Advise/Help Needed

Fourth Generation Honda Prelude topics

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tyleryodaddy
Prelude Enthusiast
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Jan 30, 2014 12:23 am

Advise/Help Needed

Post by tyleryodaddy »

Im a new owner of a 1994 Prelude with an H23a1 and 5speed. This is my first car and i purchased it threw family at a very good price but thats beside the point. The car runs and drives "ok" as in it gets me where im going. The car has 194xxx miles on it and is definately in need of work. According to the free vin reasearch tools online i know that i am between the 9-11 owner and thats all. The car had setup for 4years about, since june of 09. And given the person i bought it from there is absoutley no documemtation of any maintence or service, etc AT ALL. The only things that i was told has been done is that within the last two years it has had a tune up(plugs,wires,cap,and rotor), water pump replacement, rebuilt trans and new clutch, and new brake system. Since i have had it on the road i have put nearly 1000 miles on it in the last two weeks. I am beginning to highly doubt hardly anything i was told has been done to it realy has. That being said here is a list of issues and behavior problems i am having with my lude.

1. Idle Surge - It is very seldom that the idle does not surge after heat up, pushing clutch in, or nuetral. But when it doesnot surge the last few times it doesnt idle at 750 it averages a little over 1000 (number 1 increment on tac). I cant seem to point out the iac, but when i change my oil this weekend i planned on taking off the throttleboddy and every thing attached, and giving it all a good cleaning.
2 Cut Wires - to start with, im almost sure that everything on the dash works but the fuel guage and water temp guage. I assume the indicator lights work because the engine light turns on and the abs light turns on and wen u turn the key the borad lights up(read-out). But when i take the bottom pannel off(below steering collumn, there are i would say atleast 5-10 cut wires that i can see. Its a nightmare. And the radio is shorting out i have recently dissconected the back speakers just to keep my self feom playing music incase of something going wrong engine wise. And the anti theft has been dissconected.
3 ABS Light - my abs light stays on no matter what, i stay up on all fluids and the breaks seem to work fine.
4 Hard Shift - No matter what speed or senario im in about 7 times out of 10 when im going into 5th it grinds for a split sec and then does good.
5 Hoses - due to the age of car and probably never having been garage kept all my air lines and vacume lines seals and connections are showing varying degrees of dry rot. Is there a way to repair these or how would i go about replacing them. I am assumin this is what is causing the loud whisteling when get on to around 2-4 on the tach.

I love this this car despite its issuse, i have big plans for it eventually(dont we all), it is my everyday driver and only meens of transportation. Any and all advise would be highly appreciated.

Thank You - Tyler

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spiffyguido
Moderator
Posts: 2196
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2005 2:55 am
Prelude Model: 1991 SE-SR
Location: Alberta, Canada
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Re: Advise/Help Needed

Post by spiffyguido »

Hi Tyler,

Welcome to the forums. I'll give you tips where I can.

The idle surge problem with Preludes is almost always caused by the IAC valve located on the side of the intake plenum near the throttle body. We've got a sticky topic that discusses this: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12

Fixing the idle surge is often as simple as doing basic maintenance to the valve assembly as outlined in the above topic. Failing that, you can look at making sure the coolant system is properly bled and the integrity of your vaccuum lines for other trouble areas.

2 - Cut wires? Yuck. The only way around this is to try and repair the damage and reconnect things based on the wiring diagrams in the service manual. This will NOT be easy, to say the least as chasing wires can be a bit of a headache. Perhaps somebody tried to steal the car at some point?

3 - Start here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4817 for some tips on the ABS light issue. It could be something simple like a wheel sensor.

4 - The grinding when you shift is caused by a bad synchro on your 5th gear. These wear out with age and it's not a surprising thing to see on a car that has as many miles as yours does. This isn't a show stopping problem. Just be careful with your rev matching so that the synchro doesn't have to work too hard and you'll be fine. Replacement would require cracking open the transmission, and for the moment, it sounds like you've got more pressing issues to address.

5 - Standard vacuum hoses are easy to replace and they sell basic replacement hose by the foot at most auto parts stores. If you're concerned about a vacuum hose's integrity you can replace it. Water hoses can also easily be replaced, but at greater cost. Many of the water hoses have custom bends so you'll have to actually buy replacement parts. Still, they're not horrendously expensive and generally easy to find at a wrecker if you can find a suitable donor car.

tyleryodaddy
Prelude Enthusiast
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Jan 30, 2014 12:23 am

Re: Advise/Help Needed

Post by tyleryodaddy »

Thank you very much, this info is very helpfull. In time i will post my progress and/or other issues i run into.

One thing i am curious about is if headers for an h22 wil work with an h23?

tyleryodaddy
Prelude Enthusiast
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Jan 30, 2014 12:23 am

Re: Advise/Help Needed

Post by tyleryodaddy »

One question i do have is how i should go about checking my tranny fluid level. And adding if i flush or need more.

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spiffyguido
Moderator
Posts: 2196
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2005 2:55 am
Prelude Model: 1991 SE-SR
Location: Alberta, Canada
Contact:

Re: Advise/Help Needed

Post by spiffyguido »

No, H22 headers won't work. I believe the bolt pattern is different.

As for checking the tranny fluid: See page 13-3 of the 1992 service manual. It shows you where the check bolt is.

Preludedude
Lude Dude
Posts: 32
Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2013 9:05 am
Prelude Model: 95' VTEC

Re: Advise/Help Needed

Post by Preludedude »

If its a 5speed like you said, there gonna be very little tranny fluid, and no dipstick to check.

tyleryodaddy
Prelude Enthusiast
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Jan 30, 2014 12:23 am

Re: Advise/Help Needed

Post by tyleryodaddy »

Thank you guys for the help.



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