1993 Honda Prelude Si 4WS from North America - Comments

Timing belt went at 90K mile. 2,000 miles after I bought the car. Car needs alignment.

I bought the car from a private seller in June of 05 for $3,700. I drove the car for 3 weeks/2,000 miles before the timing belt went. After the timing belt went I took the head to a mechanic to get rebuilt. After I installed my new head and belt the car wounldn't spark. I replaced the distributor, distributor cap, rotor, coil, sparks plugs and wires and the car still won't start. Total cost for repairs:

-Rebuilt head with Timing belt kit $700

-Distributor $225

-Cap $18

-Rotor $10

-Wires $65

-Coil $103

TOTAL $1121.

The car has been sitting in my driveway for 3 weeks. I can't seem to figure out what the problem may be. I bought a Chilton repair manual, but that doesn't cover much. I recommend buying the factory Honda service manual.

When the car was running (only three weeks) it ran well and the car is fun to drive. This car is good, but unfortunately this particular car hasn't been good to me.

You bought a car without checking if the timing belt had recently been replaced?

You don't say if the valves were bent, but I guess they were, otherwise, why remove the head?

I knew the timing belt needed to be replaced. I was going to do it that Saturday and the belt broke Thursday. 12 of the 16 valves were bent.

Seller was pretty smart, eh? Or crooked if he didn't point out the potential problem.

I think Toyotas are non-interference engines, mainly, so if the belt breaks in those, the car just comes to a halt without doing expensive engine damage.

Can anyone confirm this?

Check your timing. make sure the #1 cylinder and the cams are TDC(top dead center) 1 tooth off with miss it all up.

Perhaps your problem is the igniter or pick-up coil. They are both part of the distributor. I have a similar situation, car quit and won't restart. My timing belt is fine, I'm just not getting a spark. My coil appears fine, so I believe it's the distributor.

A very very very (did I say very??) common problem is the starter relay. All it takes is for the joints to be re-soldered (easy DIY job) and it's good as new.