Kiwi///girL

Hello hello!
First, i would like to thanks everyone that make this forum and keep the good work. I mean, all the information i have found in this forum is just simply amazing! That's realy awesome.

Well! My questions now...
I am planning to get a Acura 2.2CL 1997 5 speed.
I've always got Honda Accord, i still have one right now, a 1990 and a 1998, both coupe. So, i thrust the model a lot.

But, i do not know the CL at all.
I know Honda Accord always had problem with rust on the rear quarter panel near the bumper. Is it the same with the CL?
I will go see the CL i am looking for wednesday, what i should look? Rust, mecanical problem, esthetique problem (like humidity in headlamps/taillights, bumper lights, etc)?

I just want to be sure to look the good thing and not have a bad surprise when i will be at home after.

So, some more information about the car maybe!
Acura 2.2CL 1997, 5 speeds, 220 000km, brakes have been change last winter, the seller said the car have a lil spot of rust on the rear quarter panel but the car receive anti-rust stuff every years since the car get out of the dealer.
Here some pics





Thanks for the help!

Master Bill Flex

make sure the clutch is in good shape. thats the first thing i would look for. Then take it out for a drive and see how it behaves at highway speeds. If you can, take it up to 80mph. Make sure the suspension doesnt ride too rough or too sloppy. If the timing belt has been replaced within 100,000 miles, and all the other belts dont have big cracks or any noticeable damage, then you should be ok. Ask if the engine has been running either synthetic or conventional oil. If it has synthetic in it, thats a HUGE plus. Make sure all power features work well and dont make any strange noises, especially the windows. If i think of more, ill let you know

Anhedonia

80 mph = 128.74 kph btw and 100k miles is 160k KM

asianspec

iTrader: (1)

the only real problems that should encounter are wear and tear parts. check out the ignition and the EGR valves as they were problems for the 97's.

mitch14

check the wear on the driver's seat, the side bolster and the section i have circled here, it looks darker than the rest of the seat for some reason, therefore seems like it's been repaired or something

and the rust is the same on the cl, right by the bumper on the rear quarter panel.
Also check the top of the steering wheel for wear, they usually start flaking off probably around this time for a 97. mine's a 97 FYI and the steering wheel is just starting to flake off now.
Also check both power windows a few times to see if they work well. Inidcations usually are the window is slow to roll up, doesn't roll up right away, or noises etc...
try to find somewhere with a few bumps to test the shocks/struts, as it looks like that cl has been lowered on Eibach lowering springs. And with stock or OEM replacement shocks/struts, that drop will cause them to wear out faster.
can't think of anything else at this time, if i do i'll be sure to post back here again
...oh and 220k for a 2.2cl 5spd is nothing really. Mine has 286k and is still on the original engine, trans, and clutch (apparently) and it has no signs of slowing down or stopping anytime soon.
goodluck with the cl
and btw where in Canada are you located?

CG2PROJECT

Kiwi///girL

thanks for all the answer! i really appreciate it.
I was really affraid to go there and did not know what to look for. I am a girl so already a lot of person try to pass some stuff.

I am from Quebec, near Quebec City...
So yeah, sorry for the english, i have some difficulty some time and i can sound kind of strange :P

Anyway...
for the timing belt, here we usually change the water pump and the timing belt every 100k kilo. So, the car is supposed to have it changed 2 times now.

Like i said, i have a 1990 Accord, and i have, almost, brand new Koni Red + Eibach spring in case of something is wrong with the suspension. Of course, if i do not need to change it right now it would be awesome, but i know me, even if the suspension is in really awesome condition, i like when a car is low on the road. So... big chance i will not keep the suspension the car already have (if its some crappy stuff of course).

I will also ask for the oil he used, thanks.

EGR valve? How can I verify that? (I know mechanical stuff, i like working on my engine and everything but..... i still miss some training lol)

Thaks for the seat, i did not realise it wasn't the same color.

For the power windows, the motor, i've saw i can use 5thgen Accord motor to change them is that right? or just lubrify the part in the door? The junkyard near my house have a bunch load of 5thgen so... can be really usefull. Its one of the reason i like the CL, good looking, and its basically an accord after all and the parts are really easy to find now.

The steering wheel... pelling? like the leather on it is tearing off? eww... worst case, can i change it with a Honda Accord steering till i find another CL/TL one? I know we can swap a S2000 steering on a 6thgen Accord but is it the same hub on a CL?

For the kilo, yeah i know! Honda made really strong motor, that's why i really appreciate they car. I had a 1989 Prelude before, my radiator broke while i was driving but it was the week end and no garage was open. So i took a guess and tried to drive back home and... i did it! The climat control at the higher temperature i could, all the windows open, but i made it! lol... >.<


Other question, on my 6thgen Accord, the clutch is really strong to push, and its "normal". All the 6thgen i've drove was the same. Really different with my 4thgen, the clutch is really smooth. How is the CL? Like the 4th/5thAccord?

I know the engine is the same, but how is the acceleration with the 2.2CL? is it good or you get lost by a DX Civic easily? (i am not the kind of person to race on the road and everything, its just nice when you push the accelerator and the car move nicely ya know) ...

Sorry... i have a lot of question >.<
Just want to be sure about my choice. I will use this car to go at school every morning and everynight, so its going to be 2 hours drive on the highway everyday. I just dont want to have a car i will not like at all and be stuck with it, and more if its always broke and too expensive to get fixed.

Anyway... thanks for all the answer

Master Bill Flex

The acceleration is pretty typical for a 4 cylinder. dont expect anything faster than a 9 sec 0-60. They do seem to put out nicely at higher speeds, but dont expect to be amazed.

L3G10N

Well, we just come back from looking at the car. (I am Kiwi's BF btw).

WE finally see the car and....... we think she will buy it. There's some rust on both quarter panel but nothing too late to be fixed. The car is dropped on Eibach 1.7" but on stock shock. Luckily, I have a set of Accord 90-97 Koni Red who's laying in our spare parts room (lol we have way too much parts in it for Accord from 86 to 02 lol)

Driver's acutator need to be changed. Need an O2 Sensor too.

The driver seat didn't have the black tape on it and... yeah there is a scar but nothing big. once again, can be fixed.

The BIG surprise come from the engine. Guys told Kiwi on the phone that the car didn't have the OEM engine..... we were like.... damn... looking bad but... SURPRISE!!! Under the hood was sleeping a pretty cute F20B JDM with a T2T4 SiR-T LSD Tranny. Also an MSD Vtec Controler. 2.25" exaust line under the car too.

No weird rattle, no weird reaction to the car except idle is dying sometime. Maybe related to the missing O2 sensor? I'll have to check the Check Engine List code.

overall. I think the car will soon be sleeping beside my 98 coupe LX Accord and the 90 Coupe EXR Accord and the 86 Hatchback Accord.

More to come(we forget to take some pics....)

asianspec

iTrader: (1)

i guess you don't have to worry about the EGR problem.

Kiwi///girL

Well, the seller said he changed the EGR valve few months ago anyway ^^

Dicorp

seems like the car has been modded a fair bit.

if it's a F20b, thats a destroked H22 btw. nice peak hp but a little weak on the foot pounds. Make sure the timing belt has been done or do it asap. DOHC heads are not cheap.

look into a camber kit also if not already installed. and get a 4 wheel alignment in case it's thrown off and eating the tires.

OttaWacK

^^ good advice. Dicorp knows his engine crap well.

Just remember you are buying a 12 year old car that appears to be modded to quite an extent.

Anything can die at any time. Be ready to spend $$. Lots of good advice on here too.

L3G10N

I know all this Guys! tnx for the advice! I already had my F22B JDM with a blown timing belt.

as for the camber, the car will need a camber kit. But the car is already in the spec without camber kit. Curious to know how it was made but still.

IF she buy the car, Timing belt/water pump is the first thing too check, Also need to check why the Vtec is controlled externally and not by the ECU. This mean, I need to check how the convertion was made to maybe, restart the job over. I highly suspect that the car is not running the right ECU, this mean not the right fuelmap too...

A lot of thing to check up but the price is dealed considering everything we need to do.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Sounds like you guys found a good car, good luck guys

WineRed2.2CL

just buy it or go somewhere else.......seems real iffy this Kiwi girl. Looks like someone wants to jerk us around a bit ::scratching head::

Oh well

South Jersey CL

good luck, at least you dont have to worry about having a shitty tranny

L3G10N

huh??? WTF buddy? what are you talking about? I mean, I know pretty well my accord and MANY things related to Accord. I am part of QuebecAccordClub since 2002. Was Admin and Modo for this club a lot of years.

So, there`s a lot of answers I can answer myself, but there is some that I can't, like everything related to the CL itself....

As for everyone else, tnx a lot for all theses infos! This website is REALLY ressourcefull! One of the best I`ve ever saw.

Dicorp

if you know your accords, you already know your CLs. the trick is to know that
1) the 2.2 is the Accord EX-R for engine and brake parts
2) the 2.3 is the 98-02 4 cylinder non ULEV for engine stuff.
3) Other i forget but the noob guide should help ya out.

Dicorp

the camber cannot be in spec with a 1.7 inch drop. not possible.
the toe can be and that will destroy tires faster than camber if not adjusted.
check the condition of the inner tierod ends, they wear out quickly with a dropped suspension that is subjected to crappy Canadian roads.

The VTEC is always controlled my the ECU. The ecu controller is a piggy back device much like the APEXi VAFCII. It lets you lower/raise your VTEC crossover and adjust lean/rich settings slightly. I would recommened a tuner take a look at it and remove it if need be.

L3G10N

Dicorp, as for now, the Vtec is NOT controled by the ECU. It's controled with a MSD RPM controled switch. That's why I wrote i'll need to recheck everything about the swap. Maybe he`s running an ECU that can`t control the Vtec, Maybe something in the swap is not done correctly so the ECU can`t go out from Safe Mode, there is a lot of "maybe" here to explain why the Vtec is controled by the MSD box.

As for the CL is an Accord, I didn't know before getting here and going trough you Noob Topic. BTW, 2 tumbs up for this Topic, incredible.

As for the camber specs, We saw in the CAQ a LOT of garage putting car in spec with some redneck methods. That's why I wrote that I want to know how it was made. Anyway, i'll remove the OEM shock to put the Koni Red I have at home if she buy the car.

BTW buddy, will you be at the TAC Canam Meet in the end of May? Me and KiwiGirl are supposed to be there. If she have the CL, we will be in the CL, if not, in my 98 Accord like we did last year.

Once again! Thank you to everyone from here! I got a LOT of info here!

Dicorp

Does the VTEC work? if it does, i wouldn't touch it. Just clean the solenoid screen as maintenance and top off the oil.

Your best bet is to get the car to a shop will do a 4 wheel alingment. go from there.

Whats the TAC Canam Meet?

L3G10N

Yeah Vtec is working. But the point here is, if the ECU is not the right one, the fuel map won't be good too. This can be dangerous for the engine. I don't want to take any chance.

About the alingment, it`s planned with front/rear camber kit.

And the Toronto Accord Club Canam meet will be the last weekend of may. there`s a lot of different club attending the event.

there is a quote from the TAC Forum:
I did it in 2006 and 2008. Planning to be there this year again!

Dicorp

I live in Ottawa, Niagara is a 6 hour drive from me. My suspension is too rough for that long of a ride.

L3G10N

Come on! It`s a 9hours drive for me

Kiwi///girL

For the CanAm, go see this website, http://www.canamcruise.com

WineRed2.2CL

hey just seems like you have car knowledge but not enough?

I do not understand.

Ok so your 2.2 will be fine. You have a 5 speed? Well good for you make sure you check the tranny fluid.

Also its an old car so be prepared to maintain it. If you do then go for it if your broke and do not have any experience under the hood then get a Hyundia

Kiwi///girL

lol, funny you say that!
My old car was a Hyundai Accent 2003 and i had more problem with this car then with my older Honda Accord lol

And the CL have been swapped with a JDM F20B so now its a 2.0CL ^.^ If i buy the car (i will take the decision today or tomorrow in fact) i will probably remove the tag anyway. Not true anymore anyway!

We have enough knowledge in car stuff in general. But we know Honda Accord, now we know CL and Accord are the same, but before we did not know. And still, we have a lot of question.

L3G10N

So by your answer, can I figure that you are in top 5 bitch of this forum?
Everyone answered us pretty well for the lack of knowledge I had but you, you need to be this little pissed of any newb in here? I mean, what's your point by giving this kind of answers?

IF you don't like new people, just pass by and that's it.

Once again, for the others, tnx again for all those answers!

Kiwi///girL

Anyway, everyone will be happy, i just called the seller and told him i will buy it.

I go sign the paper and bring her at my home friday! More pics to come!

Thanks to everyone for the help! ^^

Master Bill Flex

L3G10N

yeah I love movie