Blimey, that looks really good. Lovely installation too.
I have to say that this shape of Accord is my favourite. I think the earlier models are clearly Honda designing a car to look acceptable to very western tastes and being (Sorry) a bit bland in the process. This one (to me) seems to have a creeping Japanese domestic influence and confidence in design and is much more distinctive and all the better for it. Nicely proportioned too.
The most recent Accords are quite nice, but, as is usual for their time, a bit overly bespoilered, masculine and not as pretty.
Just seems that way - I actually have no idea of the design history of any of 'em
definitely my favourite era accord, on my list if the 3g ever goes bang. (14 1/2 years.. and counting) I've also never seen an engine bay as clean as this one for a vehicle its age, even the brake pipes and locknuts,,, impressive stuff.
Rare to find a 14 year old machine in such clean condition. My FJ was like that when I bought it 10 years ago, regrettably it's seen the rain a few times since.
[quote][/I have to say that this shape of Accord is my favourite. I think the earlier models are clearly Honda designing a car to look acceptable to very western tastes and being (Sorry) a bit bland in the process. This one (to me) seems to have a creeping Japanese domestic influence and confidence in design and is much more distinctive and all the better for it. Nicely proportioned too.quote]
I am the same - I think the 7th gen accord is the best looking, especially in type S trim.
Hi All
Just a little update on the work that I have done on the Accord.
Most jobs were to resolve minor issues with the Accord including Rear brake calliper replacement.
Buckled Wheel Repair 21-03-15
Since the day I got the Accord one of the alloy wheels was slightly buckled.
From earlier posts it was discovered that one of the front wheels had a slight flat spot causing a vibration to occur at 65mph. Since that day I moved that troublesome wheel to the rear where it has been for 6 to 7 months. Not wanting the rear bearing to fail I had to get it replaced or repaired as soon as possible.
After several failed attempts to source a spare alloy wheel from breakers yards, I decided to find out if the buckled wheel could be repaired.
After contacting BJV engineering alloy wheel specialist in Bovingdon Hertfordshire they mentioned it shouldn’t be a problem.
After dropping the wheel of it only a took several days for the repair. At a reasonable £30.00 the wheel was perfectly straight. A great job.
A known problem on the 7th gen Accord and nearly a year of ownership the headlight condensation occurred on a cold morning in March 2015. Not having the time or facilities to dismantle the headlamp and remove the lens I looked at other solutions.
The quickest and easiest way to solve it was to use silica bags. These silica bags absorb moisture which should be ideal.
I used 100gram bags which did the job and after 4 days all the moisture had disappeared. The moisture has since not returned.
Before
Installation of Silica Bags inside Headlamp housing.
After (4 days) Moisture disappeared
Supplier: Ebay (easipack)
Web: http://www.ebay.co.uk
Part: 100gram size
Part Number: 100 gram sachet (approx. 80mm x 165mm) – pack of 5
All the repair and fixes are now coming to an end for the Accord. The only outstanding issue on the Accord now are the rear brakes, currently they are binding as I drive and the rear wheels get rather dusty after a couple days of usage. It has been like this since I purchased the car in April 2014 and as it is quite an expensive job to overhaul the callipers I thought I would leave it to the last task.
Now that the rear pads are almost used up, now was the time to get them sorted. I decided that I would tackle the job myself rather than give it to a garage to do, so the first thing was to purchase the callipers. After browsing several suppliers I went back to Brakes international. After using them to replace the callipers for my Prelude in 2012 I was really happy with their service and quality of the re-worked callipers.
After placing the order I received the callipers within a couple of days.
I also ordered the handbrake calliper clip just in case it was snapped or broken when it was removed.
After reading a thread regarding the ALB560 pressure brake bleeder I have always wanted a machine that could bleed the brakes. Bleeding brakes is a long and tedious process and I always love machines or equipment that make routine jobs like this much easier. These machines aren’t cheap to buy so I held out to see if I could find one second hand.
With a stroke of luck I stumbled across one on ebay and won it for a fraction of the cost.
The machine comes with a standard adapter for European cars, but required a special adapter for Honda brake fluid reservoir so that had to be purchased new.
A great machine and highly recommended.
Honda Adapter bought separately
Supplier: Ebay
Web: https://www.ebay.co.uk/
Part: Alba Pressure Brake Bleeder (second hand)
Part Number: ALB560 (with standard euro adapter cap)
After having purchased the callipers, brake bleeding machine to hand, brake fluid and the OEM Honda pads recently purchased last year I was ready to attempt the remove and replace of the rear callipers.
On a warm April Saturday afternoon I began work, some advice from forum members mentioned that the hand brake cable assembly going through the calliper bracket could be an issue and indeed it was.
First I began by checking out this hand brake cable assembly and indeed it was jammed in place. Advice from forum members and respected garages mentioned not to be afraid to give it a whack. Not making any progress I phoned a friend to help. A trip to Kwik fit on an Easter Sunday gave my friend full access to a 4 poster ramp where he could easily get a long pry bar and the angle to hit it with great force. Several attempts the cable was released. Very relieved J
The following week the work continued and knowing that the cable was loose I had confidence that the calliper replacement should be straight forward.
I began by looking at the rear driver’s side and clamping the brake hose with these little things
I then removed the old calliper by unbolting the banjo connection.
The hand brake cable now removed with ease. It was then wire brushed and cleaned
The old brake pads were removed
Note how much pad is left due to the rear callipers constantly dragging for a year
And new brake pads installed using copper grease for the rear of the pads.
The calliper pins were also cleaned and re-greased using Three bond Silicon grease (not shown)
I then installed the new calliper, carefully connecting up the hand brake cable and trying not to pull it before it is bled.
The banjo bolt was cleaned and re-connected. Copper grease applied to the hand brake cable & bracket to prevent any future sticking.
Once that was complete I also gave the callipers a fresh coat of paint for the disc hub and calliper.
I previously had the calliper colour black but wanted the OEM silver look this time.
The same was performed on the fronts, new pads installed, cleaned and the calliper and disc hub painted as per the rears.
The same was performed for the rear passenger side and both callipers were replaced with ease.
Old callipers now removed – ready to be sent back to Brakes international to get the surcharge refund.
By this time it was starting to get dark and I was running out of time (this is what happens when you cramp to much work into one afternoon – lol), so I tried to perform a quick brake bleed on the rears only and by the time I was done the brake pedal didn’t fell right. From forum and respected garage advice it was mentioned that a full bleed session was in order.
This was ideal as it would be an ideal opportunity to test out the Alba 560 full pressure brake bleeding system.
Confident that no issues were to be experienced today and very excited to use the pressure brake bleeder system, I quickly got to work by jacking the complete car of the ground.
With the Alba 560 system connected to the cars battery, the special Honda adapter installed on the Accord brake reservoir and the bleeding bottle connected to the first calliper. I was now ready to bleed. With the system being fully pressurised the brakes could be bled in any sequence. I started with the driver’s side rear.
The machine was filled with brake fluid and the calliper bleed nipples was coated with red rubber grease to prevent any air being sucked in
The machine’s valve switch was placed in the “1” position and the machine began to chug to build up the pressure. Once it stopped the brake calliper valve could be opened.
Once opened the brake fluid started flowing and air was quickly seen.
I bled approx half a litre per axle which should give the car a full brake fluid flush.
Once this was complete the brake pedal feel was tested and brake performance was restored J
An absolutely amazing machine, it really does take the tedious action away from brake bleeding. Having three cars in the household it is a worthwhile machine.
Once complete the car was re-assembled
The brake fluid was tested with a laser 4875 brake fluid tester (which identifies the amount of water present in the brake fluid)
The test indicated a safe level.
After the test the car was taken on a test run and I was satisfied the job was complete
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New Tyres and Fitting 06-06-15
The current tyres on the Accord weren’t fairing to well, they tramline really badly and they recently started making a bearing droan noise which was really loud in the cabin.
I decide to get a new set of tyres and sell of the current one for as much as I can.
I decided upon a set of Dunlop blue response tyres in the specification 225/45/R17 94W XL
They arrived promptly from Camskill and within a couple weeks I had them fitted.
The current tyres were placed on ebay and sold for £130 which was a great result.
Hands free Bluetooth Failure and its Replacement 25-06-15
My HFT Bluetooth system had been fine since I bought the car and really enjoyed using it, 14 months later I started to experience the common issues like Bluetooth connection drop out and the steering wheel HFT buttons failing to work. The HFT would work occasionally and sometimes not at all.
Quite disappointed at this, I started to research the forums to see if there was a solution, various attempts at changing a capacitor component and oven baking were hit and miss. I then approached a company called BBA rehamn (most people use them to refurb the VSA/ABS modulator on the Accord)
They say they can repair these units at a cost of £350 or over £600 for a fully repaired unit. My jaw just dropped and thought this is not going to happen.
The cheapest option was to go for a parrot system, with full support and regular updates it was the best one to for.
The model I decided upon was the classic CK3000 model. A simple no frills system, very discrete and easy to use.
With the parrot kit to hand, the only areas to consider was to think of a position to mount the remote device and microphone, I didn’t want the remote to be mounted on any of the dash board panels and wanted it to be as discrete as possible but within easy reach whilst driving.
I decided a nice neat discrete location would be in the ash tray section. I don’t use the ash tray as I don’t smoke and the lid is always constantly open due to always having a phone charger plugged in so this was the ideal location. It would also be easy to remove if I ever sold the car.
I had to make up a little bracket out of aluminium which I found laying around in my tool box. Quite easily fabricated with anything you can find though. Bent it into shape and made holes so it can be fastened securely to the section where the cigarette rest stand is placed in the ash tray. I wanted to use the cigarette stand in the ash tray but it didn’t provide a good enough platform for the adhesive pad to adhere too. Easily done with some fettling if you wanted too though.
With the microphone, an easy position was to mount it on top of the A-pillar section but I wanted it to be more discrete than that. So I decided to pull the covers from the roof centre console. This would be the ideal location, hidden and discrete.
Supplier: Amazon
Web: https://www.Amazon.co.uk/
Part: Parrot Handsfree Bluetooth System
Part Number: CK3000
Supplier: Amazon
Web: https://www.Amazon.co.uk/
Part: Wire Harness for the Parrot System specific to the Accord 03-08 models
Part Number: Autoleads SOT-047
After reading a few threads and some advice from forum members the installation seemed pretty straight forward with no cutting required.
The Parrot system consisted of a couple of looms, microphone and a blue brain unit box.
Work began by mounting the hands free remote in the ashtray. I fabricated a little bracket out of aluminium and mounted it in the same place as the cigarette rest holder in the ash tray. The remote could have been attached to the top of the cigarette rest bracket but I did not think the remote would be secure hence fabricating another bracket. I made a hole to the side of the ash tray to let the cable pass through. The remote was then attached to the bracket using the supplied self adhesive double sided tape which provided a secure fit.
The next task was to remove the gear surround, followed by the ash tray section, then the dvd shroud surround and then loosened the fixings for the sat nav unit.
The wiring looms were all connected up – pretty much plug and play. Notice the amount of wiring to be hidden.
Due to so much wiring, space was pretty tight. I currently have the xcarlink ipod adapter already installed which took up some space. The best positioning was to mount the xcarlink and parrot brain box unit on top of the DVD player unit. Then the wire loom positioned on the lower section. A tight fit but all fitted back together ok. Both the xcarlink and parrot modules were secured using double sided adhesive to the top of the DVD player unit.
The next task was to mount the microphone. The centre roof console was dissembled by first removing the interior light lenses, then unclipping the ultrasonic sensor cover section. Four fixing bolts were then removed which loosen the whole roof console assembly. With it loosen, the microphone wire can be fed through to the front roof lining across the top drivers section of the windshield and then down the A-pillar – following the existing path I used for the dash camera.
Once all the wiring was in place, it was secured using tie straps and re-assembled. The microphone position works really well and definitely worth the extra installation effort.
Ultra sonic sensor cover back in place – hiding the parrot system microphone
The last thing to do was to connect the mute wire. The mute wire used on this car was the pink wire coming out of the main relay in the harness, this pink wire is to be connected on the rear of the sat nav unit (blue connector)
Tap into the white wire or fourth from the left
In my case, the car already had a Bluetooth system installed hence why the slot on this connector is already used. The pink mute wire from the parrot SOT064 harness was attached to this cable using a simple scotch lock.
A quick test proved all was working correctly, a great little system with excellent sound quality. A pain to install but it does provide a cheap quick solution to the Accords faulty HFT system.
After reading several threads about rear cameras, I only recently found out that the face lift 7th gen accords has a reverse camera signal output on the back of the dvd/satnav system. As far as I am aware the estate was the only model which featured a genuine Honda camera accessory upgrade.
With the camera costing as little at £12.00 I thought I would give this a go.
I recently installed a dolphin rear parking sensor system on the Accord last year and it has been fantastic, you can’t beat a set of rear parking sensors but having the parking sensors combined with a camera would be the best of both worlds and the camera being something of a novelty.
Supplier: Various
Web: Maplins /Ebay
Part: Molex to Female RCA wire loom
Part Number: See below
The first task was to create the molex to female RCA wire loom. The loom consisted of
- 0.5meter of speaker wire
- Molex KK molex Connector – manufacturer part: 22-01-2085 (2.54mm spacing, 8 way)
- Crimps for the KK molex connector – manufacturer part: 08-50-0032
- RCA female phono socket
Most of the above can be found in maplins or on ebay very cheaply
I had all the above in my parts bin which was very handy indeed.
See this thread link to wire the loom correctly http://www.tsxclub.com/forums/1st-gen-e ... stall.html
Note: the 8 way molex connector would need to be cut down to 7 way in order to fit the socket on the rear of the dvd player
Once the loom was made it could be inserted into the back of the dvd player – this was done previously when the parrot Bluetooth system was installed.
The next task was to route the included video cable along under the drivers dash and along the side of the car. The cable can be cable tied to the existing OEM looms under the drivers dash, tucked underneath the plastic trim along the side of the car and around the edge of the rear seats. In my instance I removed the fuse panel trim and drivers door side seal trim which made it a lot easier to route cable in this section. The boot interior was stripped away and the video cable was routed around and followed the same path as the parking sensor wiring right up to the boot lid arm. The underside trim of the boot lid was also stripped and video cable was routed into here.
With the video cable routed, the next stage was to remove the existing number plate light lens and replace it with the camera version. I specifically choose the camera which had the clear lens which allowed me to use my existing licence plate bulb assembly.
I was keen to go with the other camera model which has the built in LED number plate illumination, but I have read reviews that the LEDs do not last very long and the LED colour is difficult to match.
The camera assembly was clipped into place and it was a pretty snug fit.
To provide power to the camera I needed to tap into the reverse light supply. The reverse light wiring was located on the opposite end of the boot lid.
A tad of sleeving removed, the supplied cable which comes with the camera was tapped into the reverse light wiring using scotch locks.
With all the cables neatly cable tied, a quick systems check showed that the camera was operational when reverse is engaged.
A great exercise and a good result. The image quality isn’t too bad either.
The task list for the Accord is now coming to an end and most maintenance tasks for the car have now been completed.
However here are my future plans
Future Plans
- A full DA polish session on the body work to help improve the paint work condition
- Polish up headlights (due to slight hazing on drivers side)
- Convert the boot to auto open using gas struts
- Upgrade the Sat NAV DVD if I can find one second hand (current version v3.02)
Just a little update on what I have been up to on the Accord.
I haven't done very much to the Accord and the tasks have mainly been maintenance related.
Genuine Honda Sun-Shade Blinds: 10-10-15
However upon browsing ebay I managed to pick up a bargain on a genuine set of rear sun shade blinds.
A fraction of the cost when compared to Honda's crazy RRP prices.
Installation was easy; the rear sunshade did not require the clips and can be pushed into the recess of the rear window.
It stays in place securely.
The side windows were easy to install, however a few reports from other users say the self adhesive clips can fail over time and come loose.
So far they are holding securely.
A great addition to the Accord and provides great privacy for the rear windows.
They are easily removable when not needed and a great alternative to tinted windows.
Comes with a nice zip bag to store them in when not in use.
Parts Purchased
Supplier: Ebay (New old Stock from seller)
Web: www.ebay.co.uk
Part: Genuine Honda Sun-Shade-Blinds
Part Number: 08R10-SEA-600
First Service with Optima 0w/30 oil from LubeTech: 18/02/16
After having cleared an area in our second bedroom, I finally had the extra space to enable me to take advantage of the excellent deal that Lubetech offers on the 20 litre drums of 0w/30 oil.
Having previously bought the Castrol 0w/30 in 6 litre quantities for my services, buying a 20 litre drum for approx £85 (including the forum discount) is an absolute bargain and works out to around £28 per service.
(including the remaining 2 litres) (oil service every 6/7k miles)
The i-ctdi engine does not require the LSH C-2 low ash engine oil due to not having a DPF (diesel particulate filter), but it is only a few quid extra and for an oil with additional additives it can only be a better choice.
A removable tap was also purchased to aid oil distribution from the 20 litre drum, the tap works extremely well.
Not a single drop of oil was spilled on my first transfer.
I saved 1x 4 litre Castrol bottle and 2x 1 litre Castrol bottles from a previous service and used these to transfer the oil to the car when I came to service it.
The oil itself is great value and highly recommended to all i-ctdi owners.
Granted not everyone has the space to store a 20litre drum but if you can, an immense saving can be obtained.
Due to the on-going airbag recall from Honda I received a letter late July 2015. The letter mentioned that we would all be receiving a second letter which will prompt us to book the car in; it also mentioned the replacement revised airbags were being procured.
However after 6 months, there was no sign of this second letter so from the advice on the forums I decided to just book the car in.
I rang my local honda and they took my details:
-Name
-Car reg
-Mileage
They said they needed to order the airbag for me and will ring me back when it is in.
After 4 days they rang me back and i booked the car in for 20th Feb. 2016.
Airbag replacement completed Saturday (20-02-16)
The sales chap was very pleasant, signed some paperwork allowing them permission to work on my car and then I handed over the keys.
It took them a while though, just under 2 hours.
I had a browse around the showroom and was a good opportunity to see the other New Honda’s on offer.
The cars I was interested in was the new Type R – which they had in the showroom and the black edition of the CRV.
When the sales chap said my car was ready he asked me if i was a car enthusiast, i said yes i am. He then went on to say that the mechanic technician who completed the work on my car commented that my 7th Generation accord was the best condition well kept car he had seen for many years.
That comment really made me feel proud
Health check was all clear. We chatted about Honda's and my next car. I mentioned it was shame that they pulled the accord from the UK market. He went on to say that there is no market for the accord any more, i then said what about the passat and mazda 6. They still sell very well. He went on to say that the Accord was not developed further so became out dated very quickly. I think he was chatting bull jobby really.
I sat in all the cars in the show room, including the New Type-R. The looks are controversial but the interior, seating position is fantastic and it seems Honda has kept all the essence of a performance Honda inside. Lovely short shifter, manual gearbox and ITR bucket type seats. Price tag of over 33k though. lol
The CR-V black edition was the car that stood out for me though as a daily driver. What a fantastic car
I didn’t get any paper work to say the airbag was replaced though.
One thing the Honda technician missed was re-installing the glove box damper.
Shame on him!
Experienced a slight interior rattle whilst driving which got me really annoyed as I thought the technician didn't install the airbag properly or something.
Easy fix though.
My dash cam was running when the Honda technician drove the car in and then did the final checks before driving it out.
Obviously was turned off when he must have disconnected the battery to replace the airbag.
It does show they do treat customer’s cars with respect
(Except for when he drove over the kerb at the end)
I have always wanted to clean/service the EGR valve since purchasing the Accord 2 years ago, however the car has been running very well since purchase and I had seem to overlook it. Mainly because nothing was wrong with it and also the fear of those troublesome underside EGR valve bolts.
Approximately a couple months ago the Accord began to slightly hesitate upon acceleration. After reading several threads about hesitation, the main culprit was likely to be a blocked EGR valve.
With this info to hand the task of cleaning/servicing the EGR valve became a priority.
After performing a search on EGR valve removal for the facelift i-ctdi Accord, I came across this fantastic guide written by nighthawk.
Many thanks again to @nighthawk. The guide was a great help and couldn't have done it without it.
The first step was to remove the engine cover insulator. Once removed the coolant reservoir can be unbolted and moved slightly out of the way.
Most of the bolts are accessible with the two underside bolts having limited access for a socket wrench swing.
The far underside troublesome bolt wasn't the issue for me. That bolt cracked loose quite easily to my amazement. The bolt in front of this one was the issue for me, It just wouldn't budge. Fortunately my neighbour was passing by outside and with him being a well build guy, he managed to crack the bolt open with ease. Sometimes strength is always the key
With all the bolts loose the EGR removal was very simple.
The two underside bolts were very slightly rounded so these will be replaced to prevent any removal issues in the future.
Once the EGR valve was removed I was presented with this
EGR port on engine block inlet (3/4 blocked)
EGR itself – Notice the dirt build up
I didn't have any IPA solution (supposedly the best stuff to clean this grime away) so I used loads of damp microfiber cloths and scraped away the oily residue and soot the best I could.
The valve was checked and confirmed free moving, so I was confident the EGR valve was in good operational condition.
After cleaning the EGR valve it was re-installed, the current underside EGR bolts were re-used.
Port all Cleaned
EGR Cleaned
New bolts were ordered which came the next day. The bolts were then replaced.
After the cleaning the EGR valve, I fired her up and after driving it around the hesitation had disappeared.
Well chuffed, great expense saved and turned out to be a simple job.
Parts Purchased
Supplier: Coxmotorparts
Web: http://www.coxmotorparts.co.uk/
Part: EGR Underside Bolts x 2
Part Number: 90023-RSR-E00
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Throttle Body Clean: 12-03-16
With the EGR valve cleaned I was hoping to get the throttle body cleaned too on the same occasion but I ran out of time on the day.
So the following week I decided to give the throttle body cleaning a go.
There wasn't an official guide for the removal of the throttle body but several threads do show the removal was not very difficult.
The process was pretty straight forward with a couple bolts just being rather awkward to access. With the correct ratchet and a bit of strength all the bolts came loose with ease.
The MAF (mass air flow) sensor was removed (which sits on the top of the throttle body). This sensor was handled with care as it is fragile. This would be cleaned abit later on.
Once all the bolts and intake pipe was removed the throttle body came out without difficulty.
This is what I was presented with.
Oily residue inside the chambers of the throttle body and flap covered in oily residue
The other side of the throttle body wasn’t too bad.
The throttle body was fully sprayed with brake cleaner and all oily residue removed.
The engine inlet port was also cleaned as best as possible, once this was completed the throttle body was re-installed.
The engine performance has now been noticeably improved by being more responsive.
Definitely a job worth doing.
After having performed an EGR valve and throttle body clean, I thought a MAP (mass air pressure), MAF (mass airflow) and ECU reset would complete this maintenance task.
The removal of both sensors is very simple with only the MAP sensor requiring a special 5 sided torx bit for removal.
To clean the sensors, brake cleaner is not advised due to the chemicals being too harsh and which will damage the sensors.
CRC sensor spray is highly recommended.
I have written a DIY guide which detailed the removal, cleaning and re-installation process for both the MAP and MAF sensors.
I don’t usually post updates on MOT testing etc but just wanted to report that there were no advisories. The car sailed through its MOT with no issues.
There were lots of comments from the MOT tester and his colleagues on the car being so clean and well cared for.
Thanks for reading guys, the Accord is running really well so far.
Most of the main issues have now been sorted and now it is just about maintaining the regular oil changes. Let's hope the Accord gives me many more years of service. I have no further plans for any modifications or upgrade work to the Accord.
It's a great daily commuter car and I love driving it.
Future Re-work
-Polish front headlamp lenses
(beginning to fade, usual Honda headlamp trait)
Future Maintenance to do's
-Fuel filter replacement (has been over 25k miles since last done - 2 years ago
-Full brake flush and bleed - using Castrol React fluid
-Get leaky valve replaced on off side rear wheel. (very very slow puncture)
