RogerPodacter

Ok so my tsx is my commuter car with 240k miles on it. I know thats crazy. I'm just wondering how long i can expect this thing to keep going? It still runs excellent. I baby the car and change all the fluids.

Over a year ago i had the chance to trade it in but decided to keep it since i own it and have no payments. Am i asking for trouble keeping this car? I still love it and want to keep it. But i question the mileage and reliability. Any advice? Thanks.

Also i'm about to do the following to prolong the life of the car:

Replace the drive belt. And possibly the alternator? Not sure if i should do the alternator though.

Change the spark plugs.

Replace manual tranny fluid. Anything else related to this?

Change coolant. Anything else related to this?

Change power steering fluid. Anything else related to this?

Change brake fluid. Anything else related to brakes?

Not sure if i should recharge the a/c system. New lubrication might be good for the compressor. But some say this won't really do anything.

So thats it. How about changing any hoses or gaskets or seals? O2 sensor? Any electrical items to change? Thanks a bunch

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Hoses/gaskets/seals are things you can visually look at to see if they need to be replaced.

You might want to change your timing chain? Also, I'd HIGHLY recommend a thorough seafoam treatment.

BTW, you're averaging ~ 48k a year!

nj2pa2nc

whatever you have been doing-keep it up-

RC Randy

Having owned a 06 TSX with 65k on the clock for about 1 week, I hope my experience is similar to yours. After owning Accords, this car is definitely on the next level and I plan on keeping it for 10-15 years.
To get those kind of miles, even though they would be mostly hi-way, you have been doing regular routine maintenance?

1Louder

I think you're in uncharted territory for the TSX - or in a very small group. That's a ton of miles for a 5-6 year old car. I think your best move is to drive it until it dissolves out from underneath you - trading or selling a car with that many miles would be difficult.

I think your best chances are doing exactly what you're doing - stay on top of the maintenance. How's the clutch doing? I've heard recharging the A/C is not a big deal and not terribly expensive, but I've never researched it myself.

Congrats on the good job so far!

crcendo

iTrader: (3)

Changing the fluids and inspecting all wearable components is key. Otherwise, don't go looking for trouble. The car will let you know when something is wrong. I wouldn't be surprised if you see 300k out of it. They are very solid cars. I have 134k on mine and it runs/drives beautifully. I just changed the plugs, fluids, struts, couple wheel bearings, and tires. I'm definitely looking at long term ownership. Just think, to replace the car it would cost you 30k. May as well prolong that price tag, especially when the almost identical 2008 won't look old for another 5-6 years.

RogerPodacter

I did all the dealer service items up to about 130k miles. But not much lately other than all fluid top offs and oil changes with filter. This coming week i'm doing all the items i listed, except the drive belt. Basically all the fluid flushes that i can do myself, the 2 new air filters, spark plugs.

My clutch seems fine still. I had it changed at 100k miles even though it wasn't completely worn out t anyway. The dealer was down there anyway and we just decided to replace it anyway. I did the clutch check where you drive in 2nd gear and try to gas it while braking as well to see if the rpm's rise and the clutch slips. But it seemed super tight to me. I really turned driving stick into an art form by religiously rpm matching. I never engine brake, and don't put strain on the clutch/engine/drive train by leaving the car in gear for hard stops etc. I never even go above 3.5k rpm's during driving, except maybe once a month to just open in up.

I was just more concerned with the physical engine with this high mileage. Do the pistons break down? Values? What about 300k miles? 400k miles? Etc.

Aman

Honda has a general reputation for building strong and reliable cars. I think if you kept up with all regular maintenance and didn't abuse the car, it will outlast you.

RogerPodacter

Good to know, and i hope so!

So i just found some good news. Earlier i checked the drive belt tensioner i guess its called. It has the arrow that points to the indicator to show if the belt is basically going out of spec or not. I thought it was at the very edge of the outside of allowable tolerance. But i just printed out the service manual page and looked closely at the indicator. And it turns out that the arrow is still pointing dead center! See there's the left half of the range that shows a long rectangle block. And the right half is like an indented smaller block. Where these 2 meet is dead center, and thats still where mine is pointing. So this is good then? The actual drive belt still looks good to me, no cracks or dryness or anything that i can see with my eye. Should i replace the belt anyway? I guess it can't hurt, but i wonder how much it would cost.

nj2pa2nc

my nephew owns a 2000 accord, bought new. It has 325,000 miles with the original engine. He does not want to get rid of it-

1Louder

You might be the first one to find out. I think speculation data is going to be hard to find, becase at the 300-400K range the difference may be how you maintained it and how you drove - all of which are variable.

Maybe you should start an official "200K+ miles" thread so you and the other owners in that category can compare notes easily.

Also I know engine replacement is becoming more popular. The car isn't old, but the engine is aging. Maybe $5-6K would set you up with a new engine (when the time comes) and you'll get another 5-6 years out of the car.

curls

Replace the drive belt. And possibly the alternator? Not sure if i should do the alternator though.
I'd say change the drive belt anyways... you don't want it to break and leave you stranded, and the belt itself is cheap (under $30 probably) and the install is very straight-forward. If you can change the oil, you can definitely change this belt. Don't bother with the alternator until it dies, if it ever does.

Change the spark plugs.
Yes, definitely. $9.99 each at Advance Auto Parts.

Replace manual tranny fluid. Anything else related to this?
Good to do, easy to do. Nothing else to do.

Change coolant. Anything else related to this?
Easy (albeit sometimes messy). Make sure to get the Honda/Acura coolant made for our cars, it's great quality, long-lasting stuff. Nothing else related to this, except maybe ensure the fans come on after a few minutes of idling (fans on = thermostat is opening = functioning correctly).

Change power steering fluid. Anything else related to this?
IIRC, this is considered a "lifetime fluid". Check your manual if you want to verify this. Wouldn't hurt to change it out though, shouldn't be too hard to do, either.

Change brake fluid. Anything else related to brakes?
Yes, especially if its never been done before. Should be done every 3 years regardless of mileage (since brake fluid is hygroscopic - absorbs wter and lowers its boiling point). Fairly straight forward with a helper to pump the brake pedal. Bleeder kits can be purchased for under $10 at more parts stores -- they include the tube, a jar (use a glass mason jar instead), and some fittings.

Not sure if i should recharge the a/c system. New lubrication might be good for the compressor. But some say this won't really do anything.
I think I answered my opinion on this in another thread. IMO - not worth doing.

So thats it. How about changing any hoses or gaskets or seals? O2 sensor? Any electrical items to change? Thanks a bunch
Check the condition of the radiator hoses, power steering hoses, brake lines (especially the connections between the rigid and flexible ones at each corner of the car). Any significant craking, or especially slow leaks, get it looked at asap. Electrical - not really. O2 sensor -- not until you get a CEL code or fail an emissions test. (I changed mine at about 70,000 miles as a result of a CEL, to the tune of a $200 sensor... ouch!).

Miamicarfan

RogerPodacter:

Are you putting mileage on your car at the same rate that you used to in prior years?

Do you continue to average 37,000 to 40,000 a year? More? Less?

RogerPodacter

Well for the last year i lived very close to my job, so no. But now i'm back to commuting 50 miles each way. But i plan on moving back closer soon. Do you have advice for either situation? Lol

HoRRo

Definitely check your Timing Chain Tensioner and your Timing Chain. Nice job on the 240k miles. I hope to at least get the same out of mine.

moda_way

Topping off the oil is probably the best piece of advice, but since you are doing it, moot. Also see no reason to replace the timing chain if you have no indications it needs it. Given your reading of the tensioner, sounds like all is well.

As for the clutch, if it ain't broke, don't fix it (unless in the case where stuff was being done down there anyway.) Same goes for the alternator. The brushes are what typically go on those and given that this is a commuter, probably not quite there yet.

I'm in the camp that thinks getting the A/C (re)charged is important for it to last given the high incidences of it going and Honda just releasing a TSB for the CR-V on this very same issue (TSB A09-076 for those interested).

Visual inspection of accessory belt and hoses is exactly what should be done. If you squeeze the hoses and you see fine cracks to large cracks, REPLACE. That's the (obviously) perfect time to do the coolant too.

IMO, you've done everything that one can expect to do in order to get high mileage. As curls stated, it might be good to simply replace the PS fluid using the replace, drive a week, replace again. I will be doing it at 100k miles (at 96k right now). I have the MTF to change out at 100k as well.

wreak

Just FYI you're doing well with the serpentine belt, serpentine belt tensioner and the alternator if you haven't replaced them because mine is in the shop getting all 3 right now at 50k miles

Fox137

Wow! That is awsome to see someone with that many miles! Congrats!
I'm just curious to see if you've encounted the "common" problems others have scene on these Forums (the AC failure/console lights out/clutch creak ect..)

I'm at 118k Miles now.. and I plan to keep her for a while longer!

RogerPodacter

No major issues except my console lights DID go out a long time ago, around 100k miles. But the dealer wanted 1000 bucks to replace the whole dash. And they wouldn't budge. And since i purchased my car in philly, the dealer in cali did not want to help me out in the slightest bit because i guess they didn't get my business. Is there any way for me to get this fixed as a recall item or post-warranty item since it was nothing related to wear and tear or mileage. It just so happens that mine failed with higher mileage than the average, so warranty was over. But i don't feel thats fair, but what can i really do about it?

A/c still going strong. But i'm worried about those eventual failures of the compressor. Should i recharge it to re-lubricate the compressor?

And no squeaks with the clutch at all.

RogerPodacter

Well the tensioner was still good (in the middle) for the drive belt, not the timing chain. I don't know how to check the auto tensioner for the timing chain, or at least i haven't learned how to check it yet. I didn't think timing chain needed to worry since its a chain and not a standard belt. I guess i should take a look? I assume it's buried way down in a hard to see location.

On a related note, today it seemed my tranny was somewhat loose shifting into gears today. I think it was just my imagination because lately i've been paying more attention to it. Can't wait till thurs when i drain the tranny fluid.

Mokos23

dang, that's a lot of miles! i'm only at 77K still on my 04 TSX.

RogerPodacter

So today i changed the spark plugs, drained the tranny fluid, and siphoned the power steering fluid. But i'm an idiot and spilled a little steering fluid on some stuff. And got 3 drops on the drive belt. Am i screwed? I wiped everything off as best i could. What should i do?

Anyway the tranny is now smooth as butter. I had to fill it thru the check valve cause i couldn't get to the fill valve. I took the front driver wheel off and jacked up the car. Then to level it out to get the final 0.1 in i just lowered the jack all the way down with the tire off but made sure not to let the rotor touch the ground. Seemed to work fine. Man that tranny fluid was pitch black and grimey.

And i swear the new plugs has this engine running much smoother. Maybe its the placebo effect, i dunno. But the original plugs went 240k miles and the gap on old ones looked much bigger than the new ones.

Next up might be the coolant and brake lines.

curls

Damn that some good work!! Great job!

Its no surprise that the gaps on the old plugs are larger -- they do eventually erode over time (although iridium erodes MUCH less than copper, hence the longer change intervals). Glad everything is running smoothly and shifting well.

Brake fluid is pretty straight forward as well - make sure to follow the proper order (search here for it). Its not your typical "start from the furthest corner from the master cylinder" order.... it's different on this car for some reason.

RogerPodacter

Yeah this is the first real work i've done myself on my car. I feel like such a real man now haha. J/k

So yeah i figured those plugs are slowly losing electrons over time so that makes sense.

Brakes are next important thing. And yes i remember reading that the correct bleed order on this car is opposite of what normally would be done. I'm just wondering which pump i need so i can do the brakes myself without 2 people. I read i will need a 30 dollar pump from auto zone but hopefully there are even cheaper ones.

curls

Not sure -- I just borrowed my wife for a few minutes to step on the pedal.

RogerPodacter

Quick question, filling the manual tranny requires 2.1 quarts of new fluid. I just guesstimated the last 0.1 quarts. Is that ok? I filled thru the check valve so a little bit started leaking out when it was full. But i also had the car jacked down slightly so it wasn't exactly flat. Any thing to worry about if its at 2.3quarts or even only 2.0 quarts?

curls

Probably nothing to worry about, especially for a MT as opposed to an auto.

RogerPodacter

How bad is manual tranny fluid? I accidentally got some on the CV joint outside part that looks like an accordian or whatever. Could that cause corrosion over time which would expose the cv joint allowing dirt inside which could start grinding joints and stuff?

curls

its basically just oil, dont sweat it.

Dktran31

oh my, I hope my tsx stays in good enough condition to make it as far as yours! but i also hope that I sell it before i hit the 100k mark. keep up the good work, i cannot imagine doing 40k miles a year while i currently do around 9k!

mhaze20

This is great news. I was hesitant about keeping my '07 with 75K on the clock. The car runs amazing. And its fun....So much lighter and easier to drive fast than my TL (non S) Thanks for the info peeps!

DurgyNess

Wow this is awesome! I wish i had my tsx i wanted to keep it forever

Good luck

stylin

Congrats! Glad to hear you're at that high of a mileage! It definitely makes me optimistic on keeping my car for a LONG time!

mickey513

Should replace all the belts every 100k miles, regardless of how they look. The spark plug is suggested at 105k miles but I did mines at 80k miles and felt a major difference, no more engine lag. You do not need to replace the timing chain, it does not need replacing. What you need to replace is the water pump. As for the coolant and brake fluid, every 60k mile will be more than sufficent.

RogerPodacter

Is the water pump easy to replace yourself? I'd like to do the drive belt myself too.

Also i think i should replace the condenser grill as well as the highway miles has really worn it out. How involved is that?

The alternator is also making me think. It has not been showing any signs of failure. But when i turn on the rear defrost i see an ever so slight drop in rpm's. I guess not a big deal but maybe replacing the alternator would be a good thing. Thoughts?

curls

Every car I've been in will drop RPM slightly and/or dim the lights, when turning on the rear defroster. They are power-hogs. I would not blame the alternator, its a normal effect of the rear defroster. Don't replace the alternator until the one on there is dead, otherwise you are wasting money, IMO.

Water pump is supposedly a lifetime item. Also not easy to replace DIY. Drive belt is pretty darn easy as a one-man DIY, even easier as a 2-person job but not necessary to have a helper. As far as the condenser grille goes, I don't know man, sorry.

RogerPodacter

Well the grill is basically the front radiator as it used to be called, with all the fins for heat removal, right? All the fins on mine are in bad shape but seems to still work ok.

I just did my fluids myself. Drained the tranny fluid, power steering and oil, and put in new spark plugs. Next i'm doing the brake fluid and coolant.

Guess the drive belt, brakes and coolant are next priority. And water pump if possible, though that might be a mechanic job.

vitocorleone

Amazing! You're the anti-me. At my current rate of miles-per-year, I think I'd need to still be driving my TSX in 2030 in order to catch up to where you are now (I'm at 45k on a 2004)! Good luck and check back in every once in awhile to let us know how the car is.

redpoint

I had 212,000 trouble free miles on my '96 Legacy before I got rear-ended. The car might even have the original timing belt, and all I have replaced is the clutch, plugs, and wires. The compression is still well within spec too. I don't see why a TSX couldn't go 300k before needing a rebuild.

Anyhow, now I'm looking to pick up a '06-'07 TSX.

Dj Spiel

Wow...congrats man..jesus! The Acura I might get tomm has 109,000 miles and I thought that was alot.

damn.