Basic Maintenance Soon

[Techy]

Doing some basic maintenance soon on the good ole USDM B16A2. I'm not gonna lie. I'm by far not a genius with engines. I know Honda and Nissan Engine codes like a champ but when it comes to actually workin on them, I'm loster than last year's Easter egg. I've had the car a year and a half and have never given it a tune-up. I looking to order a few things from InLineFour.com to get started on this.

Honda OEM Distributor Cap and Rotor
NGK Iridium IX Temp 7 Spark Plugs
NGK Spark Plug Wires (the regular ones)

Whatcha'll think? Also, how in the hell do you gap spark plugs properly? I'm poor as hell and rather do this crap myself in the driveway than take it to my mechanic (that's how the radiator issue was handled, didn't know what I was doing but had a tutorial of sorts up on my laptop and had at it..... it worked). I may call my brother and have him deal with the spark plugs since he's far more likely to know what he is doing.

Also I need a new timing belt. Just gonna order a Honda OEM one off of InLineFour.com. I'm NOT doing this. My mechanic is. I may be poor but I'm gonna let him handle this crap. What I wanna know is what all this entails and for the US people, how much am I lookin to spend on this for install (ballpark, we all know different places charge different prices).

Also any other maintenance y'all might suggest on a 154,000 mile chassis, nearly 100,000 mile motor and ??? mile transmission right now (not the original trans to this motor, was changed before my ownership).

Also just for kicks and giggles. Whatcha think about a GReddy 4-2-1 One Piece header? Changin the header would give a good opportunity to change my oil pan (got one like a year ago but never bothered to swap them). My current one's drain is messed up. Some jacked up grossly over sized standard plug is in it and it leaks. New pan is barely used and has the correct Metric plug on it.

Thanks for any input guys. I'm trying to work on my car more and learn more under the hood. I've been trying to do as much work myself as possible but I need help first

*Not sure if this is the right place to put this so someone move it if you see it necessary. Again thanks!

 

[EK9turbo]

Honda OEM Distributor Cap and Rotorgood
NGK Iridium IX Temp 7 Spark Plugsif factory then good
NGK Spark Plug Wires (the regular ones)old ones will be fine unless they have a break in the rubber sheathe. even a slight break can leak spark and cause misfires randomly. To clean then up like new use a cloth and water, dry it then cloth and tyre shine

Whatcha'll think? Also, how in the hell do you gap spark plugs properly? I'm poor as hell and rather do this crap myself in the driveway than take it to my mechanic (that's how the radiator issue was handled, didn't know what I was doing but had a tutorial of sorts up on my laptop and had at it..... it worked).
gap plug to 0.043" ising a feeler guage as a spacer and tap the end on a hard solid surface, but not too hard just short quick taps on the end with te feeler in-place will soon get it to clearence, dont worry about the feeler-gauge as theyre made of spring steel. you can probly pick a set up for $5., the proffesional way is to use a special sert of pliers that grip them in a specific way and press the end down as you squeeze. but thats not needed. You can do this yourself buddy

Also I need a new timing belt. Just gonna order a Honda OEM one off of InLineFour.com. I'm NOT doing this. My mechanic is. I may be poor but I'm gonna let him handle this crap. What I wanna know is what all this entails and for the US people, how much am I lookin to spend on this for install (ballpark, we all know different places charge different prices).
Dont know about US prices, you can download US manuals at hondahookup.com to see what it entails... m best advice is use OEM belt, no cheap aftermarket brand.

Also any other maintenance y'all might suggest on a 154,000 mile chassis, nearly 100,000 mile motor and ??? mile transmission right now (not the original trans to this motor, was changed before my ownership).
Fresh tranny fluid, oil and filter will make a hell of a difference. tranny fluid moreso as it breaks down over time and doens tgive as good lubrication. other than that a new fuel filter would be good no-doubt.

Also just for kicks and giggles. Whatcha think about a GReddy 4-2-1 One Piece header? Changin the header would give a good opportunity to change my oil pan (got one like a year ago but never bothered to swap them). My current one's drain is messed up. Some jacked up grossly over sized standard plug is in it and it leaks. New pan is barely used and has the correct Metric plug on it.
Header is ok, not mega. id save our money but a just to note its tedius removing seized exhaust bolts. over here the rust up a bit on that kind of milage because of the salt on the roads in winter. somtimes have to use heat to unseize them.


Thanks for any input guys. I'm trying to work on my car more and learn more under the hood. I've been trying to do as much work myself as possible but I need help first
download that manual, READ AND LEARN FROM IT!

*Not sure if this is the right place to put this so someone move it if you see it necessary. Again thanks!

 

[Dino-Spumoni]

For the spark plugs you will need a long extension (best not to use a bunch of little extensions) and a 5/8" spark plug socket, it has rubber on the inside that grabs the plug so you can pull it out.
The wire feeler guage (kind of looks like a sun) is best. Tap the overhanging tip on a table until it closes a little bit, and the guage should have some little hooks that you will need to slowly pull the tip up to size. When using the feeler guage it should just slightly pull through the gap.
Important- When installing the plugs use just the extension and your hands to thread it, you don't want to cross thread it. You could torque it to spec, but most people just tighten it 1/2 turn after the washer makes contact.
Remember to use honda-bond and a new gasket when doing the pan change. Also remember to take a little hook and pull any crap out of the oil pick-up screen before installing the new pan. Don't overtighten the nuts, that would cause the gasket to squish and leak.
A $20 haynes manual will go over recommended routine service.

96-00 civic service manual! - ClubCivic.com - Honda Civic Forum A good shop manual for our cars.