Tengu

Hi y'all, TSX is my first car and I've just started tinkering around with the car. My first mod will probably be a CAI, but I just want to remove the resonator for now.

Anybody recommend a nice (preferably cheap ) tool set that can fit all the bolts and nuts of the TSX? I don't want to use monkeywrenches and strip them. Thanks for all your input.

Tengu

LeeLee

Get a set of metric sockets from Craftsman - best tools for the money and life-time guarantee you can actually take advantage of.

moda_way

Because I've already done this... all you need is a Phillips head screw driver, 10mm socket, a long extention for the socket, and a flat head. Of course some time and patience would be good too.

dnb

As the earlier posters have mentioned, metric sockets are a must. Just about any brand out there will be better than an adjustable wrench.

Next: Helms manual(s), torque wrench, screw drivers, pliers, duct tape. (The last item is for life in general, not just the TSX.)

dom

Moda, would you mind giving some further details on the removal procedure? What you removed, Bumper?, How long it took? etc.

If you've done this already, I apologize that I missed it.

tehCOW

if you loose things a lot, i'd get an extra 10mm socket. you use that socket a lot on imports.

civic4982

Husky makes a good tool set... go to home depot and check them out. It's not too incredibly expensive like the Craftsman set. You'll need a large array of wrenches as well as sockets in metric units. Also a few different length socket wrenches as well as some extensions with one extension being one of those flexing ones (to squeeze around in the engine) would be useful. Also they've got those tools that fit almost every size bolt. They have little pins on the face that hits the bolt and work great.

civic4982

once you get all that you should probably get an impact wrench. It's a must have if you plan on working on your car, also you'll need a torque wrench.

gregor

I'll second Craftsman. Not especially cheap, but that lifetime warranty rocks.

Cheap tools will suck to use and may damage something.

MrChad

Just a friendly tip: on what I would recommend for tools.

I have what is likely every standard wrench craftman has ever made (two in some cases). And I can tell you they just aren't all that. I've broken a lot of craftman sockets and wrench's, don't ask, sometimes those bolts can be stuborn.

Check out the line of tools Lowe's Carries Siriously they are made for Lowe's by Snap-On. My father-in-law is a big gear head too and he got some for X-mas this past year. Best F'ing tools I've seen for the money. Snap-On tools for not snap-on prices. Kobalt tools has a new consumer in me. The only down side is Lowe's store don't always have to tool you need at the exact moment you need it.

Tengu

Taking off the resonator is pretty easy with the right tools. As for removing the bumper, it is not necessary. All you have to do is take off the front left wheel, pull the fender off and take off two bolts. One of the bolts is a B!tcH to take out and that's what i had a problem with. I think I'll go buy myself a nice metric wrench set. Thanks a lot for all your input.

Tengu

moda_way

Its best to visit hondacuraworld site and get the foglight installation procedure, but I'll give you mine as well.

1. Jack front of car up and put on stands.
2. Remove front wheels (this is optional, but will ultimately save you time for removing the resonator)
3. Remove front bumper by:
A. 1 Phillips screw in each wheel well
B. Many plastic pop fasteners under the car
C. A couple of 10mm bolts under the car
D. A couple of plastic fasteners on the top of the bumper
E. Once bumper is loose, lift slightly from the bottom of the bumper on each side and pull off (it will make a lot of snapping noises, but don't be alarmed)
***Word of Caution: Do not rush this process because there is a foam piece on the back of the bumper that can easily brake if you go muscling the bumper cover off
4. Remove 2 plastic fasteners from the wheel well closest to the resonator and engine bay (will allow you to swing resonator out)
5. Remove 2 10mm bolts from the resonator (1 will require a long extension on you socket wrench)
6. 1st pull down on the resonator to remove it from the air box in the engine bay
7. Route you hand through the wheel well into the engine bay and pull down until the resonator pops (and I mean PULL) from the snorkle which sits behind the driver's side light.
8. With the grace of the man upstairs, pull the resonator out by tilting, rotating, and lifting it from the area it used to sit in.

Click on my sig for other pictures.

I highly suggest you get the instructions for the foglight install if you don't have the shop manual. Someone should have them since I just went to the hondacuraworld site and found a broken link.

civic4982

good thing about husky and craftsman is lifetime warranty if you strip it.

XPLORx4

If you're new to the world of hand tools, don't have a ton of money to spend, and want a pretty complete set of sockets, combo wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, and even wire strippers/crimpers and electrical connectors, go check out some of the toolkits at Pep Boys, Kragen/Checker/Schuck's, or other auto parts stores. They usually have toolkits that include plastic cases and some of their larger count (130-pc) cost only $40. I bought an 85-piece set for $20 a few years ago with a plastic carry case, and it's worked great! Of course, I did have to replace the ratchet once, but none of the sockets have cracked yet!

Japanese cars use metric sockets almost exclusively. Since I own a Honda, a Nissan, and an Acura, I've rarely used the SAE tools. It seems the most common sizes on my cars are 10mm, 14mm, and 17mm. Occasionally you'll need a 12mm and a 19mm.

Avoid using an SAE wrench on a metric fastener because you could strip the fastener.

dom

Thanks for the steps....

2 questions though. Can you honestly say that your front bumper has fit back on as good or nearly as good as it fit before removal?

And, I understand that its nessesary to remove the front bumper to install the fogs but is it absolutely nessesary to remove the front bumper to remove the resonator? or install a CAI?

Thanks again

PS, did you do all that work yourself, or was a mechanic involved?

moda_way

1. Yes, the bumper is back on EXACTLY the way I took it off. I also did the same removal on my buddy's Prelude. You almost cannot make a mistake with it. Nobody helped me... this is all my own doing. Did you notice my father's Porsche Boxster S in the background. Yep, I did this in my parent's garage in Chicago on my vacation.

2. I'm not saying that removing the front bumper is the only way, but I promise you, it is the easiest way. If you want "correct", then the way I did it was by the service manual. If you want "quick", well, try someone else's suggestion.

I'll take pics of my car if you want proof that it came on and off with not issues.

As for installing a CAI, if the resonator isn't removed, then the filter on the end of the CAI will either be in the engine bay (making it useless) or will have to go where the resonator sits (hence it has to come out).

I can tell you that everyone at the Chicago meet on August 16th will tell you I know what the hell I'm talking about.

If you choose to do it another way... more power to you. I'm just doing it the way Honda engineers told me to do it.

TypeTSX

Wait till Sears has a discount on their Craftman toolsets. They are pretty afforadable then. Having a decent toolset will help you out so much if you ever plan on working on your car. While you're there, might as well pick up a jack and some jack stands.

I'll never buy cheap tools again! They are worthless. I bought a wrench at Pepboys for pretty cheap...broke it the first day. Never had a problem with Craftsman, and they get used quite a bit.

LeeLee

Here is a $40 Craftsman 63-piece set that should serve your needs really well. It includes both metric and standard sockets. The only thing that it doesn't have is 19mm for the wheel lug nuts, but a 19mm lug nut wrench came with the car anyway.

I've never broken a Craftsman tool. Probably because for the really serious jobs (rusted exhaust nut that require a 4-foot long breaker bar, for example) I borrow Snap-On brand tools. But for everything else, Craftsman is perfect. I've put my Craftsman tools through quite a bit and not a single one has failed me. If you ever happen to break a tool, a local sears will replace it for free.

Kobalt tools from Lowes is also excellent. They are beautifully made and much flashier to look at than Craftsman. Sure looks are secondary to tools but the polished looks are indicative of the tool's underlying quality and the attention-to-detail involved in its manufacturing. Someone mentioned Kobalt tools are made for Lowes by Snap-On, or something to that effect, I have no reason to doubt that. However, Kobalt tools cost about twice as much as Craftsman tools. Looking on Lowe's web site, they have a $50 piece set that contains about 51 tools.

As for HomeDepot's Husky, it appears to be a bit more expensive than Craftsman but doesn't offer any compelling reason why. It doesn't look as nice, with the old twist-dial type rachet that every other serious tool maker has moved away from. I gave HomeDepot a chance to earn my business a few weeks ago because I needed a 17mm 3/8" socket. My local HomeDepot's socket section looked like it had been looted. They had a very limited selection of single sockets, no 17mm, and most of the ones they do carry were out of stock. I ended up buying a Kobal socket from Lowes. Every other HomeDepot I've gone to since has a similarly rough looking tools department. If HomeDepot runs the rest of their store like they do their tool's department, they are going to go out of business soon.

Brad

I've had similar problems with Home Depot. The stores are not very well maintained. Just the other day I was shopping for some lumber, but the pieces looked like junked up scrap. I got really upset that the store had loads of non-saleable lumber that they were presenting as saleable.

dom

No pics nessesary, I believe that it worked perfectly. The only reason I ask about having to remove the bumper is that I installed a CAI on my Integra without removing it. Like someone said in another thread, all I did was remove the black plastic under the car and in the passenger side wheel well and popped out the resonator and installed the CAI all in about 2 hours.

I'm jsut really curious as to wheather that can be done on the TSX. Since it seems your the only one to have removed the resonator so far, your way is the way to go until someone else proves otherwise. I don't want to be the guiney pig to try another way unfortunately.

As far as I know, the bumber has to be removed on the RSX as well, so bumper off may be the only way.

moda_way

Removing the bumper is the only way that I would recommend b/c its the only way I can see getting 1 of the bolts holding the resonator on and the only way to pull it out of its placement in the front bumper.

MrChad

Dude, give it up...every photo you have of a resonator removal must obviously be a scam. Just like NASA on the moon and world being round.


Just give it up -- Let them learn on their own, you've warned them enough.

dom

I really don't undertstand the attitude in your post Mr.Chad??
No where in any of my posts do I question wheather Moda is Bsing. Is it a crime to ask questions about work I don't feel 100% comfortable performing? I just want to be 100% certain removing the bumper is the only way to get the resonator out. God forbid someone asks questions about the TSX at a TSX forum. Lighten up.

And by BTW, I believe NASA landing on the moon was a scam.

MrChad

The bumper removal is so easy. It's ment to come off, hence why Honda pulls it off on the fog light install. I don't understand why you would want to contort the inner fender plastic, possibly braking it or scaring something when the bumper falls right off. If removing a resonator is this debated for an individual don't take it out, and stop contemplating it.

dom

Again I fail to understand why me asking questions seems to bother you so much? I mean WTF are we here?

Lets review.
-I first kindly asked moda_way to post how he went about removing the resonator.
- He knidly replied. Thanks again moda
- I then asked 2 further questions.
1. Did the bumper fit back on fine
2. Was it absolutely nessesary to remove the front bumper.
- Again seemingly unbothered by my idiotic questions moda again kindly replied. I again thanked him.
- WTF is so bothersome about my questions??
- And is this such a big debate? I've asked 3 questions????

Please also consider the fact that another poster somewhere in this board has said that removing the bumper to install a CAI or remove the resonator is not nessesary. Please also remember and you would have known this if you read my post that I have in the past completely removed the black undercar plastic and plastic from the wheel well (removed and not contort) from a 98 Integra to install a CAI. All I am trying to do here is find the best possible way to do it again in the furture. It seems moda's way is the only way.

I sometimes come here to get information on the TSX and find out what other members have done. I don't see why me asking questions is such a burden on you?, especially since none of the questions were directed at you. I Idon't see wht you would'nt rather help me then just say "go try it on your own". Thanks alot.


And BTW, my only concern about this hole thing is removing the bumber. Why, because I've noticed that once something is on, its best to leave it on. Why is it that cars never look or drive the same after accidents? I was rear ended in my Civic 2 years ago and the rear bumper just needed to be painted no structural damage whatsoever. Well my bumper never seemed to fit the same again, and thats all that worried me.

XPLORx4

Hey domn-

I'd like to give you some peace of mind. I removed the bumper to install fog lights myself as well. I also re-installed the bumper after I was done. I did not remove the resonator, as I do not have a CAI and I prefer to keep my TSX relatively unmodified for resale purposes.

I can attest that, while the bumper is not as easy to remove and replace as has possibly been implied, it does fit back on as good as it did prior to its removal.

As long as you don't break or bend anything during the removal/reinstallation process, the bumper should reattach just fine.

If you do choose to remove the bumper, it "pops" off by pulling moderately on the edges closest to the wheel wells. There are pressure-clips there andunder the headlights. After both sides have been "popped off" the bumper lifts right off.

Reattaching the bumper was a little more challenging, because you must properly align it in the metal clips under the headlights to snap it back into place.

I hope that helps.

Tengu

Domn, my friend and i finished removing the resonator today. Here is what I (remember these are just my opinions) thought were definitely NECESSARY:

1. Metric tool set (i just bought them yesterday, they worked like a charm, thnx to all those who recommended them).

2. You MUST remove the front left wheel. Kinda obvious since you installed a CAI before.

3. Removing the bumper. When I looked at TSX's resonator more carefully, I realized that it was one big twisted mess. It connects to the stock intake and goes straight down to the front left wheel well and, confusingly, leads back to the center of the car. Although I do not have much experience with cars, this is the first one to have a 2-piece resonator. Taking off the bumper made the removal a 100X easier. So I'm going to go with Moda on this one.

As for power gains, i didn't feel any significant gains. But the sound is addicting. The deep growl at 3~3.5k rpm at full throttle is heavenly. Highly recommended.

OnE

dom

XPLORx4, Tengu, thanks for the help guys. Its nice to know a few more of you have also done this procedure yourselves. Moda's Car domain page and his explanation in this thread I think will be plenty helpful as well when I go ahead with the work.

And thanks for not ripping my head off for asking stupid questions.