ChrisEM219

I'm going to check a Prelude out this weekend, and figured I could use all the advice I could get, about buying it, and see what other Prelude owners thought. It's a 95 V-TEC with rebuilt title, being sold for $3900. It has 96,000 miles on it, and from what I've heard from the owner, it runs fine, and has no major problems, apart from the ABS. He just told me that the light turns on when you start driving, and didn't know anything else about it. Anybody have any previous experience with this, and know what could be the problem and how much it'd be to repair? Also, you can tell in the pictures, the paint on the front bumper is chipping, any idea on price to get it touched up? He also recently repaired the crankshaft pulley, and front and rear brake pads and calipers. Is it a good deal? What else should I look for when looking at the car?

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G_Loc

What kind of damage did it suffer in order to have a rebuilt title?

ABS light could be caused by a multitude of things: alternator, one of the wheel sensors is bad (easy to fix), or even the ABS module (expensive). Know anyone with an OBD2 code scanner? That'll tell you why the light is coming on

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ChrisEM219

I think the ABS module might be the problem, just spoke with the owner, and he said that his mechanic told him it would be about $1000 to replace with a brand new part, but he didn't remember what it was called. Is there any way I could find a used one cheaper?

indylude18

Wasn't the prelude OBDI until 96?


Anyway, did you carfax it? That rebuilt title throws up a red flag. That car has probably been in a major wreck.

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Bluetop H23a Vtec Swapped NHBP '99 Base

jsmooney

other than the rebuilt title - looks good

G_Loc

$1000? Sounds like the ABS modulator/pump assembly. You can find some on ebay for pretty cheap, but who knows if its really good or not. Kind of a pain in the ass to remove and replace. Plus you need to follow a special procedure to bleed the ABS system, which, from what I remember, needs some specialized equipment.

See if you can pull the code...

96 = OBD2

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indylude18

That's what I thought. The car in question here is a 95...so the OBDII reader won't work.


Here is the How-to thread to pull the code on an OBDI prelude:

DIY: Diagnose Check Engine Lights 4th gen Prelude - Honda-Tech

If you want to know for sure what is causing the code, ask the seller to let you pull the code yourself.

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Bluetop H23a Vtec Swapped NHBP '99 Base

G_Loc

That's what I get for posting from work I coulda sworn I read '96

So its much easier, do as indylude18 indicated and post up the results

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ChrisEM219

I'll definitely try and pull the code when I see it. If it is the modulator, I'd probably pick one up off of ebay, but about how much would a mechanic charge me to install it?

jsmooney

Most people don't "care" about the abs. I prefer to have it.

Good luck with the car. The interior looks great

S-LudeDan

Good Luck!

jkoni426

my abs light used to be on, and i would just add brake fluid every once in awhile to turn it off. i was told i had a leak in the modulator.

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'96 VTEC Azure Blue-Green Pearl- daily
'96 Si Azure Blue-Green Pearl- sold

"The value of life can be measured by how many times your soul has been deeply stirred."

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