Prelude won't move

My son has an 89 prelude, the last few weeks it was rather slow in accelerating. Now the thing won't even move when it is in gear. Are we looking at a new clutch here, or is there something else we could check. We just changed the plugs and it is idling better, but still won't move.

Thanks in advance!!!

Sounds like a clutch problem to me.

Was worried about that, but there was no burning smell and the master cylindar is full. Dirty but full. Someone suggested the fuel filter, where is that located?

Fuel filter should be right near the firewall on the passenger side. Do you have a Chilton manual?

Nope, he will invest in one. They can be life savers.

Most definitely I picked mine up off craigslist.com for 5 dollars. Best investment ever.

is there a trick to getting the fuel filter off? the nuts won't budge and afraid to use something like wd40 in the fuel lines.

Being that it's old, just spray a little PB blaster on the bolts, then let it sit, and then wipe it off as best as you can. That usually does the trick.

This is turning in to a real experience. We changed the fuel filter and tuned the car up and it still won't move until it is wrapped out extremely tight, motor blowing tight, but it will eventually move. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

This is turning in to a real experience. We changed the fuel filter and tuned the car up and it still won't move until it is wrapped out extremely tight, motor blowing tight, but it will eventually move. Does anyone have any other suggestions?


does the engine run at idle and can it be reved up
what happens when you but it in gear and let the clutch out does the rev drop or does the engine turn off . does it just rev up as high as you want it to and still not move
going from what i understand it sounds like your clutch
how many miles are on the clock .

When you pull out the clutch the idling doesn't change. It has 222,666 miles. I have had to replace clutches before and I remember the smell prior to them going out. There has not been a smell with this.

Maybe being that it's so old, the smell has just disappeared over time. Try taking out the tranny itself, and check out the clutch/flywheel/pressure plate, ect.

if the engine takes a while to rev high the engine is about shot....what engine is in it the b20a5 or the b21a1? b21's are notorious oil burners and if someone has ever starved the engine of oil thats huge performance loss right there.... if the clutch has never been changed then yea its probably toast just pull the tranny and get a clutch off of ebay(i got a stage 2) and you wont have any more problems...o yea be sure to check for air in the clutch line by cracking the bleeder at the slave cylinder as someone hold pressure on the predal. sometimes air can leak in a line but not be a big enough hole to let fluid out.