Hello all,

Its been awhile since I've visited HT and haven't kept up with the scene for years. I'm interested in picking up a 5th gen Prelude but I remember stolen Hondas were an issue 10 years ago. Has things changed for the better?

Also, the car doesn't get driven much and the timing belt is about 12 years old/10k miles on the belt. Would it be a good idea to change it?

Thanks!

 

yes hondas still get stolen, though it seems a bit less than before. 97+ preludes have an immobilizer though, making them much more difficult to steal.

yes definitely change the timing belt. 80k miles is the mileage interval for replacement, but there's also a time interval as well if it happens before the mileage is reached. I forget the exact time, but I think it's 10 years. I'd bet the belt is starting to dry rot from lack of use over the ages

 

see, that its wise to new all the seals and tensioners with water pump while youre there

 

In your opinion, would you only directly to the Honda dealership or a normal car shop should be fine? I was quoted for $800 for the timing belt service (it includes the water pump, etc) at a Honda dealership.

 

Thanks, I will make sure of this. I was quoted $800 at Honda dealership.

 

regular repair shop with a decent reputation would be fine, and maybe a little cheaper. that quote sounds about right though

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Make sure when you get it done that they do the full job. Preludes have the autotensioner and it needs to be replaced every timing belt job along with waterpump, bearings etc. Seals like cam and crank arent a bad idea to have done either but it isnt necessary. As far as them getting stolen, it happens but it doesnt seem to be as bad as other Hondas from what I have heard. Integras and CRXs and Civics still seem to be targeted more from what I gather. As stated above the chip in the key really does make the prelude a lot harder to steal so it could be that too.

 

that should be changed to manual tensioner

 

Ideally yes. Some mechanics wont mess with aftermarket parts like that though. If you are planning to just do nothing beyond basic bolt-ons the auto tensioner is good for 100k pretty safely. It didnt used to be that way. Initially they were garbage and would fail before that, but then honda revised the part and the OEM ones you get today are perfectly fine for mostly stock powerplants.

 

Thanks for the tips. I'm not sure if the Honda dealership is going to change the auto tensioner but I'll have to give them a call to make sure. I read old threads about the h23 conversion and aftermarket tensioners..alot of confusing stuff.

The Prelude has 69k miles so I could probably replace all tensioners, seals, gaskets around 100k miles. I'm just getting the timing belt and oil change for now since the car had its last timing belt change 12 years ago.

EDIT: I think i should just ask them to install all of this stuff while I'm there:

Source: http://www.preludepower.com/forums/s...d.php?t=279992

Does this list look about right?

TIMING BELT CHANGE JOB PART LIST AND INFO
KS tuned H22 Version 2 Timing Tensioner: https://www.kstuned.com/products/h22-timing-tensioner

13404-PT0-004 - ADJUSTER COMP., BALANCER BELT
13415-PT0-000 - BRACKET, BALANCER BELT ADJUSTER
14510-PT0-004 - ADJUSTER COMP., TIMING BELT
14516-PT2-000 - SPRING COMP., TIMING BELT ADJUSTER
14521-P14-A00 - PLATE, ADJUSTER
90014-P14-A00 - BOLT, TIMING BELT ADJUSTER BASE
90015-PT0-000 - BOLT, TIMING BELT ADJUSTER SPRING
90016-PT0-000 - BOLT, TIMING BELT ADJUSTER
90140-P14-A00 - WASHER, PLAIN (11MM)
~$90

Other parts needed for job are below (Majestic Honda’s price in BOLD, also required items to replace are in BOLD, others are recommended):

T-belt
Part #14400-P13-014
$49.63

Balance shaft belt
Part #13405-PT0-004
$30.20

Water Pump
Part #19200-P13-003
$67.38

New balance shaft seal
Part #91233-PT0-003
$4.59

Balance Seal Retainer
Part #06923-P0A-306
List $2.82 Sell $1.97

Main shaft (crank) seal
Part #91212-PAA-A01
$4.91

Cam seals
Part #91213-PR3-004
$4.18each Total: $8.36

P.S. Belt
Part #56992-PDE-E01
$12.34

A/C-Alt. Belt
Part #38920-P0F-J01
$16.24 Magestic’s Item #32351

V/C gasket set
Part #12030-P13-000
$34.08

 

you dont really need those new bolts, washers or that bracket & plate - use your current ones

that kaizenspeed manual tensioner is pretty good

 

Thanks for all of your tips Tim as I own my first Prelude.

 

I've never heard of Prelude theft being much of an issue. Sure, maybe every once in a blue moon, but generally I consider my '99 SH as having 95%+ of the performance of an Integra Type R but with better comfort and no theft issues.