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Burns: Beep! Beep! Out of my way! I'm a motorist!
Chief Wiggum: That's some nice reckless driving, Mr. B.
Big things happening here. Seems I've once again thrown myself out of the comfort-zone I had found here: I've just bought a car, now I just have to learn to drive the thing! Not only is the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car and all the cars on the wrong side of the road but it's a manual and it's been a few years since I drove one. So while learning to keep to the right and indicate with my left hand, I have to remember how to change gears with my right. The state of Indiana wouldn't give me a licence automatically based on my Australian gold licence so I'm back on my Ls for at least 60 days. But I don't need to obey those rules, I can still drive myself around because I have an international driver's permit.
The car I've bought is a 1989 Honda Civic LX. As you can see it's a small 4-door, in less than mint condition. But it's good enough for my purposes. (N.B. That dent is from one of its previous owners, I have not hit anything yet!) At 1.5L, I'm hoping it will run on the smell of an oily rag. I bought it from another grad-student here who's just finished his degree, another Australian philosopher, would you believe it? I'm told the name is Fenry, a spoonerism. I can't think of anything wittier so I guess I'll keep the name.
This morning I tried to drive it to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to register it (with Patty and Selma). I was told that the wait would be shorter at the Ellettsville branch, only 5 min further to drive. So I looked it up on the map, seemed straightforward. Except that it's pouring rain here today. I had the wipers and demisters all going so it was very hot inside and my visibility was pretty low. I aquaplaned right in front of the cop-shop and spun the wheels at a few lights with my less-than-smooth first gear starts. But I am getting better; the gear shifting has come back to me, now I just need to get used to this clutch and this engine. It was very stressful and quite disappointing that I didn't even get there on time! At least I did get back home, without getting too lost or hitting anything. Will have to try again Monday or Tuesday.
2 comments:
The talk, the boring talk about engines.. and then about names
Looks almost certainly SOHC 16-valve, which means much better breathing at higher engine speeds and slightly less torque at low engine speeds unless, as I expect, Honda close one of the intake ports each cylinder at low engine speeds so that the air rushes into the cylinder more quickly. The results I've found so far show some fuel injected, some not.
When you start it cold, does it help to press the pedal once or twice before turning it over? If so then you'd be engaging the automatic choke, and a choke means a carburettor. If it makes no difference then it's electronically fuel injected. Look under the bonnet, do you know what injectors look like vs. a carburettor?
Surely it doesn't interest you, but just in case you want to know what you have, http://www.cardomain.com/ride/154210/5 shows a civic owner replacing the original SOHC 16 valve Carburettor engine with a newer DOHC injected engine. The hint is the air filter sitting on top of the intake (rear) side of the engine with a carburettor underneath it, versus a plenum chamber with visible pipes (intake runners) from that to the intake ports on each cylinder. The longer those runners, the lower the engine speed at which the torque peaks because of the shock wave bouncing between the valves snapping shut and the plenum chamber resonating more air in on the back of the last shock wave.
Strange about Honda and older Magnas - the engine's on the wrong side.
It might have an unamerican capacity, but it also has an unamerican efficiency because of all of those valves which itself is unamerican.
Consider that the laser I had, 1.6L 16v carburettor produced 64Kw, the Corolla 1.6L 16v DOHC Injected produced 76Kw (I think) and my Astina 2.0L, quad cam V6 so 24v, injected, 119Kw but your Berlina with it's Buick engine, 3.8L V6 12v and push rods (OHV) produced a wheezy 127Kw. The 2.5L version of my Astina engine is otherwise the same but produces 157Kw, the old Beamer we had, slant six, SOHC 12v 2.8L twin carburettor 121Kw. That old Lantra my parents gave my brother; 1.8L, DOHC (16v) injected offering 96Kw.
There're some wonderful things about having an un-american engine. Those American engines seem rather asthmatic, not to mention thirsty.
I drove 1200Km one week in the laser for a holiday and it cost just over $70 in petrol at $1.25/L or something like that.
..not to mention an extra gear, unusual to your civic at it's age but the Berlina having 4 when most had 3.
..not to mention that if it were auto, about 12% of that power would be sucked up pressurising the gearbox which you now have where you want it.
Here's that standard SOHC engine, fuel injected:
http://www.rdtmotorsports.com/images/civic/parts/engine.JPG
and with carburettor:
http://www.cardomain.com/member_pages/show_image.pl?bg=000000&image=http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/10/web/154000-154999/154210_31_full.jpg
.. so step on it. Let it breathe deeply. You can drive as economically or as powerfully as you like, and it prefers the latter.
We called the Bimmer 'Gertrude' and Michelle added to that naming it 'Gertrude Penelope' but naming German cars is more fun than naming Japanese ones.
How about this; remember 'Keeping up Appearances'? Mr. Bucket drove a Rover which is really an English version of exactly your car, even the same colour.
Call it Bucket (pronounced 'booo-kay'?)
The PCV valve sicks out like a sore thumb on the top of the engine there, at one school I worked at, PCV was the middle name of some poor lass named 'Charlotte'
Judging by where the spark plugs go, it looks like it has four rockers under there instead of 8 or 12 like most SOHC 16v engines. Not big on rockers (which is good - fewer moving parts). Perhaps it's Nick's Beatnik, maaaaan.
With the engine on the wrong side, it's like it writes with the wrong hand, or something. Call it Cameron, ewww.
Because it's Asian and has five gears, maybe it's name is 'Cinque' or just 'Chink'. that's even worse. Better that than driving a Cinquecento which couldn't be more European.
Wikipedia reckons that that generation of Civics all had fuel injectors. In fact, that engine had "Dual Point Fuel Injection", whatever that means. (In case you were wondering, the 92 horsepower Wikipedia quotes equals 68.6 kW.)
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