Repair Review Car

 

This new car on the future.. We like our Honda Accords around here, having awarded the car no fewer than 26 10Best awards, including in all five model years of the current generation. And so it was with keen interest that we watched Honda preview the ninth generation of the Accord at the 2012 Detroit auto show in the form of this coupe concept. Rendered in a gorgeous deep satin red with lots of glitzy chrome, the Accord coupe concept was not driven on stage but rather hurled like a curling stone toward the audience on a rotating platform, providing a 360-degree look at the car that will go on sale by the end of the calendar year. Based on this show car, the 2013 Accord will be instantly familiar to anyone who’s seen the car we have today. But the sharp creases of the current model look to be augmented with a few more curves, most notably in the line that rises over the rear wheel and the kick-up from the rocker panel. Also, apparently the front and rear ends will look exactly the same. The next Accord coupe will be roughly the same size as now, but Honda says that the sedan will be shorter in length and lighter. The latter will face some of its stiffest—and best-looking—competition yet in the form of the 2013 Ford Fusion, the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, and the 2012 VW Passat, to name a few, so to stand relatively still in the styling department places even more importance on what is found under the Accord’s skin.

• 2,354 cc 2.4 liters in-line 4 front engine with 87.0 mm bore, 99.0 mm stroke, 9.7 compression ratio, double overhead cam, variable valve timing/camshaft and four valves per cylinder

• Unleaded fuel 87

• Fuel consumption: EPA 08 urban (mpg): 20, country/highway (mpg): 27, combined (mpg): 23, 8.5, 11.5, 9.8, 24, 32 and 28

• Multi-point injection fuel system

• 15.3 gallon main unleaded fuel tank 12.8

• Power: 124 kW , 166 HP SAE @ 5,800 rpm; 161 ft lb , 218 Nm @ 4,200 rpm

• Four-wheel ABS

• 4.438:1 axle ratio

• Brake assist system

• Four disc brakes including two ventilated discs

• Electronic brake distribution

• Electronic traction control via ABS & engine management

• Immobilizer

• Spacesaver steel rim internal spare wheel

• Stability control

• Strut front suspension independent with stabilizer bar and coil springs, multi-link rear suspension independent with stabilizer bar and coil springs

• Part-painted front and rear bumpers

• Chrome/bright trim around side windows

• Day time running lights

• Driver and passenger power black door mirrors

• External dimensions: overall length (inches): 177.9, overall width (inches): 71.6, overall height (inches): 66.1, ground clearance (inches): 7.3, wheelbase (inches): 103.1, front track (inches): 61.6, rear track (inches): 61.6 and curb to curb turning circle (feet): 37.8

• Complex surface lens halogen bulb headlights

• Pearl paint

• Fixed rear window with defogger and intermittent

• Roof rails

• Tinted glass on cabin, rear and side

• Underbody protection for engine

• Weights: gross vehicle weight rating (lbs) 4,560, curb weight (lbs) 3,389, gross trailer weight braked (lbs) 1,500 and max payload (lbs) 1,060

• Windshield wipers with fixed intermittent wipe

• 12v power outlet: cargo, front and 1

• Air conditioning

• Roof antenna

• Audio system with AM/FM and CD player CD player reads MP3

• Automatic drive indicator on dashboard

• Below seat storage under passenger seat

• Cargo area light

• Cargo capacity: rear seat down (cu ft): 72.0 and all seats in place (cu ft): 33.5

• Clock

• Computer with average fuel consumption, instantaneous fuel consumption and range for remaining fuel

• Full dashboard console with open storage box, partial floor console with open storage box, partial overhead console with covered storage box

• Delayed/fade courtesy lights

• Cruise control

• Front seats cup holders fixed, rear seats cup holders pop out

• Door ajar warning

• Door pockets/bins for driver seat, passenger seat and rear seats

• Floor mats

• Driver front airbag with multi-stage deployment, passenger front airbag with occupant sensors and multi-stage deployment

• Bucket driver seat with height adjustment, bucket passenger seat

• Height adjustable 3-point reel front seat belts on driver seat and passenger seat with pre-tensioners

• Front seat center armrest

• Two height adjustable active head restraints on front seats, three height adjustable head restraints on rear seats

• Illuminated entry system

• Internal dimensions: front headroom (inches): 40.9, rear headroom (inches): 38.6, front hip room (inches): 55.9, rear hip room (inches): 54.6, front leg room (inches): 41.3, rear leg room (inches): 38.5, front shoulder room (inches): 56.9, rear shoulder room (inches): 56.0 and interior volume (cu ft): 103.8

• Low tire pressure indicator

• Remote power locks includes trunk/hatch and speed sensing

• Power steering

• Front power windows with one one-touch, rear power windows

• Front reading lights

• 3-point reel rear seat belts on driver side, passenger side and center side

• Rear seat center armrest

• Three asymmetrical split bench front facing reclining rear seats with fore/aft adjustment and zero adjustments tip/tumble

• Rear view mirror

• Remote fuel filler door release

• Front and rear side curtain airbag

• Seating: five seats

• Cloth seat upholstery with additional cloth

• Service interval indicator

• Front side airbag with occupant sensors

• Four speaker(s)

• Plastic multi-function steering wheel with tilt adjustment and telescopic adjustment

• Tachometer

• Driver and passenger vanity mirror

• Ventilation system with micro filter

PARTS LIST : Upper Mounting Bracket, Lower Mounting Bracket, Side Mounting Bracket, 8mm-1.25 x 30mm Bolt, 8mm Flat Washer, Spacer, 1/4-20 x 3/4" Bolt, 8mm-1.25 x 25mm Bolt, 8mm-1.25 Lock Nut.

TOOLS REQUIRED : Ratchet, Sockets: 10mm, 12mm, 13mm, 7/16, Wrenches: 10mm, 13mm, (2) 14mm, 3/8, 7/16, Screwdrivers: Slotted, Phillips, Allen Wrenches: 1/8, 5mm, Side cutters or Saw, Voltmeter or Test Light, Electric Tape.

TRX420 Installation Instructions :

1. Begin by removing the two plastic rivets on each side of the front plastic fascia, figure 1. Use a large screw driver to carefully remove the center rivet. After removing the center rivet, remove the rivet housing. Save the fasteners as they will be used to reinstall the front plastic fascia.

2. Remove the two side 6mm bolts securing the front fascia. Save the fasteners as they will be used later to reinstall the front fascia. Remove the front plastic fascia.

3. Remove the four 6mm bolts that secure the front skid plate. Save the fasteners as they will be reinstalled later.

4. Remove the two 6mm bolts that attach the front bumper to the plastic headlight assembly. Save the fasteners as they will be used to reinstall the front bumper.

5. Remove the two top 8mm bumper bolts that attach the front bumper to the front rack. Save the fasteners as they will be used to reinstall the front bumper.

6. Remove the four remaining bumper bolts that attach the bumper to the vehicle frame. Remove the bumper from the vehicle at this time.

7. Depress the side tabs and remove the plastic radiator panel from the vehicle. This panel will be reinstalled later.

8. Attach the winch to the lower mounting bracket (A2). Use the two 8mm-1.25 x 20mm bolts and lock washers supplied with the winch, and place a 8mm flat washer (B2) between each lock washer and the lower mounting bracket. Do not tighten the bolts at this time. Note: The end loop of the wire rope must be accessible from the top of the drum. If necessary, put the winch in free spool and rotate the drum so that the wire rope end is no longer underneath the bracket.

9. Place the winch and lower mounting bracket assembly into position in the front bumper.

10. Place front bumper and loosely positioned winch assembly back onto the vehicle frame. Reinstall the two top bumper bolts that were removed in step 5. Do not tighten at this time.

11. Place the upper mounting bracket (A1) onto the vehicle frame. Fasten the upper mounting bracket to the winch with two 8mm-1.25 x 20mm bolts and lock washers supplied with the winch. Place a provided 8mm flat washer (B2) between each lock washer and the upper mounting bracket. Do not tighten at this time.

12. Route the wire rope between the upper and lower mounting brackets (A1) & (A2), so that the end loop is visible from the front.

13. Install two of the supplied 8mm-1.25 x 30mm bolts (B1) and flat washers (B2) into the middle bumper mounting location. Place the supplied spacer (B3) into position between the ATV frame and the winch mounting bracket tab. Do not tighten at this time.

14. Install the supplied 8mm-1.25 x 30mm bolt (B1) and flat washer (B2) into the lower bumper mounting location. Make sure that the bolt passes through the hole on the lower mounting bracket (A2). Place the supplied 8mm lock nut (B6) on the end of the 8mm bolt (B1). Do not tighten at this time.

15. Place the side mounting bracket (A3) onto the bottom mounting bracket (A2) and install the two supplied 1/4-20 x 3/4" bolts (B4). Fasten the supplied 8mm-1.25 x 25mm bolt (B5) and flat washer (B2) through the side mounting bracket and bumper. Do not tighten at this time.

16. Place the motor terminal boots on the supplied yellow and blue electrical cables. Connect the yellow and blue cables to the motor terminals on the winch. Tighten the motor terminal nuts to the recommended torque of 5.7 N-m (50 lb-in). Slide the motor terminal boots over the motor terminals.

17. Position the winch on the brackets to maximize the clearance between the motor terminals and the adjacent bumper or frame members.

18. Tighten the four winch bolts to a recommended torque of 17 N-m (12 ft-lb). Remove the small tie bolt. This bolt should be retained for winch service. Reinstall the two 6mm bolts removed in step 4. Tighten the two 1/4" bolts, the six 8mm bumper bolts, and the two 6mm bolts to a recommended torque of: 6mm bolts- 12 N-m (9 ft-lb) 8mm bolts- 37 N-m (27 ft-lb) 1/4" bolts - 7 N-m (5 ft-lb)

18. Trim the plastic skid plate for winch clutch dial clearance. Skid plate should not touch the dial when the 6mm mount bolt is installed.

19. Install the roller fair lead using the two 10mm bolts, lock washers, and nuts supplied with the winch.

20. Reinstall the plastic radiator panel removed in step 7. Move the front plastic fascia into position over the roller fair lead. Reinstall the two side 6mm bolts removed in step 2 and the four 6mm skid plate bolts removed in step 3. Tighten the 6mm bolts to a recommended torque of 12 N-m (9 ft-lb). Reinstall the two plastic rivets removed in step 1.

21. Switch the winch clutch to free spool. Manually feed the winch cable through the roller fair lead. Attach the clevis hook, supplied with the winch, to the end cable loop. This is done by placing the winch wire loop between clevis pin tabs on hook. Insert clevis pin through clevis pin tabs and the winch wire loop. Insert cotter pin into clevis pin retaining hole.

22. Complete the winch installation as described in the winch installation and specification guide that came with the winch.

Hondas once-proud sporting image has taken a beating lately. Its last foray into Formula 1 was a disaster, made even more embarrassing by the fact its former team swept the championship the year after it pulled out -- with Mercedes engines. The on-again, off-again NSX supercar program is now truly dead, along with the iconic S2000, both killed in favor of channeling resources toward good, clean family transport like the Fit, Civic and CR-V. But now an unlikely hybrid sports coupe with a 6-speed manual gearbox -- a world first for a hybrid drivetrain -- is set to inject some passion back into Hondas performance heritage. Its called the CR-Z.