I was heading to Des Moines yesterday doing about 80-100 the whole way of the two hour drive in the 90 degree weather, got to my ramp to get off the interstate, car shifted down for the red light, revs went up, put it in neutral, coasted, ran through the gears while stopped, went to take off, everything was fine. I know my problem already with the SS but I was wondering about the tranny cooler now so that I don't have this happen again, and more over, so that when I rebuild the transmission this winter if having the cooler will help.
So I searched and read through all the threads I could find, read rompirates what nots, read every ones what nots and was close to buying one, then I saw that most of the threads were from 2002, 2003ish, so I thought, did it work?
So before I go and spend the time and the money I'm wondering if anyone has a review after some timely usage.
For those that don't know what I'm talking about here are some links including the product as the top link
Dont waste another cent on the SS lude... No matter what you do or what precautions you take that tranny is almost done. Even if you park it, lock it, and cover it, that tranny is gonna explode in a matter of days.....
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1991 Honda Accord LX 5 speed - SOLD
1992 Nissan 240sx Hatch 5 speed - SOLD
1998 Honda Prelude Auto - Rear Ended By Drunk and TOTALED!
2000 Audi A6 2.7t - Traded
2000 Honda Accord EX V6 - SOLD
2001 Honda Prelude BASE 5 speed - Current DD
Dont waste another cent on the SS lude... No matter what you do or what precautions you take that tranny is almost done. Even if you park it, lock it, and cover it, that tranny is gonna explode in a matter of days.....
werd. it took less than minutes from the first slip to only being able to use 1st in SS. Seriously I would suggest saving for a 5sp swap like I am or just sell the car for a 5sp. Seriously.
The swap is less possible then anything, money wise and also I can't find anyone to do it around here. This is my way of getting all I can out of what I have now.
So no one has any experience with the tranny cooler?
I seem to remember Kiwi man posting about putting a tranny cooler on his SS, then having the transmission break almost immediately afterward. There really isn't anything else you can do to make it last longer except keeping the hard shifting to a minimum. Even then, the odds are against you that it will last a long time.
i had a 2000 prelude SS. the gears were slipping and shifting really hard.i drained the tranny, put in a lucas ATF fix, then i toped it of with honda ATF. in the process i added the cooler, got it for 30 bucks or so. i mounted the cooler in the front of the car. and YES, IT MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE, for me at least. i was able to shift normally, i drove the car for 3 months after than and then i sold it. no problems during those 3 months. hope that helps. but you should save little by little for the 5sp swap.
but you should save little by little for the 5sp swap.
Just sell the car and buy a 5spd.
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1988 Prelude S - victim of an 80mph backflip
1991 Prelude Si - sold
1989 Accord DX - impounded
1998 Prelude SH - totaled on 3/29/12
2006 CRF150F - sold
2006 YZ250F - sold
i had a 2000 prelude SS. the gears were slipping and shifting really hard.i drained the tranny, put in a lucas ATF fix, then i toped it of with honda ATF. in the process i added the cooler, got it for 30 bucks or so. i mounted the cooler in the front of the car. and YES, IT MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE, for me at least. i was able to shift normally, i drove the car for 3 months after than and then i sold it. no problems during those 3 months. hope that helps. but you should save little by little for the 5sp swap.
This helps a lot, thank you. How bad was your transmission? Mine at the moment drops semi-hard from park to drive and I have to "skip" over 2nd gear with the stick going from 1st to 3rd, if I don't the car will only shift from 1st to 2nd as it should if I give it the tiniest bit of gas, anymore then a little and it will not catch and rev hard then eventually drop in hard. Was yours better, same or worse?
People, I've read up on and understand the 5th gen Prelude tranny problem, I understand saving up, getting the 5 speed, but I don't have the space to do it, the knowledge, and above all that, the money, and I know that others are in the same spot. I as a full time college student with next to no money, working part time, having bought this car on loan that I thought was going to last me a long time, am in this situation now and I'm trying to make the best of it as I know others are to, so I thank you for your comments that are like a broken record of old all over the forums, but for now, if you can't help and be constructive, pls, piss off.
Saving up to do a 5spd swap = ~$2500.
Selling the sissy car and buying a 5spd car = $0.
At worst, you take like a $1000 loss for your mistake.
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1988 Prelude S - victim of an 80mph backflip
1991 Prelude Si - sold
1989 Accord DX - impounded
1998 Prelude SH - totaled on 3/29/12
2006 CRF150F - sold
2006 YZ250F - sold
Saving up to do a 5spd swap = ~$2500.
Selling the sissy car and buying a 5spd car = $0.
At worst, you take like a $1000 loss for your mistake.
Sweet, your saying I can get rid of this car and buy a 5speed for $0. ****, sign me up.
Seriously though who would want to buy a car with a bad tranny anyways man, this car's never going to sell for more then $1,000. I paid $5,000 for it 2 1/2 years ago. Major lose on my end.
If I could find someone to do the swap I would. Can you refer me to someone in the Eastern Iowa Area that can do it, I would be ever so grateful if you could. I'm not opposed to the swap, it's finding someone willing to do it that's the problem.
It will sell for more than $1000 assuming the rest of the car is in good shape. Plus there's the chance that the purchaser doesn't notice a transmission problem. But you'll never know until you actually try.
__________________
1988 Prelude S - victim of an 80mph backflip
1991 Prelude Si - sold
1989 Accord DX - impounded
1998 Prelude SH - totaled on 3/29/12
2006 CRF150F - sold
2006 YZ250F - sold
It will sell for more than $1000 assuming the rest of the car is in good shape. Plus there's the chance that the purchaser doesn't notice a transmission problem. But you'll never know until you actually try.
They will notice, when it's in normal drive it will not shift into 2nd for at least 5 seconds then drops in hard, then if you give it to much gas it will not catch, they will notice. Rest of the car isn't great but it's not beat.
Again, if anyone can refer me to someone in Iowa that can do the swap please let me know, I'm down, just don't have the resources. I'll keep looking as well but if someone else knows anything please let me know.
Your Prelude comes from the factory with a transmission cooler and an engine oil cooler, so unless your going to tow a boat or something, an aftermarket addition would be overkill.
Hose #22 and #23 send fluid to/from the radiator to the transmission.
Last edited by SH DRIVER; 07-13-2010 at 04:55 PM.
Reason: Add Picture
They will notice, when it's in normal drive it will not shift into 2nd for at least 5 seconds then drops in hard, then if you give it to much gas it will not catch, they will notice. Rest of the car isn't great but it's not beat.
When is the last time you did a flush?
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1988 Prelude S - victim of an 80mph backflip
1991 Prelude Si - sold
1989 Accord DX - impounded
1998 Prelude SH - totaled on 3/29/12
2006 CRF150F - sold
2006 YZ250F - sold
Haven't done one because the fluid looks, smells and feels fine. Seemed like it would be a waste of money. I was also told not to flush it because it will hurt the seals and break off some plastic pieces in it and make things worse so only to drip drain it.
When someone says flush, they mean drain&refill. If you've never done it, it's probably a good idea.
__________________
1988 Prelude S - victim of an 80mph backflip
1991 Prelude Si - sold
1989 Accord DX - impounded
1998 Prelude SH - totaled on 3/29/12
2006 CRF150F - sold
2006 YZ250F - sold
Before draining or flushing you should pull the dip stick and look at the fluid. If it is dark, burnt smelling, and you see little flakes or speck in it, DO NOT FLUSH IT. The fluid and transmission is TOAST, but the transmission just has not figured out it should die yet. In these cases for reasons no one has figured out yet, if you flush a transmission in this condition it will fail right away. Real strange, but that is what seems to happen. If your trans is in this condition just drive it while you save for a replacement transmission. There is no way of telling when it will fail. It might be today, next week, or next year, but it is doomed
these were my symptoms:
shifting from drive to reverse would take like 4 seconds and then it would feel like someone rear ended me...lol it was that bad....
second gear would make the car vibrate and it would slip big time, i would be red lining on second gear and bearly going 30mph......
there was minor hesitation shifting from 3rd to forth. but even fourth would slip a bit.
MY PROCEDURE:
what i did, like i said before, i disconnected one of the hoses that ran from the trans to the radiator, i put the hose on an empty container, then i turned on the car, and i turned it off as soon as the fluid stopped coming out of the hose.
next, i measure more or less the amount oil that came out of the trans.
so i can put the same amount back in.
i then disconnected the other hose to the radiator, cause theres 2, i mounted my new oil cooler right in front of the radiator where the air would hit it directly.
after that i connected the 2 hoses that i had previously disconnected and connected them to the new cooler.
i bought a bottle of lucas ATF fix, its really thick oil, and i poured it through the dipstick.
and i top off the trans with honda atf.
i warmed the car up, took it for a drive just around the block ( it was still slipping) and i was shifting using the sport shift and i would leave it in each gear for a few seconds, 1st, 2nd, etc. i was kinda dispapointed at 1st cause i only saw minor improvements.
BUT, the next mornig i drove the car, and it was shifting like new.????? weird???
i guess it just needed time to lubricate everything. and i drove the car for 3 months after that and i didnt have that problem anymore.... but i sold it, and got a 4th ge now, h22 5spd ( sad story yesterday i messed up my motor, the crank pulley broke loose and it fell out of the car while driving, so the whole crank pulley came off and now the car wont start)
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