Buying an '86 for $1,500 but.....

Hey guys. This is my first post here. I found a really clean '86 Si in red. The interior is nearly perfect. The exterior is decent. I think with a bunch of elbow grease I can get the paint to really shine nicely.

The car is all bone stock with about 160,000mi on it. That's alot of miles, but not for how old it is. I keep reading about these cars lasting for 300k mi.

Anyway, the car runs just a tad rough, and I'm wondering if any of you gearheads might know what's wrong with it.

It has a surge at idle if you turn the ventilation fan up all the way. It surges about 700rpm and is a steady up and down about every five seconds or so.

The car has kind of a studder out on the hiway as well.

The owner's manual is still with the vehicle, despite this I still cannot find the dipstick to check the trany fluid. I sure wish this car was a 5spd. That's my only gripe.

I haven't taken posession yet, and I'm hoping it's not the tranny. I don't think it is, but that's gonna cost about what I pay for the car if it is.

I'm thinking a nice tune-up will cure the problems, but I thought I might ask some pros first. I plan to go pick up the car this morning about 10am mountain time (Colorado), but I might get delayed until after 2pm.

Anybody out there think I shouldn't buy this car?

As a side note, this would be my second Prelude. I was fortunate enough to own the first brand new '89 Prelude in my town back in November of '88. It was a light blue metallic S model with CD and cassette, fog lights and a leather wheel cover.

I have also owned an '84 CRX Red/Silver, and a Yellow '88 CRX Si which I bought for $5,000 in '92. I wish I still had that one. Motorcycle wise, I have owned a '98 CBR 900RR (Yellow) and currently own a '02 XR 400 trail bike which is highly modified.

I LOVE HONDAS!

Thanks for any help you can give me. I appreciate it greatly.

Wish me luck

What gives guys? My car too old for ya'll to talk to me? :eek7: I mean even if you can't help me with my problem, you could at least welcome me to the forum. What, were ya born in a barn? :lol2:

So I bought the car. I explained the problem to my Honda dealer. He said it might be a clogged valve due to mucky coolant. Something near the throttle body where coolant runs through. It's $130 to replace the valve.

I looked at the car again with a buddy of mine. We found a small hose (vacuum?) that was not connected. We found where it went and plugged it in. It fixed the problem temporarily. The car kinda sputtered a little on the way home. Perhaps it just came loose again. Haven't been under the hood since I got home. I'm waiting for the engine to cool off for awhile.

I'll be doing a tune up, as well as having the timing belt/water pump done here in a few weeks. In the mean time, I'll get it looking as sharp as possible.

Anyone else here have a 2nd Gen Lude?

Please someone talk to me! I hate to :banghead:

Welcome to the forums, and congrats on the new car!!! I'm sorry to hear that you bought an automatic :crying: !! Maybe that's why nobody will talk to you haha :lol: !! Glad to hear you like Hondas; I think that they are by far the Best cars on the planet. That's quite the list of Honda products you have owned. I hope that someday I will have a list just like it. Good luck on finding out what's wrong with the Lude. The Vacuum hoses would be my first guess (so it probably did just come loose again :confused: ). When you do find out what the problem is, be sure to let us know.

-Nate

Thanks for the reply, Nate.

I'll do that, but you may be the only one who cares! :rolleyes: Yeah, I sure wish this car was a 5spd. Ahhhhhhh! But if it lasts another three years, it will be perfect for my daughter's first car.

I fully expect to put another 80k mi. at least on the car before I get rid of it.

The idle problem seems to have gone away, and the sputtering on accel. is diminishing (I think). The car seems down on power, but that might just be the automatic. Man I hate automatics.....

I haven't got to the tune up yet, so I'll do that before I start crying to my dealership anymore.

Later!

the dipstick for the automatic trans in on the passenger's side by the battery it's on the top of the trans caseing it silver and screws in