MoogieBoogie

I have the opportunity to pick up a 87-88 Prelude (not sure of the year). The engine has 240k miles on it, and it's an automatic tranny.. the tranny needs work, but the engine still seems strong.

What can I do to this car? Would I be able to do a swap with a 4th gen or 5th gen Prelude? Or could I swap in any other motor? How easily would this be done?

I'm guessing that there aren't any mods for this car, so I'm not really looking forward to that.

Thanks.
-Brian.

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98 Honda Prelude 5spd (sold)

marcucci

There's a big difference- '87 was the 2nd gen, '88 was the third. All 3rds had a 2L motor, either carb or FI (2.0Si was injected). Stay away from the auto tranny- they make the car dog slow. Only a major buildup for FI would be able to overcome the driveline loss (if you're looking to race).

In '87 the 2.0Si was available, though the 1.8 was also offered in a carby version (the S model). I'd suggest the Si for any year, unless you just enjoy carbs or are looking for a shell.

The 3rd gen also has some suspension, Cd, and interior improvements over the 2nd gen.

MoogieBoogie

Thanks for the help..

I found out the exact specs on the car. It is a 1986 Honda Prelude 2.0 Si with about 214,000 miles on original motor and automatic transmission. Mechanic changed belts, water pump, etc and commented that the car would be able to go at least another 35,000 miles on the motor.

The only problem with the car is that the transmission needs repair. It can go into first gear, second gear, but can not go into third gear. Any idea on what this could be, and about how much it would be to repair?

I was thinking that if the car needed a new transmission, it'd probably be best just to do a manual tranny swap, if that is possible, so I dont run into auto tranny problems..

How much do you think this car is worth anyways?

Thanks.
-Brian.

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98 Honda Prelude 5spd (sold)

marcucci

Unless there are obvious problems (smoking, leaking, coolant/oil mixing) the motor will be good for much more than that. Honda makes awesome engines when it comes to longevity. Even so, you'd probably be able to "freshen up" the bottom end and get a lot more life out of it beyond that.

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The only problem with the car is that the transmission needs repair. It can go into first gear, second gear, but can not go into third gear. Any idea on what this could be, and about how much it would be to repair?

There's no telling. Normally, I'd suggest finding a unit at a yard. With it's age, though, since they changed engines/trannies in '88, you'd probably be hard pressed to find one in good shape. For that reason I'd recommend rebuilding, or finding a rebuilt, which is bound to be close to a grand. If not, R/R of the unit will bring it up to that, if not more. It's probably a solenoid or something relatively simple/cheap, but pulling the unit and doing the work would not be (labor intensive). My suggestion would be to line up a tranny before you buy, unless you have the time/inclination to do it yourself.

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I was thinking that if the car needed a new transmission, it'd probably be best just to do a manual tranny swap, if that is possible, so I dont run into auto tranny problems..

These get expensive. You not only have to spend the money on a tranny, you have to also buy the shifter cables, master/slave cylinders, clutch line, pedal assembly... It can get expensive and VERY labor intensive. You also will probably need the manual tranny mount, which on the 3rd gen (and probably the second) has to be welded in place or holes drilled for new bolts (the auto's body came with a different pattern). I wouldn't tackle this unless you have a LOT of time/inclination.

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How much do you think this car is worth anyways?

Probably $3k in EXCELLENT condition (which it would not be), maybe $2k in otherwise perfect condition. Realistically, you can probably find a grandmother with one somewhere with low miles that's been taken care of for $3k. You can probably find a ragged-out one for $1500 or so.

Keep in mind that with all the work you will do, you can probably find a '91 (last year for the 3rd gen) for about $5k with about 100k miles and needing no work. I sold my '89 back in '98 with 160k miles on it, with some minor front-end damage (otherwise immaculate), for $3500. $1k would have had the car looking like new. you could probably pick up the same car now for about $1500 and put the bodywork into it.

Unless you are or know a mechanic, I'd say it's a bad buy. It would be good if you had a new transmission sitting in your garage that you didn't know what to do with.

Good luck!

CADster

i picked up a 1989 red si 5 speed for 2200.00 about a month ago. its a strong car with 112K miles on it. no rips, tears or other flaws (except the door vents are cracked.. but dont they all do that?)inside. body is pretty smooth (has slight hail damage) and drives out good. my only problem with this car is the brakes... damn they suck (i think my 4x4 truck will stop better, and i know it shakes less )


CADster

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yea, yea, now do that with a thousand less triangles.

crazyreptile

When i bought my 2dgen i drove it for 2 weeks and the engine was finito. The i got a pretty good price for a crashed 2dgen Lude and i swapped the engine and it's a damn good engine. And now if something else is gone broken i just take it from the other car.