"duurtlang" (duurtlang)
10/20/2015 at 10:14 • Filed to: None
9
10|
"duurtlang" (duurtlang)
10/20/2015 at 10:14 • Filed to: None | 9
| 10 |
After being stationary for at least 7 years the
€120 Swiss cheese future beater rally
‘83 Honda Prelude runs!
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
The engine didn’t start, but the engine did get a spark and the starter worked fine. So no fuel? We didn’t dare using starter fluid due to the negative stories we read. Off to check the whole fuel system then. Diagnosing that problem was quite the problem itself, especially with all those rusty bolts and ancient (but closed) hoses. Clogged fuel somewhere? Does the fuel pump even work? If I take this hose off, will I ever be able to put it back on?
With the drivers seat out of the car already due to the crusty floor* and some dash panels removed I could lay on the floor, head against the clutch pedal. This is what I saw, looking up:
The top is facing the driver, the bottom the engine compartment. The black piece of slender metal on the bottom right is the clutch pedal. The white plastic is the back of the fuse box, which can’t be removed without disconnecting all those cables. There’s a schematic on the left. This fuse box is mounted above the left knee of the driver if you will.
With the fuel cutoff relay out of the car and a little bit off fiddling with a multimeter it was clear the wiring to the ignition and the fuel pump were fine. Bypassing the fuel cutoff relay with a piece of wire made the fuel pump pump, which is quite beneficial for an engine. It was also the first time I heard it pump. With the battery reconnected I tried starting the engine. And behold, after 10 seconds or the starter doing its best I heard it fire for the first time. A few seconds later it actually started! After a few seconds I tried pressing the accelerator, and it died instantly. With the fuel pump still pumping due to the bypass and the the formerly clogged air filter removed the dual carb system then puked gasoline in the engine compartment. That’s when we decided to end working on the car for the day, to let it all evaporate.
Not bad for someone who hasn’t done much more than replace a bulb or wheel. I’m actually rather proud now. As my brother in law wasn’t there I actually did it all myself with the help of a Honda shop manual as a PDF on my phone.
Here’s the culprit:
*) It’ll have to pass German inspection before we can use it on a ‘rally’ on public road. This means holes in the floor are not acceptable and will have to be closed.
The floor as it currently is. It’s worse than it looks and you can see the concrete underneath through multiple of the holes.
(that crappy orange cable with blue tape has been replaced with a part from the other Prelude we’ve got)
The car is parked 3 hours from my home, and I’ll be back there in 2-3 weeks. We’ll saw out the rusty parts of the floor then.
Cé hé sin
> duurtlang
10/19/2015 at 17:21 |
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Interestingly, later Preludes begin their conversion to ferric oxide about here too.
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duurtlang
> Cé hé sin
10/19/2015 at 17:23 |
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This one does so
everywhere
. It’s most definitely beyond saving if we wanted to restore it without spending way too much. However, we only need to get it street legal for 4000 km and in the mean time it can teach us wrenching. It’ll then donate its parts to the other Prelude which, while still rather rusty, isn’t as bad as this one.
uofime-2
> duurtlang
10/20/2015 at 10:15 |
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I’m not sure how picky the inspectors are buy I wouldn’t cut out the existing floor, just rivet in some sheet metal plates right over top the rust holes
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duurtlang
> uofime-2
10/20/2015 at 10:35 |
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They’ll stand underneath it and try to prick holes into the floor with a screwdriver I imagine. They will not take out the mats.
We’ll cut out the red parts as they’ve got actual holes, and maybe the yellow ones as well if they’re not strong enough anymore.
SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> duurtlang
10/20/2015 at 10:37 |
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As an owner of an AW11 MR2, that really doesn’t look too bad to me...
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uofime-2
> duurtlang
10/20/2015 at 10:41 |
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You can definitely just fold a right angle into some sheet metal, fit it to cover the holes and rivet it in place.
If you want to be fancy you can add some silicone seam sealer under the panels so it doesn’t leak.
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duurtlang
> SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
10/20/2015 at 10:43 |
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Maybe not. But does your MR2 have to pass German safety inspections?
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SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> duurtlang
10/20/2015 at 10:45 |
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Nope, but the rust is all ground out and patched anyway at this point.
Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
> duurtlang
10/20/2015 at 11:16 |
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Well done. Honda’s fuel pump relays (known in later models as the main relay) are infamous. It’s typical for the solder points to score out. If you’re handy with a soldering iron, you can fix it yourself. I’ve had to replace a few main relays myself.
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duurtlang
> Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
10/20/2015 at 11:38 |
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Great advice, thanks! We do have a donor car around, but soldering is probably less work than getting the part from the boxed in donor.