jay24k

I have a 2000 prelude and I've noticed in the last week when I would accelerate while driving or stationary, I would hear a whirring noise. I had a friend look at it and he thought it was a pulley or something causing it.

On my way to work today, it completely died on me. It wasn't a hard turn off but felt like it was loosing power like if you run out of gas. If I try to start it, it sounds like it is trying to turn over but just won't.

I'm worried it is the timing belt but not sure. All the belts appear to be fine. I'm not sure how to check the timing belt and if that is even something difficult to do on this model.

Any suggestions to what it could be?

SKDRCR

Is it getting spark?

94vtecmn

Take the Dizzy cap off, and try to crank the motor. If the rotor doesn't turn, your T-Belt let go.

If you were at low speeds, out of VTEC, you might have gotten lucky, and just need a new belt. Only way to know for sure is to replace the belt, and do a compression check, or put it all the way back together and see if she fires.

jay24k

I'll check with the cap and see. I was at low speeds turning a corner in 3rd gear probably about 2500 rpm. I felt the power really sag and dropped it to 2nd and got a little power and then it dropped again and turned off. I'm assuming I have spark because it feels like the car is trying to turn over. I'll check those today when I get home from work. I just hope I didn't bend any valves. I'm no mechanic but I don't mind getting my hands dirty to do something if I need to especially if I save a few hundred bucks.

I was talking to a mechanic where I work (Work for a city) and he mentioned it might be a compressor or alternator. He mentioned that whirring noise could be from the compressor and it locked up which bogged the engine down causing it to kill the car. He just told me he would swing by as well to test it out. I figure you guys on here are the experts on the preludes so I'd test out whatever you guys ran into in your experiences.

Thanks again for all your help and any additional comments are extremely appreciated.

jay24k

The guy hasn't stopped by yet. However, I was told by a coworker that if you take the oil cap off and look inside while someone is starting it, you can tell if the belt blew or not. I did that and did not see anything moving on the inside. Is this correct? If so, then I'm assuming the belt blew.

If it is the belt, should I go with Honda OEM or is an aftermarket one fine? Any recommendations?

Thanks

94vtecmn

That may help you determine, yes. But a clear visual would be taking off the dizzy cap, its just 3 phillips head screws.

Stick with OEM. Do some research, there is a lot of info here.

mattsnooz

yeah, after that, pull the valve cover and go see your non existant timing belt .

I would say your t . b. brokededed.

jay24k

Well good news. I took off the cap and it did spin. So I'm assuming now one of the pulleys locked up where the belts run around. I'm assuming it is the compressor as my friend mechanic assumed but would rather it be something else. I'm glad it isn't the timing belt. I was told to change my timing belt at 105000 miles. I only have about 93K on it currently.

jay24k

Can anyone explain how to loosen the tension off the belts for the AC/Alternator? I downloaded the manual but it has an adjustment bolt but I'm not sure if that is exactly what I need to do. Pictures are great if you got them or if you can explain it well, I would be appreciative.

I had a question also. Since the belt goes around both the alternator and the AC, I'm assuming if the AC froze up, I'd have to replace it since you obviously can't remove the belt. I know on my older civic I used to have, I just cut the belt and when it got hot, I replaced the AC.

LuckyXIII

I believe, if it is the same as in the last car I worked on, the adjustment bolt just needs to be loosened to lessen the tension of the belt on the alternator.

jay24k

Thanks. When I get home tommorrow after work, I'll have to try that and see if the car cranks up.

Thanks.

ShoofIsLudin

ur gonna have to pull the powersteering belt off to get to the alternator belt.

I always find it easier to loosen the tensioning bolt, and then unbolt/loosen the alternator so it can pivot on its mount to get the belt off. When I put a new belt on, it was way easier to pull the alt. out and then put it back in with the belt somewhat on it.

If you're not exactly sure how that tensioning bracket/setup works i wouldn't recommend taking it off....unless u like puzzles. Its a little tricky. But nothing too difficult

jay24k

Yea I'm not really sure. I'll have to search some more and see if I can get more details. I was told not to take the belt off, but loosen it. If it cranks, then it is a locked up pulley. Then manually see which one doesn't turn.

I'm not familiar with internal workings of a compressor but lets say it is that. Is it possible the pulley just went bad where just that can be replaced or is it always a whole new compressor. On my previous civic, the compressor smelt really bad when you tried to crank/run the car when it locked up. This one has no smell at all.

Thanks again guys for your elp. Great forum. Gonna have to visit more often as I want to do update my car alot.

Jason

jay24k

Ended up pulling off the valve cover because the belts were spinning. Timing belt looks fine. Did a very light crank and the belt now is very loose. I'm guessing the tensioner went.

How hard of a job is it to replace the tensioner and belt by myself? I'm going to do the manual tensioner mod as well from what I've read.

dagle

iTrader: (1)

if you have another car to drive, it should be do-able. if any other maintenance items are up, just grab those too and do everything at once.

jay24k

Looking at some of the helms manual, is it me or does it seem very involved? I noticed while inspecting my car, I have a boot that popped loose. So it appears its going to be alot of work.

Need to replace struts, timing belt, and boot. Not to mention my valves could be bent.

Yea I have a 07 pilot. I see on some manuals it doesn't state to put a jack under the engine when removing the motor mount. Only one states to do it. I'm assuming this needs to be done to keep it from falling correct?

I also have been doing alot of reading (probably 6 hours today) and read that Honda has a new auto tensioner that is revised so I think I'm going to stick with that. Should simplify the process slightly .

Any comments on my questions and thinking is appreciated. Thanks alot to those have responded and helped me. I owe you a

gstrudler

Be prepared for it to take some time, but it is do-able. You'll definitely want to put a jack under the oil pan when you pull the motor mount. If the timing isn't off, I would run a compression test; this could tell you if you bent any valves, otherwise you'll have to pull the head. Figure out what parts you'll need and also what tools you'll need; there are some specific tools you have to have, like the crank pulley holder. There are several online places that can save you money on parts (such as http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com) You could do it over a weekend if you're dedicated, have everything you need, and have an auto store nearby when you need to grab something. There's no better way to learn about your car, though, and it's a good feeling when you're done and know you did it yourself

ShoofIsLudin

Since u have a 2000, u have an H22a4.....
H22's bend valves when the timing belt lets loose WHILE in VTEC. How do I know...my crank chewed teeth off my t-belt, and the crank was spinning on a non-toothed section of the belt. My car stalled while slowing down at an intersection, no more than 3500rpms. The extra lift from the VTEC lobe on the cam puts the valves closer to the piston, but on the low cam lobe, there's enough clearance to not hit.
I tried restarting it at least 50 (YES FIFTY times, for at least 10 seconds everytime) No bent valves here, and ~230ish psi of compression across all 4 cylinders


The main reason the manual says to put a jack under the motor is so you can take the tension off the motor mount to remove the bolt easier. You have to take the mount off to get the new belt on. You can just cut the old one off with scissors or a sharp knife. I have an Autozone (Duralast) timing belt on my h22 right now and it was $30 if i remember.

Its pretty labor intensive, not too difficult tho. Since u have been reading manuals u have a fair idea of whats going on. The manual will be your friend.

The only thing that will probably give u hassle is the crank pulley. The nut is on there tight and sometimes an impact gun doesn't work on it, but most of the time it does.

An extra car will be nice....still gotta work right!?!?!

jay24k

Yea. That's the tough part. I'm gonna try to knock it ou this weekend. I'll compare the price to my dealership. I was thinking OEM is probably the way to go. I know I wasn't in VTEC when the car died so I'm hopeful of no bent valves. The tbelt looks in very good shape. I don't see any cracks or heavy wear. However, I feel if I'm already in there, might as well throw a new one in especially since I'm at 93k. I'll check with an autopart store on the crank pulley holder and see if they can lend me one unless they are pretty cheap.

Any other special tools you all think I'll need? I'd rather be prepared then make 20 trips to the auto store. I think I'm gonna take pictures to show the actual process. I didn't see any on here so maybe I can give back to the community in some way.

jay24k

I'm thinking of also doing the water pump. I read that there are other parts I need to replace while I'm doing that such as gasket and seals. Does anyone know exactly what I need to tell them when I go by there or call that honda part place? If I explain what I'm doing, should they know what exactly I need? Then I can just follow the helms manual.

Thanks!

Tarlacon

Dude, I just finished my water pump and timing belt. I also did the cam seals, balancer belt and seal, and crank seal. If you have a helms manual, just follow the directions and you will be fine.

One of the major hangups I had were the crank pulley holder. You can order one online, or buy one from kragen (they have to order it, it is $20). The other hangup was the tensioner, get a manual tensioner and make sure you tighten the belt enough. Lastly, TRIPLE check your timing before you put everything back together.

This was my first time of doing this much work on a car and took a long time. The first attempt took about 8 hours of work, and my timing was off. It would crank but not start. The second attempt took about 4 hours and I somehow messed up the tensioning. The car would crank and ignite every once in a while, but the timing belt kept slipping, so i needed to go at it again. The third attempt took about 2 hours (proud of my self on the quickness) and got everything right.

If you have patience and are willing to see your mistakes as learning processes, then you will be fine, just make sure you have time and if you don't get it done, have another car to drive or have someone drive you until you can finish.

Goodluck bro, need any help let me know

jay24k

I called the online place and they didnt have everything in stock. I called my dealer and figured if it was even 50 bucks more for all the parts, I'd buy it since I want to do it this weekend.

Online for the following:
Timing belt
balance shaft belt
tensioner
water pump
water pump gasket
compressor/alt belt
power steering belt

came up to approximately 245.00

Honda went below their wholesale and I got it for 260. To me that sounds fair as it would be probably 15 to 20 for shipping and handling. Plus I get everything tommorrow.

Will autozone have a crank pulley holder that they rent out? Is that what I need to ask for?

jay24k

More reading I'm doing

Should I have them include the tensioner spring? I was reading on the acura forum where they recommend replacing that too.

I want to make sure I have everything in advance. The auto tensioner I was told was the newer part and they did confirm issues with the prior part number. They have it listed as:

1 ADJUSTER, AUTOMATIC 69.39

Thanks again guys.

SKDRCR

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jay24k &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">.
I'm not familiar with internal workings of a compressor but lets say it is that. Is it possible the pulley just went bad where just that can be replaced or is it always a whole new compressor.
Jason </TD></TR></TABLE>

You need to take the ac belt all of the way off and try to turn the compressor by
hand. See if it feels normal. You need to check the timing marks before you
take everything off. If everything is lined up you have a whole different issue
and fixing all of that stuff isn't going to fix your original problem.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by gstrudler &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">. You'll definitely want to put a jack under the oil pan when you pull the motor mount. If the timing isn't off, I would run a compression test; this could tell you if you bent any valves, otherwise you'll have to pull the head.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Don't just put the jack under the oil pan, at least use a piece of wood between
them so you don't bend the oil pan.

You need to do a Leakdown test not a compression test if you really want
to see if you have bent valves or not.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jay24k &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Will autozone have a crank pulley holder that they rent out? Is that what I need to ask for?
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes they will. I hope you have a manual to follow on this job your doing
if you've never done anything like this before.

Like I said before you take the timing belt and balancer belt off, line all of the timing marks up and look at the mark on your flywheel and see if it's in time.

94vtecmn

Recommendation. Get a Helms, and follow that. If you are doing this in the car (I'll assume your not pulling the motor) its a pretty difficult job. I mean, its doable, but you have to have everything nuts on, and its not all easy to see or get to.