New 3G owner - Honda Prelude Forum

cityjack · 08-20-2011, 07:21 PM

Evening all,

I was looking for the new comer area to introduce myself so then I could come here with my 3G questions. Couldn't find a new persons area. Please forgive me.

I just bought a really nice 1990 2.0 SI. It is a B20A5 motor with a 5 spd. The exterior is nearly mint except for a little crack in the lower fairing and consequently has mad the nose sag about a half inch below where the headlight sits. Nothing too ugly, and I'll get to that in time. The interior is absolutely perfect, other than the temp. gauge maxing out upon start-up. I guess I should mention the previous owner has done an engine swap at some point due to the owner before him blowing the motor up. The engine starts right up, idles perfectly, runs strong and accelerates rather nicely. Drives and steers very good. The odometer says 131K, the previous owner did not know how many miles were on the motor he put in it either. No oil leaks that I can see so far and everything works as far as lights on the dash and so forth. Going into third gear the tranny does grind a bit though at hi-revs. Down shifting into third is perfect, only up-shifting it grinds a tad.
My question is this, I want to change the oil and do not know what the previous owner used. I have read the FAQ section and see that everyone recommends Mobile 1 of some weight or another with a Mobile one filter or OEM. Not knowing how many miles are on this motor or what oil he ran in it, can I safely go to Mobile 1 and if not what oil is best for this motor given it probably as a significant amount of miles on it? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I will ask my third gear tranny question at a later date as well as changing my rotors. I have a lengthy commute back and forth to work and down some very steep grades for about a 5 or 6 mile stretch that requires me to lean on the brakes more than normal. By time I reach the bottom of the mountain I can feel that the rotors are probably needing replacing because I can feel a definite vibration when I am braking hard. I want to install good brake components and money is not an issue here whn it come to my new toy.

Thanks again all.

Sid

Colfax · 08-24-2011, 11:53 AM

Welcome to the forum. It sounds like you've already been bitten by the 3rd gen bug. Just a word of warning, it's very hard if not impossible to get over the 3rd gen fever.

I have been using Penzoil Platinum synthetic oil for 3 years in my 89 Si 4ws. It doesn't burn oil, and has no significant oil leaks. I don't have to add oil between 5k mile oil changes. My engine is a b20a (JDM) and now has about 110k miles on it. For you, what I would do is look and see if you have any significant oil leaks. If you do, stick with conventional oil. Any existing leaks will probably get worse with synthetic. At least that's been my experience. apart from potentially making existing oil leaks worse, switching to synthetic won't hurt your engine in any way, and since it flows better in cold weather, and at start-up, your engine will probably last longer if you use it.