Okay here it goes, I have a 97 prelude, no idea if it is a base or SH, And I have no idea if the motor in it is swapped out with a JDM H22A or if it is the stock motor. I know that it says "H22A" on the block, which made me think it was a jdm swap. Then I found out that a few of the first USDM fifth gen preludes, the 97's, came with "H22A" from the factory and not the "H22A1" like the other fifth gens. So how do I know if mine is a swap or not? I need to know this because I blew the oil pump and am trying to get it repaired but I don't know if the JDM and USDM motors use the same oil pump, and if my car is SH or base, i know it's not type s or atts.
judging by his sig pic, all the exterior cues to distinguish a base or SH have been changed.
look at the vin, vehicle identification number, on your front window in the lower right hand side, on on your fender, or door jams, other places with vin's, and if it's:
JHM BB6 1 4, then it's a base
JHM BB6 1 5, then it's a SH
Thanks Storm_Rider, it's 1 4 so mine's base. So now how do I find out if my motor is swapped or if it's the stock one? I thought only the Type S had a red valve cover.
Try this, although this is sort-of complicated, it is the only way I know. Get under the car and look near the oil filter location, use a flashlight and look for a little green tag that should have YOUR cars VIN on it; if it matches up to your VIN, then it is the original, if not, well, then I don't know, cause it could be any engine from any car! So whatever, that method isn't fullproof...at all, but hey, it will show you if your engine is original or not .
Good luck
But that number doesn't match up to the VIN...For some reason, the one on the little green tag that is hard to get to does. Why is there a stamped number on the block next to the engine model stamp that doesn't match the VIN, I have no clue...
well that number i asked for isn't related to the VIN i think. in the helms it tells you how to distinguish engine numbers and stuff.
and according to it, you have a 97 model as 97's begin with 1 for base and 15 for SH. 98's begin with 2 and 25, respectively, and 99 begins with 3 and 35 respectively... i assume the pattern repeats till 2001
so... could be coincidence... but i assume your engine is stock.. but canada models are numbered the same... not sure about japan..
does the serial number match to the transmission's serial number? not sure if that gives any clues..
hahha your car has an h22a4 not just an a and not an a1 unless its swapped but all 5th get ludes have h22a engines, i know nothing really about the 4th gens but yea the a4 has 195hp stock and then i think starting in 99 the engine went up to 200
And no, not all the JDM engines have the coveted, wrinkle red valve cover. I'm pretty sure those are just the Type-S engines as someone else has stated.
I have a JDM H22a4 swap and it's a black top.
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