does anyone know early Honda Preludes?

[a.d._510_n_ok]

my son's '81 Prelude will start and run like a champ if it has sat for a few days.

 

it will run like a sewing machine for about two minutes and then die.

 

after it dies, it will not start again for two - three days.

 

on that third day, it will fire up like new again.

 

I know it's electrical but damn I'm lost.

 

help.........????

[DAT510]

It's Jesus!!

and on the third day, HE LIVES!!

[thisismatt]

You think it's electrical, so it's not getting spark at all? Does it have an ignitor unit with the distributor like later models? I've had those go bad and behave similarly.

[ggzilla]

Yep, i have worked on a 1981 first gen prelude. That sounds like fuel to me, not electrical. But could be either. First thing I would do is check the choke.

[ggzilla]

1981 Prelude has a Hitachi D4R distributor, like a Nissan Sentra distributor. The ignitors rarely go bad, but pull the cap and look at it. Maybe you'll see corrosion or a non-Hitachi stamp on the ignitor.

[a.d._510_n_ok]

thanks, ya'll! triple digit heat is keeping me away from it at the moment.

[lil89ram50]

fuel problem i think

[oldskoolvws]

not familiar, but injected or carb? If injected, I'm thinking pump, accumulator or filter. If carb, filter, pump or carb.

[nemesis]

if when it wont start you still have spark-its absolutely a fuel problem. i suspect you prob have a carb car-remember-they have TWO fuel filters! small metal near carb- and large one on firewall. ck for fuel if it wont start after replacing filters-last thing it might be is fuel pump pick up in tank clogging if theres a lot of sediment in tank bottom.

[a.d._510_n_ok]

I bought a Haynes manual for the thing and discovered it has a fuel pump relay but it says that if the relay goes bad "it must be renewed and cannot be replaced".....!?! Whut 'n th' hell does that mean!?!

[831Sunny]

main relay.. Just goto a PnP and pull one off

Usually on drivers side and I think it's a 8mm or maybe a 10 mm bolt

[metalmonkey47]

Have you confirmed it's fuel/spark issue yet?

 

Not hard. Wait until it's behaving badly, take a can of starting fluid and spray into the carb. If it starts, fuel!

[831Sunny]

main relay common prob on hondas, you can even pop out your old one and re-solder the points..