around, your local AutoZone may have separate band clamps (stock was hit and miss among the several locations near me) that can be installed with pliers and a screwdriver (be wary of the close quarters!). This is how I procured replacement band clamps when needed.
Furthermore, I got one of those Front Suspension Kits (Mevotech on RockAuto for around $300 for EVERYTHING but the bellow boots), for my ’92 Accord, but I’ve only driven this car a couple thousand miles or so since completing these repairs, so we’ll see how it turns out in the long term… I did, however, use Mevotech wheel bearings on my ’01 Accord several years ago and those have held up nicely so far. I don’t know much about other parts/brands, but I tend to gravitate away from the cheapest listings, be it on Amazon, RockAuto, etc…
Good luck, hope this helps!
One such online Honda parts store selling genuine OEM Honda supplies I have personally used is Honda Parts Unlimited, with a link to their DW-1 here:
https://www.hondapartsunlimited.com/oem-parts/honda-fluid-atf-dw-1-082009008
For what it’s worth, when I changed the transmission fluid on my wife’s 07 Kia Sportage, I bought Castrol Transmax Import Multi-Vehicle ATF in order to meet Kia’s SP-III requirement; when I noticed on the back of the bottle that this fluid says it will work in Honda vehicles calling for DW-1 ATF. Now I personally am using DW-1 in my Honda and haven’t used or known of anyone using this fluid in their Honda, but it was on sale for $5/quart at my local Advance Auto. If I’m wrong in thinking this to be a suitable aftermarket substitute, please correct me!
Good luck!
I hope it helps someone else out there. There are some good YouTube videos out there where I got the rest of the tips I used. Car is running great, I’m riding in it as I type this!
Your idea worked like a dream!! Since everything I had tried already to get the belt on felt like wrestling a bear, per your suggestion I removed the tensioner idler pulley (pulley only, left the tensioner bracket mounted), and routed the belt. To route the belt I pulled tightly, but not so tight to rotate the crankshaft, and brought the first camshaft sprocket ever so slightly forward (clockwise) to line up with the belt teeth, keeping in mind the sprocket May rotate slightly back when the belt is pulled tight. Going under the water pump and over the second camshaft wasn’t bad (see before about timing marks – but be careful not to let the second cam spring forward 90 degrees like I did – it wants to do so after being 2 or more teeth forward of the mark). Once the belt was pulled snug by hand and the marks were lined up at this point, I crawled underneath with the tensioner idler in hand and weasled it under the belt, and tightened it up once aligned. This proved much easier than before!
After pulling the tensioner pin, I rotated the engine over at least 4 times, making sure the marks stayed in place – they did!
Also I checked each cylinder with a compression gauge just to ensure there was any compression at all in the cylinder when I rotated the engine by hand – there was! Now engine damage doesn’t seem so likely, phew!
Thank you very much for your time and help! Now I’m off to torque the crank pulley down and button the car back up!
That’s why I stuck with the “classic method” myself – I felt I got the best results from it. I’m pretty sure I checked my drum rotation again after pumping the brake pedal several times after my final adjustment.
I mean, my brakes will lock up if applied hard and fast enough – it’s a non-ABS system on my car. Hence I never believed there was a problem. Then again, after all the work and writing to this forum the first time I thought I heard the right rear lock up the most during a quick “stomp test” on my street. But I couldn’t tell for sure so it may be hyper vigilance in light of the test. Who knows…
Thanks for the tool link too, but judging from the photo I may not be able to use it for adjusting with the drum on. My good ‘ol flathead screwdriver with the drum off did the job beautifully!
I’m not terribly worried about a problem with my car. Just like before it still drives and stops just fine. It’s a strange test to me and my friends anyhow, as far as state inspections are concerned. I believe the shop just doesn’t want to remove a wheel to check your brakes… But I’ll keep an eye out as always!
Thanks again, Bonnieman, for all your help looking into this, and everyone else for your help as well!
My backing plate was in surprisingly good condition – with minimal to no rust or grooves; and I sprayed everything off real good with brake cleaner before I installed the new brake components.
I use my parking brake very regularly, and never had an issue with it (always engaged sufficiently between 5-7 clicks); although I’ve never adjusted either the parking brake or drum brakes until now – no apparent issues until now.
Good information in the article, thanks for the link!
Speaking of proper adjustment, do you know any tips or tricks for these Honda drum brakes? I’ve read mixed information on the “proper adjustment procedure,” whether it’s the classic advice of “adjust until the drums drag a little;” per my Haynes manual and other articles; or to do only a “quick adjust” and let the self adjuster take it from there like I understood from the article in the link… I followed the more “classic” advice, this resulted in the best feeling brake pedal for me.
Also, when adjusting my brakes, the rubber plug on the backing plate that you remove to access the adjuster with the drum on is essentially blocked by the rear suspension knuckle – so I’ve been removing the drum, adjusting, putting the drum back on, and testing until the adjustment “feels right.” I found this easier than trying to use that “blocked” access point.
Would this create any issue with keeping the brake shoes centered relative to the drum? Are there any other tips and tricks for ensuring the drum brake components remain centered? Would a special tool like a brake spoon help with hard to reach adjuster access points (I don’t have one of these)?
Also, what’s the best way to adjust the parking brake itself? My system appears to differ from the one pictured in the linked article – there’s no “strut bar anti rattle spring.”
Thanks again for your help everyone!
The last alignment I had done was last fall at my local Honda dealer, I’m not certain whether that was a 4 wheel alignment or just the front. Hmm. Perhaps I’m due for a 4 wheel alignment regardless.
I do believe the rear brake lines are independent, but not sure about the rear suspension. I only see the sway bar connecting the two rear wheels, but I don’t know much about suspension.
Thanks for your response! This inspection was in Utah, but I’ve never seen one quite like it before around here, and it sounded strange to several friends I talked to.
I purchased a hardware kit with my new shoes and cylinders that contained, for each wheel, the hold down springs & pins, as well as the adjuster spring and return spring. The only original components left were the adjuster lever itself and adjuster screw (which I cleaned and lubed). I also applied hi temp white lithium grease to the parts where the shoes rub on the backing plate.
I forgot to mention that, although I didn’t replace the drums, I took them to my local O’Reilly’s and had them turned. There was plenty of thickness and no obvious round errors.
At the end of last year, I had all 4 tires replaced with the same tire type, and rotated them a couple months ago (figuring it was a convenient time since I had the car on all fours already for the aforementioned brake bleeding).
Although it’s been a little while since I checked, my tire pressure was good. I’ll check them again to be sure though.