transmission question

[di46n2]

i just bought a 1991 prelude (automatic) for $2000 from someone in the paper... it has 106,000 miles... wheneer i drive as slow speeds, like 15-35, and i press on the accelerator or just let the car coast, it seems to jump a little bit. i don't know much about cars at all, i'm just a naive college student. should i be worried? should i take it to a place like meineke for a test drive? also, whenever i turn it on, the fan belt (or whatever it is) squeals like the world is ending... any help would be awesome.

[OldLudeDude]

Since you just bought it, you might want to check stuff like spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap and rotor. I just bought an '86 Automatic and it was kinda"jumpy" until i replaced the above items. Total cost was under $50, and the process is fairly easy.

You probably just need a spark plug socket, socket wrench and a screw driver.

You can do it! And when it runs better, you'll feel very manly! Arrr Arrr Arrrr!

[rmckim]

Originally Posted by di46n2

i just bought a 1991 prelude (automatic) for $2000 from someone in the paper... it has 106,000 miles... wheneer i drive as slow speeds, like 15-35, and i press on the accelerator or just let the car coast, it seems to jump a little bit. i don't know much about cars at all, i'm just a naive college student. should i be worried? should i take it to a place like meineke for a test drive? also, whenever i turn it on, the fan belt (or whatever it is) squeals like the world is ending... any help would be awesome.

If by "jump" you mean it loses some or all power and then the power comes back again in a fraction of a second or so, it's probably the distributor. Mine was, and the culprit in my distributor was the cylinder sensor (the 2 other sensors in the dist are the TDC and the camshaft sensors).

These sensors develop voltages which tell the ECU if, when, and how long to fire the fuel injectors.

Meineke? You'd be better off going to Monkey Wards! Take it to a Honda dealer and put a cap of one hour on the diagnosis time. My Honda dealer diagnosed my bad dist, but wanted $375 parts + labor to replace it.

After finding several non-guaranteed dists for over $100, i said screw that and bought a new one from Richardson Enterprises (aka Distributor King) in Montreal for $195, & installed it myself. So can you. BTW, DK is the manufacturer of Moroso's Honda aftermarket dists.

Best $195 I ever spent on any car.