16 years old, got a 92 prelude, need HELP

Fourth Generation Honda Prelude topics

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jaredfisher23
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16 years old, got a 92 prelude, need HELP

Post by jaredfisher23 »

Like the title says, I'm a teenager and my Grandpa gave me his old Honda Prelude '92 VTEC. It is beat up, in need of a new hood, front bumper, and possibly computer. I haven't got a clue what I am doing and he doesn't either, but he gave me a 'short block?' or something, it already has the crankshaft in and everything. I have most of the things needed to assemble the engine (which is the original engine to the Prelude, I believe) and now I'm just stuck at what the heck is going on. I do have the Prelude '92 Service Manual, so it shows me a bunch of stuff and how to do there, but it isn't clear on start to finish. I don't know where to start and what order to do it in.

Any tips or suggestions, please? Is there anything I could do in addition, any videos on the internet to watch? I remember someone on the Honda-Tech forums mention something about a DVD going from start to finish on the engine block, but they never said anything else or direct me to where I can find it.

I have a few other engines and standard transmissions I am trying to sell for money to fund the car, and I want to build it myself, not just buy another engine.

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spiffyguido
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Re: 16 years old, got a 92 prelude, need HELP

Post by spiffyguido »

First, congrats on getting the Prelude. You'll have fun with that car.

How disassembled is the engine that you have? Describe it to us or attach some pics. It'll help us know how to get you started.

jaredfisher23
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Re: 16 years old, got a 92 prelude, need HELP

Post by jaredfisher23 »

Thanks, it is at my grandfather's shop right now so I'll have to wait until tomorrow, I only have a picture of the prelude itself at the moment.

But to describe it off the top of my head, it is like an engine block, with the crankshaft inside it but the pistons aren't attached to it. There isn't much additional attached to it, the cylinder head isn't on but we have it in a box. My grandpa called it a short block. I know it doesn't have an oil pan on it. We don't have any flywheels or anything, we still need to buy that.

I guess simply, it is just an engine block, with the crankshaft in it.

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spiffyguido
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Re: 16 years old, got a 92 prelude, need HELP

Post by spiffyguido »

What other parts do you have. Do you have the pistons, rings, connecting rods, etc? Is the head complete? Are the camshafts in it already?

jaredfisher23
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Re: 16 years old, got a 92 prelude, need HELP

Post by jaredfisher23 »

spiffyguido wrote:What other parts do you have. Do you have the pistons, rings, connecting rods, etc? Is the head complete? Are the camshafts in it already?
-----------------------
I do have the pistons, and know how to put the rings and connecting rods on. The head isn't complete, the camshafts are lying in a box next to it.

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spiffyguido
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Re: 16 years old, got a 92 prelude, need HELP

Post by spiffyguido »

Okay. You've got some things to give you a good start then.

You can pretty much build the bottom end and the head up separately and then attach them later, so feel free to start working where you want.

If you already have the rings, get some assembly lube and start getting the connecting rods onto the pistons and getting them into the block. Make sure the rings are in good shape. If they are new rings, you will likely want to have a shop resurface your cylinder walls. Which engine do you have exactly? You said it was a VTEC, so I assume you have an H22? Is it an H22A, H22A1, H22A4? Is it the original engine from the car?

For engine assembly, a good service manual is invaluable. It's not that hard to get things together, but you do need to follow a few steps, keep everything very clean, use assembly lube, and make sure your torque settings are correct. The torque settings for much of the engine can be found in the manuals available in our manuals section, but for assembly instructions you'll need to get a haynes manual or similar for complete steps. Are you using the existing engine bearings, or do you have new ones?

The head would likely be an easier place to start. If the valve springs are out, you'll need a valve spring compressor to get them in. Otherwise, the rest can be put together with a torque wrench, some basic tools and some assembly lube.

Where do you think you might start. We can help you find more detailed information on particular steps.

jaredfisher23
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Re: 16 years old, got a 92 prelude, need HELP

Post by jaredfisher23 »

spiffyguido wrote:Okay. You've got some things to give you a good start then.

You can pretty much build the bottom end and the head up separately and then attach them later, so feel free to start working where you want.

If you already have the rings, get some assembly lube and start getting the connecting rods onto the pistons and getting them into the block. Make sure the rings are in good shape. If they are new rings, you will likely want to have a shop resurface your cylinder walls. Which engine do you have exactly? You said it was a VTEC, so I assume you have an H22? Is it an H22A, H22A1, H22A4? Is it the original engine from the car?

For engine assembly, a good service manual is invaluable. It's not that hard to get things together, but you do need to follow a few steps, keep everything very clean, use assembly lube, and make sure your torque settings are correct. The torque settings for much of the engine can be found in the manuals available in our manuals section, but for assembly instructions you'll need to get a haynes manual or similar for complete steps. Are you using the existing engine bearings, or do you have new ones?

The head would likely be an easier place to start. If the valve springs are out, you'll need a valve spring compressor to get them in. Otherwise, the rest can be put together with a torque wrench, some basic tools and some assembly lube.

Where do you think you might start. We can help you find more detailed information on particular steps.
The engine is a VTEC H22A4 I believe, I'm not terribly sure. But yes it's the original engine from the car, it's a more durable one, the cylinders are thick and attacked more to the block unlike the two '97 h22a4's I have, which you can see the cylinder outline.

We have new bearings we'll put in, yeah. And I do have a '92 prelude manual straight from Honda, the one they use to work on the car. I might start on the pistons because that's what I know the best about, but I'm glad to hear you break it down into steps doing the block then head cause I didn't know how many things you have to add all together and such.

Thursday, I'm meeting a guy from my church that knows a bit about engines, but maybe not Honda, so he's gonna look over everything and see if I even have all the things required, like I know I have no flywheel deal, any of the circular deals. And I also don't have a throttle body, but we'll see what else he finds. I'll send some pictures and more explanation when I get over to the shop where it's at on Thursday. Thanks

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spiffyguido
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Re: 16 years old, got a 92 prelude, need HELP

Post by spiffyguido »

You don't need the flywheel or the intake plenum and throttle body until much later.

If you want to start with the pistons, that's perfectly sensible. First step will be getting the crank into the block and the main journals torqued down. From there you can get your connecting rods onto the pistons, put on your rings, and get the connecting rod journals and caps bolted around the crank.

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Re: 16 years old, got a 92 prelude, need HELP

Post by jaredfisher23 »

spiffyguido wrote:You don't need the flywheel or the intake plenum and throttle body until much later.

If you want to start with the pistons, that's perfectly sensible. First step will be getting the crank into the block and the main journals torqued down. From there you can get your connecting rods onto the pistons, put on your rings, and get the connecting rod journals and caps bolted around the crank.
Luckily, I've already got the crankshaft in the block. So unless the torquing isn't for the crankshaft at that step, I can skip right to the pistons at first. I'm leaving for the shop right now so I'll send you some pictures and more information I get from a guy I'm meeting there today.

Thanks.

jaredfisher23
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Re: 16 years old, got a 92 prelude, need HELP

Post by jaredfisher23 »

I'll post some pics of it later tonight, the pictures I have are too big to upload on this sight, I might link you to my facebook page or something and put them on there.

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Re: 16 years old, got a 92 prelude, need HELP

Post by jaredfisher23 »

Link to the photos https://www.facebook.com/jared.fisher51 ... 035&type=3

And I was wrong, it's a H22a1 VTEC year 92

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spiffyguido
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Re: 16 years old, got a 92 prelude, need HELP

Post by spiffyguido »

Link isn't working for me. You can also attach them to a reply here.

jaredfisher23
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Re: 16 years old, got a 92 prelude, need HELP

Post by jaredfisher23 »

The forum isn't allowing me to upload them directly to here, so I've gotta send it through another. I think it has something to do with file upload size. In any case, try this link to my wall, and just go through photos there. It's all in an album labelled "Honda Prelude Forum Reference". Here you go --> https://www.facebook.com/jared.fisher5156

Hopefully the link works, if it doesn't, then my name is Jared Fisher, and my profile pic is a guy in a brown jacket pointing into the sky.



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