First Impressions, Acura Legend KA5 Pics inside.

[lil_dcb7]

I hope I pegged the chassis code right.

For the past month I've been buying and selling a shit load of cars. I recently came across an 1989 Acura Legend V6L. When i first climbed in, I thought to myself, "Ok, here we go. Another large, underpowered slosh box. But Damn, Was I wrong. My past week with this car made it easy to believe that it's a special car. There's no wonder why there's a cult following just like our beloved CB7's.

To start things off, the car I bought was not perfect. But with a tiny bit of acceptable work, its something I could make a reasonable profit on. (Which is why I went for it)

Problems of my Acura Legend:

Oozing power steering feed line. No PS WHAT so ever.
CEL with code 12. Meaning a malfunction some where in the EGR system.
'supposed' clogged catalytic converter.

So, from the get go, my expectations were dismal. But, as soon as I started it up, it sounded VERY proper. It didn't have the burbly resonance of a typical V6 of the era. It was much more refined and smooth, similar to an inline 6.

Besides the cheesy aftermarket leather seat covers, the interior was very pleasant and welcoming. It's design was very well thought out, with major accessory controls on the dash; just a fingertip's length away from the driver. This includes the moon roof, cruise and radio controls. It told me that for a 1989 model, it was very ahead of its time, and a no bullshit competitor to Lexus and Infinity.

So, drove off and to my surprise, it was very comfortable. Very firm, yet forgiving, which in turn made for a very planted, solid and stable ride.

I usually am very weary of flogging a car when I havent assessed any major mechanical defects, but the sound it gave was SO inviting! The engine sounded healthy and transmission shifted fine in the streets. So when when it was time to make my way onto the freeway, I floored it. With a fault in the EGR system and its claimed clogged catalytic converter, I was expecting the car to bog like hell.

With my foot to the floor, the tranny immediately downshifted and threw the car into gear, throwing little ol' unexpected me into my seat! I was AMAZED at how violent the car could accelerate! Of course, its not a 350z, but for its size, weight, tiny V6 and "problems", it BLEW my expectations away. Even if the car was claimed to be in prestine condition, I NEVER thought a stock Acura Legend had the Balls it had.

With freeway acceleration feeling very promising; the Legend continued to stay very well composed on the road, just as it did in the street. Steering was a little jumpy, as any FWD would. Probably a little more than I would like.

Gas Milage: Decent. Nothing to wow about. In fact, for a "Honda" its fairly unacceptable. For a large Luxury sedan, it does O.K.

In conclusion. The first Gen Acura Legend surpassed my expectations greatly. Not to say this defies anything else on the road. But considering the era it was conceived and built, It certainly held its own, VERY well.

Here are pics of my Legend.





Thanks for your time auto aficionados. When i come across things of interest, I will try and write a review on that car. Only if you guys enjoy reading them! Drop me some feedback!

[Night Wolf]

I love the interior of those with all the 80s tech!

[lil_dcb7]

I love the interior of those with all the 80s tech!

Yeah its pretty amusing. Kinda like messing with a beta player or something.

[DJ metadelic]

Dude, keep it!!!

Nothing wrong with kickin' it old school.

And, best part is it looks to be nice 'n' clean.

My 2cents? Fix her up, and rock that shit.

[deevergote]

I never realized how much the dash resembles the 3rd gen Accord. I guess the Legend has always been the Accord's big brother anyway!

I drove one of those once. My friend was looking to buy it. It wasn't in the best condition, though... so i didn't have the best impression. The V6s in those have a reputation for head gasket issues, but otherwise, they're pretty solid.

[deevergote]

Dude, keep it!!!

Nothing wrong with kickin' it old school.

And, best part is it looks to be nice 'n' clean.

My 2cents? Fix her up, and rock that shit.

He buys and sells... it's his thing. What he does.

[DJ metadelic]

He buys and sells... it's his thing. What he does.

Ahhh. Neat

[owequitit]

I hope I pegged the chassis code right.

For the past month I've been buying and selling a shit load of cars. I recently came across an 1989 Acura Legend V6L. When i first climbed in, I thought to myself, "Ok, here we go. Another large, underpowered slosh box. But Damn, Was I wrong. My past week with this car made it easy to believe that it's a special car. There's no wonder why there's a cult following just like our beloved CB7's.

To start things off, the car I bought was not perfect. But with a tiny bit of acceptable work, its something I could make a reasonable profit on. (Which is why I went for it)

Problems of my Acura Legend:

Oozing power steering feed line. No PS WHAT so ever.
CEL with code 12. Meaning a malfunction some where in the EGR system.
'supposed' clogged catalytic converter.

So, from the get go, my expectations were dismal. But, as soon as I started it up, it sounded VERY proper. It didn't have the burbly resonance of a typical V6 of the era. It was much more refined and smooth, similar to an inline 6.

Besides the cheesy aftermarket leather seat covers, the interior was very pleasant and welcoming. It's design was very well thought out, with major accessory controls on the dash; just a fingertip's length away from the driver. This includes the moon roof, cruise and radio controls. It told me that for a 1989 model, it was very ahead of its time, and a no bullshit competitor to Lexus and Infinity.

So, drove off and to my surprise, it was very comfortable. Very firm, yet forgiving, which in turn made for a very planted, solid and stable ride.

I usually am very weary of flogging a car when I havent assessed any major mechanical defects, but the sound it gave was SO inviting! The engine sounded healthy and transmission shifted fine in the streets. So when when it was time to make my way onto the freeway, I floored it. With a fault in the EGR system and its claimed clogged catalytic converter, I was expecting the car to bog like hell.

With my foot to the floor, the tranny immediately downshifted and threw the car into gear, throwing little ol' unexpected me into my seat! I was AMAZED at how violent the car could accelerate! Of course, its not a 350z, but for its size, weight, tiny V6 and "problems", it BLEW my expectations away. Even if the car was claimed to be in prestine condition, I NEVER thought a stock Acura Legend had the Balls it had.

With freeway acceleration feeling very promising; the Legend continued to stay very well composed on the road, just as it did in the street. Steering was a little jumpy, as any FWD would. Probably a little more than I would like.

Gas Milage: Decent. Nothing to wow about. In fact, for a "Honda" its fairly unacceptable. For a large Luxury sedan, it does O.K.

In conclusion. The first Gen Acura Legend surpassed my expectations greatly. Not to say this defies anything else on the road. But considering the era it was conceived and built, It certainly held its own, VERY well.

Here are pics of my Legend.





Thanks for your time auto aficionados. When i come across things of interest, I will try and write a review on that car. Only if you guys enjoy reading them! Drop me some feedback!

The 2.5L in the earlier versions was eveen more of a screamer. It had a 2 butterfly throttle body where the 2nd butterfly would open at high rpm's and resemble the opening of secondary butterflies. I am not sure if this version of the C series had a dual stage IM or not though.

You would also be interested to know that the engine in that car is very much the architectural basis for the C30A and C32B in the various versions of the NSX, as well as the C32A in the 2nd gen Legend. It was also Honda's first production V6 design, as was in fact very refined for its day.

Most likely, fixing the minor mechanical issues and giving it a good tune up and valve adjustment would improve your MPG significantly. Good luck with that though, because the exhaust valves are operated by pushrods and are fairly hard to gain access to.

Also, with regard to the steering abruptness, it has nothing to do with FWD and everything to do with the fact that Honda's from that era had very sharp steering off center, which lent itself to a very precise and sporty feel. The Legend was no exception.

I never realized how much the dash resembles the 3rd gen Accord. I guess the Legend has always been the Accord's big brother anyway!

I drove one of those once. My friend was looking to buy it. It wasn't in the best condition, though... so i didn't have the best impression. The V6s in those have a reputation for head gasket issues, but otherwise, they're pretty solid.

The head gasket rep is on the 2nd gen Legend.

[lil_dcb7]

i did realize the steering could have been an alignment issue as well

You really know your shit about this car scott. What can you tell me about the twin turbo variants of this engine? I know in japan this generation Legend came boosted. I've been trying to find some but.. No luck. Guess it was rare?

[owequitit]

i did realize the steering could have been an alignment issue as well

You really know your shit about this car scott. What can you tell me about the twin turbo variants of this engine? I know in japan this generation Legend came boosted. I've been trying to find some but.. No luck. Guess it was rare?

I've heard about the turbo version, but only whispers. Don't know much about it at all though. I think it may have just been a low pressure turbo setup.

I do know that when Honda was developing the NSX they did try various boosted versions of the C-series, as well as at least 1 5.0L V8. Originally, the car was slated to have a 250HP non-VTEC V6, and the car actually had to be modified in order to accomodate the VTEC version of the engine, as the heads were larger. I don't know for sure, but I am fairly certain that is where a lot of the technology of the C32A Type II came from.

I also know these things are stout as shit. I had a Honda Tech friend tell me once that he had dealt with one of these that had a hole in the oil pan or something and it drove 70-100 miles with no oil. He laughed and said it was NOT in very good shape and definitely needed a rebuild, but was amazed that it was still running.

* Just looked it up on Wiki, and apparently the C20AT is the version you are after. It was a 2.0L making 190HP and apprently had variable vane turbos which were certainly uber-rare back then. Also, this engine along with the K23T and the old City Turbo comprise Honda's only turbocharged production engines.

The C series had some interesting charachteristics in all versions. The V angle is 90* instead of 60* which is inherently balanced in a V6 design. The reason for the bank angle was so that Honda could ensure efficient intake plumbing on the engine, as there is more room in the V to stuff plenum volume and runners. It was interesting that it was so refined because of this fact, especially when considered against other 60* designs of the time (such as Nissan's VG series).

The NSX comprised the first use of VTEC in the US (well known), as well as the first production usages of coil on plug ignition and titanium con rods. It was also an early use of the variable volume intake manifold.

The 3 series are different, with the transverse versions in the Legend and Accord V6 comprising one series, the longitudinal versions in the 2nd gen Legend comprising a second, and the NSX versions a third.

Also, you are right, I don't know if it is the firing order or the V angle, but they do sound much like a straight six in terms of exhaust and intake note, although actually, the J series does as well, though not as much as the C series.

[cb7_ex_coupe]

my guy had a 5 speed one....that sucker would peel out like hell...

[deevergote]

I've heard about the turbo version, but only whispers. Don't know much about it at all though. I think it may have just been a low pressure turbo setup.

I do know that when Honda was developing the NSX they did try various boosted versions of the C-series, as well as at least 1 5.0L V8. Originally, the car was slated to have a 250HP non-VTEC V6, and the car actually had to be modified in order to accomodate the VTEC version of the engine, as the heads were larger. I don't know for sure, but I am fairly certain that is where a lot of the technology of the C32A Type II came from.

I also know these things are stout as shit. I had a Honda Tech friend tell me once that he had dealt with one of these that had a hole in the oil pan or something and it drove 70-100 miles with no oil. He laughed and said it was NOT in very good shape and definitely needed a rebuild, but was amazed that it was still running.

* Just looked it up on Wiki, and apparently the C20AT is the version you are after. It was a 2.0L making 190HP and apprently had variable vane turbos which were certainly uber-rare back then. Also, this engine along with the K23T and the old City Turbo comprise Honda's only turbocharged production engines.

The C series had some interesting charachteristics in all versions. The V angle is 90* instead of 60* which is inherently balanced in a V6 design. The reason for the bank angle was so that Honda could ensure efficient intake plumbing on the engine, as there is more room in the V to stuff plenum volume and runners. It was interesting that it was so refined because of this fact, especially when considered against other 60* designs of the time (such as Nissan's VG series).

The NSX comprised the first use of VTEC in the US (well known), as well as the first production usages of coil on plug ignition and titanium con rods. It was also an early use of the variable volume intake manifold.

The 3 series are different, with the transverse versions in the Legend and Accord V6 comprising one series, the longitudinal versions in the 2nd gen Legend comprising a second, and the NSX versions a third.

Also, you are right, I don't know if it is the firing order or the V angle, but they do sound much like a straight six in terms of exhaust and intake note, although actually, the J series does as well, though not as much as the C series.

The turbos were variable vane? Intriguing! I know the Shadow CSX VNT used such a turbo. I didn't know Honda did as well. Definitely ahead of its time.

The 2nd gen Legend engines are longitudinally mounted? I didn't know that... Seems like it's just asking for a RWD conversion!

[zack_odom]

Those Second gen legends are HELL to work on, I only say that becuase of how the tranny/diff is packaged....Slap an S2k tranny on one of those....Yum...Well except for the lack of torque but hey...

[deevergote]

230hp and 206ft/lbs from the Type 2... not exactly bad numbers. Though the car is quite heavy.

But yeah, I know from reading up on the Vigor how cumbersome those transmissions are on the longitudinal engine FWD cars.

I believe Scott had mentioned that the Legend's transmission was set up to be AWD, but it was never implemented. If Honda had made the Legend AWD in the 90s, it probably would've been taken even more seriously. I think due to the fact that the car was FWD, it didn't carry quite as much prestige as the RWD competition. People are of the mindset that a proper luxury or sports car should be RWD. AWD is now gaining acceptance, largely thanks to Audi.

[zack_odom]

Very true, And I forgot about the power increase from the Type 2 over the type 1....
AWD would have been cool to see especially on the 6speed type 2 coupe....yum