91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

Hi,

I'm a new member with a 91 Prelude SI with only 6500 actual miles. I have a question....it has the original timing belt. Am I flirting with disaster? I've been told that I should have replaced it after 6 years. Since it gets used very little, an exotic car mechanic friend told me to replace it with a kevlar impregnated belt. any ideas where I can get such a timing belt for a Prelude. Also, considering the mileage, what other parts should be replaced while I'm doing the belt? Should I change the gears, tensioners, etc. The car is perfect and I don't want to crash the engine.

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

Wow, nice score in the low mileage lude.

Yes, you should replace the timing belt. It's not worth the risk of bending valve for the relatively simple job of replacing the timing belt. I don't know of any kevlar impregnated belts for 3rd gens. I use Gates blue racing timing belts.

It's normal to replace the timing belt, tensioner/bolt/spring, and water pump. And since you'll have the belt off, it would be a good idea to replace the front main seal and cam seals as well.

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

hmmm...6,500 Original...I don't know about that lol...

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

how is that possible lol !! : /

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

had to belong to a little old lady who lived around the corner from the grocery store. I want to see pictures of this car. NOW!

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

pics or your lying :p That's crazy if the car really has that low of mileage

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

Pics or ban!!

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

^ this.

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

:thinking: Maybe he meant 65K instead of 6500. There was a guy in the Reader's rides section of Super Street's May issue that got in because his '00 Civic had less than 7k miles one it....which is pretty amazing for a 2000 model year car, let alone that same kind of mileage on a car that is 10 years older. As for the timing belt, thats a hard one. Usually you want to change them at about 90-95K miles. But it really depends on what kind of conditions this car has been sitting in(seeing as it had to do a lot of long-term sitting for either mileage). Do you know if it was in a city with a lot of snow, hot climate, a lot of rain, etc? The condition of the car in general should tell you whether or not to do it. If it was sitting outside all that time, then yes....change it. If it was a strictly garage-kept car, then I don't know...It might be good(assuming they took good care of her and didn't just let her sit without touching her) to leave it alone. The other possibility is that its 6500 miles on the motor, which seems like the more common situation. Anyways, I hope this helps. Welcome to the site!!! :biggrin: :wavey:

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

OK, for you doubt Thomas's here are pics of my 6500 mile 91 Prelude. Not a computer pro, so hope they are attached. No, it's not 65,000 miles or 6500 on a new engine. Bought the car in 2002 from a lady in her 60's that literally just used it to go to the grocery. It had 3000 miles then and she wanted a new beetle conv. Originally, bought for my wife to drive (4 mi.) to work. However, when I wouldn't let her take it if it was gonna rain, after 6 months she ordered me to buy her something she could drive.

Had it at Concours de Elegance in Collector Asian category last weekend. Lost to a Acura NSX - go figure.

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

Wow amazing find. I wish my 98 had those few miles =\.

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

unbelievable. I love white 3rd gens, and I'm very jealous of you for finding this car!

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

Its really clean! I wish i could have that. : O

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

All I can say is wow. Killer find bro. Congrats

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

looks nice man good find

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

that's absolutely amazing
awesome find, now keep her clean and safe!

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

That'll do it. Nice pics. Now just give her plenty of TLC with the emphasis on the L. :biggrin:

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

I'm going to go kill myself now. I'm so jealous! Very VERY NICE FIND! OMG CAPS!

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

Damn, nice, very nice...I like.

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

that cars amazing!!@

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

All of this really doesn't matter (weather, inside storage vs outside, etc...). It's very likely that this engine sat for extended periods of time without being ran at all. It's a 20 year old car regardless of how many miles are on it. Rubber dries out and becomes less pliable even in the best of conditions. This is why you see oil leaks on cars that sit more than they are driven. It's not worth taking a chance on a timing belt breaking and experiencing the associated damage, especially on this pristine of a car. Replacing the timing belt is a must on this one. And while he's got the belt off he can replace cam and front main seals because they will start to leak.

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

While I agree with the fact that he should get his belts changed(yea yea, I said something different in my reply) and get the seals replaced while he's at it, I don't agree with the fact that all of that doesn't matter. While it looks like with this car that none of that applies, if it was in somewhere that got a lot of snow and thus a lot of salt on the car, there would be a lot of rust on the car. Same kind of thing with an ocean city...except there is usually a lot more of it. As Im sure you know. But, in the case at hand, none of this matters, and you're completely right. Its a 20 year old car, regardless. Thanks for correcting me.

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

Thanks "luzer" and "westernprelude" for your interest in my timing belt question. I have pretty well talked myself into changing it, but really would like to find that KEVLAR IMPREGNATED BELT. This car has never really sat for long periods of time. The original lady owner ran it to the store each week for it's exercize (4 miles one way). Since 2002, I run it for a 20 min trip every month to keep the fluids up top (as I do on all my cars).

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

Wow! You are a lucky guy. Nice find. Keep it clean. Welcome to PZ.

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

I envy your low mileage lude. Get all the belts changed up and replace the seals on that motor, just to be on the safe side.

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

Sorry westernprelude, The way I read your comment it sounded to me like you were saying that the decision to change the tb might depend on the conditions the car was sitting in. I totally agree with you that the conditions that the car has been "living" in matter as far as the shape that the car will be in after 20 years. My comment was directed at the question of whether or not he should change the timing belt, and after 20 years it doesn't matter what the conditions are, he needs to change the belt. :smile:

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

ENVY! But happy for you dude take good care of her, definitely the last of a dying breed.

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

Now I'm not the jealous type but all I can say is dannnnnggggg dude that was a great find.

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

I always say "Holy crap!" when I see this thread. LOL How much did you get it for if you don't mind me asking?

Re: 91 Prelude with 6500 miles
 

that is unreal man congrts on a great find. if you dont mind me asking i am dying to know how much you paid for it