First off i have a 98 auto lude. I have about 63k on her and i have no performance mods. Ive been getting terrible gas mileage and the car seems slow and suffers from a lack of torque. I got 240 miles when my gas light came on (18 mpg ) The car feels unresponsive and smells like its running reaaaaaally rich.
I went to the Honda dealership and made an appointment for tomorrow to have a compression and leak-down test which will be $37. Is there anything else i need to have them look at or do?

 

Change out cap and rotor on distributor, air filter, fuel filter, and spark plugs as a start.

 

I dont know much about the ignition. When you say change the cap and rotor how much are those and what type of difference do you think they will make. I wasnt aware those really wore out.
PS: i had my 60k tuneup a little while ago so i have almost brand new plugs...

 

Maybe have them check the timing also.

 

The rotor is underneath the distributor cap. I think it's a screw not sure haven't had my prelude long enough to know.

 

The guy at the dealership said that unless the belt has jumped a tooth then it should be right on.
I wasnt sure if that sounded right, can any one back up the honda guy???

 

yes the belt can jump a tooth or two and make the car unbelievably slow, but it usually doesnt happen, and if it did happen maybe you should take a look at your tensioner, and convert to a h23 manual.

 

I have a brand new rotor at home that will work with your car... just cover the shipping and it's yours. I wanted to replace mine but the damn screw honda uses for it is too damn soft and stripped out on me and I haven't bothered to use an extrator on it yet.

 

What exactly is the rotor on the distributor and what does it do? I searched and i just got a bunch of "brake rotors"
Thanks for the responses guys

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by diewX3 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Change out cap and rotor on distributor, air filter, fuel filter, and spark plugs as a start. </TD></TR></TABLE>
you don't just start changing random parts to see if it fixes the problem. you got test **** first. hey ItalynStylion i had a similar problem with my car and i <U>think</U> it may be a clogged fuel filter but since i don't have the car right in front i can't for sure. you test the fuel system to be absolutely sure

 

check fuel pressure...if he hasnt done a tune up with 60k he should do 1 regardless...

 

so replacing the fuel filter sounds like a good idea. Any other suggestions?

 

Throwing any codes?? I have had these issues causing sluggishness/bogging. Bad catalytic converter, wires/plugs, cap rotor, O2 sensor

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AndyD &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Throwing any codes?? I have had these issues causing sluggishness/bogging. Bad catalytic converter, wires/plugs, cap rotor, O2 sensor</TD></TR></TABLE>

check all above if possible.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rjr162 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have a brand new rotor at home that will work with your car... just cover the shipping and it's yours. I wanted to replace mine but the damn screw honda uses for it is too damn soft and stripped out on me and I haven't bothered to use an extrator on it yet.</TD></TR></TABLE>

isn't that crazy how tight that sucker is? I had a similar prob - but finally managed to get it to break.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 95lude-s &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you don't just start changing random parts to see if it fixes the problem. you got test **** first. hey ItalynStylion i had a similar problem with my car and i think it may be a clogged fuel filter but since i don't have the car right in front i can't for sure. you test the fuel system to be absolutely sure</TD></TR></TABLE>

I agree with you somewhat, changing parts isn't the best way to troubleshoot - however on the other hand if you don't have a lot of test equipment (pressure gauges etc) at home - it's kind of hard to diagnose. The parts that buddy suggested are relatively inexpensive, and regardless of whether it solves the problem - they are still good/cheap parts to change as a means of preventative maintenance as well, and in the case may apply directly to the problem at hand. I also suggest checking timing/02 sensor.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ItalynStylion &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What exactly is the rotor on the distributor and what does it do? I searched and i just got a bunch of "brake rotors"
Thanks for the responses guys</TD></TR></TABLE>

the rotor basically distributes the spark to it's corresponding spark plug thru the points on the cap. it's a small bladed piece of plastic that sits inside your distributor and rotates from it's drive from the exhaust camshaft. the metal blade (on the rotor) passes by each "point" on the cap and the spark can jump the gap and travel down the spark plug wires to the spark plug for ignition. what happens to the rotors over time, is corrosion can build up on that blade face from the gap distance the spark has to jump creating a buildup, or the typical oxidation type corrosion (I forgot the name for the buildup but i think there is a technical term for it) in any case, less of the blade face becomes conductive so you can misfire/bogg issues, for the cost of a new rotor (cheap-***) it's a recommended maintenance item. the cap is also cheap, and can suffer from similar corrosion on it's points, and also any cracks in the cap is bad news. There is only one phillips screw holding the rotor on, once you remove the cap, and it's easy to install, it's also odd shaped so it can only go on one way (well i'm sure someone in the world could f* it up but for the most part)... any ways if you want to see one go to page two of my thread here

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1090957

you'll see the corrosion - only 1/3 of the face of my blade was conductive.
that being said, I doubt it will solve all your probs from the explanation of your problem, but it's worth changing if it's never been changed since you've owned the car.

 

Well im going to get the compression and leakdown test done tomorrow b/c the guy at the dealership is cutting me a 50% off deal for whatever reason
Ill see how much it is to get the timing checked and i might do that too. Ill let you guys know what the compression #'s and the results are.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ItalynStylion &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">First off i have a 98 auto lude. I have about 63k on her and i have no performance mods. Ive been getting terrible gas mileage and the car seems slow and suffers from a lack of torque. I got 240 miles when my gas light came on (18 mpg ) The car feels unresponsive and smells like its running reaaaaaally rich.
I went to the Honda dealership and made an appointment for tomorrow to have a compression and leak-down test which will be $37. Is there anything else i need to have them look at or do?</TD></TR></TABLE>
What kind of driving do you primarily do, 'city' or 'highway'? Do you regularly check your tire pressure? What condition are your tires in?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ItalynStylion &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well im going to get the compression and leakdown test done tomorrow b/c the guy at the dealership is cutting me a 50% off deal for whatever reason
Ill see how much it is to get the timing checked and i might do that too. Ill let you guys know what the compression #'s and the results are.</TD></TR></TABLE>


You sound fairly intelligent.

I think you should order a Helms manual and study up.
You can save lots of money and learn at the same time

They shouldn't charge you anything to check the timing.

Just talk to your friend or the mechanic that's working on your car,
ask him if he throw the timing gun on there real quick.
They should hook you up although I don't really think that's your problem.

 

Ya my tire pressure is ok, i know you were thinkin that since its colder my tires were flatter. But i got right on that and made sure they were filled up right