A few years ago, someone on another forum asked the question, "Which tools do I need if I'm going to be doing my own work on my CRX?" It got me thinking (always a dangerous idea), so I inventoried my own toolbox, which I've amassed over the last 15 or so years working on Hondas. I figured it could serve as a basic template for anyone who's just starting out, and others would add their own "essential" tools so that I could keep having reasons to go to Sears without having to hear the wife say "Don't you already have seven of those?". 
Here's my list, as of a few years back. I'll try to see if I've added any new goodies since then:
My Essential Honda Tool Kit ( the "CRX Rebuild in a Box™")
The Basics:
A decent hammer. A good claw hammer is acceptable; a small 4-pound sledge is even better. Make it a 4-pound sledge with about a 14" handle on it, so you can still get into tight spaces.
A four-foot length of pipe. Make sure it's STRONG pipe! I like the "black pipe" you can find in the plumbing area of Home Depot or Lowe's. Works *great* as a "pry-bar helper" for those extra-tough nuts and bolts. (Obviously this won't fit in the toolbox.)
Prybars - 8", 20"
Torque Wrench, 10-100 ft/lb. A good, all-purpose torque wrench is a MUST, whether it's just for torquing your lug nuts properly or for building a good motor. Even a cheap torque wrench is better than none at all.
7/8", 12" long cold chisel. When you absolutely, positively have to get the lower ball joint separated, this and the hammer are your best friends. Often available only in a three-piece set. $20 at Sears, and worth every penny and more.
1/4" Roll-pin punch. I never want to hear anyone ask "How do I get the 'bitch pin' out of the shift linkage?" again. If you don't have one of these, get your butt down to Sears TODAY and get one. They're $6.99. You have no excuses. It's also a great tool for the suspension - when you've got a LONG bolt and a nut, and you remove the nut but the bolt still won't come out, just tap it out with the punch.
Utility knife. Preferably retractable, so you don't cut yourself rooting around in your toolbox. Sooner or later, you're going to have to cut something - wires, hoses, yourself. You'll want a good, sturdy, sharp knife for the job. A razor leaves a cleaner cut than a hunting knife when you slip with it, too - no big mess or ugly scars.
Safety glasses. Trust me - I already had an emergency trip to the optometrist to remove aluminum shavings from my eye. DON'T "Be Like Mike". The safety goggles are cheaper. And less scary.
A Dremel rotary tool. I prefer a cordless model, since it can go to the junkyard with me. Also, a variety of cut-off wheels is good. And yes, I *do* consider this an Essential Tool.
PB Blaster. WD-40 is NOT a penetrating oil.
A good assortment of sockets is a necessity, NOT a luxury. If you don't have them, you'll need them at one point or another. I've been able to do it all with these:
1/4"-drive ratchet with 4mm-12mm sockets. I bought cheapies; these never see mad torque anyway. An 8mm deep socket is good for getting taillight nuts off.
3/8"-drive ratchet. I like Sears' 11" long "Professional" model - but that's because they gave it to me as a replacement for my swivel-head ratchet that blew up. They didn't have the swivel-head in stock, so I got a much better ratchet for free. Besides, I *hate* the swivel-head - it always swivels just when you don't want it to.
3/8"-drive socket sets: short, medium, and deep, all in 10mm-19mm sizes. For some jobs, the shorties are the only ones that will fit. For others, only the deep sockets will work. For *most* jobs, the medium ones are perfect. I consider them ALL Essential at this point.
3/8"-drive extensions. I've been able to get along great with just the 3" and 6" extensions. I once owned a 10" extension, but never really used it, and I have no idea where it is now. No loss.
1/2"-drive ratchet.
1/2"-drive, 20" breaker bar. With this and a four-foot length of pipe, axle nuts have met their match.
1/2"-drive sockets. I like the basic set, in 9mm-19mm sizes.
1/2"-drive 32mm socket. If you ever need to remove the axle nut, you need this. For an Accord, make it a 36mm.
1/2"-drive extensions, 4" and 10".
1/2" to 3/8" adapter.
A good set of screwdrivers, or at least a #2 Phillips and 1/8 and 1/4 flat screwdrivers.
Vice Grips - a large and a small make a good set.
Long-handle bent-nose pliers. Great for those hard-to-reach hose clamps.
Small needlenose pliers. Perfect for removing Cotter pins from the suspension.
A large (12") Crescent or similar adjustable wrench. There WILL be times when you'll need a really BIG wrench (fuel pressure regulator, for example)
A good set of combination (open and box-end) wrenches. I like the 8mm-19mm set. At the very least, you need 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, and 19mm. Believe it or not, there ARE times when you might need the 13mm and 15mm sizes - for instance, if you're using non-Honda rear hatch struts, they're not "Honda-standard" sizes.
Snap-ring pliers. Great for helping remove ball joints. Or torsion bars on a first-gen CRX. Also necessary when installing a short shifter. I bought a cheapie set with interchangeable jaws for different tasks. I'll be upgrading, since I've found them quite useful.
Brake Parts Cleaner (aerosol). Yup, it's essential, and not only for brake parts. Just about ANY part you pull off an 18-year-old car is going to be messy. This stuff will help clean it up, quick.
ZEP Formula 505 Degreaser. This is available at Home Depot for about $7 a gallon. It is STRONG stuff. I put some in a bucket or bin, dump some parts in, and scrub away. It will take the "coke" or "varnish" off the inside of a valve cover in about 5 minutes. How strong is it? Well, it says NOT to soak aluminum in it for long periods, as it will eat the aluminum! For a quick scrub, though, I've never seen any pitting or problems on aluminum. Be sure to wear some good dishwashing gloves - this stuff will eat right through nitrile/latex gloves! And DO NOT USE IT WITHOUT GLOVES!!! Your hands have never felt so dry... It degreases your skin, too, eating away all your skin's natural oils, and leaving you with the driest, tightest hands you'll ever felt. It's a creepy feeling, and not in a good way.
Tune-up Kit:
Spark Plug socket (the smaller size - 5/8")
Feeler gauges - bent. Make sure they've got at least 0.007" to 0.011" included, for adjusting valves.
HondaBond or equivalent gasket sealer. Permatex Ultra Grey is fine. A dab where the valve cover meets the cam journals, and you'll never complain of a leaking valve cover gasket again. An absolute must if you're planning on replacing anything with a gasket.
O2 sensor socket. Why struggle with a wrench when a shot of PB Blaster and an O2 socket will get 'er done?
Extras. For those odd or one-time jobs, these can save your butt - or just make the job a little easier:
3/8"-drive 14mm wobble socket. The ONLY place I've needed this is to remove the rear transmission mount insert from the steering rack. No other socket or combination of socket/u-joint would work for me.
3/8"-drive Phillips-head #2 screwdriver socket. Who says you need an impact gun to get those rusted brake rotor screws out? What you NEED is a way to get torque on them, and a socket and long ratchet provide plenty of that.
GearWrenches. These are your basic combination wrenches, with a twist: the box-end part is a ratcheting wrench. Wonderful for tight jobs where you can't quite see to get the wrench on, a socket won't fit, and you don't want to spend all day loosening or tightening. Not essential, but nice to have for the price. I got a set that includes 10mm-19mm sizes, but I had to search a bit to find it. Many of the sets only go to 18mm, or don't have a 17mm size. They DO make a set that has 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, and 19mm sizes included. I got mine for $40 at Lowe's.
Essential Fluids:
Coolant, of course. Honda recommends their own pre-mix, but I've never had any problem with good ol' Prestone. One thing I will recommend, though - mix it with DISTILLED WATER. In many areas, the tap water has so many minerals in it that it will eventually clog the coolant passages and water pump with deposits (usually lime and calcium). I ran distilled water for twelve years in my first Honda, and when I pulled the engine apart, the coolant passages looked brand new - no corrosion, no scale, no buildup. I was sold and have never used anything else since.
Transmission oil. Two ways to go here - Honda is NOW recommending their Manual Transmission Fluid (MTF) for *all* their manual transmissions and gearboxes. In the old days (when our cars were made), they recommended plain old SAE 10W-30 motor oil. I've used both with great results. Nowadays, I usually opt for the MTF, since Honda *recommends* it, but 10W-30 is just fine, too.
Engine oil. I like Castrol 10W-40, but that's just me. I hear really bad things about Pennzoil - lots of paraffin in the mix, which leads to gunk building up in the cylinder head and clogging up the valvetrain. I can't swear by that, but I've been with Castrol for 20 years, and it's what Honda uses from the factory, so it can't be too bad.
Brake Fluid. I like Valvoline Heavy Duty brake fluid. It's got a very high (above 540ºF, I believe) boiling point, and it just seems to give a little firmer pedal. I've used ATE SuperBlue Racing fluid as well, and I can't tell the difference between the two, except in my wallet - the ATE is about $20 a liter, and the Valvoline is about $5.
Engine Swapping: Handy Things to Have
SOME way of removing the damn crank-pulley bolt. Usually, a good air impact driver and a good compressor will do the trick, but not always. I've actually had to borrow the "Official" Honda Crank Pulley Bolt Removal Tool from the dealership to do this. Yes, it definitely helps to have friends who work at Honda. The good news is, this tool IS available in the aftermarket now. The bad news is, it's about $140. I'm buying it, because I need it far more often than just once every three or four years. [Edit: I bought the special wrench from SIR Tools, and it's fantastic. Not one crank pulley bolt has beaten me since. The "Master Kit" has two different interchangeable heads that will work on everything from EW- thru K-series engines, or you can just buy the handle and the head for your own application. I bought the big set. Cuz I'm a guy, and we're like that. ]
Engine Hoist. Sure, you can swap the engine without a hoist, but that's like saying you can drive your CRX on Pep Boys 4-for-$100 165-75-13 "Dick Skinner" radials - you CAN, but it's not very fun. Get some good-quality ratcheting tie-down straps to wrap around the engine, too; they seem to work better for me than the old-school chains.
Engine Stand. Once you've hoisted that baby out, you want a good place to get access to it from all angles, so you can see exactly where the hole in the block is.
Here's a little helpful tip: There are far too few places where you can EASILY put a chain or strap on a Honda engine/transmission to get it out of the car. Fortunately for us Honda guys, Mazda's engineers thought ahead (or figured that engine swaps would be pretty common on their cars!), and on any '92-'00 Protegé's engine, you'll find two "eyelets" bolted to the head. These are stamped steel brackets that are MADE to put a hook or strap through, and there are plenty of places on a Honda engine or transmission to bolt them on. I keep a couple in my toolbox these days, just in case I need to yank my engine on the side of the road!
Maintenance Items for Engine Swaps:
Timing Belt, timing belt tensioner, and water pump. You NEED to do the t-belt before dropping any aftermarket engine in your car, just for the startup warranty to apply. Since you're already in there, assume the person who owned the car was an ass, and never took one ounce of preventative maintenance on the car.
Front and rear Main Seals on the crankshaft. If they're leaking, or look like they're even THINKING about leaking, change 'em out! They're not terribly expensive. I pay more attention to the rear seal - it's harder to get out (you need to remove the plate that it mounts into; it goes in from the back side of that plate), but if it leaks later, it's a LOT harder to get to - you get to remove the transmission, clutch, and flywheel! Speaking of which...
Clutch. Figure the one that's on the engine has at least 50,000 miles of driving. That's JAPAN driving - mostly city, and probably mostly HARD driving. Hey, do you baby your CRX's clutch? Me neither. I like the OEM-replacement Exedy clutches; they're made by Daikin and marketed under the Exedy name. Daikin manufactured the clutch that came on the car from the factory. All OEM Honda clutches are designed to take 20% more torque than the engine is capable of producing in its stock form, too, so the Exedy clutches will easily withstand your basic bolt-on mods, up until at least around 130hp.
Flywheel. If you can't remember the last time you had your flywheel resurfaced, and you're changing out the clutch, go ahead and resurface the flywheel. Any competent machine shop can do it in a couple days for around $20-$30. I've skimped here before, and had the clutch start chattering within 2000 miles after a clutch job. Never again!
Axles. While you've got them out, it's a great time to look them over and see if it's replacement time. If the rubber boots are cracked, then dirt has already gotten in and grease has already spun out; replace 'em now, or replace 'em later.
Distributor cap and rotor. If you haven't tuned the car up in a while, it's a great time to do it...
Distributor O-ring. This is the seal between the distributor assembly and the cylinder head. It's a VERY common source of oil leaks, and a very easy and cheap fix (about $4 from the dealership).
Valve Cover Gasket. Another common cause of oil leaks. And another easy fix. A little HondaBond (or Perma-Tex Ultra Grey Gasket Sealer) in the corners of the cam journals (where the valve cover has the little half-circle cutouts to clear the cam) will make sure it doesn't leak there.
Oil and Oil Filter. Well, duh...
Exhaust manifold gasket/exhaust downpipe "donut" gasket. Most engines that are shipped have the exhaust downpipe cut off, so you end up having to replace at least the downpipe section and its gasket.
Alternator belt/ Air Conditioner Compressor belt. As long as you're in there, you might as well.
Upper and lower radiator hoses.
I'm sure there's more... Now what tools and basic maintenance parts would YOU add to the list?
Mike
Here's my list, as of a few years back. I'll try to see if I've added any new goodies since then:
My Essential Honda Tool Kit ( the "CRX Rebuild in a Box™")
The Basics:
A decent hammer. A good claw hammer is acceptable; a small 4-pound sledge is even better. Make it a 4-pound sledge with about a 14" handle on it, so you can still get into tight spaces.
A four-foot length of pipe. Make sure it's STRONG pipe! I like the "black pipe" you can find in the plumbing area of Home Depot or Lowe's. Works *great* as a "pry-bar helper" for those extra-tough nuts and bolts. (Obviously this won't fit in the toolbox.)
Prybars - 8", 20"
Torque Wrench, 10-100 ft/lb. A good, all-purpose torque wrench is a MUST, whether it's just for torquing your lug nuts properly or for building a good motor. Even a cheap torque wrench is better than none at all.
7/8", 12" long cold chisel. When you absolutely, positively have to get the lower ball joint separated, this and the hammer are your best friends. Often available only in a three-piece set. $20 at Sears, and worth every penny and more.
1/4" Roll-pin punch. I never want to hear anyone ask "How do I get the 'bitch pin' out of the shift linkage?" again. If you don't have one of these, get your butt down to Sears TODAY and get one. They're $6.99. You have no excuses. It's also a great tool for the suspension - when you've got a LONG bolt and a nut, and you remove the nut but the bolt still won't come out, just tap it out with the punch.
Utility knife. Preferably retractable, so you don't cut yourself rooting around in your toolbox. Sooner or later, you're going to have to cut something - wires, hoses, yourself. You'll want a good, sturdy, sharp knife for the job. A razor leaves a cleaner cut than a hunting knife when you slip with it, too - no big mess or ugly scars.
Safety glasses. Trust me - I already had an emergency trip to the optometrist to remove aluminum shavings from my eye. DON'T "Be Like Mike". The safety goggles are cheaper. And less scary.
A Dremel rotary tool. I prefer a cordless model, since it can go to the junkyard with me. Also, a variety of cut-off wheels is good. And yes, I *do* consider this an Essential Tool.
PB Blaster. WD-40 is NOT a penetrating oil.
A good assortment of sockets is a necessity, NOT a luxury. If you don't have them, you'll need them at one point or another. I've been able to do it all with these:
1/4"-drive ratchet with 4mm-12mm sockets. I bought cheapies; these never see mad torque anyway. An 8mm deep socket is good for getting taillight nuts off.
3/8"-drive ratchet. I like Sears' 11" long "Professional" model - but that's because they gave it to me as a replacement for my swivel-head ratchet that blew up. They didn't have the swivel-head in stock, so I got a much better ratchet for free. Besides, I *hate* the swivel-head - it always swivels just when you don't want it to.
3/8"-drive socket sets: short, medium, and deep, all in 10mm-19mm sizes. For some jobs, the shorties are the only ones that will fit. For others, only the deep sockets will work. For *most* jobs, the medium ones are perfect. I consider them ALL Essential at this point.
3/8"-drive extensions. I've been able to get along great with just the 3" and 6" extensions. I once owned a 10" extension, but never really used it, and I have no idea where it is now. No loss.
1/2"-drive ratchet.
1/2"-drive, 20" breaker bar. With this and a four-foot length of pipe, axle nuts have met their match.
1/2"-drive sockets. I like the basic set, in 9mm-19mm sizes.
1/2"-drive 32mm socket. If you ever need to remove the axle nut, you need this. For an Accord, make it a 36mm.
1/2"-drive extensions, 4" and 10".
1/2" to 3/8" adapter.
A good set of screwdrivers, or at least a #2 Phillips and 1/8 and 1/4 flat screwdrivers.
Vice Grips - a large and a small make a good set.
Long-handle bent-nose pliers. Great for those hard-to-reach hose clamps.
Small needlenose pliers. Perfect for removing Cotter pins from the suspension.
A large (12") Crescent or similar adjustable wrench. There WILL be times when you'll need a really BIG wrench (fuel pressure regulator, for example)
A good set of combination (open and box-end) wrenches. I like the 8mm-19mm set. At the very least, you need 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, and 19mm. Believe it or not, there ARE times when you might need the 13mm and 15mm sizes - for instance, if you're using non-Honda rear hatch struts, they're not "Honda-standard" sizes.
Snap-ring pliers. Great for helping remove ball joints. Or torsion bars on a first-gen CRX. Also necessary when installing a short shifter. I bought a cheapie set with interchangeable jaws for different tasks. I'll be upgrading, since I've found them quite useful.
Brake Parts Cleaner (aerosol). Yup, it's essential, and not only for brake parts. Just about ANY part you pull off an 18-year-old car is going to be messy. This stuff will help clean it up, quick.
ZEP Formula 505 Degreaser. This is available at Home Depot for about $7 a gallon. It is STRONG stuff. I put some in a bucket or bin, dump some parts in, and scrub away. It will take the "coke" or "varnish" off the inside of a valve cover in about 5 minutes. How strong is it? Well, it says NOT to soak aluminum in it for long periods, as it will eat the aluminum! For a quick scrub, though, I've never seen any pitting or problems on aluminum. Be sure to wear some good dishwashing gloves - this stuff will eat right through nitrile/latex gloves! And DO NOT USE IT WITHOUT GLOVES!!! Your hands have never felt so dry... It degreases your skin, too, eating away all your skin's natural oils, and leaving you with the driest, tightest hands you'll ever felt. It's a creepy feeling, and not in a good way.
Tune-up Kit:
Spark Plug socket (the smaller size - 5/8")
Feeler gauges - bent. Make sure they've got at least 0.007" to 0.011" included, for adjusting valves.
HondaBond or equivalent gasket sealer. Permatex Ultra Grey is fine. A dab where the valve cover meets the cam journals, and you'll never complain of a leaking valve cover gasket again. An absolute must if you're planning on replacing anything with a gasket.
O2 sensor socket. Why struggle with a wrench when a shot of PB Blaster and an O2 socket will get 'er done?
Extras. For those odd or one-time jobs, these can save your butt - or just make the job a little easier:
3/8"-drive 14mm wobble socket. The ONLY place I've needed this is to remove the rear transmission mount insert from the steering rack. No other socket or combination of socket/u-joint would work for me.
3/8"-drive Phillips-head #2 screwdriver socket. Who says you need an impact gun to get those rusted brake rotor screws out? What you NEED is a way to get torque on them, and a socket and long ratchet provide plenty of that.
GearWrenches. These are your basic combination wrenches, with a twist: the box-end part is a ratcheting wrench. Wonderful for tight jobs where you can't quite see to get the wrench on, a socket won't fit, and you don't want to spend all day loosening or tightening. Not essential, but nice to have for the price. I got a set that includes 10mm-19mm sizes, but I had to search a bit to find it. Many of the sets only go to 18mm, or don't have a 17mm size. They DO make a set that has 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, and 19mm sizes included. I got mine for $40 at Lowe's.
Essential Fluids:
Coolant, of course. Honda recommends their own pre-mix, but I've never had any problem with good ol' Prestone. One thing I will recommend, though - mix it with DISTILLED WATER. In many areas, the tap water has so many minerals in it that it will eventually clog the coolant passages and water pump with deposits (usually lime and calcium). I ran distilled water for twelve years in my first Honda, and when I pulled the engine apart, the coolant passages looked brand new - no corrosion, no scale, no buildup. I was sold and have never used anything else since.
Transmission oil. Two ways to go here - Honda is NOW recommending their Manual Transmission Fluid (MTF) for *all* their manual transmissions and gearboxes. In the old days (when our cars were made), they recommended plain old SAE 10W-30 motor oil. I've used both with great results. Nowadays, I usually opt for the MTF, since Honda *recommends* it, but 10W-30 is just fine, too.
Engine oil. I like Castrol 10W-40, but that's just me. I hear really bad things about Pennzoil - lots of paraffin in the mix, which leads to gunk building up in the cylinder head and clogging up the valvetrain. I can't swear by that, but I've been with Castrol for 20 years, and it's what Honda uses from the factory, so it can't be too bad.
Brake Fluid. I like Valvoline Heavy Duty brake fluid. It's got a very high (above 540ºF, I believe) boiling point, and it just seems to give a little firmer pedal. I've used ATE SuperBlue Racing fluid as well, and I can't tell the difference between the two, except in my wallet - the ATE is about $20 a liter, and the Valvoline is about $5.
Engine Swapping: Handy Things to Have
SOME way of removing the damn crank-pulley bolt. Usually, a good air impact driver and a good compressor will do the trick, but not always. I've actually had to borrow the "Official" Honda Crank Pulley Bolt Removal Tool from the dealership to do this. Yes, it definitely helps to have friends who work at Honda.
The good news is, this tool IS available in the aftermarket now. The bad news is, it's about $140. I'm buying it, because I need it far more often than just once every three or four years. [Edit: I bought the special wrench from SIR Tools, and it's fantastic. Not one crank pulley bolt has beaten me since. The "Master Kit" has two different interchangeable heads that will work on everything from EW- thru K-series engines, or you can just buy the handle and the head for your own application. I bought the big set. Cuz I'm a guy, and we're like that. ]Engine Hoist. Sure, you can swap the engine without a hoist, but that's like saying you can drive your CRX on Pep Boys 4-for-$100 165-75-13 "Dick Skinner" radials - you CAN, but it's not very fun.
Get some good-quality ratcheting tie-down straps to wrap around the engine, too; they seem to work better for me than the old-school chains.Engine Stand. Once you've hoisted that baby out, you want a good place to get access to it from all angles, so you can see exactly where the hole in the block is.
Here's a little helpful tip: There are far too few places where you can EASILY put a chain or strap on a Honda engine/transmission to get it out of the car. Fortunately for us Honda guys, Mazda's engineers thought ahead (or figured that engine swaps would be pretty common on their cars!), and on any '92-'00 Protegé's engine, you'll find two "eyelets" bolted to the head. These are stamped steel brackets that are MADE to put a hook or strap through, and there are plenty of places on a Honda engine or transmission to bolt them on. I keep a couple in my toolbox these days, just in case I need to yank my engine on the side of the road!
Maintenance Items for Engine Swaps:
Timing Belt, timing belt tensioner, and water pump. You NEED to do the t-belt before dropping any aftermarket engine in your car, just for the startup warranty to apply. Since you're already in there, assume the person who owned the car was an ass, and never took one ounce of preventative maintenance on the car.
Front and rear Main Seals on the crankshaft. If they're leaking, or look like they're even THINKING about leaking, change 'em out! They're not terribly expensive. I pay more attention to the rear seal - it's harder to get out (you need to remove the plate that it mounts into; it goes in from the back side of that plate), but if it leaks later, it's a LOT harder to get to - you get to remove the transmission, clutch, and flywheel! Speaking of which...
Clutch. Figure the one that's on the engine has at least 50,000 miles of driving. That's JAPAN driving - mostly city, and probably mostly HARD driving. Hey, do you baby your CRX's clutch? Me neither.
I like the OEM-replacement Exedy clutches; they're made by Daikin and marketed under the Exedy name. Daikin manufactured the clutch that came on the car from the factory. All OEM Honda clutches are designed to take 20% more torque than the engine is capable of producing in its stock form, too, so the Exedy clutches will easily withstand your basic bolt-on mods, up until at least around 130hp.Flywheel. If you can't remember the last time you had your flywheel resurfaced, and you're changing out the clutch, go ahead and resurface the flywheel. Any competent machine shop can do it in a couple days for around $20-$30. I've skimped here before, and had the clutch start chattering within 2000 miles after a clutch job. Never again!
Axles. While you've got them out, it's a great time to look them over and see if it's replacement time. If the rubber boots are cracked, then dirt has already gotten in and grease has already spun out; replace 'em now, or replace 'em later.
Distributor cap and rotor. If you haven't tuned the car up in a while, it's a great time to do it...
Distributor O-ring. This is the seal between the distributor assembly and the cylinder head. It's a VERY common source of oil leaks, and a very easy and cheap fix (about $4 from the dealership).
Valve Cover Gasket. Another common cause of oil leaks. And another easy fix. A little HondaBond (or Perma-Tex Ultra Grey Gasket Sealer) in the corners of the cam journals (where the valve cover has the little half-circle cutouts to clear the cam) will make sure it doesn't leak there.
Oil and Oil Filter. Well, duh...
Exhaust manifold gasket/exhaust downpipe "donut" gasket. Most engines that are shipped have the exhaust downpipe cut off, so you end up having to replace at least the downpipe section and its gasket.
Alternator belt/ Air Conditioner Compressor belt. As long as you're in there, you might as well.
Upper and lower radiator hoses.
I'm sure there's more... Now what tools and basic maintenance parts would YOU add to the list?
Mike
