PreludeOnline.co.uk
Honda Enthusiast web site .
Welcome to PreludeOnline.co.uk
Modifying, Tuning, Information
Welcome to my site
for the Honda Prelude VTEC
Tuning
Without Prejudice.
I have paid for 2 H22A engines to be built by Inline Motors of Wolverhampton. Both failed. The 1st engine rebuild spun a bearing just out of the warranty period (1k miles), and Inline Motors would not repair the engine damage under warranty. After lots of intense haggling they agreed to rebuild the engine partly at my expense (£900 for the parts) and they would rebuild the motor at their expense. After paying a further £900, I collected the car. After a short test drive all seemed well, but on the drive home an engine check light came on. I returned the car straight away, and they said they would sort it out once I had a code from the ecu. Re-setting the ecu with the ignition key seemed to erase the problem, until the next time you drove the car. I drove the car home 200 miles. The next day the car would not start. This turned out to be a coil or ignitor failing in the distributor. After I sourced a new distributor (at my expence), the car would start but the ecu was still throwing a CEL code, and was running in limp mode. After days of discussions with inline motors, it transpired they had fitted a JDM ecu into my car. This was looking for sensors not on UK vehicles and therefore would not work without going into limp mode (<3000rpm) and was undrivable. It seemed now, that everything Inline Motors had done was a bodge job. They were now asking for more money to replace the ecu with a used one, or for me to source one and continue to use my old Apexi VAFC2 to add some more fuel. So they now had taken £2500 off me in cash for what was 2 failed engines. At this point I was just glad to have my car back from them. Whilst they had my car in bits, they had me over a barrel really. I was now just glad to have my car back, even though it was damaged. Somehow they managed to dent both front wings and scratch the passenger door opening above the window. I assume they must have had something hanging out the window when tuning the Apexi fuel, and this had taken the paint of the door jamb.
At this point I took control, and sourced a replacement OBD1 p72 ecu fitted with a new Neptune RTP board from the USA. This is similar to the Hondata S300 board but was much cheaper. This turned out to be a good choice, the support online is fantastic and the software is rock solid. This got my car up and running with no ecu faults very quickly. When I removed the ecu supplied by Inline Motors which was supposed to have been chipped, I removed the lid on the ecu to check. I found once again that Inline Motors had ripped me off. The ecu was a stock JDM ecu, which would never have worked on my UKDM car. JDM cars have different sensors fitted which would cause the ecu to run in limp mode. For example, the knock sensor, the ELD sensor etc. If they had bothered to chip the ecu and reprogram it, they could have disabled these in the program.
After a further 1600 miles on this replacement engine, another fault appeared. This is when my suspicions were once again raised about what Inline Motors had ripped me off with. The fault was that the front balance shaft oil seal failed and oil was squirting out the seal for a few seconds. I started the car and reversed out of the car park space to see the trail of oil on the floor. I immediately switched off the car, but I fear the damage had already been done. I had the seal replaced at the Honda dealer and a new timing/balancer belt fitted. The car was running again. However, the fact that the seal failed made me think that the seals had not been replaced on this new rebuilt engine. I was right. On inspection of the block, it was in a bad state. There was evidence of old oil leaks and dirt all over the engine block. What had they done? They had not rebuilt the engine at all!! They had sourced a 2nd hand engine from a scrap yard, and painted the front of the block to make it look "clean". So I had paid a further £900's not for parts, as they had said, but just for them to source a scrap engine and fit it to my car. I can not tell you how mad I was at this point. All their promises were lies. All the money I had paid was in cash, and all the agreements of the work to be done was verbal. I had nothing on which to take these guys to court. The engine was damaged after the seal failed. VTEC operation stopped working (low oil pressure), and the oil light started to flash whilst driving slowly. It then started to stay on when starting the engine from cold.
I eventually pulled this engine from the car and dismantled it. Once the head was removed which had been brand new, I discovered my suspicions were correct. The engine had supposed to have been rebuilt with new parts. One of these things to be replaced were new 11:1 type-s or Accord Type-R pistons. These are stamped PDE or P5P on the top of the pistons. The pistons in this block were marked P13. These are the original Prelude pistons. So hear was proof that they had ripped me off completely. I hope Inline Motors go bust.
I have now sourced and obtained a replacement Accord Type-R H22A7 engine and LSD gearbox which has been professionally installed by a reliable Honda Specialist - Performance Autoworks of Fairford, Gloucestershire http://www.performace-autoworks.co.uk I was delighted with their professionalism and speed the work was completed. Their premises are spotless, and their attention to detail is excellent. I would highly recommend them. They guarantee their work, and know the Honda Prelude VTEC in detail. Richy who is the co-owner of the business has owned a Honda Prelude VTEC for many years. It is currently being rebuilt from the ground up into a road going race car. Before this, for many years its had been used as a very good track day car. So he lots of experience of what set up and modifications work on the Prelude.
I have paid for 2 H22A engines to be built by Inline Motors of Wolverhampton. Both failed. The 1st engine rebuild spun a bearing just out of the warranty period (1k miles), and Inline Motors would not repair the engine damage under warranty. After lots of intense haggling they agreed to rebuild the engine partly at my expense (£900 for the parts) and they would rebuild the motor at their expense. After paying a further £900, I collected the car. After a short test drive all seemed well, but on the drive home an engine check light came on. I returned the car straight away, and they said they would sort it out once I had a code from the ecu. Re-setting the ecu with the ignition key seemed to erase the problem, until the next time you drove the car. I drove the car home 200 miles. The next day the car would not start. This turned out to be a coil or ignitor failing in the distributor. After I sourced a new distributor (at my expence), the car would start but the ecu was still throwing a CEL code, and was running in limp mode. After days of discussions with inline motors, it transpired they had fitted a JDM ecu into my car. This was looking for sensors not on UK vehicles and therefore would not work without going into limp mode (<3000rpm) and was undrivable. It seemed now, that everything Inline Motors had done was a bodge job. They were now asking for more money to replace the ecu with a used one, or for me to source one and continue to use my old Apexi VAFC2 to add some more fuel. So they now had taken £2500 off me in cash for what was 2 failed engines. At this point I was just glad to have my car back from them. Whilst they had my car in bits, they had me over a barrel really. I was now just glad to have my car back, even though it was damaged. Somehow they managed to dent both front wings and scratch the passenger door opening above the window. I assume they must have had something hanging out the window when tuning the Apexi fuel, and this had taken the paint of the door jamb.
At this point I took control, and sourced a replacement OBD1 p72 ecu fitted with a new Neptune RTP board from the USA. This is similar to the Hondata S300 board but was much cheaper. This turned out to be a good choice, the support online is fantastic and the software is rock solid. This got my car up and running with no ecu faults very quickly. When I removed the ecu supplied by Inline Motors which was supposed to have been chipped, I removed the lid on the ecu to check. I found once again that Inline Motors had ripped me off. The ecu was a stock JDM ecu, which would never have worked on my UKDM car. JDM cars have different sensors fitted which would cause the ecu to run in limp mode. For example, the knock sensor, the ELD sensor etc. If they had bothered to chip the ecu and reprogram it, they could have disabled these in the program.
After a further 1600 miles on this replacement engine, another fault appeared. This is when my suspicions were once again raised about what Inline Motors had ripped me off with. The fault was that the front balance shaft oil seal failed and oil was squirting out the seal for a few seconds. I started the car and reversed out of the car park space to see the trail of oil on the floor. I immediately switched off the car, but I fear the damage had already been done. I had the seal replaced at the Honda dealer and a new timing/balancer belt fitted. The car was running again. However, the fact that the seal failed made me think that the seals had not been replaced on this new rebuilt engine. I was right. On inspection of the block, it was in a bad state. There was evidence of old oil leaks and dirt all over the engine block. What had they done? They had not rebuilt the engine at all!! They had sourced a 2nd hand engine from a scrap yard, and painted the front of the block to make it look "clean". So I had paid a further £900's not for parts, as they had said, but just for them to source a scrap engine and fit it to my car. I can not tell you how mad I was at this point. All their promises were lies. All the money I had paid was in cash, and all the agreements of the work to be done was verbal. I had nothing on which to take these guys to court. The engine was damaged after the seal failed. VTEC operation stopped working (low oil pressure), and the oil light started to flash whilst driving slowly. It then started to stay on when starting the engine from cold.
I eventually pulled this engine from the car and dismantled it. Once the head was removed which had been brand new, I discovered my suspicions were correct. The engine had supposed to have been rebuilt with new parts. One of these things to be replaced were new 11:1 type-s or Accord Type-R pistons. These are stamped PDE or P5P on the top of the pistons. The pistons in this block were marked P13. These are the original Prelude pistons. So hear was proof that they had ripped me off completely. I hope Inline Motors go bust.
I have now sourced and obtained a replacement Accord Type-R H22A7 engine and LSD gearbox which has been professionally installed by a reliable Honda Specialist - Performance Autoworks of Fairford, Gloucestershire http://www.performace-autoworks.co.uk I was delighted with their professionalism and speed the work was completed. Their premises are spotless, and their attention to detail is excellent. I would highly recommend them. They guarantee their work, and know the Honda Prelude VTEC in detail. Richy who is the co-owner of the business has owned a Honda Prelude VTEC for many years. It is currently being rebuilt from the ground up into a road going race car. Before this, for many years its had been used as a very good track day car. So he lots of experience of what set up and modifications work on the Prelude.