All You Need to Know about the Honda Prelude - Are They Good for Tuning or Modding

In this video I am going to go over all the important info regarding the Honda Prelude, we will go over similarities and differences to other Honda products like the Accord and how the different generations of this model were designed and produced. I will also share with you any know mechanic problems with the engines of these cars as well.

Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of Ratchets and Wrenches, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. Ratchets and Wrenches assumes no liability for any property or personal damage that may arise from doing a repair on your vehicle after watching any of my repair video's. Due to factors beyond the control of Ratchets and Wrenches, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Again Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Ratchets and Wrenches.

[lowtech]

I have a 99 Lude and I love it. My girl said get rid of the car....instead I got rid of her! Don't ever disrespect the Lude.

[tommynobaka]

I seen one converted to rwd and i am convinced it would be one of the greatest enthusiast cars ever to be built

[andeleputo]

Just imagine if honda would of made the lude rwd. Could of single handily been one of the greatest drift platforms of all time right next to the nissan 240

[FlyinGato]

I built and am currently racing my 5th gen Prelude, I've owned it for 12 years, has an H22A, M2B4 LSD trans, Ground Control Coil overs, and a roll bar with harness and bucket seat. Love my Lude

[irishblondie]

I have 97 one 12 years now an it's never let me down I'll never let him go ❤️Ireland

[kuhndog-]

I own a 01 prelude base model. I love this car. It's quick and hugs the road. It's a fun car to drive. Mine is completely stock right now. As much fun as this car is, Honda missed a huge opportunity with this car. This should have been a rwd car. I feel like it should have been a competitor for the supra and even gtr of the time. I am currently planning a rwd conversion for the car. I will have a huge amount of work on my hands but I think it will be badass.

[thesilentobserver]

I just got a 5th gen Prelude a couple weeks ago. Luckily, it wasn't destroyed, but it is definitely a bit rough around the edges. Functionally, it works fine. Had a couple issues that I went ahead and fixed. But the body could use some new paint, and a new side skirt (factory one has a chunk missing).

First issue being the lack of a radiator fan. Not sure what dumbass thought it'd be a good idea to remove it, but I wound up replacing it with a universal fan. Luckily, this didn't damage anything.

Second was a bad battery. Luckily, Walmart carries fairly inexpensive batteries, so I went that route.

Third, oil leaks. I was given a couple of seals when I bought the car, they just needed to be installed. Luckily, I had a mechanic that I trust do the work, and he even went ahead and fixed another leak that I didn't know about. Cost me under $500 for the work, but I'm losing less oil, and I had less downtime than I would if I did it myself. I still need to take care of the oil pan gasket though.

Fourth is a bad catalytic converter. As with the seals, I received a brand new CAT when I bought the car. Won't need a mechanic to do this one.

I also needed to clean the throttle body a little bit, as I started having some odd behavior out of the blue. The car started to jerk, and act as if it wanted to stall, even though I was in the correct gear at 60MPH. Luckily, some seafoam in the gas tank, and a bit of cleaning of the throttle body seems to have alleviated that issue. Currently, I have no CEL, so I'm going to wait until that comes back on (if it ever does) and then take it to Autozone.

The unfortunate part about these cars is that they will usually need quite a bit of work. But, if you're willing to get your hands dirty, the reward is a pretty fun car to drive that won't cost a small fortune. I mean, I got this thing because I didn't want to spend a crap ton more at a dealership, but needed a second car so my wife can start driving our minivan and stop relying on me to get her everywhere.

[keithartworker]

4 wheel; To my understanding the rear wheel steering for lane changes went in the identical direction as the fronts ... Then for parking lot maneuvering when the steering reached a point the rear wheels would turn opposite as you described. Pretty nifty mechanism.

[nikitagorynin]

I just want to say that your channel is my favorite among other car related staf
thank you

[andeleputo]

I love my 5th gen lude it keeps up with stock frs’s all day

[doubledragoncustommods]

Just bought a '00 Prelude a couple months ago for $160. Just needed to get new tires on the front. Otherwise it's in really good shape. High miles on the engine and a small oil leak I'm still investigating. It's been fun to work on for sure! I get to paint the flat black nasty hood a fine gloss black to match the rest of the car this weekend! Super excited slowly making this car reflect me.

[gnarlsbad]

Your channel is amazing. I've honestly learned so much from you. When it comes to working on my own shit my confidence has grown. Thank you sir.

[gustavocastillo]

You forgot to mention the fifth gen Type SH that came with Active Torque Transferring System or ATTS! ATTS basically allows you to turn into a corner faster with the front wheel turning faster than the outer wheel. Downside of a Type SH is that at around 250hp, the ATTS ECU malfunctions and therefore, makes the unit into dead weight

[Swaet_]

I’m sooo happy that people are finally talking about the prelude !

[brv]

Oh that H22a engine. Brings back so many memories. Back in the day I had a 91 Accord EX 4dr with 5spd manual and swapped in a h22a. Back then we didn't have a whole lot of info on dyi engine swaps so a lot of trial and error and figuring out yourself had to be done. But that thing was a sleeper and fun to drive. Damn I miss that car!

[WaffleCopterGAMES]

Honestly id say get a 4th gen with the h23. Theyre easier to find and the h23 has a closed deck which will avoid cracking. Once you have that then just swap an h22 head and h22a4 pistons in and now youve got an h23vtec. All of those mods can be done with the engine still in the car and youll end with a stroked h22

[troytaylor]

I had a 88 Prelude that we owned for several years. Canary yellow screamer! The wife kept getting speeding tickets in it and I got rid of it! What an engine! Loved that little go cart!

[gabrielsanchez]

Imagine a crisp ‘01 pearl white SH with jdm fogs and sir lip lowered to the perfect height and stock. Yup it’s beautiful

[andreg]

I drive a red 5th gen prelude, 5 speed, year 2000 and it’s completely stock, no modifications to the car what so ever. Keeping the car forever.

[nschluter]

It was also Honda’s R&D test bed that didn’t share too many parts with other Hondas making the parts unique and expensive. They would have been a game changer if they were rear wheel drive...