Hondamatic Depression Overcome

On Monday I received the email that told of the news I was actually expecting but hoping wouldn't come.

***
The comments for your order are

The following part numbers have been discontinued by Honda: KNOB, FRESH CONTROL (64431-671-900), LENS (33302-SA5-671), CLIP, CONTROL KNOB (64432-671-000) & CAP SET, CHOKE (16014-671-005). We need to know what you'd like to do with this order. This order is on HOLD until we hear from you on this matter.

***
So I went ahead with the order for the hood support rod clip and the brake and accelerator pads and thanked them very much for the updated info.  At least it seems like a legit company.

That same day I left work early to get to Automotive Inc to have the idle speed adjusted so that the Hondamatic wouldn't continue to stall ALL THE TIME! It wasn't raining when I left Bellevue, had started raining when I arrived in Shoreline and was coming down in buckets by the time I got the Hondamatic on the road. It was so scary.  Of course at every stop light. Stall.  Stop sign. Stall.  Stopped car.  STALL!  The Hondamatic would just stop running.  I tried so hard to keep the RPMs above 1000 but with so may idiots pulling out in front of me, in the rain, in the gloom, argh!!!  It took me about 30 minutes to drive 100 blocks.  But the idle speed was increased and I drove home with no issues.  However, I am now terribly road-shy. 

Cory suggested that I just have the entire carburetor overhauled by the good guys over at the Carb Connection. 

I just called the this afternoon and it wil cost about $450 but I am totally going to go for it.  They confirmed that the choke is super hard to find and if they need to they can probably retro-fit something on there.  Meaning, maybe the choke is just dirty and it can be fixed by cleaning it out....

So while Collin and I are on our Honeymoon in November I will have the Hondamatic carburetor overhauled!!

Oh and I discovered a plethera of used Hondamatic parts in Oregon and Idaho!  Can't wait to order the left front blinker lens!

Some Shopping

Q:
How does one cope with Hondamatic sadness? 
A:
By buying more stuff to make the Hondamatic whole again!

I noticed that by going through a car wash the front license plate always gets bent out of shape since it's basically just hanging there by two bolts off the front bumper.  So to solve this minor issue (that I only ever thought about after a car wash) I finally remembered to buy a couple of matching license plate holders.  Very simple black metal ones, and they look great!

There are a few small items that I finally sat down and researched to order.  That's right, I filled my virtual shopping cart with fun little parts and I will await with bated breath either their arrival in the mail in 4-10 business days or the dreaded phone call or email to advise me that one or more of these items is no longer available.

As it is, here is what I ordered:

1. Choke - part #16014-671-005 - even though everyone else has told me they cannot no longer get this part, I thought I would try anyway.  Otherwise I will probably just end up buying an entire carburetor from rockauto.com

2. Left front signal lens - part #33302-SA5-671 - this was a two-pack, so I have a spare now since I couldn't order less than a pair.

3. Left air vent knob (and clip) - parts #64431-671-900 and #64432-671-000 - also a pair purchase.  Nothing wrong with spares.

4. Brake pedal cover - part #46545-SA5-980

5. Accelerator pedal cover - part #17816-SK7-000

6. Hood rod clip - part #90677-693-003

There's still so much more that I want and want to do with the Hondamatic.  One step at a time.  I found the clock and it's only about $400. 

I also saw someone has posted their 1981 non-LX style manual transmission Accord for sale on craigslist for $1700.  I want his choke.  But he's not parting it out. 

Collin also saw a gold Accord rolling into the Bitter Lake Home Depot last night.  I asked him to go ask that person if I could have their choke, but he refused to do my bidding. 

So we wait...

So Tired

I feel whiny and depressed about the Hondamatic.

So, yeah, the Hondamatic was having this starter issue, but the mini-hammer in the glove-box was working out really well as needed.

There was this terrible squealy noise if I would turn the wheels too far to the right or left.  I just made it a point to not turn the wheels too far to the right or the left.

But whatever.  Everything was working mostly good.  I still had this nagging thought in the back of my head that eventually I would still need to have the choke replaced.  Of course with a choke that does not exist.

Well I decided last week that maybe the Hondamatic wasn't running as smoothly as it did when Cory first tuned it up after the first 500 miles.  I took it back to him last Friday with a little note describing my concerns.  He worked on the little Hondamatic while I was at work and
1. Rebuilt the starter!!  Yay!!
2. Tightened the power steering belt - no more squeal - Yay!!
3. Replaced a few bolts in the exhaust manifold that were stripped and we just didn't replace at the engine rebuild - Yay!! Thanks Cory!
4. Dialed the choke back a little more

I was finally able to pick up the Hondamatic on Sunday and it started great!  I drove around for a little and was actually going to go to my sister's house to get my bicycle.  Except the Hondamatic kept stalling and dying at every stop light, stop sign and even just slowing down.  I had to get off the roads!  Not only that, but the no-power-off-the-line problem was back again.  Basically it takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r to get up to speed from a stop.  Flooding the engine.  I think that's what the choke is for.

I had the Itsy with me so I ran some errands.  I was okay on the side streets where no one would be behind me getting annoyed every time I restarted the Hondamatic.  Which was every block.  Thank goodness the starter was fixed.  I made it to Goodwill and the Hondamatic got a bath and I finally cleaned off the finally remnants of the Wedding Vandals paint job.

I did finally figure out that if I could get the Hondamtic into neutral before the RPMs got below 1000 then I could stave off the stall.

I told Cory about this on Monday and he made sure it wasn't just because the Hondamatic was cold, since that'll affect the choke and cause some stalling.  No.  I was driving around for hours on Sunday trying to make that be true.  I now need to bring the Hondamatic back so Cory can adjust the idle speed so this won't happen.  I'm nervous to drive anymore though.

P.S.

And Eric at Acme Electric fixed my A/C on the Wednesday before the wedding.  It wasn't the compressor.  YAY!!!  A bolt had fallen off and then loosed the belt and that was making all kinds of noise and awfulness.  The blower didn't work since a fuse was melted.  Easy enough to fix and I was on my way!

Thank You Hacksaw And Cameron And Washington State Ferry Deck Crew Guy!

 

What a day, what bliss!  

Saturday was a dream.

Though on Sunday we had some cleaning up to do.  The farm and barn needed a little attention after the party and I needed to return the kegs to Flyers in Oak Harbor to get my deposit back.  Collin stayed on the farm to clean up and organize and my job was to drive the 60 mile round trip from Freeland to Oak Harbor in the Hondamatic.  Collin was under strict instructions to not deliver the tables and chairs back to coach's until I returned so that I could go with him.

The drive to Oak Harbor was eventless.  I parked in the back loading area, unloaded and returned the kegs and got my deposit back.  Yay!  Now back to do more work on the farm!

Except the Hondamatic won't start.  Nothing.  Not a sound.  Except the buzz when to door is open.

The last time this happened it was only once before in the Northgate parking lot about a month ago.  I was totally confounded and had no idea what to do.  Collin suggested messing around with the gear box, P to 1 and back to P a bunch of times.  That time it seemed to work.  So in the back loading area of Flyers I messed around with the gear box for what seemed like an eternity.  It was hot out and I was getting frustrated and nervous.  It wasn't working this time.  Finally I decided that I ought to get out of my current space and move across the lot to continue trying to make the Hondamatic work and maybe pushing the Hondamatic would get the gears to shape up.  So I pushed the Hondamatic across the lot and parked it again.  Eventually I called Collin and begged for any other suggestions.  He didn't really have any other than confirming what I was doing - yes, the lights, A/C and radio were off; yes, I am attempting to move the gears; etc...

I didn't necessarily want Collin to have to drive up to get me and try to fix the Hondamatic, since what could he do that I wasn't already doing?  But it looked like it was going to be the only way to get me back to Freeland.  Collin was pushing for me to go into Flyers and try to solicit some help from the employees but I was uncomfortable burdening anyone else with my problems.  I did go inside for some water and a plate of I'm-depressed-fries and I was to call Collin with a status update and decision in 30 minutes.  I did end up asking the bartender in absolute desperation if he knew of anyone who knew anything about 78 Honda Accord transmissions.  He did not but then he yelled to the guy sitting at the bar "Hey Hacksaw! Do you think you can help her out with her car?"  and said more quietly to me "Hacksaw knows a lot about cars."  So Hacksaw came over and I told him what I thought was wrong, he asked for my keys and asked which car it was was.  I told him it was the reddish 78 Accord that had 'Just Married' written on the back window.  You just can't miss that one!

After a short while Hacksaw came back and said it fired up just fine.  

I felt like a complete doofus.  I swear for that entire hour the Hondamatic did not work.

I took my fries to go, called Collin and raced back to Freeland to my husband.

Thank you Hacksaw who works part time at Flyers and the Elk Club on the base!!!

Once back at the farm I helped clean and load more of our stuff and then we went to coach's to bring him his tables and chairs.  We chatted for a bit and then left for some dinner at China City back in Freeland.  it was pretty good.  We went back to the farm where the Hondamatic was still waiting and decided to take a nap to kill a little time so we would avoid the stop and go and engine on and off of the terrible ferry line from Clinton to Mukilteo.  We finally left close to 11pm and made it to the ferry landing at 11:34 - just having missed the 11:30 ferry.  The next one was at 12:30 but to be sure Collin asked for my phone to check the schedule.  My phone.

I left it plugged in to charge at the barn.

Collin began planning my Monday for me which involved getting up early, taking a ferry and retrieving my phone.  Or something like that.  Just then we saw a blue early 80s Honda Accord pull around us in the landing.  It was Cameron!  With my phone!!  He had noticed I had left it in the barn and had chased us to bring it to me.  It was a very fortunate thing that we had missed the 11:30 ferry.

Thank you Cameron!!!

I took another small nap and at 12:18am Collin called me (he was in the Subaru behind me) to make sure I was awake.  I was after he called!  The ferry unloaded it's five cars quickly and we expected to load the five cars waiting just as fast.  Except the Hondamatic wouldn't start. Again.  

It was stressful.  What were we going to do?  They wouldn't let us on the ferry if my car wouldn't start but then out of kindness they said Collin could tow me on.  But we only had four minutes until the ferry sailed.  So then they said Collin could set up the ropes on the ferry to tow me off and they pushed the Hondamatic on.  Once we were all aboard and moving across the Sound, Collin was getting the Hondamatic attached to the Ru and one of the ferry deck crew guys came over and asked me to pop the Hondamatic hood.  He then proceeded to tap a heavy screwdriver on the starter which caused the engine to be able to be turned over!!!  Hurray!!!  I drove off the ferry and home

Thank you Washington State Ferry deck crew guy!!!

***

In other more recent news, today to be exact, I finally was able to find the time to get over to Kirkland to visit the Carburetor Connection.  Alex looked at it (after I fixed the starter issue again to move it near the garage) and said that everything looked fine.  I asked about the disconnected choke and he said even he is finding it difficult to get any parts anymore.  It seems to be fine now and maybe before winter arrives he might be able to jerry-rig something.  He showed me what part I'd be looking for so at least I know what it looks like.  It's a cap like thing with a coil underneath it.  A choke spring is also what it's called.  Oh, and no, the floats are not sinking. 

Someone Got Married!!

It was a beautiful day at The Raven and The Spade!!

It's Getting Hot In Here

Whew.  What a day.  My phone weather screen says it's 82 degrees but I don't believe it.  More like 122 degrees.

About a month ago I got my A/C recharged and it has worked wonderfully.  Until yesterday.  Of course it broke on the hottest day of the year.  You know that sound when a playing card slaps the spokes of a bicycle, imagine that but awfuller and that's the sound that arises from under the hood when I crank on the A/C.  I wanted A/C so that I wouldn't sweat so terribly in my wedding dress.

Less than a week away!!  YAY!!

Here's the "Boozamatic" doing some heavy lifting for the wedding preparation.

Back In Seattle and Back In The Hondamatic

I was in Phoenix last week.  All week.  Every single 104 degree day.  And while I was there, the Hondamatic was at the doctor getting its 500 new mile check-up.  I dropped it off the Friday morning before I left the week prior and picker it up last Friday night when I got back into town (so, two nights ago).

Everything is looking good!  Here is what Cory at Automotive Inc. told me (paraphrased by me):

1. Honda did a terrible job putting the distributor on right, or checking it at all.  It was all flopping around in there.  That might be why I was having power issues???  And how were they supposed to tell that the vacuum advance thingy was torn if they didn't dig around in there to find it?  Well, Cory fixed it right.
2. He R&R'd the oil pan and resealed it so the leak doesn't happen anymore.  Yay! No more embarrassing oil drip spots all over the city wherever the Hondamatic may go!  Since he was in there, he replaced the oil filter and oil with the new stuff I bought.
3. Retorqued the cylinder head and adjusted the valves.  He said there were only a few to adjust and everything looked good and to spec.
4. The sparkplugs were all fouled up (again) and he replaced those and the vacuum hoses.
Uh-oh.  The sparkplugs were new and had just been replaced this last January, you say?  Good memory.  Yes, Collin did that, and he used good, expensive ones too.
5. Cory discovered that the choke thermostat was broken and no good.  He dialed it back and basically unplugged the sucker so I need a new one now.  What was happening was that the engine was getting FLOODED with fuel because the choke was not working causing the sparkplugs to get overwhelmed and gunked up.  THIS WAS ALSO CAUSING MY 0-20MPH ANNOYANCE OFF THE LINE.  The Hondamatic was asking for fuel while sitting, since it just wasn't getting enough (rough idle, coughing, gasping, choking) and when I gave it gas then it was too much and it was drowning causing a sludgy start.  Aha!!  So now the choke is disconnected and I actually have POWER!  Now I have a hard time keeping the engine started when it's cold out and I have to rev the engine periodically for a few minutes to warm up but after that I am good to go.
6.  I will have Acme Electric recharge the A/C since it's likely out of freon (R12).  Maybe they can diagnose my dome light failure since I have a new bulb in it.
7.  I'll still have The Carb Connection check out my carburetor to see what needs to be done with it.  Cory agrees that it's just really old and beat up.  I hope they can help me find a choke thermostat so Cory can put it in.

Thanks Cory!!

Romancing the Hondamatic

Golden Gardens again last week.

The Hondamatic does NOT like hills when its cold.  Not as in the weather, but as in the Hondamatic engine is just starting up.  I can walk up a hill faster than the Hondamatic crawls up them.  Well, once it warms up then keeping going is always fine.  It's also the 0-20mph that takes the longest too.  I called a carburetor place yesterday and they will do a free check-up for me.  They said that Honda was feeding me a load of garbage by saying the floats are "sinking."  Carburetor guy says floats are either sunk or not sunk.  There's no in between "-ing".  So, we'll have to see what they say when I go in.

Somethings New And Some Issues

The Hondamatic ran some errands for Collin yesterday all around Shoreline.  Things went mostly well.  There's an oil leak, but it's so minor I don't even notice the level going down and the machine shop said that the oil pan bolts probably need to be tightened and that can be done at the 500 mile re-torque, valve adjustment and oil change.  Yay!  I'm more than half way there!  Then I might be able to go over 35MPH on a regular, extended basis.  I got a new rear wiper blade and some new 10amp fuses.  The blinkers work most of the time but there are times when the Hondamatic is idling, waiting at a red light and they just don't blink.  They are on, just not blinking...  I don't know why this is.  I also got a dome light bulb, but even with a new fuse it refuses to turn on.  The rear wiper fluid nozzle is not working again.  I have got to figure out why this is.  I think the very next thing I want to do is get the engine steamed so that it all looks nice and clean and maybe that will help us figure out where this oil leak is coming from.  I can definitely feel the lack of power getting up hills.  I'm getting very creative in finding routes that don't involve that many of them, but this is Seattle and I can't avoid them all all the time.  I need that new carburetor and distributor vacuum thingy.  I found some ethanol free gas though, so I'm hoping that will at least help slow the process of alcohol disintegration of the hoses and floats.

Approximate New Engine Mile 275

The Hondamatic got a CLUB courtesy of Collin!

The view across the Sound from Alki on our way to sister!

Visiting sister for early evening croquet and barbeque brats!

All About The Town

Ethanol-free gas in Magnolia!

Golden Gardens upper parking

Golden Gardens at sunset

Seattle Art Museum

Pioneer Square

Southside Commons in Columbia City

Seattle PI Globe

Road Trip!!

To and from Auburn, that is.  The Hondamatic handled well.  Only at the last 30 seconds of the trip, right before I pulled up to the curb I heard an awful CLU-CHUNK  from the middle of the car.  I couldn't even imagine what it could be, but the Hondamatic continued on just fine.  I got home, deposited Itsy in my room, took a flashlight and went back to investigate.  All I found around the area where I heard the sound what a shredded rubber ring, like a seal of some kind.  I don't know if it belonged to the Hondamatic or not and nothing is leaking.  I'll have to check in the daylight again.

But here are some of the Hondmatic's journeys today.  The new Hondamatic engine now has almost 100 miles on it!

Where You At, Little Hondamatic?

Say WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?

The Hondamatic is done!!!

I can't contain my excitement!!

Honda says, though, that there are a few things going on:

1.  The battery won't hold a charge, one of the cells is just shot. No problem!  I will make a stop by Les Schwab and get a new battery.  Next non-problem?

2.  The prop rod is not so secure in its holding place so it could come loose and hit the alternator and short out the whole car.  So we'll reattach it better somehow.  NEXT?

3.  There is a small coolant leak near the thermostat.  Hmmm.  Collin replaced that part and he said that there wasn't a seal on the original so they got an aftermarket one that wasn't quite fitting right, so we will address that later.  Or sooner.

4.  The carburetor is, well, the Hondamatic will run fine buuuuuut this should be looked at.  Yesterday the guys were freaking us out saying that the whole thing needed to be replaced and everything was broken and so on.  Today the prognosis is somewhat better.  We will need new floaters and gaskets, which are hard to find (like everything else) and the pins/needles? are gunky but it will run fine for a while.

5.  Honda expressed some concern about the fact that the Hondamatic seems to be smoking especially while accelerating.  They thought the rings may not be seated or there is an issue with the valves.  I called the machine shop and he said "just put a couple hundred miles on it, the engine is simply too new."  Okay!  Easy enough!

6.  The distributor vacuum advance diaphram has a small tear.  This is not life threatening but it does affect how much power the Hondamatic has to rip it up .

AND

Honda fixed the rear washer and it squirts just fine now!!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I'm on my way soon to pick up the Hondamatic!!  Yahoo!

***

Update and Afternoon Adventures


I drove Collin's car (the "Ru") to Shoreline and dropped it off in his parking space.  I then continued on foot to the Swift Community Transit bus stop just outside of the Campbell Nelson dealership.  I was in luck!  The next bus was scheduled to come in one minute.  Otherwise I would have walked to Honda.  As it was, I rode the 24 blocks in true style.  I picked up the Hondamatic, paid and also got a tube of Hondabond for the coolant seal leak.  They jumped the Hondamatic battery that won't hold a charge and I went on my way.  I made it to the end of the parking lot.  Then the Hondamatic died. After getting it back to the service garages I got a ride to Les Schwab down the street, got a new battery and the Honda guys put it in for me and I was again on my way.  Yay!
I made it all the way down HWY 99, through Greewood and Ballard to the Brown Bear Car wash in Interbay where the Hondamatic got a bath.  After that was done I pulled forward to leave for home.  Again the Hondamatic stalled as I was entering traffic.  No!!!!  I got it started in the nick of time and made it to the light where I saw some wispy smoke coming from the very front of the hood!  What now?!
As it turns out, the second stall was all my fault.  I started and drove the Hondamatic away from the car wash too fast.  It's not fuel injected so there is a specific way to start the car.  Press the gas, turn the car on and hold for five seconds, then idle for 30 seconds and press the gas again to decrease the idle rpms.  Yeah, I just turned it on and drove off.  Oops!  As for the mysterious smoke.  It may have just been condensation burning off from the water from the car wash.  I washed the windows at home and took Itsy for a ride around the block for about ten minutes.  Everything went well.  Then I exchanged the radio in the Hondamatic for the one Collin had in his '89 Toyota Corolla SR5 that he thought was a good idea to buy last fall, but now doesn't want anymore.  I have all my stations programmed already.

The Hondamatic Is Done... Well, Almost

Collin's been spending a lot of time these past couple weeks on Whidbey Island working on the farm (not ours) and at Coach's to fulfill promises and obligations made in preparation for our wedding day yet he still found the time to finish the Hondamatic!!

He says is sounds like there are little bombs going off in it because it needs to be tuned and timed to spec.  So on the 18th - that's next week - 10 days from now - I will have the Hondamatic towed over to Lynnwood Honda.  Why tow it when it runs?  Yeah, after all the work we've (Collin has) put into it the last thing I want to do is burn it on the way to Lynnwood.  Who knows what could happen in 20 miles.  The mechanics there have worked on Hondas for over 30 years and one of them even has a '79 Accord.  I remember talking to him last year before the head gasket blew when I was having trouble with one of my taillights.  I needed to know how to access it and I was afraid of breaking the rear trim panel.  But he talked me through it and it was a piece of cake.

Soooooooooo excited!!!

Oh, and the aftermarket WWFRM had some extension wires that were able to be hardwired directly to the harness, so it worked out after all.

It Moved!

What is this I see??  Can it be?  The Hondamatic is facing the OPPOSITE direction!!  Do you know what this means!  It means the Hondamatic MOVED!  It ran!  I didn't see this miracle occur.  I just pulled up after work early this week and found myself facing my car.  Collin still won't tell me everything that needs to be done to it, but it is getting so much closer.

Except for this minor issue.  Remember my excitement about the aftermarket WWFRM (I think that's what I was calling it...)?  Here below is a picture of the original and the (correct) electric connection.

And this is the new replacement.  Or alleged replacement.  Tell me when you see what is wrong with those prongs.  You get three guesses.

Really?  This is just one of the reasons why people hate, hate, hate aftermarket parts.  Honestly there is so much potential for these types of parts to actually be good and quality, but when you advertise that the part looks like the original (see Hard To Find, One Of A Kind from 1/13/12) and then this is what comes... No bueno.

I should have inspected the product thoroughly when I got it.  But I didn't.  I did call the company I bought it from and the guy there said he'd help me find something that would work.  I emailed him these pictures so he'd understand what I was trying to explain over the phone.  No returns or refunds on this mistake though.  That option expired weeeeeeks ago.

Stay tuned... good things are coming!

P.S.
Collin and I are still getting married and still heavily planning the part-ay!  We've moved on to the part of the "to-do" list where the couple plans the Honeymoon.  It is going to be epic!

Still here...

The Hondamatic is currently in a holding pattern.

But in other good news, Collin and I are getting married!!!  An inexpensive wedding entails a lot of bartering and trading.  These activities leave little room for finishing Hondamatics.  Yay for us!!  Sad for my car. 

Trickling In

In the mail came the Windshield Wiper Fluid Reservoir Motor.

I've been working a lot and not much is happening with the Hondamatic.

I have been exchanging emails with a person who read my desperate plea for a Windshield Wiper Fluid Reservoir Motor on This Old Honda (a website dedicated to and for people who love their Hondas, regardless of year).  Since I don't need the WWFRM any more we've been trying to figure out what I could use so that he can have his furnace room back.  I guess it's just loaded with various Honda parts at the moment. I think I want a bunch of fuses and maybe some light assemblies...  I've been working so much lately that I haven't even had a chance to go out to the Hondamatic and take pictures to send this kind parts person so we can see if he has any for me.  Soon though.  Maybe Sunday...

Snowmatic!

itsnoweditsnoweditsnoweditsnoweditsnowed

It Snowed Last Night!

On my "list-of-things-to-do" for what seems like forever was to take a scrubby brush and really tackle the steering wheel and clean all the built up gunk in the corners.  It's textured so, of course, any dirt, grime, dead skin and grossness gets imbedded in there good.  I did this yesterday and even got in the groves of the headlight switch to clean them out.  I think it turned out pretty good.  Like a goofball I played with the lights a little too.  I kept turning them on and off and walking out to check which ones were working.  They all do!  All parking lights and brake lights do anyway.  I couldn't tell if the back up lights worked since I wasn't backing; the blinkers didn't work either, but I also didn't have the Hondamatic turned on and only the two outside headlights turned on, not the inner two.  Again, maybe this is because the Hondamatic wasn't running.  I'll find out later I guess.

It was really nice sitting in my car again.  It had been so long since I had.  It's still clean in there from when I cleaned it in the summer.  Looking around I got inspired to make a list of all the small things I want to do when it's running:

1. Steam clean the engine compartment
2. Steam clean the underside and apply corrosion protection
3. Paint - which includes
* Removing door trim ( I hate door trim)
* Filling in the holes left when door trim is removed
* Minor dent repair
4. Fix the clock
5. Paint the wheels
6. New tires
7. Install new radio with dash extension
8. Fix rear window washer (the wiper works and I hear the motor hum but no washer fluid comes out - and yes it is full)
9. Paint over chrome-colored inner door trim
10. Replace fuel filter (maybe)
11. Fix cracks in dash (maybe - unless the fix makes it look worse - they're really not that bad)

I think Collin has a list of other things to do too.  He hasn't shared that with me yet.

Well, happy January 15th!

Hard To Find, One Of A Kind

In the process of dismantling the Hondamatic we managed to break the Front Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir Motor. Also known as: Motor, Washer part number 38512-659-013 (NOT AVAILABLE)  replaced by 38512-659-023 for $33.18.  In the picture below, it is item 2.

This is what the Washer Motor looks like in real life and what we did to it.

Yes, that is what one Honda parts seller website had to say about that.  Not available.  Discontinued part.  Even when I called them, they assured me that they didn't even have the motor that replaced the motor I needed. 

I found a used one at a salvage yard in Colorado for $20.  I called to ask about it and they looked for it.  Long story short (I waited five hours for them to call me back until I finally called them again), they had sold the motor with the reservoir already, or assumed that is what happened since they just couldn't find the reservoir itself.

Ooookay then.

I found another site selling genuine Honda parts and they had the motor!!  In fact they had the original motor part number 38512-659-013!!  For $30 even!  I also placed an order for the water pump thermostat as well, since they seemed to be the only place that had that part too.

I'm so excited to get my parts in the mail!!  Hurry hurry!

***

UPDATE

***

I received an email from the Honda parts supplier and my heart about stopped.

Subject: Discontinued part order 80848

Message: Hello, Part # 38512-659-013 has recently changed to a discontinued status from American Honda. Please let us know if you would like to continue with the thermostat, or if you would like the whole order refunded. Thank you.

Not to be dissuaded I researched further. 

And as luck would have it I found, on eBay, an aftermarket Washer Motor by ACI/Maxair #177510 for $21.88 + free shipping.  Email confirmation came in that it's on the way.

That was a close call.

And I did continue the order for the thermostat.

The Hondamatic Lives!

My car STARTED!

I don't know what Collin did, who he has assisting (he's still keeping that part a secret - though it's likely the Itsy), or where he finds the time.  I just came home and parked my work vehicle in front of the Hondamatic like I do every day.  Collin ran to the Hondamatic, got in and when I got out to the sidewalk he fired her up!!  I couldn't believe it!!  It's been so long.  And no smoke this time! Woohoo!

The Hondamatic isn't quite done and I can't drive it yet, but it STARTS and idles beautifully.

I have all new starter oil, coolant, transmission fluid etc... and I have to add Zinc Additive to the oil from now on until forever.  For some reason that is supposed to save the cam shaft from getting stripped down.

The plan, I was later told, was to have everything done so that I could drive Collin to dinner.

We walked instead.  Maybe next time.

:-) :-)