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I just picked up my first CL and my first stick!!!!
If that isn't enough, it came with the full comptech package!!
So a bit about me first, my first and only car to date was a base auto RSX which I have taken to 180k miles over the last 7 years with zero mechanical issue the whole while. Well a few months ago I took a friend to look at an auto CL-S and was pretty infatuated since that time. I had gotten bored of my automatic transmission, but wanted to stay with Honda. I started to research the CL-S as well as looking for RSX Type-S' I could potentially buy. I figured not to stay with the RSX just as I have gotten fairly bored with it, and the added HP and luxury of the CL won me over. I had messaged a couple persons selling the manual CL-S on craigslist, but they were all over 140k miles with poor paint for 5 or 6k and I wanted to wait for better.
Well a week ago I checked Craigslist and I found a seemingly mint-condition CLS6 with 98k miles, along with a comptech supercharger and Wedsport wheels for only $7,500. I ran an autocheck report and it looked perfect, the car had had only 1 owner!! I immediately called them and starting driving the 50 miles distance to check it out. I looked pretty closely (not too mechanically inclined) and couldn't find a single issue with it (although I totally forgot to check the underside). The paint and interior were glorious - 9.5/10 for a 13 year old car!!!! The one thing I knew was that it appeared to have been a weekend car and probably tracked. I have since found some ear-buds stashed inside along with a Koni spring adjustment tool so I am pretty certain now this was a track car.
Well we went on a test drive and floored it for the first two gears. I brought a friend since I had never driven stick before. Engine seemed to feel okay and the clutch too felt perfect. I bought it with no hesitation.
Here is a picture of it, and the Wedsport wheels (hood was popped at the time FYI.
Here is the bay, it looks like the whole CT package was installed:
So I am really excited, I am going to have my mechanic buddy look it over and drive it in the next couple weeks because it still seems too good to be true. While driving it myself, the engine feels a bit off or clunky and might have a small rattle or something but at the same time I have never driven stick before nor driven a car in this class so I am not sure. I can budget a couple grand or so on this in the near term, so if it needs a new engine I can stretch that but I would be really really happy if I can drive it another 100k miles with no major repairs.
Now I was pretty active on ClubRSX.com, the user base and resources there were enormous. I am hoping to get used to the layout here and stay involved as well as get some answers here and there.
So I do have some questions perhaps you can help me with here:
1. The car seems really low, has it likely been lowered more since it came from the factory?
2. The wheels are 18 inch Wedsports, was this standard wheel size with the Comptech package?
3. Are there any tricks to this car I can find out about? I was hoping there was some way with the key fob to roll down the windows before getting in the car, it seems like the TL has this function but not the CL.
4. What is up with that pop-out tray thing above the radio? Is it just a thing to hold randomly sized items or is there something more specific it can accomplish?
Lastly, here is the direction I feel like taking the car: Obviously first I want to know what it needs and how much to budget for it. 2nd I want to get the shocks and wheels back to stockish, low maintenance parts. What are the best and cheapest wheels size to maintain? I do want to get some Acura wheels, but I am not too fond of most the CL wheels I have seen, but I would probably get these or some of the TL wheel types: http://acura-parts.uneedapart.com/im...ra-cl-part.jpg
Well I look forward to your feedback and becoming a member of the community! Thanks!!
There was no official "Comptech Package", at least not that I know of. Someone put enough money into that car.
1. Doesn't seem that low from the pics but it probably has a slight drop on some springs
2. Stock wheels on the CLS6 are 17"
3.
4. That's a good question, I never really used that tray for anything.
As for going back to stockish parts, pretty sure you won't be able to get stock wheels to fit over that big brake kit.
You should ask the previous owner for a list of what has been done to the car and go from there.
That tray is just a spacer to fill in the extra space in a non-navigationed dash, nothing more.
I would leave the suspension as is bc it would be expensive to put it back to stock. Just raise the ride height using the adjustable koni wrench so you're not ramming stuff when driving in the city.
It's hard to tell how low it is bc you have the bigger wheels but it looks good. A stock CL S ride height has close to 2" gap in the wheel welds with stock 17" wheels but the ride is pretty firm.
Nice pick up. I would put some 3gen 04-06 tl wheels on it and maybe paint them gun metal grey ot just get 3g type s wheels. The wheels that are currently on there are not bad.
Nice grab. I had the same scenario pop up years ago except I was already driving a CL6.
I would keep everything as is. The drop and wheels look great and would not be any more maintenance than stock parts. Those rims are probably very light too which helps performance.
If you post a pic of the suspension we could probably tell you exactly what the setup is. There are no automatic window down feature with the fob on the CL or TL that I've heard of.
Knowing nothing else about you other than what I'm inferring based on your opening post, you have to be the most responsible teenager on planet Earth.
Also, be weary on that noise. Get it checked out quickly. If something under the hood does require assistance, even a new engine, don't fret. Engines for these cars are fairly inexpensive. They're parted all of the time due to transmission failures in the automatics so you can find low-mileage J32A2 engines for under $500. A popular upgrade is the J35A3 that came in the 2001-2002 Acura MDX. It's a similar engine that produces MUCH more low-end torque due to the added displacement and longer stroke. The combination of that engine and the supercharger would likely push you past the point of being able to rely on factory engine management, though. Either way, clutches for these cars can be expensive and it looks like your could benefit from a higher-capacity variant if it hasn't had one installed already. I say this because a clutch should be mandatory if you ever have to replace the engine.
This site is a great resource and there is much to be found searching around on here. Keep us posted with all of the discoveries you make as you start to dig into the car.
There was no official "Comptech Package", at least not that I know of. Someone put enough money into that car.
1. Doesn't seem that low from the pics but it probably has a slight drop on......
......As for going back to stockish parts, pretty sure you won't be able to get stock wheels to fit over that big brake kit.
You should ask the previous owner for a list of what has been done to the car and go from there.
Thanks for the info, I'll have to check out what can fit with those big brakes. Seems like might not be worth it to switch after all, I'm okay with that.
My information on the comptech parts is from here, pretty much the first return on google when you look up the CL supercharged.
Forgot to mention, I don't have a way to contact previous owner. Apparently he/she traded it in to a dealership or carmax who sold it to an auction. The person I bought it from got it at auction and flipped it right away, I don't think they knew anything about what they had which was why it was so cheap. I am really curious why someone would trade this car in, doesn't really add up they could have sold all the performance parts and wheels and traded it in for the same price....
Originally Posted by JarrettLauderdale
Knowing nothing else about you other than what I'm inferring based on your opening post, you have to be the most responsible teenager on planet Earth......
.....This site is a great resource and there is much to be found searching around on here. Keep us posted with all of the discoveries you make as you start to dig into the car.
Ouch lol, well I am not quite a teenager anymore I am just very risk-averse. I guess I'll have to work on my online forum maturity then. To your other points, l will have a shop look at it real soon. Another question I had was regarding tune, is it possible the engine has been tuned to racing and is there a way to diagnosis this and tune it back to street? This is going to have to be my DD for a while.
BTW the car is due for a timing belt change by years or mileage. I would suggest you also change the water pump, thermostat, and the radiator cap. OEM parts only.
You might want to check the shock towers for a timing belt service sticker, just incase its been done at a private shop.
It was meant as a compliment! Now that I'm on my desktop I see that you're 25. The teenager comment was directed at you having one car, but rereading your initial post I must have missed the 7 year ownership part. I took you as someone onto their second car and already had their stuff together to the point that reliability and daily functionality were priorities over going fast and looking cool. I apologize that it came off wrong, and I could have paid closer attention. Usually people who get these cars want to throw coilovers on it and slam it to the ground for as cheaply as possible.
Anyway, keep doing you. Your forum maturity is 100% fine. Better than my own, apparently!
As for tuning, you'll just need to pull up the carpet in the passenger floorboard and toward the center console to look for an add-on box that ties into the car's ECU. That would be indicative of something that the previous owner used to tune the car. It's also possible that there is a complete standalone aftermarket ECU in place. I'd bet that it's a factory ECU, but this car has already had a few nice surprises!
Last edited by JarrettLauderdale; 10-18-2015 at 10:49 PM.
do you have any aftermarket gauges in the car? Any that show boost/psi? The comptech kit came with a ESM (sp?) module that basically hides the boost from the computer. It would be wired in next to the car's ECU. If your car is on the low boost pulley (3-3.5psi) then the ESM will do fine. On low boost that setup will be reliable. It's definitely not a great tuning solution, but has proven very reliable to handle low boost.
Once you get more seat time, try and describe the engine noise more and pinpoint an area if possible.
Here's a picture I took at our last Acura meet up (I'd say it was a year back)
Wow, there she is. I got the car in Rancho Cucamonga actually, it was sold at an auction in Riverside. I would be really curious to know why the previous owner sold it, and why it was traded in when it seemingly was worth a lot more than what he/she would have gotten for it as a trade-in. I would also be very indebted even if I could get in touch with the owner to know best how to treat this beauty
You might now offhand, was this car raced and driven hard?
And also WOW this is why car forums rock, thanks for commenting and sharing this info!!! Small world, in less than 3 days of signing up and posting I connected with a person once removed from the previous owner.
Wow, there she is. I got the car in Rancho Cucamonga actually, it was sold at an auction in Riverside. I would be really curious to know why the previous owner sold it, and why it was traded in when it seemingly was worth a lot more than what he/she would have gotten for it as a trade-in. I would also be very indebted even if I could get in touch with the owner to know best how to treat this beauty
You might now offhand, was this car raced and driven hard?
And also WOW this is why car forums rock, thanks for commenting and sharing this info!!! Small world, in less than 3 days of signing up and posting I connected with a person once removed from the previous owner.
I cannot remember his name, I know he's on AcuraZine, but I cannot for the life of me find his username under the San Diego regional thread.
He was an older gentleman, probably in his 60s, and it was primarily used as a weekend car. From what I remember, it was boosted for quite awhile but he took really good care of it and it always looked in tip top shape.
AcuraZine always has great advice, just make sure the Comptech SC is properly tuned and you look into a good meth kit. Just an FYI, the Comptech ECM has been known to eat Js even on the Comptech factory supplied tune. Keep it from knocking and she'll be happy
I cannot remember his name, I know he's on AcuraZine, but I cannot for the life of me find his username under the San Diego regional thread.
He was an older gentleman, probably in his 60s, and it was primarily used as a weekend car. From what I remember, it was boosted for quite awhile but he took really good care of it and it always looked in tip top shape.
AcuraZine always has great advice, just make sure the Comptech SC is properly tuned and you look into a good meth kit. Just an FYI, the Comptech ECM has been known to eat Js even on the Comptech factory supplied tune. Keep it from knocking and she'll be happy
Nice, somehow I think he will show up or if I go looking over there I will find some more history around this car. Thanks again! I plan on doing my homework into a SC'd CL, my RSX is what got me into cars and now I'm hooked on Honda. Ironically I bought my RSX in SSM color with almost exactly the same amount of miles in 2008. I want to say within 500 miles. I got screwed on that purchase, 11k!! for a base auto!! Now I feel like I got a great and fun car for a great price. I'll be sure to treat here well.
Originally Posted by 01acls
So your turbo CLS is Calif smog legal, came with a Calif smog certificate?
Only a supercharger, and yup its smogged. Thanks for reminding me on this, I saw the smog paper quickly but I looked it up on Vehicle Test History just to make sure.
It was meant as a compliment! Now that I'm on my desktop I see that you're 25. The teenager comment was directed at you having one car, but rereading your initial post I must have missed the 7 year ownership part. I took you as someone onto their second car and already had their stuff together to the point that reliability and daily functionality were priorities over going fast and looking cool. I apologize that it came off wrong, and I could have paid closer attention. Usually people who get these cars want to throw coilovers on it and slam it to the ground for as cheaply as possible.
Anyway, keep doing you. Your forum maturity is 100% fine. Better than my own, apparently!
As for tuning, you'll just need to pull up the carpet in the passenger floorboard and toward the center console to look for an add-on box that ties into the car's ECU. That would be indicative of something that the previous owner used to tune the car. It's also possible that there is a complete standalone aftermarket ECU in place. I'd bet that it's a factory ECU, but this car has already had a few nice surprises!
No worries Jarrett! Now That makes more sense now, before I had no idea where you were coming from lol. I am super frugal and risk adverse, also this needs to be my DD I can't afford to keep my RSX as well so I am making sure I can rack up the miles on my CL.
Originally Posted by gnuts
do you have any aftermarket gauges in the car? Any that show boost/psi? The comptech kit came with a ESM (sp?) module that basically hides the boost from the computer. It would be wired in next to the car's ECU. If your car is on the low boost pulley (3-3.5psi) then the ESM will do fine. On low boost that setup will be reliable. It's definitely not a great tuning solution, but has proven very reliable to handle low boost.
Once you get more seat time, try and describe the engine noise more and pinpoint an area if possible.
Looked for ECU port and didn't see anything, still might be tuned I'll state why further below.
Originally Posted by Accord316
Great find dude with supercharger and rims especially the low miles, mint condition, and 6speed combo...
How's ride compared to RSX so far?
Haha almost incomparable, I found out this sucker has Bilsteins on it, zero rub and smooth ride. Ive been learning stick so haven't been able to crawl over speedbumps very effectively and have been hitting them at 10mph + but with little impact.
Sorry for getting all out of order folks. Responding quickly to specific post as well as this general update: I looked under the back at this suspension and sent this pic to a friend who identified them as Bilstein shocks, seems like one of the only choice better than Koni's. Not very sure if it has the same setup up front, I'll find out soon.
Some noise coming out of the back of the car turned out to be the jack wrench coming loose, thankfully I found this compartment and the wheel lock key was located there, so that is good to know! I finally got to go over to my parents to pick up the car, learn how to drive without stalling, and bring it back to my place so I'll be able to wash it and take more pics of it with my identical color RSX.
The engine does feel a little 'buggy' to me and delayed sometimes, maybe this is just me being new to something with more than 150hp and a manual transmission. One thing I do know is that it does NOT like dropping the revs to the 1500 area. Let's say I am about to shift at 3.5 - 4.5k, but I come to a slowdown in traffic. I let off the gas, around 1500 it feels pretty luggy already, I would expect this feeling around 900 revs or so. A couple times when accelerating after this the engine pick up was very delayed, so not sure what is going on. This is why I think either a. their is some sort of tune b. I am a total newb at driving
Its a great freeway cruiser though I am just not very used to 6 gears, and it feels like it shifts super quickly through all the gears.
Yup, that's it, I wonder when it was posted. The autocheck report shows that it was sold at one or two auctions and then I got it for less than that asking price, so not sure what happened. Perhaps he just took the autotrader instant offer when it didn't sell. Too bad this never came up in my search before, I would have bought it straight from the original owner.
Side note on the CL...you'll need a spacer to fit stock wheels back on there. That one has a Rotora Big Brake kit on it. I forget what size spacer I used to run on mine, but I'm sure there's a post somewhere on here from another user with that kit on here. Maybe even Smitty since that's who I bought all my parts from.
Thanks guys for keeping this thread alive. My 2nd daughter was born on November 2nd, so I have been pretty busy between that and more recently trying to catch up at work.
Well I have put about 500 miles on my car now, including a drive down to San Diego where my car spent the first 97,9xx miles of its life:
Simply put, I have absolutely fallen in love with it. It gives me a grin and a pride I have never had with any possession. I love finding reasons to drive, and I even don't mind the stop and go SoCal traffic where with my newb stick shift skills I must be wreaking havoc with the clutch. I also figured out that a lot of the timing issues and issues with engine lugginess (but not all) had to do with me simply not being used to driving a manual honda with tons of horsepower.
That being said there are a couple problems. I don't know if the two are related, but 1st I let my dad drive it for some fun and he hit a dip at 50 and gouged the hell out of the top of the exhaust. You can't tell in the picture but its a huge dent, I can fit the entirety of three of my fingers in the area of the pipe that has been dented inwards:
Seems like this isn't a major issue as there is no leak, however I also am guessing this would probably affect overall output to a degree that it would be visible on a dyno.
2nd, I have two CELs: P0170 and P0171. Also the engine sometimes misfires slightly if I hit revs above 5k, and a couple times I have gotten a blinking CEL including once when I simply floored it in 6th gear at about 75mph to pass and it blinked over 20 times.
I also am only getting about 18 - 19 MPG with about 80% highway cruising, which I treat as inconclusive but seems to be on the low end even with my setup.
Seems like absolutely best case scenario is that a spark plug needs replacing. Knowing my luck isn't the greatest, I can't just hope for this to be the case however I'll start there. I actually began to buy some tools to help with removing plugs when I found out the supercharger must be removed to do so. Yeesh, okay well I don't have the ability to do this myself. I started looking for a good local shop I could try out and hopefully build a good and lasting relationship for down the road. I came across what looks to be a winner: Autowave. No I did not use Yelp to find them, I found them from a list of comptech resalers, did some research across forums, business review sites etc. and ended up giving them a call. I'll be taking her over on Monday and am going to ask them to do the following in light of the particular CEL, as well as take in any suggestions:
1. Spark plug analysis/replace with Iridiums if need be.
2. Supercharger remove/maintenance if needed (my research shows the supercharger was installed in 2004 so its been through plenty of miles)
3. Discern if possible, any effects of the exhaust being dented
4. Replace Comptech IceBox air filter
5. Inspect belts, timing chain, pump and valves (I imagine the 105k service was done in 2010 at year 7 of life, but if not it needs it ASAP, and maybe better to just get it done anyway).
6. Possibly tune/dyno. If this was tuned with Comptech ESM in 2004 (I still haven't found the tune unit or piggyback, but I also don't know where to look), is there anything I should worry about after 11+ years of driving supercharged? Should I possibly replace the current setup with a new unit like AEM, and re-tune for efficiency/longevity (not ever looking for a track setup here or to boast with dyno slips).
I am hoping the above covers it, maybe a coil pack needs replacing and that wouldn't be too bad. I am hoping/praying to spend a thousand or less to get my other new baby ready to accept another 84,000 miles like I put on my RSX in 7 years.
In other news, I am trying to get in touch with the previous owner to find out the service history and any other hidden gems/problems. I have an email address and 2 phone numbers actually, but I haven't called yet since I didn't want to be a stalker. I figure I'll call tomorrow and be as genial as possible, if I don't hear back I won't push it. However, when I sell my RSX I know I would gladly help the next owner put 100k+ more miles on it, so hopefully the previous owner throws me a bone.
Here is a list of mods I know the CL has based on inspection and going through the previous owners entire post history on Acurazine:
1. Comptech (CT) Supercharger (2004)
2. CT Headers (2004)
3. CT Whistles
4. CT Factory Cat
5. CT Icebox
6. Bilsteins in rear (assuming same in front lol).
7. CT Exhaust (2004)
8. Comptec Bpipe
9. Comptech Clutch
10. Comptech Flywheel
11. Rotera BBK 14' brakes
12. Rotera Slotted Rotors
13. CT strut bar
14. Wedsports SA70 18inch racing wheels
Originally Posted by Oldsman71
Nice pick up. I too am running bilsteins with HR OE sport springs. Love the ride and flat cornering
Thanks for sure! I have little to compare it to, but it absolutely sticks when I mash it on curved on-ramps hahaha. I'll be taking it around a few SoCal canyons soon to really get a feel for it.
Originally Posted by rockstar143
Welcome, fellow RSX member!
Love your new car, loved your old car (I'm sure)...I was on CRSX for a while, and ivtec.net and ephatch too...had an EP before the BOM RSX-S
This car forum is the best one I've ever been a part of, you're going to love it here.
Congrats again on the vehicle...what a killer car for so cheap! You cannot go wrong with your purchase!
Dude thanks a lot, I love my CL and I actually respect my RSX even more now. I truly think the Automatic RSX is the best of both worlds in every sense. It was so affordable, efficient, comfortable and fun. The CL with over twice the horsepower is great, but I drove my RSX really hard last week and the sports shifter is SOOOOO great in SoCal haha. I got 26 lifetime MPG which is awesome too. The only repairs I had to perform between 97k and 182k miles were a few engine mounts and a radiator. Phenomenal!
Heres an old picture, I'll be detailing both in December and I'll get some pictures of both together. Only mods I ever did were some aesthetic ones, and a Injen CAI.
I wouldn't overthink it too much, man...CEL's and teh J motor with any exhaust work are pretty standard and nothing to freak over as long as your tune is solid and your a/f is good...try clearing the codes and see how long before they return. The dent in the pipe...well, I would imagine it mostly misshaped it but didn't change the inner diameter too much...I'd have it repaired though given the forced induction.
Nice find, congrats. Lots of rare parts, surprised the Comptech oil cap isn't there. I have that same dent in my Comptech y-pipe haha. The flex pipe weave is not in the best shape on mine, I need to replace that.
Are you sure the Rotora rotors are 14"? I have that kit and mine are 13". Are your rotors 2-piece?
Looks like I am going to need to find a good friend or learn how to wrench myself. I was told the 105k service was never done, and that motor mounts need replacing. Was quoted over 3000 to do all this and to fix a couple other issues while the blower is off. Probably going to non-op it until March when my audit busy season is over and I can figure out what I can do and what I need done professionally. Im pretty sure I can do everything but the belts and water pump myself at least with the help of a friend. Previous owner might not have taken care of it as well as I had thought.
One of the needed fixes is a fuel line supposedly. I need to try to validate all this, but I will start there. That might explain the p0170/171 codes. What I had hoped to be my immediate DD is now my project/repair car
Originally Posted by RedRyder
Are you sure the Rotora rotors are 14"? I have that kit and mine are 13". Are your rotors 2-piece?
Ya Im sure they are 14'', my wheels are 18s. Not sure about 1 vs 2 piece I'll have to get back to you. I've never modded a car beyond a CAI.
Sorry to hear about your CL man! Try and buy this baby back from your insurance company?! Easily enough mods to get you some cash back because there are plenty of people looking for these rare CT parts. Would you ever think about just doing a swap into another CL? Was the drivetrain damaged at all that you know of?
Sorry to hear about your CL man! Try and buy this baby back from your insurance company?! Easily enough mods to get you some cash back because there are plenty of people looking for these rare CT parts. Would you ever think about just doing a swap into another CL? Was the drivetrain damaged at all that you know of?
I really doubt drivetrain was damaged. Someone should definitely want to pick up the powertrain all-in-one, it would be engine, LSD tranny, supercharger, competition clutch and flywheel. It shifted like butter before and pulled like no other.
Im curious, could that all go in an Accord? My friend and I were laughing at that, it would be the ultimate sleeper.
I really doubt drivetrain was damaged. Someone should definitely want to pick up the powertrain all-in-one, it would be engine, LSD tranny, supercharger, competition clutch and flywheel. It shifted like butter before and pulled like no other.
Im curious, could that all go in an Accord? My friend and I were laughing at that, it would be the ultimate sleeper.
Oh ya I am sure it would swap over relatively easy! At least the j32 block would because those AV6 have j series motors in them already. Getting that LSD tranny into an accord would be interesting and definitely be the start of an interesting sleeper lol There are a couple videos on youtube that I have seen of people throwing those j32 into civics.
10-18-2015, 10:18 AM
(I'd say it was a year back)
I still miss my old DC5.
