well it looks like a 93 lude si w/ 60k is coming my way for 3800 or less. its in good condition and was used mainly by a woman traveling around boston and back to her family in the suburb, lightly and not very aggressively.

my question is the timing belt. Ive heard 100k, 90, and even 80, just to be safe, but how can I "check" the belt to see how the wear on it is? if you cant look at it w/o doing a lot of work, is there anything to look for that would make it clear it needs it replaced? I'm only asking because of the severe consequences if it were to die on me.

thanks again prelude people.

 

Remove the head cover and becareful not to damage the head cover gasket because it could be reused, then remove the cam cover on the right hand side of the engine. But if ur asking this you shouldn't be doing it urself anyway, not with a delicate and integral part of the engine. Remember when you by a used car you could be taking over someone else's headache. Most importantly I would do a carfax on the VIN, then ask to take the car to a mechanic and check for codes, frame damage and do a compression and leakdown test. If everything checks out see if you can get the car for a little less. Next I would budget an extra 2 grand to do maintenence (better safe than sorry.) Get the timing belt, water pump done. Inspect the altenator, battery, clutch (or AT tranny), injectors, tires, shocks and brakes. Change your own oil (and filter), sparkplugs, wires, fuel filter. You will have a car that serves you well. That two grand figure can double or triple if the timing belt and water pump go out (and thats just for a new engine or rebuild). Do yourself a favor and don't cheap out on a used car. Hope this helps.

 

When I bought my lude the seller said he had replaced the belt. Well let me tell you. Its better to replace it rather than take any chance with it at all. It ended up costing me. I intended on replacing mine but did not because of what the seller told me. When it did break it bent a valve so I had to have that fixed also. No fun. Remember to change the tensioner. :goodjob:

 

At what mileage did the T-belt break? Was there any tell-tale sign?

 

No tell tale sign. Engine just shut down while driving normally

 

Yeah, the recommended change interval is 90K miles or 6 years. If you are not sure if it has been changed, get it changed anyway. It's better to be safe than sorry.

 

If you're at 60k you're in for a new belt in the next couple years. Honda belts are 90k.

Do what RDN said and get a pre-purchase diagnostic, along with an estimate to repair all the issues they find. It might seem expensive ($80-$130) but I've bought two Preludes and both times, the seller took the estimated repair price off the selling price! You can't expect that to happen every time, but both times I saved hundreds of dollars.

Preludes are very reliable, just try and make sure all your maintenance is preventive.

Dan