[Slobadon]

Got that Trans mount swapped out yesterday. What a pesky part that was to get back in. IT took a lot of maneuvering and patience and brute force to get the bolt holes to line back up with the frame. The best method was to bolt in the back bottom bolt on the mount first. Pretty much followed alinghi12 Transmission Mount Replacement Instructions thread. With the exception of not removing the battery tray at first. That was a big mistake. I ended up backing the wrench up to the tray and getting the wrench stuck.... then in my attempts to remove it, I broke the ratchet.

The battery tray has 3 bolts up top, and 2 down low. To get the through bolt out, I removed the three up bolts on the tray, and the most forward bottom tray bolt. This allowed me to leverage the tray just enough to slide the bolt and wrench out. I used an open end box wrench to put it back in.
Here's the old and the new. I really couldn't see the tears until I had the part out. I just went on a hunch and did the swap. kinda glad to see it was starting to rip out and I had not gone through all the trouble for nothing.

Extentions, Extentions Extenstions. This job needs lots of extentions, did I say extentions yet? Yeah, you need em. This is just to illustrate to do the back bolt first!

50815-SCV-A84 is the part number.


AND - Another 6 months of XM radio for $30.

 

[Slobadon]

HOLY MOLY time flys. I havent updated this in almost a year. How did I ever neglect you all like, this. dang. Its not like I havent done anything with the Element. Well, I haven't driven it much actually. I pulled a career change and now drive a work owned vehicle, a 2013 Ford Transit ( yes, there is tons of room in this car, but its nothing like an element. I used to think it would replace this element *gasp* but, uh, no. this thing is no fun to drive. But yes I can pack **** tons of gear in it, which comes in handy now.) and only drive the Element on weekends to pour beer at a local brewery. I really have no valid excuses, I guess out of sight, out of mind? I have done some work to it;

Another Mobil 1 and A01 change, and I put on new brembo blank front rotors back in the fall along with new Honda pads. I was having a horrible rubbing sound when coming to a slow stop and thought I should just replace both pads and rotors. (my caliper piston boots are still torn, and If the issue was not resolved, i would have replaced those also) It seemed to do the trick. Yes, the front rotor screws are a b!tch to remove. Lots of hammer time, pb blaster and a warped impact driver head later got them off.

Also, there was a problem in the brake job. I could not easily get the bottom brake caliper pins out of the bracket. Once I did, I could not get them to go fully back in. I'd push them in and then they would slowly inch out. I was baffled. Basically what it came down to was that the rubber bushing at the end of that pin had some how become swollen and was no longer allowing pushed air in the cavity to escape passed it and acted like an air sealed spring. My remedy? Rip the black rubber gasket off and pack it full of CRC brake grease. Which could have been the culprit since I have dressed those pins once before. So far so good. Braking is as expected and no annoying rubbing to a halt sound.

But now Im stuck with a dead battery :zombie004: . The sticker is from 2010, so 5 years on this tiny oem style battery is pretty good in my book. If i had continued to drive my original 20k miles a year, im sure it would still be kicking. Only driving it once or twice a weekend in a (Georgia) winter killed it. A jump keeps me going, but I was left stranded in a parking lot, so its time to hunt for a bigger battery replacement. Cheers!

 

[Slobadon]

Correction, the old battery had a 2009 sticker on it, that means the oem one lasted 2 years, and this current 51-R one lasted a few months shy of 6 years. pretty good. However, I stated once before, Im not driving it much any more so It's time to upgrade it with something i hope can withstand these weekly cranks. I'm not current on how batteries work, but if the previous one was 410CCA, then this Sears Diehard Platinum AGM Group 35 with 850 CCA should be just fine! 4 year warranty!

Pretty much a drop in. Flared the battery tray tie down rod flanges out a bit and picked up the adjustable battery holder from autozone was all that was needed. Got everything snapped back into place and the battery is held firmly in place. The battery came out to $264 with taxes, I did get $30 off with a discounted giftcard deal, but damn, I hope it will be worth the extra money! All credit goes to everyone else that have posted about this upgrade on here before me!

 

[Seijou]

Glad the battery situation worked out for you. Were there any other battery options you considered? I'm looking for something that would require no modification but has more CCA than OEM -- it does not have to be a crazy difference, just any increase in CCA would be nice. Any suggestions appreciated!

 

[Slobadon]

Thanks! Good question, as far as 51r goes, ive seen the sears, autozone and costco all rated as high as 500cca. Apparently they are all mfg by Johnson Controls and rebranded.

 

[daphne71]

If you ever run those AGM batteries dead, they like slow recharges better than a fast charge.

 

[Slobadon]

Good to know, thanks!

 

[Legioss]

Just put in a pair of Aftermarket SC style tail lights. Got them from ebay for $120 shipped. Probably my most expensive mod. They are Eagle Eyes brand and I think they did a great job on them. Cant tell any difference on the front light side, but the backs look different. Could be an SC/EX-LX difference, but I doubt it. All of the bulb plugs went in and turned to lock just right, except the driver side turn signal. Had to use a pair of pliers for better grip to turn it to lock. It was over cast today so I couldn't tell if they help with the sun washing out the bulbs because of the full chrome. At least that was my main motivation in doing this. Yes, my photos suck. Got a new Samsung Epic 4G touch, but it almost looks worse then my old camera phone, oh well. Photos!

Box with part number.

molded MFG labeling.

Before/After

Before/After

Wow. PERFECT photos set with detailed info. Just was I was starting to look into. Thanks for the great posts. Any recollection of the seller name?

 

[Slobadon]

Thanks! man, i could fish up his name, but it was so long ago and i know he sold out. These E accessories are brutal trying to get a hold of now. good luck.

 

[Slobadon]

actually, quick search for " honda element sc tail light assembly " pulled up left and right sets for $4790 per side. could maybe get cheaper for a listing with a pair. good hunting!

 

[Legioss]

actually, quick search for " honda element sc tail light assembly " pulled up left and right sets for $4790 per side. could maybe get cheaper for a listing with a pair. good hunting!

Yeah, I have been eyeing them and I have a fat ebay credit I have to use soon. I just started actually researching this and I was pleased to see the 'darkess' of the SC lights comes from the reflector, not the lens. Can you tell if your aftermarkets are the same way?

 

[Slobadon]

yes, 100% yes. the dark is all from a tint to the interior chome, not the red outside filter. Tinting the outside is a HUGE pet peeve of mine, that i wont go into my rank now. the SC style are PERFECT

 

[Legioss]

yes, 100% yes. the dark is all from a tint to the interior chome, not the red outside filter. Tinting the outside is a HUGE pet peeve of mine, that i wont go into my rank now. the SC style are PERFECT

Ditto. That's what has been holding me off on the change (I wrongly thought they were all lens tint). But somebody in a lifted bro-truck took out one of mine, so now need 1 (or 2 to make sure of a match;-)). And I have that ebay credit, so I might as well jump on a set. I found your set on ebay, numbers match. If anybody else is looking, ~$96 (incl. ship) via seller "partscontainer" for a pair.

 

[Slobadon]

Im slowly coming back to life. I get to drive the Element daily, for work pretty soon and will no longer be driving the crappy Ford transit for crappy company rules. Im about to put way more miles on my element than i wanted to a while ago, but i miss it. and i'll be getting paid mileage so that should make any fresh parts a painless ordeal. Time to get updating!

126k miles, did a mobil1 full synth oil change, 3qt trans fluid swap and the air bag recall. Now they can stop sending me those flyer! still to come, replacing the wrap on the storage armrest and laying down some sort of floor protection.

 

[Slobadon]

Lol, almost a year later, I now have 145k miles, i jumped up 20k in a year. yikes!

Ive missed some stuff, lets see. A few oil changes, just did one today at 145k. 5w20 mobil one full synth with the A01 filter. I brought supplies to dealership, they charged $13 and gave it a quick wash. They replaced the oil pan drain plug. $10, i could argue it, but its fine. Also, got the passenger side airbag recall done, for which they gave me an accord loaner for the day.

Now the bad news. My Element overheated in November. Here's the break down. The needle never pegged full, but came 3/4s. Saw it rising and cranked the heater full blast and engaged the A/C button to turn on the fans. Next day i opened her up and the coolant was low. Not sure when the last time was that i checked it, so i topped it off and watched it. The needle would bounce warm while idling. I found that the larger driver side coolant fan was not turning on. ouch. Also, i found that she now burns white smoke at startup. Its not steam. the steam comes out after the white smoke burns off in a few seconds. Im burning coolant. I did replace the radiator fan motor. Pretty simple process and followed a youtube video. Got the motor for $190 online. I have taken it to a local shop and had them do a few tests including a leak down test overnight with the plugs pulled while cold. they didnt see "a significant problem". recommended I record my coolant adding, oz per mile and get back to them. They didnt feel it necessary to go ahead and replace motor, or do a headgasket just yet. But this burning coolant is going to make a mess of things i foresee.

Luckily, I've built up some reserve for mileage reimbursement for work so these repairs will not kill me. I really want to keep the element running, so i see a new engine or head gasket in my future.

Also, i need to do front brake pads soon, and figure out something to beef up the suspension. I carry 600lbs fairly often and the E is turning into a bouncy house.

 

[Slobadon]

Many miles, and no coolant or oil loss. im puzzled. There's still a puff of white smoke at startup.

Next...

Replaced the quick strut assemblies on all four corners with OEMs, used google and shopped around many online parts stores to get the price down to 799 shipped. Also got the moog rear, upper adjustable arms and had the alignment set with 300 lbs of gear in the back to keep the camber in check with all my gear. It smoothed out the ride, but not as dramatic as I expected. I no longer have as much bounce in the rear though, so thats a plus.

Also replaced the rear hatch struts with the longer and stronger stabilus Sachs SG225002 . My head clears now.... but no joke, these are now sorta spring loaded on the open, and harder to close. but the originals needed manual assistence to fully open, so still, this is a plus for my aging and hard worked 10 year old E!

 

[Slobadon]

Hey Folks, thought I was dead, right? not quite. The E is still kicking and working as my gear hauler for work. I truly love it for this ability. Im logging the miles and wear and tear on it for sure, but i wouldn't have it any other way.

Today's update is a sad one. The starter died.

I knew it was coming and planned ahead with a weird form of lazyness. I purchased the starter motor and the 2 gaskets needed from Bernardi Honda for $309 shipped back in November after it started an anemic start sound/cycle. I had planned on doing this *Pain in the A$$* job myself, but with a crazy georgia winter breathing down my neck, i never got the nerve to do it in the parking lot. Ultimately, it decided to die on the loading ramp at my office. which worked out fine because i had a back up vehicle at arms reach. It could have easily been 200 miles in the middle of nowhere Georgia, i got lucky for being lazy. I ended up towing it to a shop near my apt and they swapped it out for $348. yeah, that's the high end of the pricing im sure. I didnt get quotes, and needed the convenience of a shop i can walk to and quick turn around time.

WOW. A new starter at 168k miles makes a huge difference. it used to start like *Whamp...wamp...wham...weeer!* now it's * Wee, Wee WEER!!!*. You get the point.