HONDA PRELUDE VTEC 4WS BUYERS GUIDE
Apart from the usual checks which you should carry out when buying any second hand car, there are some areas on the Prelude which are worth a special look out for. Let me first say that these cars are built to a very high standard, and the panels should fit with a high degree of fit and finish. If you are considering a car which is anything but, then you can assume that it has been neglected and probably had accident damage of some sort which has not been repaired to a high standard. I would look elsewhere for another example. If looked after, and serviced regularly, these cars are good for several 100 thousand miles. My 1995 model has just reached 100k miles, and I consider it to run as good if not better than the day I got her with 60k miles. I have not had one failure of any component either electrical, or mechanical. All, I have done is regular oil and filter changes, and replaced the exhaust for a performance stainless steel one. As part of preventive maintenance I had the clutch replaced at 98k miles, even though it was not slipping. It was just getting heavy.
RUST
Most of the panels and main structural chassis parts are galvanized from new, so rust is not usually a problem. The area which needs attention is usually the trailing edge of the rear wheel arches. Road grime collects there and eventually the first signs of rust start here. This is easily repaired though. The only other area is the window strips along the back window, and the rear quarter glass. These tend to look grubby, with some sort of surface corrosion. A regularly looked after car will not have these problems.
MECHANICALS
These engines are bullet proof. With good servicing they last a long, long time. But, check for blue smoke on startup, and when engaging VTEC @ 5000rpm and above. You might notice black smoke (rich fuelling, which is normal in VTEC) but not blue. Blue is bad. This will mean either worn rings, or cylinder bores. The blue smoke on startup is probably worn valve guides, and/or valve stem steals.
If you dare, and you can find somewhere to test this ( without speeding on a public road), you should try to change gear from 4th to 5th at high engine revs. i.e in VTEC in 4th (above 5k rpms) and change quickly into 5th gear. If it is smooth, then great. If it grinds, or worse won't shift up, then you have developed the 5th gear selector fork problem. This is a known fault which still affects some Accord Type-R models. It is something you will have to live with or pay to get fixed.(££!)
Only other things which I have heard of eventually needing replacing are the rear wheel bearings. These come ONLY as a complete hub and are available from ADL Blueprint at a much cheaper price than Honda. Try £110 compared with £300+ each!! It might be worth asking if the wheel bearings have been replaced already. N.B. Some noise which sounds like worn wheel bearings on the Prelude, can actually be traced to certain tyres. One known tyre to avoid because of this is the Avon ZV1 205/55/15. This is ok when new, but once well worn, creates this wheel bearing type noise which is actually caused by the tyre tread. Changing the tyres eliminates this. It happened to me.
4WS
Check that the light for the 4WS illuminates when you switch on the ignition. If it doesn't, then someone could be hiding a known fault with the system. Check that the fuse for the 4WS is in the fuse box, and that the bulb has not blown or been removed. Once you start the car, after a few seconds the yellow 4WS light should go out. With the engine running, open your car door, and turn the steering wheel, and watch for the rear wheels moving. If they are, then get going on your test drive, if the light remains on and the rear wheels are not turning then try the 4ws reset procedure detailed here
VTEC
The VTEC system will only engage when the car has fully warmed up. So don't go for a test drive and immediately expect the VTEC system to kick in. You should not be thrashing any car whilst it is still cold, and the Prelude is clever enough to disable the system until at least:-
1. It has reached a safe operating temperature
2. There is sufficient oil pressure for safe high rpm VTEC action.
The VTEC system is a ultra reliable system where two profiles exist on the same camshaft which the ecu can engage. Below about 5k rpms a high torque "normal" profile is active. Above 5k rpms a second high lift/duration profile on each camshaft is switched over, which provides a lot more power, and should be easily felt by a sudden surge in acceleration. The engine now is in "VTEC" and pull strongly all the way to at least 7,200rpm (limiter about 7600rpm). Once revs drop below the 5k switching point the "normal" camshaft profiles begin to operate again. This gives the engine a dual personality, and a big fan base. It should be obvious if the VTEC system is not working.
AIR CONDITIONING
I am only mentioning this because when I bought my Prelude, the air conditioning controls worked but I got no cold air. On investigation, I found that a electrical connector near the bottom of the radiator, had come apart. It was connected to the switch on the compressor. When reconnected, the compressors clutch actually engaged and I got cold air.
