Looking to buy first lude ('92), common things to look for?
Hi all, first post...been reading for a bit + soaking up all the great info on this site...great stuff. I've been looking to buy a 4th gen for a month or so now, but may have finally found the right one. I'm wondering if there are any common issues I should be looking for when I head over to check this car out for the second time. I know of the ABS issues, seems to be working perfecting on this 92 Si....mileage is at 140k and has had the t-belt/water pump replaced....owner has all maintenance records. Are there any other common problems I should be on the lookout for, and are there any issues that are more common w/ 92's, being the 1st year of the model and all?
Thanks in advance for any help, these boards have an incredible amount of quality info -- look forward to adding to it.
Car info: 1992 Si, ~140k miles, manual, all stock.
check for leaks and if the AC is working (check to see if the fan comes on when the engine is warmed up... ask if the timing belt has been changed recently...
there's plenty more... i just need to get my head straight right now..
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Check for signs of the infamous rust in the rear quarter panels, it usually starts on the corner of the metal that it at the back end of the wheel well, look in between the bumper and that quarter panel and sometimes you can see the metal swelling there, indicationg rust is coming from under the paint
a/c works great, and yes the timing belt was changed about 30k miles ago. didn't think to check for the rust issue, will look at that later this week -- i'm in los angeles, and it's been a california car, so hopefully that's not an issue.
are there any tutorials here on the compression check?
if u can... try to get a slightly newer one.. like even a 93... so u don't get that whack center console... or if u can afford it or find one, a 94 so u can get the nice cup holder center console, el-gauges and ur ac will the be R134a instead of the R-12.
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93 Prelude VTEC - Turbo & Still Going!
94 Prelude VTEC - Parted & Crushed
92 Prelude 4WS -GONE!
94 Prelude SI -SOLD! 2 a
89 240sx Fastback - SOLD!
91 240SR Fastback -SOLD!
90 240sx Fastback -Gone to lil sis
98 240sx Kouki - In Progress
96 240sx Zenki - NEW Project!
I have a 93 and my ac is r134a...... But he is right, look for a newer one if possible to get the nice lil things like that cup holder and el gauges. I have a 93 4ws vtec and im still trying to get some el gauges and just finished the console swap. It would have been much easier had my car been a 94.....
Rust is also common on the sunroof and at the top of the windshield where the A pillar connects to the roof.
A couple things that typically go on older Ludes:
- radiator. look for cracks/leaks in the plastic end tanks
- clutch master cylinder. you can look for fluid leaking from where the clutch pedal goes through the firewall
- fuel pump main relay
All of those are fairly cheap though (i.e., parts < $200)
OK, did some reading...the 92' lights don't light up like the 'el gauges' of the newer models? I saw the car in the daytime, didn't check them. If that's the difference, I can get over that in this case...I've been looking at ludes for over a month now, and this seems to be the cleanest one around I've found in my price range ($3500) in which the owner -has- maintenance records, timing belt/water pump already switched. I'll probably look to move to a newer model in the coming years, but right now I'm getting slammed by gas prices (drive a fullsize Blazer) and want to take care of this soon.
Still looking at pics for the difference in the consoles, are we talking front or rear consoles?
And I didn't seem to mind the '92 console...i'm looking online now for a comparison photo....any links?
thx again for the input.
The EL Gauges are black when the car is off, and light up the same blue/green as the fuel and temp meters when you turn the car on.
The 92 Center Console is the most plain of all years, just the ebrake in the middle and the change holder. In 94, Honda moved the ebrake to the right, gave it a leather-esque boot, and put a real cupholder in the console, as well as relovating the side mirror controls from the door to the center console.
Rust is also common on the sunroof and at the top of the windshield where the A pillar connects to the roof.
A couple things that typically go on older Ludes:
- radiator. look for cracks/leaks in the plastic end tanks
- clutch master cylinder. you can look for fluid leaking from where the clutch pedal goes through the firewall
- fuel pump main relay
All of those are fairly cheap though (i.e., parts < $200)
yea, i'm not worried about those problems, for the most part. as for the fuel pump relay, that'd just go out at once, right....no warning signs?
The EL Gauges are black when the car is off, and light up the same blue/green as the fuel and temp meters when you turn the car on.
The 92 Center Console is the most plain of all years, just the ebrake in the middle and the change holder. In 94, Honda moved the ebrake to the right, gave it a leather-esque boot, and put a real cupholder in the console, as well as relovating the side mirror controls from the door to the center console.
yea, i'm not worried about those problems, for the most part. as for the fuel pump relay, that'd just go out at once, right....no warning signs?
The main relay will go out suddenly but usually starts working again in a few minutes. THis is only a problem in the summer. I think what happens is that when your car is hot, the actual relay expands and the soldering on the board cracks enough that it no longer works. Once your car cools off, it'll work again. You'll know it's happened because you started your car fine in the morning, you stop for 5 minutes to get gas or something and the car no longer starts. 10 minutes later it will start again though You can either fix it by resoldering the joints on the board or getting a new one.
EDIT: oh, and there are no major mechanical differences across the years that come to mind.
No... the backing of the gauges doesnt light up like a normal indiglo gauge. The numbers themselves are EL. That and the Odometer and Tripmeter are digital instead of mechanical.
The EL Gauges are black when the car is off, and light up the same blue/green as the fuel and temp meters when you turn the car on.
The 92 Center Console is the most plain of all years, just the ebrake in the middle and the change holder. In 94, Honda moved the ebrake to the right, gave it a leather-esque boot, and put a real cupholder in the console, as well as relovating the side mirror controls from the door to the center console.
actually... wasn't the 94-96 USDM Preludes had the ebrake on the left on the center console???
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You can either fix it by resoldering the joints on the board or getting a new one.
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