Alternative to 5th gens? (want to avoid tranny problems) - Honda Prelude Forum

13 · 05-12-2002, 11:49 AM

Hi,

I've been a fan of the 5th gen Preludes since they came out in '97, and have wanted to get one for years. I'm in the market for a new car this summer, and of course have been looking at '99 or '00 Preludes. However, the problems people have been having with the SS transmissions and the gear grinds and lockout problems people with manuals have been having are making me seriously consider giving up on getting a 5th gen.

So, I've been thinking of trying to find a nice 4th gen, maybe a '96, which seem to be pretty hard to find, or getting a '98 or '99 Integra GS-R, which seems like it would be quite a bit easier to find.

What do you guys think? Should I give up my desire to get a 5th gen and get one of the alternatives I mentioned?

Any input is appreciated

jimrawr · 05-12-2002, 01:34 PM

honda transmitions in general suck

langrehr · 05-12-2002, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by fierce
honda transmitions in general suck

yeah they do

With a teg everyone has one. i would never even think about getting one
a 4th gen is not bad if you can find one like you said
i would say get what you want all cars have there problems.

SpanishRicer · 05-12-2002, 03:01 PM

You also have to remember...for every one person who has had an issue with their Prelude 5spd tranny, there's probably another 1000+ who couldn't be happier with it...

himiler · 05-12-2002, 03:16 PM

Honda trannys do not "suck." The shifter (rod linkage vs. cable linkage in the Prelude) in my '98 GS-R moved with rifle bolt-like precision and never gave up once in 211,000 miles of hard driving. I also owned a '96 Integra LS, a '91 Civic DX Hatch, and a '87 Prelude and never had a lick of trouble with the manual gearboxes.

Most of the horror stories about Prelude transmissions (note correct spelling) arise from folks who consistently run their cars very hard, usually after increasing engine output. Whatever makes these people think that they can beef up their engines without performing a similar strengthening of the tranny components escapes me.

Honda designed the Prelude gearbox to accomodate a certain amount of HP and torque. It is reasonable to expect problems if the operational capacities of the transmission are exceeded.

The solution? Drive the car as intended or invest in a stronger transmission (or don't piss and moan when you miss-shift at 8000RPM).

Personally, I have found that my 5spd. is sometimes reluctant to go into reverse, but it works fine if I shift back to neutral and let out the clutch before trying again. My car has gathered 41,000 miles since 10/15/01, and the tranny hasn't burped yet. And I do run the car pretty hard, but have only done chassis/driveline mods. (What good is extra HP if you can't drive the car correctly to begin with?)

As far as other cars go, well, there are quite a few fun rides out there right now. If you've got to have a Honda but don't trust the Prelude tranny, you could do a ton worse than a late-model GS-R, particularly if you want to mod.

Guiddy · 05-12-2002, 03:38 PM

The odd problem I have with my 5th Gen does in no way put me off owning it! Yeah, I have had problems missing the odd gear! SO what! Just gives me a little project in getting it sorted!

But to answer your question I liked the trannie in the Integra Type-R. I also loved the S2000! One of them do ya?

13 · 05-12-2002, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SpanishRicer
You also have to remember...for every one person who has had an issue with their Prelude 5spd tranny, there's probably another 1000+ who couldn't be happier with it...

That's a good point. People generally don't post on an internet forum to say everything is working fine. I've been doing research on the 5th gens for a few years, and didn't know about the problems with the SS transmission until a few months ago. Of course, that might have to do with the fact that the problem doesn't manifest itself until the vehicle has x amount of miles on it.

I heard of the problems in the Edmunds Town Hall and at
a msn community about SS complaints.

Argh...I'd hate to miss out on a car like the Prelude because of a problem that might only effect a small number of cars, but I'd kick my own ass if I bought one then had transmission problems with it.

jimrawr · 05-12-2002, 04:31 PM

my accord tranny **** the bed with 130k miles.
my friends teg same thing, 120k miles.
my 98 prelude with 38k miles is already starting to show signs of tranny problems, and i dont drive it hard

KB798 · 05-12-2002, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 13
Hi,

I've been a fan of the 5th gen Preludes since they came out in '97, and have wanted to get one for years. I'm in the market for a new car this summer, and of course have been looking at '99 or '00 Preludes. However, the problems people have been having with the SS transmissions and the gear grinds and lockout problems people with manuals have been having are making me seriously consider giving up on getting a 5th gen.

So, I've been thinking of trying to find a nice 4th gen, maybe a '96, which seem to be pretty hard to find, or getting a '98 or '99 Integra GS-R, which seems like it would be quite a bit easier to find.

What do you guys think? Should I give up my desire to get a 5th gen and get one of the alternatives I mentioned?

Any input is appreciated

from what i see and hear, a lot of ppl own lude's b/c it's unique

everyday you see civic's and tegs, stock and modified but seeing a lude is more rare than seeing civic's and tegs. if you plan on modding, a civic or teg will give you better responds to mods than a prelude. but personally, whenever i see a lude, whether it's stock or modified my head turns to it. i can't help it

ZDVS1 · 05-12-2002, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by himiler

Honda designed the Prelude gearbox to accomodate a certain amount of HP and torque. It is reasonable to expect problems if the operational capacities of the transmission are exceeded.

Personally, I have found that my 5spd. is sometimes reluctant to go into reverse, but it works fine if I shift back to neutral and let out the clutch before trying again. My car has gathered 41,000 miles since 10/15/01, and the tranny hasn't burped yet. And I do run the car pretty hard, but have only done chassis/driveline mods. (What good is extra HP if you can't drive the car correctly to begin with?)

Very good point about the operational capacities. Though I think Honda should built in a lil more of a safety margin. Dam that's a lot of miles for as old as your car is. I got mine 10-31-01 and have bout 8100 miles. Only have CAI so far and have already had trouble getting into reverse. ...

-Scott

okieraver · 05-12-2002, 06:31 PM

every car you buy will have its own set of hidden problems, look hard enough and you'll find it. the 5th gens are known for their tranny failures, but i think people on this board kinda blow the problem up a little bigger than it is. i'm willing to bet most people on this board are auto enthusiasts, and tend to drive the car a bit harder than the average joe. i know i do. i dont drag race every day, if i get in 1 a month thats about average, but daily i treat my car right, shift at 2500 rpms, synthetic oil changes every 3000 miles and so forth. so far 103k miles on orginal stock clucth and tranny and the only problems i have had so far is my blinker not canceling. i think the prelude has held up amazingly well and in comparison to most cars, it is a great buy. btw did you know the 97-99 civics also have a syncho problem?