prelude- things to watch for?

[neely]

i am in the market for a 97+ prelude and would like to know from people who know these cars if there is anything i should look out for.
ie, common problems?

next question:

the automatic transmissions equipped in these cars- are they all the "sport shift" and if so, is it know to be reliable?

and help would be appreciated- thanks guys

[kane584]

ya there not reeally sport shift, u can just move them from d3 to d4 to d i think
sumthing like that lol
but im wanting a prelude so badd. :(

[LudeRoca]

no you can put it in gear 1,2,3,or 4. but theres no clutch so its really not that fun. THose trannys are known to break down a lot. Ive seen lots of em thats needed to be rebuilt. If i was you i would get the 5spd.

[Grip172]

..just a note

i have a 98 for sale

if interested, PM me

[kane584]

Originally posted by Grip172
..just a note

i have a 98 for sale

if interested, PM me

hye i pmed you

[That.Guy.S30]

i think they burn oil too. not much tho. i could be wrong

[vtec]

yea they tend to burn a bit of oil, just like most honda engines with vtec

[SorrGwa]

the vtec burns oil, so just keep an eye on the oil level.

h22a4's run on the rich side. i guess safer from honda

97+ forgot for what years, but keep an eye out for the ball joints as there was a recall for them.

there was also a recall for part of the ignition system.

automatic sportshift tranny's are a known problem. to prolong them, ppl get transmission coolers installed. i would aim for a 5speed.

auto tensioner on the timing belt sucks. many ppl try to find the manual tensioner found in the h23a (SR) preludes of the previous generation.

stock cam seal sucks, look for aftermarket ones with O rings.

other than that, no other real big problems

[andres_mt]

Originally posted by neely
i am in the market for a 97+ prelude and would like to know from people who know these cars if there is anything i should look out for.
ie, common problems?

next question:

the automatic transmissions equipped in these cars- are they all the "sport shift" and if so, is it know to be reliable?

and help would be appreciated- thanks guys

bahh get a 5speed if you get this car, you'll be way more satisfied. this car is pretty heavy so you should invest in some suspension if you plan on ripping around in it. But besides that im pretty sure the 97+ preludes had no recalls but just to make sure, research that if you want to know all the potential problems with this car besides regular maintenance.

Besides that I know of 2 people with them and there more then satisfied with theirs, in fact one guy liked them so much he convinced his brother to get one and now they 2 have sitting in their garage lol .good luck with the find though :thumbsup:

[andres_mt]

Originally posted by SorrGwa
the vtec burns oil, so just keep an eye on the oil level.

h22a4's run on the rich side. i guess safer from honda

97+ forgot for what years, but keep an eye out for the ball joints as there was a recall for them.

there was also a recall for part of the ignition system.

automatic sportshift tranny's are a known problem. to prolong them, ppl get transmission coolers installed. i would aim for a 5speed.

auto tensioner on the timing belt sucks. many ppl try to find the manual tensioner found in the h23a (SR) preludes of the previous generation.

stock cam seal sucks, look for aftermarket ones with O rings.

other than that, no other real big problems

oh oop missed that ^, but ya main thing is just research before you buy. :thumbsup:

[rc2002]

Automatic tranny's you better beware. I believe quite a few of them had recalls from 00 and on. 97-99 models had the same problems but didn't get a recall.

Other than that, not many big issues at all. Definitely quality cars.

Check out the 5th gen Prelude thread (not sticked anymore?):

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?s=&threadid=75927

[1-Bar]

5sp >> auto....1st hand experience. I drove mine auto, converted to 5 speed....soooo nice.

as for problems:
rear fender wells, rust develops if the fender lining the outtermost part is kept in (I removed mine after the first winter)

like Richard said: 97-99 auto trannies sux ass, no recall for them. 00-01 extended warranty (kinda funny since the 97-99 are exactly the same)

oil can be a huge problem (I usally burned 3L per ~5000km) but I mind you I drove my car pretty hard...

sunroof motor is known to be a little ass of a problem. Seizes from time to time (luckly mine never did)

anything but OEM headlights will burn out, sux ass. I bought some HIDs after I got fed up with buying 3 sets in >4months

Auto-tensioner sux ass (mentioned above)

[arian_ma]

Watch out for their sexyness :thumbsup:
It can be dangerous.


lol.
I think the interior of the lude looks pretty cheap.
Nothing like any american cars, but at a brand new price of close to 25k 8 years ago, I guess it is reasonable.
They could have made it much nicer.
Also, if you have the manual, the cup holders are virtually worthless.
Hmm...what else....it is a fucking BITCH to work on the bottom of the car, since all the bolts are rusted to SHIT and you need a shotgun to remove them.
Also, my tranny is very brutal, I drove an RSX the other day and I couldn't believe the difference, (I know the rex is a lot newer but god damn!)

what else.........ummmmmmm gas mileage is pretty good, the aftermarket support for these cars is actually really good too.
And what I personally LOVED about this car, was that it had class, unlike a civic whcih is attached to the word "ricer", the Prelude is classy, (In my opinion anyhow). if you pick one up, good luck with it.

[dinglenuts]

owned mine for about 8 months now and loving it. Fun to drive, handles great, reasonably powerful, and yes sexy as hell. I wouldn't know about the suspension thing cause mine came with aftermarket, but it can definately handle for a fwd car. Does burn a bit of oil when i drive hard, but minimal, and if you don't mind wiping down your tailpipe every so often, its no big deal. Very happy with mine:)

[5hift]

:werd:

Its not the fastest of cars and we all know the drawbacks of FWD. But your hard pressed to find another car in that price range that is not only fun to drive, but reliable at the same time.

I am a little biased though...

[lastprodigy]

Originally posted by kane584
ya there not reeally sport shift, u can just move them from d3 to d4 to d i think
sumthing like that lol
but im wanting a prelude so badd. :(

No, it has +/- sportshift....

[pk_jai]

what is an h23a engine?

[///328is]

h23a is accord engine i think :confused:

[Jlude]

miss my BB6 so bad... Of all the cars I've owned... I miss it the most.

Can't find a quality replacement though.

[A2VR6]

Originally posted by pk_jai
what is an h23a engine?

It was the engine used in the Prelude SR in Canada... it had a lower compression ratio ( 9.8:1), made 160 hp and doesnt have vtec. Also came in some JDM and EDM accords.

[dynamo]

any h22 will burn oil!
the automatic tiptronic transmission DID have recall and
besides who would want an auto prelude anyways