Folks, what could the cause of this be? I checked the master cylinder, and it looks as though it has enough brake fluid, and the brakes seem to work well. Is this a common issue on this vehicle? What else might I check? By the way, this car has ~160,00 miles on it, and has already had two timing belts put on it. What else goes out regularly on this car, and is there anything that I should look out for, before biting the bullet and purchasing it? Thanks so much in advance!
I vaguely recall seeing some postings here over wiring problems from the brake fluid reservoir. IIRC, it's remedied easily.... still, you'll have to research this more.
Here is some counsel on "buying used" for Hondas:
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How many miles are on this Prelude?
Without knowing more, I'd aim for inspecting the suspension system very closely. Control arm bushings and ball joints would tend to go out for a car this old in years.
Thanks, elle, for your response. This car has 159,500 miles on it. Thanks for the link, I have printed it out and will read it today. I do plan on taking it to a mechanic to have it inspected, prior to making the decision to purchase it, and will be sure to ask him to inspect the control arm bushings and other front end and suspension parts.
you can test the brake light situation yourself. simply unplug the wires that connect the reservoir sensor. if the light goes out, you know it's a problem with the reservoir float. it's a common problem with aftermarket cylinders. if that is the culprit, either leave unplugged or get a new [genuine honda] cap/float assembly from a junkyard.
Folks, I think we have the brake lamp light figured out - one of the brake lights in the light in the back windshield is out, that is probably why the brake lamp light is lit. We took the car to a mechanic to get a pre-purchase evaluation yesterday, and he came back with several things wrong with it. First let me back track, the person who owns it is a good personal friend of mine, and I don't believe he is lying to me. He tells me that he has never had to add oil between oil changes. I would like to bounce some things off of you to get your opinions as I attempt to analyze what the mechanic told me:
I specifically asked the mechanic to let us know if something is leaking and he said that there is a little leakage from the front output crank pulley, valve cover, and possibly the cam seal. Is this a big deal? The current owner has replaced the timing belt twice, the last time at 130000 (the car currently has 160000 miles on it), so I don't think it is time yet to replace the timing belt again. The struts on the car look to be original - how much are we talking to replace them, as I would imagine that we would need to pretty soon with that amount of miles? The big issue that I see with the car is that the mechanic told me that both steering rack boots are torn, and that the right swaybar connecting rod bushing is cracked. Is this a major expense to repair?
The current owner is asking $2,000 for this car (1992 Honda Prelude S)
- What do you all think? Is that price too high, and how much are these repairs going to cost? Thanks so much in advance for your opinions!
These seals all are normally replaced when the timing belt is replaced. Though the valve cover seal (gasket) may be replaced without doing the timing belt at the same time.
They should be replaced but if the leakage is not bad, it's not too big a deal. It just depends.
Figure around $400-$600 I'd say to do these seals. May as well get a new timing belt, water pump, and tensioner while the technician is deep in the "bowels" of the engine's systems, too. (That may not make sense unless you know how all these parts overlap... ) The TB, water pump, and tensioner will add another $200 or so.
Most likely it's due 6 years or 90k miles,whichever comes first.
The shock absorbers last and last. If they are not leaking, I would not replace them.
I defer to others on this one. Haven't seen this much here, which to me is a bad sign.
If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, this is easy to fix and common.
See the resources (like Edmunds.com) for guidance on used car pricing, mentioned at the "Buying Used" site I listed earlier.
My experience with that is limited to my old Volvo. I didn't notice the torn boot until symptoms appeared (hard shaking during light braking) and I investigated. The boot keeps the inner tie rod ball clean and lubricated, but the ball and socket on mine were worn about a mm. It felt a whole lot worse than that!
Replacement is important to protect the tie rod and the rack. At each end the tie rod has to be removed from the rack to get the boot on - not an easy DIY job but probably not too bad for a pro with the right tools. The tie rod is probably screwed on and staked, and an alignment is mandatory afterward. You should be able to get an accurate estimate of the cost from your mechanic.
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