1989 Prelude SI Prob, Run off, Performance Questions

[chi_town]

We'll im a new owner of a 89 Prelude, and i just would like to know what sorta things i should look out for , with my car?

Possible problems that i havn't seen yet, things that i might want to upgrade befor they go bad..

It's a 5spd with a new trans so is there anything i might want to look into with the trans to sorta prevent future issues.

Also i was looking around for parts for the car, and i would really like to know what parts give you the most power/performance but plus sorta improve your mpg. I dont want to spend money on products that really dont do anything other then mk it sound good or whatever.

Thanks for the help in advance


Chi_Town

[spiffyguido]

Hi Chi,

As far as parts go, I would probably start with a cold air intake system. You can make one yourself if you're tight on cash. This will help performance, and I've found it to help my fuel economy a bit.

As far as things to watch for. Just look out for rust problems, change your oil every 3000 miles or so and treat your car well.

How long since your timing belt was done?

[chi_town]

Well the car i got for $200 which in my case was a steal with the condition it's in, it does have rust on the rear quarters which i will be fixing, the underbody is in great shape as for the interior , i need a new glove box cus i tryed to get into this one and i cracked it and ended up punching myself in the face....


Oil was just changed along with, Plugs/wires cap/rotor, fuel filter.

The timing was changed? Couldn't tell u that, was going to do that next though, along with some type of CAI, do you have any pictures maybe to show a home made one for this engine? Would give me more of an idea, i've seen the ones with very little pipe, and a filter , and i dont really see how that would help considering the point of a CAI is to have Cold Air pushing into your filter and through the engine, but i guess people dont know that?

None the less, i noticed the intake box being located on the lower part of the engine bay, if i go ahead and build one, can i just get rid of that completely? or does it serve other purpose's.

I was told to get Adjustable Cam Gears for this, what is the best brand for the price, and what could i expect on performance from a mod like that?

Anything else that u may want me to look into please post , id like to know as much about this car as quickly as possible so when i get it registered and start to drive it, i dont want to be stuck wondering what may or have gone wrong...


Thanks for all the help thus far btw


Chi_Town

[spiffyguido]

You should find out when the timing belt was last changed, if you can. If not, you may want to plan on doing it soon. Timing belts should be changed every 100000kms. If it breaks, bad engine damage usually results.

Here is a picture of my home made Cold Air Intake:


The idea of a cold air intake is to give the engine access to cooler air supply and make the airflow smooth into the motor. Your stock air system is restrictive compared to a CAI.

The way I did it requires the battery to be relocated to the trunk.

I wouldn't suggest adjustable cam gears as a thing to get just yet. Adjustable cam gears are mostly designed to allow for fine tuning of the engine, usually after a lot of other work has been done. Start with the basics: intake, exhaust, fuel delivery, etc.

Sounds like you got the car for a great price. Keep posting. We're happy you're here.

[chi_town]

Alright, so where did you get the pipe from? Looks like you took a few kits from ebay ? I was reading and i seen that we can get a kit from a 94integra and it would work? I like your kit so just let know the low down on that, and i'll get rid of the old air box and hopfully get those lights to work properly.

And, that's good to know so i didn't go out and buy any parts i dont need, i know the car has some type of aftermarket fart can on it, sounds good though i think it's a APC? but im not 100% on that .

Yeah for the price i couldn't pass it up, it needed a ECU and with what i bought for it and all that i have in it still under $100 so in total well go $300 for it with a bran new trans, it'll be a fun project i think.


Chi_Town

[spiffyguido]

To build a system like mine you need the following:

All pipe is 3" diameter aluminum.

- 2 x 90 degree piping bends.
- 1 x straight section of piping (you'll have to measure for the length you need)
- A cone filter (I use a K&N unit)
- 2 x 3" diameter rubber pipe couplings. You can buy fancy ones like I did, or get black ones from a plumbing shop.
- A 3" to 2.25" reducing pipe coupling. Measure the diameter of your throttle body to be sure of this one. I'm pretty sure it's a 3 to 2.25 reducer you need, but it might be a 3 to 2.5. It's easy to check.

You'll also need enough zap straps or hose clamps (what I used) do fasten it all together.

As I don't support the use of breather filters, you should also plan on getting a hose fitting for valve cover ventilation hose and for the vaccuum hose. You have to drill the pipe to fit these. You can get these hose fittings at hardware stores and speed shops.

The piping is easy stuff to find. Most speedshops that sell stuff for turbo builds will have 90 degree bends in 3" aluminum. For the straight section, I just got a section of 3" aluminum pipe from a metal supplier and polished it. The bends will be the most expensive part, except for the K&N Filter. In total, I think I did the whole thing for less than $200.

I could have saved a lot of money if I had gone for standard rubber pipe fittings from a hardware store instead of springing for my fancy blue ones at 10 bucks each.

I didn't buy any of the parts I used off ebay, but you could probably find such things on there. Be sure to measure everything before you purchase. The 90 degree bends are pricey, and they come in different bend radiuses, so measure first. You don't want to end up with a pipe that makes a bend that is too shallow to fit. I had to cut a bit off the end of one of my bends to get everything to fit. In the end, as you can see, it all fit very nicely and I'm very happy with how it turned out.

[chi_town]

That seems pretty complex, although it's do able "obviously" Now is there any other ideas floating around for this CAI taht have been built by other members?

Chi_Town

[kchoadley]

I have recently purchased a 1989 si and want to improve the overall performance, and more importantly, the life of the car. The previous owner gave me a K&N filter that I am considering installing in place of the current intake system, which is the original (although it is missing a piece to secure the area that the filter sits in; another reason to replace the system). My main question is this. In the picture above the filter is positioned all the way where the battery should be, and is out of view. For what I have right now (a single 90 degree angle pipe, connectors, and the filter), it puts the filter where the old filter would be, but only fits if it is completely left exposed. Is this bad in any way for the car or filter? I understand about caring for the filter but know nothing about how it should be situated in the car. Any insight into this would help me a tone with deciding what filter system to use. Also, any suggestions of what I can do to the car to keep it in top condition would be nice. Its in good condition right now and I'm looking to improve the health even more.

[spiffyguido]

It's fine to have your K&N filter out in the open. The K&N filters are washable, so even if it does get dirty, you don't have to worry.

In the pictures in this thread, the battery has been relocated to the trunk, so that's why the filter is able to be piped to where it is. Ideally, a filter should go where it can draw from a cold supply of air.

If you're interested in keeping your prelude in good shape, preventing rust is a good place to start. You may find this helpful:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=15

[kchoadley]

Thnx, I've talked to a few people about it and most of them said it would be fine, but it was the doubt in the one person that got me concerned. Its been fine the past week or so with it in the open, but I'll keep an eye on it just in case.