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1997-2001 Prelude How-to Full Inspection & Tune-up

118K views 71 replies 42 participants last post by  Shiloh51933 
#1 · (Edited)
Send me some reputation!
I'm going to be making a complete Inspection/Tune up thread for the 5th gen Prelude. Everything will be in one thread and everything will be linked for easy access.
I'll start with the basics, then later on when I get better pics I'll get more detailed.
I'm not working on this 24/7 btw.

Maintenance Schedule (You are Here)


Prelude Security
Jack Support Points, Towing and Safety

Replacing the Engine Oil & Filter
Replacing the Manual Transmission Oil
Replacing the Air Filter
Replacing the PCV Valve
Replacing the Oxygen (O2) Sensors
Inspecting the Spark Plugs and Wires

Replacing the Distributor (and Wire Numbers)
Replacing the Fuel Filter

Replacing the Thermostat
Replacing the Timing Belt
Inspecting & Adjusting Valve Clearance
Inspecting the Radiator & Coolant
Inspecting the Suspension Components
Inspecting the Brakes
Inspecting the Brake Fluid, Power Steering Fluid & Clutch Fluid
Inspecting the Exhaust Pipe
Inspecting the Accessory Belts
Parts that need to be Lubricated Annually
How To Identify if your Prelude has ATTS (Type SH)
Prelude Recalls
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Maintenance Schedule for NORMAL Conditions
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Page 2

Maintenance Schedule for SEVERE Conditions (Canada, Antarctica, The Moon, etc.)
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Page 2

Lubrification Points
 
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#63 ·
For plugs, wires, and O2 sensors, your best bet is sparkplugs.com or ebay.com. For everything else, your best bets are hondaautomotiveparts.com, slhondaparts.com, and bernardiparts.com.
 
#65 · (Edited)
Prelude Security

Here's some advice from me on Prelude Security and my opinion on some deterrents. Notice that the Level of Security is never 10/10 because it's impossible to make your car 100% unstealable/vandalized unless you park it on the moon or blow it up.

Alarms: Level of Security 7.5/10
Alarms are a great way to deter some douchebag from trying to jack your stuff. No one wants attention when trying to steal something and a good alarm gives them just that.
A lot of thieves aren't that great in the brain department and if they see your brand new iPod, Headunit or double sided purple dildo, they'll try to steal that shit.
They can check if the car has an alarm most of the time by just kicking the tire, it'll give off a warning chirp and they'll just move to the next car.
Preludes are already pretty good at preventing the car itself from getting jacked because of the immobilizer system which I gotta say is pretty damn good. It's not totally bullet proof though since someone who knows what he's doing can still disable it, but it takes a long time.
Also anyone can just steal your keys and take off with the car.

Also, the effectiveness of an alarm depends greatly on how well it was installed. Go to a Car audio shop that installs alarms and they pretty much always install it the same way (Module underneath driver's side dash and Siren inside engine bay). It's also one reason why install jobs are so quick and cheapish, they ghetto rig most of that shit.
A ghetto rigged job is a lot easier to bypass than a none ghetto rigged one. If you know enough about electronics and wiring, I highly suggest doing it yourself as the job will be 100x better than if it was done by an audio shop.. and only you would know how it was done = peace of mind.

Note that there are also many different types of sensors that can be added on to an alarm module which in turn increase the level of security (Proximity Sensor, Glass Shatter Sensor, etc.)

-Fuel Cut Off Switch
: Level of Security 9/10
One way to get around that sort of problem is to install a fuel cut off switch.
You would hide a switch somewhere inside the cabin which disables the fuel pump directly using a relay. Turn the switch off and the fuel pump can never get power. This way, if someone ever steals your keys or figures a way to bypass the immobilizer, they still need to find the damn switch (and figure out why it's not starting in the first place).

An easier way would be to just install a switch inline with the clutch pedal switch. You need to press the clutch pedal down to start the car, so just install a 2nd switch somewhere that's in series with the pedal switch and you have an immobilizer switch.

You can also have a starter interrupt which cuts power from getting to the starter.

-The Club (Steering Wheel Lock): Level of Security 5/10
There's also the good old steering wheel lock. If you ask me, these are just a pain in the ass for not just the thief but you included. They're clumsy and you have to carry that shit in your car all the time. They do get the job done though at preventing wannabes from stealing your car, but you already have an immobilizer system, so if the guy is smart enough to know you have an immobilizer and bypass it.. then he's definitely smart enough to know how to unlock the club.

You can also get pedal locks which really just do the same thing except are more of a bitch to install and get off.

Intensive Antitheft Markings: Level of Security 9.5/10
http://www.sherlock.ca/EN/index-1.html
This is definitely one of my favourite antitheft type of thingies. It's possible to get a Vin number etched onto many parts of your car (Wheels, Windows, Lights, Engine Parts, etc.) and a sticker on the window confirms that. If I wanted to steal a car and saw a sherlock sticker on the window, I would definitely skip that car. It's just too much of a bitch to get rid of the markings and most of the time you just scrap the parts if you try to.
It's a bit expensive to get done (around 200$ for the whole package), but it can also lower your insurance rates.
An added bonus to this is engraving parts yourself. I personally have an engraver and have added my vin number on numerous engine parts and interior parts. Try to engrave the parts so that they're not noticable unless you're taking everything apart.
For example, I engraved a bunch of parts when I did my timing belt job (even the manual tensioner is engraved :colgate: ). I even put the date and mileage that the T-belt job was done on.

-Hide your Valuables: Level of Security 9/10
One reason people get their stuff stolen is because they leave it in plain sight. Take your portable gps with you or hide is somewhere inside the car so people can't see it.
Getting your windows tinted is another way to counter this problem.
You can also make a fake radio panel to hide your expensive headunit/screen.

-Wheel Locks: Level of Security 6/10
Wheel locks are a great way to prevent your wheels from getting stolen. It's a lot easier to steal some wheels if there aren't any wheel locks on them. The problem with them is they can be taken off and I haven't found any wheel locks yet that are 100% security. They make special threaded sockets that can easily take them off.
Another problem is if you overtighten them.. over time the key gets old and you can break the fucking thing inside the lock nuts. Have fun getting them out after, but that's when you realize it's still possible to remove lock nuts without the actual key.

-Going on Vacation:
If you're going on a trip and your car is going to be sitting for a while in a shady area (Airport, etc.), I suggest taking everything of value out of the car (except headunit and complicated stuff) then pulling a bunch of fuses out (Fuel pump, Starter, etc.).
There's no fucking way some retard is going to start trying to troubleshoot why the car isn't starting by looking for those two missing fuses in the fusebox.
He'll probably just have smashed the window and said fuck it.. which is another thing.

-Vandalism:
Too bad, you can't do shit other than carry a bat or a loaded gun and hope you catch them while doing it. I suggest not shooting them unless you're in Texas. Call the cops and report it to your insurance if you're covered for vandalism.

Here's a great site for Car Security with How to's.
http://www.the12volt.com/carsecurity/carsecurity.asp
There's a lot of into on how electronics work and some other basic stuff.

Also don't be stupid, if you're driving a Maserati and park it in Bronx, you deserve to get that shit vandalized.
 
#66 ·
just did my fuel filter today. the how to on the filter change saved me tons of time and headache. I made sure to grab a crows foot and it made short time of the change. I think i had the filter change done in less than 30 min. the hardest part was getting the 14mm back in the bottom of the filter. Thanks again for the awesome how to.
 
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