I knew I should have snagged a photo...

The valve ended up facing up! I got the one with the smaller nippled as well, and snagged the nipple cover. You shouldn't have any issues.

 

Alrighty. I'm coming up on 125,000 miles. Planning some spring maintenance tasks. Let me know if I'm forgetting anything:

- Check valve clearance
- Inspect noise from right-front suspension when going over bumps
- Inspect drivebelt
- Rotate tires
- Replace brake fluid (I'm not super confident with hydraulics, so I may outsource this)

 

If you are replacing your belt, it wouldn't hurt to check on the tensioner to see if the pulley is making noise or has some play in it.

While you are rotating your tires, also check for wheel play (rock wheel back and forth while car is in the air, wheel fully bolted on) for wheel bearing, tie rod, and ball joint condition. Its also possible a bushing on the lower control arm may be the source of your noise.

Since the car will be in the air and wheels are off, inspect your front brakes. Check your pads for wear condition and see if your calipers are not seized. If you are feeling frisky enough, adjust your emergency brake too.

 

Thanks! Will do.

 

New side marker LED bulbs. They're nice! Replaced brake light bulbs. Broke off the locking piece for the panel in the footwell. How am I supposed to open and close this thing properly? I just couldn't get it to go back. And, know where to get a new locking piece?

 

Just a quick update. Car is still running tip-top. Currently at 133,760 miles.

Since my last update in February of 2020, I've only rotated the tires. Not many miles driven - barely over 11,000 since we purchased it. We're driving more now, though, so here's what I've acquired parts for:

- fix broken fog lamp lenses either with plexiglass or new ones by TYC
- replace fog lamp bulbs with yellow LED
- replace windshield washer pump
- another oil change and tire rotation
- inspect suspension

The noise up front hasn't gotten any worse, but something has to be going on up front. I've looked through the shop manual, and it doesn't seem like there's many replaceable bushings or other rubber bits - it appears they're built into the parts so I'd have to replace the whole part. I might take it to a mechanic to have them lube up the chassis.

 

Had another routine maintenance day. This time, I did some work I haven't done before, which entailed removing the front bumper cover.

Here's what I did:

• Oil and oil filter
• Inspect suspension
• Cabin Air filter
• Rotate tires
• Washer fluid pump
• Inspect coolant, top off

Our washer pump only worked a couple of times since we bought the car back in July of 2019. When placing a hand on the pump while someone else engages the washer handle, the pump didn't vibrate or make any noise. So I purchased a universal pump with plans to replace it. I get the bumper cover off and realize that it's just unplugged... Works fine.

At the same time, I notice that our bumper itself is dented quite a bit.



On top of that, almost all the clips on our bumper cover are broken, including the ones that hold the brush guard up underneath. Taking that into consideration, as well as the fact the washer pump was unplugged, I'm willing to bet that the previous owners replaced the bumper cover themselves, and didn't report the incident to insurance. We had the CarFax when we purchased it, and there was nothing significant in the history. So, that's a bummer.

But, hey! I replaced all of the clips on the bumper, the brush guard, and in the wheel wells.




Fumoto drain valve. I've used these on all my cars.

When you live in an apartment and have to cart all your tools and supplies to your in-laws' place...

Dog tax. She's wondering what the heck happened to our bumper.

Suspension looks and feels great. I wonder what the noise that we're hearing could be. I'm worried that it's a motor mount. The sound is on the right-front side, which is the same side that that bumper damage is on.

In other news, we're looking at getting a second vehicle. In order of most-wanted, we're looking at getting an Element, a CR-V, a Matrix/Vibe, or a Highlander.

 

Put some yellow LED fog bulbs in. Don’t worry, they’re not 20 million lumens. They’re only 1500.

 

I was getting the P2422 code on the Fit. Replaced the EVAP filter canister, but the code came back. Finally replaced the gas cap, as it was not OEM. That did the trick!

Also, go check out my Element build thread.

 

Well, Betty Beep has been scootin' along quite nicely. We replaced tires a few weeks ago with Hankook Kinergy PT SL. Some of the smoothest tires I've ever felt. Great wet traction.

Betty's at 145,000 now and I don't think she's ever had a valve adjustment. I'm going to find someone to do it, as I'm not sure I want to do something like that myself on a daily driver. Anyone have recommendations in the greater Seattle area?

Also, bonus photo from this winter when we had the Blizzak tires on - Betty was able to go anywhere!

 

Welp, here we are, almost a year since my last update. Really nothing of note. Just an oil change since then. Getting close to 150,000 miles. Still haven't figured out the noise coming from the front passenger side when going over bumps. All the bushings looked fine last I looked but I'm going to try to take a closer look soon. Also still haven't done a valve adjustment. I know, I'm a bad car dad. I might actually try it myself, but I'm not sure.

I'm going to inspect the belt to see if that needs replaced. Everything else should be good. 150,000 miles doesn't feel like that big of a deal for this car.

 

Have you checked the strut bearing on the upper end of the McPherson? That is one possible source of the noise.

 

Betty's sitting at just under 160,000 miles.

Last weekend, I finally got around to replacing the bumper reinforcement. But, also, the condenser. The A/C hasn't worked right for two years, and after 3 recharges and inspections, they finally found a leak in the condenser. I'm saying "screw it" to having shops do it anymore, and will be recharging the A/C myself, with UV dye, most likely next weekend.

Betty also needs new struts and control arm bushings, but those can wait a while.

 

Recharged the A/C today. Here in Washington State, it is not legal to evacuate your own A/C. Not sure about charging it, but I do know that you cannot purchase R-134a refrigerant anywhere. You can purchase everything else you'd need, but not the refrigerant. So, I had to order some online from a retailer that would ship it to me.

I've never recharged an A/C before, so this was a new experience for me. Seems like Betty likes to throw curveballs my way! I utilized resources such as this video from , and this one from . Unfortunately, neither one of them is detailed in their explanation of how to add PAG oil, so I had to use video. Thus, I was able to add in this PAG oil and UV dye. I added 25mL because I replaced both the condenser and receiver/dryer.

I used this manifold set and vacuum pump, which does not come with the correct tap for self-sealing cans. I had to run to O'Reilly for that, which they don't keep out on the floor. It was in the back.

The range of required refrigerant is 13.1 - 14.8 ounces. I believe this depends on the ambient temperature that day. Today it was 75ºF by the time I got to charging. Using a scale for both the first and second canisters, I was able to determine exactly how much refrigerant I used. By the time I had gotten to 13.6 ounces, the refrigerant was leaving the can very slowly. I took this as a sign that it was topped up. I closed up the valves on the manifold and checked this chart to determine proper fill level. It was spot on.

I spent a total of $406 on the bumper reinforcement and condenser from my previous comment, and all of the supplies and tools required for the recharge. The cheapest estimate I received from a shop was $1,500. Since we'd already spent $500 over two years having the system recharged, and neither time they did a true leak test, I said "screw it" and did it myself. Zero regrets!

 

Betty's A/C still isn't fixed. I replaced the valve cores, and it's still leaking somewhere. Can't find it with dye or a sniffer. I've pretty much given up on the A/C at this point. She needs a suspension refresh before a working A/C makes it up the priority list.

Got the most recent oil change lab results back. Betty's still going strong, but we did have to add 1.5 quarts between changes, and there's a bit of fuel in the oil. Anyone know what could cause that?

 

Well, Betty's at almost 170,000 miles and we're planning a full suspension refresh. Sourcing everything from RockAuto. Here's the list.

 

Welp, I've pulled the trigger on parts from RockAuto to do a full suspension refresh on Betty. I did the same for my FJ Cruiser. It's going to be a busy spring and summer!

 

Please keep us posted, I just bought 2007 Fit (206k miles) and I have a plant to keep it till 300k+ miles

 

I'll keep some records in my build thread. I'm just now realizing how long this will take me. 😅

 

Haven't started the suspension refresh, but just did the most recent oil change. Sample has been sent to the lab.

This OCI was 6,814 miles. Betty burned 1.4 quarts of oil in that time. I spaced checking and did not top it off at any point between changes.

Here are the things I'll be doing to try to find or combat this burning or leaking:

• Check PCV (should rattle) (pg 602 for full diagnostic)
• Clean MAF sensor
• Camshaft Thrust cover seal 91302-PX4-004 or 91303-P0Z-003
• Clean throttle body (if do thrust cover seal)
• O-ring 91333-PNA-003 (if do thrust cover seal)
• VTEC Solenoid gasket 15825-RB0-003
• Valve cover gasket (have in garage)
• Cam cover plug 12513-P72-003 (risky)
• 4x changes w/ Valvoline R&P 5w-30, replace filter after 2k miles on first one

It's also time to do another transmission fluid and filter change, and an engine filter change. Phew. Takes a lot of time being a driveway mechanic!