About my Integra:
Common Failures:
- Ignition Coil: Car will die suddenly while driving. Car may or may not immediately restart. Eventually, the car will not restart until the engine compartment cools down. The ignition coil is located in the engine compartment.
- Ignition Relay: The car will not start when the passenger compartment is extremely hot. Usually, when you turn the key to the “on” position, you will hear a faint click coming from the relay above the drivers left knee. The relays start to fail and will not switch on when the passenger compartment is hot. Turning the key on and off repeatedly will eventually cause the relay to engage. The replacement relay cost about $40.
- Timing Belt: The timing belt needs to be replaced every 60,000 miles. If you do it yourself, be sure to get a Powerbuilt Crank Pulley Bolt Removal Tool (part number: xxxxx). It makes removing the crank pulley much easier; this is the most difficult part of the timing belt replacement.
- Brake Fluid Leak: The brake light on the dash keeps coming on even though the parking brake is not engaged. This is because the parking brake light is also the low fluid indicator light. The most common cause it a leak in the ABS module seals, making replacement of the ABS module necessary. Acura states that a special tool is needed to purge air after replacement of the module; I drove on a deserted road in the rain and performed repeated hard stops that engaged ABS to purge any air.
- Note: The ABS module seals usually fails because ABS is not activated enough, causing the seals to fail. Honda figured this out and (on newer generation vehicles) pulses each ABS piston each time the car is started. For a 1990-1993 Integra, activate the ABS whenever you can to prevent the seals from failing. A deserted road covered with rain or snow is how I kept my seals fresh.
- Oil leak on the end of the engine (passenger side): the oil seals for the cams are very prone to leaking. There are improved aftermarket cam seals that completely eliminate the problem. Replacement was easy; just remove the valve cover, replace the cam seal, and reinstall the valve cover. You’ll need a valve cover gasket and a cam oil seal. Total cost was probably $20.
- Soft brake pedal: You may need to replace the brake master cylinder. I purchased a refurbished master cylinder from AutoZone for about $50.
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