Mikey's 2001 Sedan EX

[Mikey]

I recently replaced the valve cover gaskets on my front and rear banks. I just reused the IM and TB gaskets, but they looksd pretty good so I guess it just depends. I was using ericthecarguy's video as DIY guide, and he said he always reuses them so that played a role too haha.

New brakes look good. Always made me chuckle how small the rear rotors are on these cars.

I just don’t understand how it’ll trip a CEL, I’ll clear it and it comes back randomly. Could be 5 miles later, could be 50 miles later. I’ll try the seafoam thing first. I think I heard something about the IM gasket, at least from the factory, is metal? Or it’s always metal? Probably why you can reuse it.

Upon further research…

08 TL-S fronts = 12.2 x 1
08 TL-S rears = 11.1 x 0.35
s2000 fronts = 11.8x1
s2000 rears = 11.1x0.5
Accord fronts = 11.1x0.9
Accord rears = 10.2x0.4

Seeing as I how I have new rotors it’s kind of a moot point now tho.

Also looking at my rotors.. I pointed them forward and even though the internal veins aren’t directional, I have a feeling they’re not working to their full potential. I also feel like the slots are holding brake dust and slinging it all over my wheels.

 

[Mikey]

Went in for annual inspection. Said my RF sway bar link is broken. Haven’t put eyes on it yet but I don’t doubt it. Looks relatively easy and straightforward to do.

Decided to leave the rotors.

Neighbor backed into me a couple weeks ago. Cracked the bumper cover. Another neighbor saw it and my cameras caught it as well. She wants to pay out of pocket so I sent her a link to a pre-painted coupe bumper on eBay. I think she’s trying to find one at a local yard. I doubt she’ll find one. I understand her not wanting to spend $700 on a new one but that’s not what I want. That’s not what insurance would do and that’s not what I would do had it been my fault.

We’ll see how it goes.

 

[snip33r]

01-02 coupe front bumper with fog and front lip (Bayson R OEM Style) looks good

 

[Mikey]

01-02 coupe front bumper with fog and front lip (Bayson R OEM Style) looks good

Bayson R is my favorite lip on the coupe bumper. Idk how it’ll look on a sedan that isn’t lowered tho.

 

[Mikey]

*Le Sigh*

I need the RF sway bar link.
If I’m gonna do the one, I might as well save myself the hassle and do the other.
If I’m gonna replace sway bar links, the sway bar is coming off, that would be an opportune time to replace the sway bar with something bigger.

I need the one sway bar link replaced in order to pass inspection. My tags are up this month.

Also, ONE Moog link is $20.
TWO Detroit links (Not a bad brand; my pads and rotors are that brand and I deal with that brand at work all day) are $25.

I’m thinking about doing both links with the Detroit brand and then when/if I acquire a thicker sway bar, it won’t be as difficult as the links won’t be old and seized.

 

[Mikey]

No big deal, just a coupe bumper in my car, lol.

Came across a MINT black ‘02 v6 coupe. Scooped the bumper, center armrest cover, all 4 floor mats, and the gauge cluster.

Bumper obviously. Armrest cover as mine is old, dingy, sticky, and the leather is starting to come off. The mats I’ll most likely clean up as best I can and see about selling them. And the gauge cluster I’m going to attempt to take apart and see if the gauge faces do in fact come away from the cluster and digital odometer. If they do, I’ll swap them over and have a coupe-look cluster and I can retain the mileage. If they won’t swap I’ll either look into a way to reprogram the odometer or worst case, just return it.

Doing my sway bar links tomorrow. Hoping that goes well.

 

[snip33r]

speaking of cluster, i had mine done from Miles to Km, as my coupe is actually Canadian and it was converted into miles gauge cluster. you can do it. just don't pry out the needles and after opening the cluster from the junkyard, they have tabs that hold the gauges. open those tab and the whole assembly will come out that you can swap to your cluster and have coupe gauges with your vehicle millage.

 

[Mikey]

speaking of cluster, i had mine done from Miles to Km, as my coupe is actually Canadian and it was converted into miles gauge cluster. you can do it. just don't pry out the needles and after opening the cluster from the junkyard, they have tabs that hold the gauges. open those tab and the whole assembly will come out that you can swap to your cluster and have coupe gauges with your vehicle millage.

Precisely! A dozen or so screws and just pry the circuit board away. Gauges and needles stay, put my circuit board in. Voila!

Plugged the coupe cluster in just to see what bulbs work and don’t work and to see how many miles it had…

208793



That car was IMMACULATE! Even the driver seat was nearly mint.

Swapped over the bumper…




She’s dirty; needs a cleaning. Thought I had a coupe hood. I do not, lol. It’s definitely a 10-footer. Maybe 20..
I’ll take it for now. I could always go back and buy the hood off that coupe, lol.

Swapped the armrest cover. Working on the gauges currently. Somebody (maybe me??) made a diagram of the back showing which bulbs light up what. All of the bulbs on the coupe cluster appear to work except for the one that lights up the fuel gauge/needle.

Other than replacing that bulb, should be a pretty easy swap.

 

[RedRyder]

Bumper cover looks good. All the bulbs in my cluster work, except for the CEL. I should probably fix that one.

 

[Mikey]

Bumper cover looks good. All the bulbs in my cluster work, except for the CEL. I should probably fix that one.

Somebody on one of the Facebook groups posted a picture of his coupe cluster with the regular “greenish” LED bulbs in it and it looked pretty good. I still have the sedan cluster with all my LEDs in it. Debating pulling it out again, swapping them over, and seeing if it’s any different. I kinda liked the greenish in the sedan cluster but now that I have my coupe cluster back, I’m thoroughly enjoying seeing it stare back at me “normally”.

We’ll see what happens.

Thinking about going back to the yard and pulling the rear bumper lights off that coupe. I can buy them used online for about the same price. I just like removing them myself.

Chris you got me looking at LED ones for the 5GA…





I think I like the tinted ones better

I gotta cut holes and get grommets first, lol.

As much as I’d love to go back and get the hood off that coupe I’m worried it won’t fit. My sedan, I believe, was in a front end fender bender and I believe it shifted everything just enough to piss me off. I’m worried that the hood shifted just enough that the perfect coupe hood wouldn’t fit my imperfect sedan.
I could measure the underside of my hood or from like my hood latch to the center of the strut towers. See how they measure up to the coupe. IDK.

If I knew the electronics worked and they weren’t expensive, I’d snag the coupe seats too. Hell if the back seats and interior trim pieces carried over, I’d grab it all.