My mechanic called this morning to say the Honda is running perfectly. He plugged the new ECM in, turned the key and it started! He changed the oil because it was due and discovered the oil pan had a lot of gas in it! He thought this might have something to do with the fuel injection getting the wrong signals from the ECM and the excess gas going into the oil. I will have to watch this.
Anyway, the damage. $580 Canadian ($437 US), most of it was the "new" ECM and shipping. Substantial but hopefully it will keep the old beast running for another year.
I looked at what was available locally for $5 - $7K, what I am willing to pay. It is pretty hard to find a Honda with decent mileage and a decent price but there are several mid 2000's Mazdas around my price. Most of these have 175,000 to 250,000 KM (108,000 - 155,000 Miles) on them. The '89 Honda has 300.000 KM (186,000 Miles) on it and is worth nothing.
I have to laugh though. If this was the motorhome that burned out some major electronic parts it would have cost many times that to get back on the road. Then I would have had something to cry about!
186,000 miles on a Honda? It's just getting broken in.
ReplyDeleteI know! Never in an accident, oil changes on time... In theory it should last as long as me!
DeleteThat Honda will run a lot longer with just a few repairs, and you know the vehicle.
ReplyDeleteYeah!! You do have a great mechanic.
ReplyDeleteMoney well spent to get it going again.
ReplyDeleteIn my youth, I always drove used cars, my rule of thumb was that 50 USD a month in repairs was to be expected. Keeping a car at 100 USD per month including purchase price was the goal. I have a winter 4x4 (02 Chevy Tracker) that I bought used, now, it is running more along 200 USD per month but during our Ohio winters, it gets pretty hammered by the potholes and winter grit. I put the increase down to higher used car prices and repairs. I could get by for much less if I went with two wheel drive, the 4x4 is much safer in our climate. And my good car gets to sleep in the garage all winter safe from the road salt. I do not have a number for that factor.
ReplyDeleteI was always the opposite. After my first car, a '59 Volvo that I bought in '63 I bought a succession of new cars. A '68 Rover, a '69 Volvo, a '73 Volvo, a '75 Datsun (Norma), a '78 Volvo and finally an '85 Toyota. These kept us in the car payment loop. When our son totaled the Toyota we bought a barely used Toyota with the insurance payout and have been paying cash for used cars since. The Honda I inherited from my dad.
DeleteHi stranger. I have not spoken with you in a while because we've been on the road; just coming back up from Miami and overnighting here in Palm Coast FL; will be home tomorrow night. For that price you may be able to get say a 2008 Toyota sedan which can run on electric and gas. My granddaughter at present is just finishing her last year of high school and might be looking for one which does not look like one like grandma drove it. Ha! Her great mother willed her this car when Rita died, She felt lucky to have something to drive at all. But as college looms, she wants a car which is in line with the other cars kids her age drive. If you are interested, I'll check it out. It's not a Honda, but a Toyota. .
ReplyDeleteImporting vehicles into Canada is a bit of a hassle, probably not worth the effort for what I would save on the cost of a cheap car. I did it for the motorhome but probably not for a used car. Thanks anyway!
DeleteHey, if you went down to Key West you could have waved to our mutual friends over in Cuba!
Bloggers (George, Steve, and Don) were taking cruises, so Beach and I looked at each other and said why not take one, too. The Royal Princess out of Fort Lauderdale fit the bill: 1) with Beach's new knees, it would not be overly taxing, and 2) we found one with the island of Roatan, Honduras (we had never been there) and heard good things, and 3) the Royal Princess had a 12-hour stopover in Cozumel.
DeleteNo, we didn't go to Key West this time, but stayed with some friends in Doral, Florida for a week after the ship docked back in Fort Lauderdale. Hated to come back north to SC as our lows here have been around 28F.
Would have loved to wave to Roly from Key West; we think about him and wonder how he is doing with his tourist business. Would you believe, there was a Carnival ship leaving out of Charleston here (yes, little Charleston) in November 2019 bound for Cuba and porting there for a few days. This was to be the first trip from Charleston to Cuba. But when looking at the schedule today, I no longer see it listed; just may have to give Carnival a call.
Hope Norma's second eye surgery has gone well OR will go well; you had mentioned that it would be scheduled this month or next.
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