VJZ Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Hi all I'm looking at getting a Del Sol for a fun daily driver. What are some things to look for on them? I found one with a problem described as a bearing in the distributor. What might that be? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MChester Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Here was my list of things to verify when I was looking for my car: Rust on the rear quarters in the usual Del Sol spots. Rust on the door jamb at the spot welds for the door striker. I've seen some so bad the door was able to be moved in/out when closed... NOT safe at all. This could cause the door to fly open in an accident. Center console doors all operate and parts aren't missing. (Radio door, ashtray door, cup holder door, rear console doors/lock) Drivers seat outside bolsters are often broken down and or badly worn depending on how the owner gets in/out. Door armrest vinyl has shrunk and pulled away or cracked where people arms naturally rest on the door panel. Roof panel and door seals/rubbers are often not maintained well. They will show cracks, chunks missing, etc... Trunk water leaks due to the seals on the rear sail panels or tail lights going bad. pull the trunk liner aside if you can and look for signs of water sitting or a musty smell. Similar issues can happen with the 3rd brake light trim panel and water can leak into the rear cabin. You'll notice a smell if this has been happening long. Check under the trunk spare tire cover for rust while you are in the trunk. Pull the cover all the way out if you can. Pay close attention to the most forward part of the trunk floor where the cab meets the trunk floor. Rust here can be a big issue if allowed to get bad. Antennas broken off seem to be common and they are a bit of a bear to replace because it's in a tight spot in the body, although not expensive through DS Tuning. Power antenna was an accessory that seems to be rare. Paint faded on Red and Black seems to be common and obvious to see. 3rd gear grind especially when cold is somewhat common on 5 spd cars where the transmission is either old or mistreated. Shift forks get bent from abuse. It's an expensive fix due to the labor involved. Door triangle window frames, the black painted parts, seem to rust out from the bottom up on some cars. Door lock mechanisms can get stiff and in need of lubrication and possibly rebending some rods that have "stretched" over time. You'll see the door lock pivot doesn't move easily and/or gets stuck partially closed/open when operating the locks via the power switch. Door and trunk lock rod clips can get brittle and break causing the trunk lock cylinder or door handle to not open the trunk/door. Fuel door and trunk open cables stretch over time and may not work consistently. I know the trunk cable has adjustment notches than can be used to tighten up the cable just a little. There are 3 notches. Mine is on the last and next step is replaced cable. Fuel door MIGHT have the same adjustment, but I have not confirmed this. CV joints go bad eventually on all FWD cars. If you can drive in a tight circle very slowly in a parking lot first to the left then the right, making a couple circles each way with the steering wheel turned all the ay to lock, you want to listen for clicking coming from the front wheel area. If it clicks when doing this, then the CV joints are on their way out. Might last for many more months or might go the next day. Instrument panel or switch bulbs being blown is also common. These are pretty old cars. But relacing them is cheap and fairly easy if you are mechanicallly inclined at all. That's about all I can think of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VJZ Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 Cool. I'll be looking at a blue one with wheels and a header and fart can which I'll convert to stock. It also has an intake Asking price is $2800 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VJZ Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 http://southbend.craigslist.org/cto/1434476826.html There is the Del Sol in question. From the pics, is it an actual Si VTEC? To point out, I know nothing about Honda engines. I have always been a Toyota and Volvo guy. I currently have a 76 Celica GT hatch that is all original and in near perfect shape for a 76. The Del Sol is my ideal winter/daily driver car. If I end up with this Del Sol, I'll hunt down a set of Honda steelies with OEM wheel covers, ditch the fart can for a new, OEM spec muffler, and figure out the "coilovers" thing. If it does have CO's I'm going to change them back to original struts with a set of lowering springs. Basically stock with a few mods here and there. I want one for the fun-in-the-sun and MPG factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbash27 Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 http://southbend.craigslist.org/cto/1434476826.html There is the Del Sol in question. From the pics, is it an actual Si VTEC? To point out, I know nothing about Honda engines. I have always been a Toyota and Volvo guy. I currently have a 76 Celica GT hatch that is all original and in near perfect shape for a 76. The Del Sol is my ideal winter/daily driver car. If I end up with this Del Sol, I'll hunt down a set of Honda steelies with OEM wheel covers, ditch the fart can for a new, OEM spec muffler, and figure out the "coilovers" thing. If it does have CO's I'm going to change them back to original struts with a set of lowering springs. Basically stock with a few mods here and there. I want one for the fun-in-the-sun and MPG factor. I just bought like the exact same car. 93 del sol si. same color and everything. Thing looks to be in decent shape. but then again, the pics are small, and angles misleading. The car is definetly lowered. If it actually having vtec is your concern. Take it out for a test drive. Vtec kicks in at 4800rpm. You should be able to feel it take off. ( if not, check the solenoid ) the engine that car should have is a D16z6 so look for the engine code for conformation. it will also be a 1.6l, if its a 1.5 you have the s model for that year, and it wont have vtec. The car accelerates noticeably differently too.. Also, just for a tell tail sign, I believe only the si models came with rear disc, the s ( non vtec ) will have rear drum brakes. This is sorta for everyone who needs basic information on the d16z6 wiki is wrong: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_D_engine#D16Z6 wiki says: Redline : 7500 rpm Fuel Cut : 7411 rpm VTEC Switchover : 5500 rpm while I personally cant confirm 100% any of the other information listed on wiki, from what I have read on multiple forums and other spec sites, redline on the z6 is 7,200, fuel cut may still be 7411, ( it just wouldnt make sense for the fuel to cut before the rev limiter.. correct me if I am wrong. And vtec switches over at 4800. Just a general note. It is hard to get reliable information when there is so much out there contradicting it. hope this was able to be of some help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelSolSweetie Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 vtec really does switch over about 5k not 4 something.. a lot of people think they hear it cross over earlier.. redline is at 7200 and you will not always feel/hear vtec... its not something horribly noticeable in an almost stock car.. since it has an exhaust/short ram you should be able to hear it if you listen... but dont get confused on hearing the cold air vs hearing the crossover oh and be careful about buying a car that is a 15-16 second 1/4 mile car that someone says is really fast (thats not fast) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbash27 Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I was out today messing around, and I have to retract my previous statement. I think wiki is right about the vtec cross over. I was watching how fast the needle was incrementing, and not listening as hard for the crossover. when the rpm's hit 5500, it jumped at a faster rate. So I am going to stick with it and say that vtec is 5500, redline is 7200. Sorry man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MChester Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I was thinking, would a sticky with the list of common Del Sol issues to look for be helpful for those new to Sols? I'm a huge Honda fan boy and hate to admit that anything might be consistantly wrong with any Honda, but the fact is there are a list of issues that commonly happen to our cars with high mileage and significant age. I know I had to read a ton of stuff to find a handful of issues and figured out many others by looking at MANY used vehicles before buying mine. Just a thought, and I'll bet others here can add to the list. As a group, I know we could come up with photos of the issues where photos are possible as well. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbash27 Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 willing to contribute Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MChester Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Well, ignorance is mine... Who is our forum moderator? I figure they would need to post the sticky/pinned info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphries Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Hi all I'm looking at getting a Del Sol for a fun daily driver. What are some things to look for on them? I found one with a problem described as a bearing in the distributor. What might that be? Thanks distributor has no bearings.. it has a rotor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.