CTR EP3 2002

[100hp]

[url]|http://thumbsnap.com/CLfsCx74[/url

So well done to anyone who writes one of these Reader's cars. It is turbo epic especially on a phone.

So my van died. I needed a daily asap. Man maths and insperation from danny@dc2, PH and EVO and a car locally on Gumtree meant I could be driving a "Leg-end". I paid £1900 for a car with the timing chain, service and new disk pads and callipers all round. This is not a detailers thread. The car never gets washed unless it needs it. I hope to enjoy it and not loose my initial outlay.

I am the 15th owner!!! In my book that means it has had 15 oil changes. The milage on the dash is wrong. It should read 140k at least. VTEC is strong and addictive.

The car is so analogue. Even down to little things like the heaters. I drive works Insignia. Those flipping heaters. What are they doing? They only have one job! You turn the dial and I swear they think to themselves.... What's he want....Oh yeah. Faster fan speed. Don't get me started on the switch hand brake. Yep always fun on the motorway when your teenager is looking for somewhere to charge their I phone! Anyway analogue is good for me. I am old. A good old fashioned hand brake.




I started with the basics

Oil and filter. Piece of mind and the good stuff!
New coolant as recommended by Honda
Pedal rubbers
Cleaned the hash out of the spare wheel well. No really. It must have been skunk. It stank! I know Honda lads like skunk works components?
Fixed the cigarette lighter
Adjusted the hand brake
Checked under the car, suspension etc. The rear calliper bleed nipple was weeping
Put the gear nob on straight
Untwisted the drivers belt
Fitted some mats

The heater was not working and the parcel shelf had speaker holes in it. A trip to an amatuer breaker my heart sank as the car was just a shell. I pulled this out of the wreck and the parcel shelf was randomly thrown by another car.





The wheels had to go. £80 for 4 from Gumtree and sold the old ones for £40. Tyres are Sport contact 5's. Just as well, all the tyres were a write off with splits around the treads.



I painted the dash and door handles back to standard. Refitted the incorrectly fitted air box. Cleaned the dials as they had finger prints all over them. The temperature and fuel gauge also needed resetting. For the temperature gauge I got the car up to temp then put the gauge where I wanted it to read.



I painted the valve cover and did the valve clearances. Fitted a clip for the bonnet stay and made a clamp for the battery. It is not pretty but functional.




I fitted the missing wheel arch liners and new number plates as I thought the carbon ones were a bit tacky and possibly illegal.



Oh yeah...I tried bleeding the clutch slave cylinder. It needed a pressure bleed in the end. The fluid was green and probably would have frozen as it is hydroscopic and absorbs water.



Keeping the costs down. My bonnet release. Light weight!

Last month the top guide for the auxillary belt needed changing. The centre exhaust pipe snapped and the engine mount needed changing.

Future plans are

New MOT
New clutch
Refit rear wiper and motor
Rear shocks

One more thing. I love the seats.



Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone who has ever taken the time to write one of these.

[sgtbash]

Well done on showing it some love, I always feel satisfied with posts like these!

The EP3 is still an itch i want to scratch, lovely cars.

[Butter Face]

Welcome to the EP3 club! I remember when mine was all standard

What happened with the heater resistor? Is that how it came out all broken like that?

[DannyScene]

I've been looking good at these to replace my celica vvti
Unfortunately it looks like all the ones within budget or not silly money (in my eyes) are all quite high miles

Any hints or tips to look out for? How are you finding the car with the high miles it's done?

[100hp]

Ha! I thought nobody had read my thread. The breaker had smashed the dash to get some parts out. As you can imagine I was gutted I had made the journey, that is till he gave me it for free and the parcel shelf. He was a top bloke.

[Ian974]

I really liked the one I had a few years back. I spent some time looking for another one around two years ago but struggled to find one that was in reasonable condition. Even having oil showing on the dipstick was a push with some of the ones I looked at!
This is how they should be, looked after as a workhorse and kept mechanically solid.
And yes, loved the seats!

[100hp]

DannyScene said:

I've been looking good at these to replace my celica vvti
Unfortunately it looks like all the ones within budget or not silly money (in my eyes) are all quite high miles

Any hints or tips to look out for? How are you finding the car with the high miles it's done?

Danny, I bought the first one I saw as I was desperate as my van died. The lad who sold it me had done about £900 of good work. Service, timing chain and new brakes. My test drive was as long and as fast as I wanted and he had a car he could borrow. I bought it as a rolling project. It's been absolutely great!

There are CTR's out there for £900 and so many being broken for spares. Now is a great time to buy.

I try and aim off for future maintenance. There is a legend on here with a Porsche renound for eating itself by bore score and he has 350k.

I also try and do my own maintenance although I got this far with the exhaust and thought I could spend my evening with my family. It was worth £30. The work I have done has been fun and a labour of love.

Bringing it up to a better standard has cost me about £900 but most of that is tyres. I really did not need to change the wheels or the colour of the dash.

Honestly it feels old school. But in a great way. The high revs and the gear shifting gives the car it's character.

I hope this helps?

[100hp]

Ian974 said:

I really liked the one I had a few years back. I spent some time looking for another one around two years ago but struggled to find one that was in reasonable condition. Even having oil showing on the dipstick was a push with some of the ones I looked at!
This is how they should be, looked after as a workhorse and kept mechanically solid.
And yes, loved the seats!

Thanks. It's great how it can go from workhorse to war horse! Remember the shifter? Every day I cannot get over it. Click Click.

Mine has definitely had it's ups and downs with 14 other owners. It's still only reasonable condition now. It's getting there.

It's really my plan B. There was no way I can justify running an E46 M3. The running costs of the CTR are reasonable. My money is better spent on my family. It also means I may afford some track time.

There are so many young lads who ask what should I modify first. I always think the basics like a service and tyres would be money better spent. It's maybe why like you said there was no oil on the dipsticks.

[100hp]

sgtbash said:

Well done on showing it some love, I always feel satisfied with posts like these!

The EP3 is still an itch i want to scratch, lovely cars.

Cheers Pal.I feel the same that's why I wrote the post. Kind of returning the favor.

It took me ages to finally take the plunge. Piston heads, carthrottle and EVO all did great features, but there's a great vblog on YouTube I got into as well. Started for me with "I crashed my car at the ring" It was a DC2 and I never really knew there was such a Honda scene.

The prices made it an itch I had to scratch. It's a classic to me.

[100hp]

Another day on the ramp!
Here is an update.
The top pulley started making a racket so that has been changed along with the auxiliary belt.
I wore out the front continental sports 5 in 6 months and I learnt not to buy rear calipers of eBay as the handbrake mechanism sticks ruining the pads and disks.

But the reason for this update is after my clutch change the gearbox filler plug fell out. I heard the plug fall out but at the time I had no idea what the rattle was as it hit the underside of the car. I then noticed an oil smell and after my shop there was oil on the boot.
The garage tried to locate a new plug but I ended up with some self help at the scrappy. £2. I also picked up a rear wiper motor while I was there.... finally and fitted it. Also one of the drop links on the rear was loose so that got tightened. Ready for the MOT at the end of the month.

A final note. Thanks to other Type R owners for the nods and waves.

[Butter Face]

Glad you're still going with it, shame about the sump plug, happened to me once, I had an oil pressure gauge and it saved my engine tbh!

[100hp]

Cheers Butter Face. I am enjoying your thread and always look out for your car. Probably catch up with you sometime.
Mine is nothing compared to yours as I am just keeping it running and it's full of mud or dust from my mountain bike.

[dannyDC2]

100hp said:

It took me ages to finally take the plunge. Piston heads, carthrottle and EVO all did great features, but there's a great vblog on YouTube I got into as well. Started for me with "I crashed my car at the ring" It was a DC2 and I never really knew there was such a Honda scene.

Keep going man, Hondas are epic cars! Just don't get too involved with the 'Honda scene' - I've grown out of it lately and prefer to blend in with the regular trackday folk. Got a bit tired of seeing amazing cars being built to compete in 'show and shine' rather than lap times

[100hp]

Cheers Danny. I enjoy your YouTube channel. You have some great times and friends, but stop making drift videos, it makes me want an E36.
My Type R was my second choice to an M3, like yours. I couldn't justify the money though. I was happy when you got yours on your vblog.

[Sammarine]

[url]|https://thumbsnap.com/zB1EfdfI[/ur

I am the OP. I thought a change was due since the 100hp is long gone. Time also for a quick update on the Civic. I have changed the pads and disks on the front. I used PBS pads. Night and day from mintex. I then changed the brake fluid and engine oil. Ready for it's first track day....nope. This car keeps on giving. Off side inner CV joint is rattling as the boot has split. I have a month before Castle Combe so plenty of time.

[u04pww2]

Sammarine] [url said:

|https://thumbsnap.com/zB1EfdfI[/ur

I am the OP. I thought a change was due since the 100hp is long gone. Time also for a quick update on the Civic. I have changed the pads and disks on the front. I used PBS pads. Night and day from mintex. I then changed the brake fluid and engine oil. Ready for it's first track day....nope. This car keeps on giving. Off side inner CV joint is rattling as the boot has split. I have a month before Castle Combe so plenty of time.

What discs did you go for? i've just bought another set of Project Mu pads, love them, disc wise i went for Evora dimpled and grooved so will see how they compare to my old brembos.

[Sammarine]

On the advise of a garage that tracks their ep3. I went for blank pagids. DannyDC2 on you tube runs blank disks and does well.
I will report back how they are on track.
On the road they scrub off speed a lot quicker than I am used too. I need to recalculate my braking distance.

[Sammarine]

It dropped a valve at Castle Combe track day.

[Butter Face]

Oh dear!!

[Sammarine]

OP. Name changed. A worriors death. Her last lap.
There were many like her. But 17018 was mine. She is off to Latvia to be recycled.
THE END!