Adding another Prelude to the stable

[elspectro29]

Today I got another Prelude, a silver '95 Si with a red-top H22A swap (although it's oddly still an automatic...that's not a dealbreaker for me). Naturally, going from the 3rd gen to the 4th has been an interesting challenge for me. The previous owner kept good records of the work he had done on the car, and right now the only obvious thing it needs is an alignment. There also seems to be an issue with the air not coming out of some vents when the AC is on. Would this be a vacuum leak, or is there something else that would have this effect?

[spiffyguido]

Does the airflow selector work in all other cases? For example, without the AC on and when you're just blowing air, can you switch to the windshield defroster, heater vents, cabin vents, etc?

Oh, and congrats on the purchase. Nice to get that engine as well. We'll all be excited to see pics.

[elspectro29]

The right center vent seems to be letting the least amount of air through in all circumstances, but today they all blew air, with the AC on, with reconstituted air, and with the fan on by itself.

I still haven't had a chance to upload pictures, but they're coming. The past few days I've been getting used to the car and noting differences between the 3rd and 4th gens. Right now the biggest differences are the dashboards (it's hard to believe the 4th gen was designed around 1990) and the decreased rear visibility in the 4th gen. I still have the '91 for the time being, but it's going to stay in my family regardless.

[spiffyguido]

Well, if the air can be redirected okay, I wonder if there's just a blockage or something. Leaves stuck in the intake?

[elspectro29]

Could be. After driving it for a few days I've found a couple issues:

-The front sway bar's right link is missing. I'm going to replace it when I get paid again.
-When I'm going uphill and hit the gas it makes a slight grinding noise at a certain point. I'm wondering if this is related to the sway bar because it only happens when I'm going uphill.
-The SRS light started flashing yesterday.
-The CEL is on (the car has an OBD2 switch that I can toggle, and the two warning lights mentioned appear only when I turn it on). I haven't looked at the ECU yet but I think it's just a sensor.
-ABS light is on (still appears with the OBD2 switch off). The same is true for my 3rd gen but I'm not worried about that right now.
Otherwise, the 4th gen has been a dream to drive. Ths previous owner installed a VTEC light that comes on when VTEC engages (similar to the new Civic Si) but I haven't hit it yet, nor really tried.

[spiffyguido]

Sounds like you're on the right track with the sway bar link. Swap it out, I bet the noise goes away.

The SRS light can be decoded using the service manual. Have a look at what it says. It's probably something simple.

Let us know what code your ECU is throwing. That should give you a good place to start. Hopefully it's something simple.

Regarding your ABS. The ABS light will often come on if there is a problem with a wheel sensor. The other result of this is that the car will usually shudder the brakes just as it rolls to a stop. Not dangerous, but plenty annoying. Is this happening to you?

A VTEC light? Interesting....although, I think you'll find it rather pointless. You don't need a light to tell you when you're in VTEC...trust me, you'll know.

[elspectro29]

The ABS light hasn't come on in the past couple days, so I guess it was a sensor. I haven't really noticed much difference in braking though.

[elspectro29]

ABS update: I took a trip of about 80 miles today. The ABS light came on when I crossed a railroad crossing in a small town and stayed on after I got home and turned the car back on. I do see a slight difference in braking between with the ABS on and off. I'll check a few things and report back.

[elspectro29]

Question about the CEL codes: Since I have a 5th gen engine, would I go by the 4th or 5th gen CEL codes?

[spiffyguido]

Do you have the 4th or 5th gen ECU?

[elspectro29]

Pretty sure it's 5th, because the red-top H22A was only in 5th gens. The previous owner mentioned the oxygen sensor, and in his maintenance records it's one of the few things not mentioned, so I'm going to look at that first.

[spiffyguido]

Then you should go with the 5th gen ECU codes.