well Im new here, still dont have my lude but I might be getting a 99 5spd non sh this sunday(everything is set, money, pick up date, only thing stopping it is if I change my mind). The thing is that I have to pick up the car from LA and I live in the San Francisco bay area. I heard a lot of things about Ludes burning a lot of oil so Im just worried that if I drive it from that far..would I need to bring extra oil or anything(btw what oil weight should be used anyways)? I never owned an import but I already test drove the car last week and everything seems really good, however I still have a few concerns...mainly because the drive back will be pretty hot, not too hot but definitely not cool. I'll be driving the car from around 2-3pm til night which should be around 5-6 hours or so. Is there anything else that I should be worried about? Any help would be nice...ok thanks

Oh yah and the car has about 75k on it, forgot to ask him if the timing belt has been replaced, if not, how much is this gonna cost me. I need to know because my whole family doesn't want me to get a Lude saying how it's expensive, I just dont wanna look dumb and wrong about getting the Lude, specially if there are a lot of problems with it(like stuff I read about how some people have a hard time shifting to reverse, or grinding 5th sounds). I've been telling them how good and reliable it is, I just wanna be sure im makin the right choice about gettin a Lude.

One more thing, this might be ranked as the number most noob question of all time(but I am one)...ok here it goes(damn I feel dumb )..I checked the car out really carefully, test drove it, did everything, it ran strong and hard yet smooth, however when I look under the hood of most hondas/acuras Im a noob, I just wanna be sure it really is an H22 in there(most likely it is.. I mean what are the chances of someone putting a weaker engine right?) but still...how can I tell, should I just look at pics of it and memorize it?

 

lol..

i wouldnt worry about the oil as long as its fine when u leave... they dont burn THAT much oil. Timing belt and the stuff that goes along with it will run $400+ at the dealership, less if you've got a trusted mechanic... but the timing belt tensioner can be a bit tricky.

And as for the engine.. the valve cover should read: DOHC VTEC right on top.. if so.. you've got yourself the h22.

sean

 

Wow you truely have no clue about what you're doing do you. Dude your not going to have to bring oil with you because you've got a 5 hr drive. Preludes cost over 24,000 bucks new so it's not like it's a cavalier. They do burn oil but if you drive it and respect it you'll be fine. Only reason they do burn a little is because of vtec and they run rich from the factory to begin with. I drove over 7 hours to get my sh temperature gauge never moved. Also I'd assume it has functional air conditioning so I think you'll be fine unless you're talking about the motor overheating which wont happen. Right beneath the head on the left side of the block is the engine code. It will say h22a4 if it's the h22a4 dohc 2.2 liter vtec motor!

 

Thats funny! You won't need to bring oil. I have driven my lude for 10 hours at 80+ milesph straight miinus a few quick breaks with ac and the needle stayed in the middle

 

You will only burn oil when you hit VTEC hard. If you stay out of VTEC, you won't burn a drop. Likewise, if you live in VTEC, be sure to keep a spare quart or two in the trunk and check it each time you fill up on gas.

 

yeah it never hurts to check the oil when you remember it. personally I can't evan remember to do it half the time until the engine is hot and the oil is in the engine, and I have to wait for it to settle back down into the oil pan. so you've got the right idea about monitering it.
by the way welcome to HAN
and don't worry about what people say about your new import.
some people just don't and never will get why they rule... some of the people in my family think big cars are the only way to go,
but do your thing peace and

 

the lude is a good purchase. and don't worry about burning oil. i tend to hit VTEC on that thing about 3-4 times on a daily basis and it only burns through a little less than a quart every 1000 miles or so. it doesn't burn oil THAT bad. you should check the oil level before you leave though. and in the summer, i suggest 10w30. should run just fine with 5w30 though. hope that helps and enjoy your new purchase. you'll love it.