1984 Honda Ballade review from South Africa
"The bottom of the Japanese learning curve"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Twin carburettors were initially poorly adjusted, and I had to fix them myself.
Poor performance at Johannesburg height, so valve timing was adjusted. Head gasket blew at coast level at 130 km/h.
Poor repair at AA of SA accredited garage, fourth timing belt in use now. Engine then lost all water and was stopped the minute the oil light came on - too late, engine badly overheated. Repair not good, using a repaired "new" head.
Started to blow into cooling water. Engine then re-done with original head by reputable engine re-builder in Port Elizabeth. Now missing and overheating.
Arguments rage over whether the aluminium (international spelling) block uses stretch head bolts or not, and whether or not there are spacer gaskets underneath the "free-standing" four cylinders. These "gaskets" may have collapsed due to the overheating and now the cylinders do not stand proud higher than the engine block rim. Nobody can fix this engine.
General comments?
When the car was new and ran for a few hours, it would not re-start until cooled down. This persisted.
The paint-work (green) is very good.
It started to rust very slightly after 17 years - can be fixed.
The interior is high quality.
A rattle from the left rear could not be found in spite of practically taking the inside to pieces.
The Owner's workshop manual (AK Legg -Author- = Triumph Acclaim) is very good except for really fixing the engine.
Recommended reviews
| Great value for money |
|
| Excellent fuel economy and price, but not very solid |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1984 |
| First year of ownership | 1984 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.3 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 3 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 112000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Chevrolet Firenza |
| Date of Entry | 18th June, 2003 |