Sucreem

Hi all,

My car is a 1998 Honda Accord EX v6. About 130,000 miles.

I'm looking for a bit of advice. My timing belt broke over the weekend while driving between 45 and 50 mph. The car just shut off and there were no sounds out of the ordinary. No bang, clank, etc. The engine just shut off and I pulled to the side of the road.

After towing it to a mechanic and confirming that the timing belt broke, they wanted $500 bucks to determine if there was any engine damage. They said that if there is damage then I'd need a new engine.

My questions:
How likely is it that there is engine damage, keeping in mind that I heard no sounds that I think would accompany bent valves and damage to pistons? Can damage occur without any of those sounds?

Is there a way to find out if there is damage without paying a mechanic $500? I'm not super mechanical but my boyfriend and his dad are fairly good.

If there is damage, do I need a whole new engine? Or can the damaged parts be replaced?

Any advise is greatly appreciated!

Oh and here's the kicker... I had the timing belt and tensioners replaced 2 years ago. Booo!

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

If it was replaced with OEM Honda belts - there was a bad batch about 2 years ago that should have been replaced for free on Honda's dime. Who did the replacement?

kidcool1977

Let's hope the dealer did it.

Sucreem

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, it wasn't done at a dealer and I don't know off hand if it was OEM or not. I did call the place I had it done at and they told me that the warranty had expired and there was nothing they could do. I'll see if I can find out if it was a Honda brand part and investigate that.

chikin pickle

The only real way to tell is to replace the belt and do a compression test.

19Accord97

Did you try restarting the car after it had died?

94accorddx

If u tried cranking it after the engine died then u might have major damage but if u didn't it should be fine

emjlev13

Hi all. I am very glad I found this board!

Hoping to get some feedback. I have a 98 Accord EX with 113K on it. I know i need to replace the timing belt as a precaution. (It is not broken, i'm doing it cause you need to). I have heard it is very expensive. Does anyone know how much it is reasonable to pay for this?

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

Expensive is relative....

~$400-600 would be reasonable with parts/labor.

Sucreem

Bummer to hear that. We did crank it a couple of times but there was just the sound of the starter, again no bangs or clanks.

Sucreem

For real don't risk it. $600 is better than needed to replace your engine for ~$4000+. Although in my case, I had that done and it still broke. From what I've read that's rare though. Get it replaced pronto!

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

Have you taken it for a second opinion?

Ask around and see if there are any good Honda shops (not necessarily a dealership) around you.

Sucreem

I think that's the route we will take. Then if there is damage go from there.

Sucreem

Well, when this all happened I was 5 hours away from home and stranded in a smallish town. I hate to think it but maybe they were trying to take advantage of the situation. I ended up rending a U-Haul and towing it home. I haven't had a second opinion yet.

What do you think about replacing the timing belt ourselves and doing a compression test? Then if there is no compression taking to to get a more detailed exam at a mechanic.

hondamark35

first off, $500 to find out if the engine was damaged is pretty extreme! i think they were trying to take you.

if it were me, i would put a timing belt on it (nothing else just yet so save some cash) and check the compression. if it's within spec on all four cylinders i would replace any other common items that go along with a "timing belt package" and keep driving.

if however the compression isn't good on even one of the four cylinders i would have a honda/import specialist confirm the findings and recommened the most suitible replacement for your budget, the condition of the car and the length of time you plan to keep it.

i would think either a good used or quality refurbished cylinder head or at the worst a used, low-mileage engine would be recommended. i think in your particluar engine, if there was contact between piston and valve it would have only "kissed" it. probably not nessesary to replace the pistons or whole engine.

Sucreem

Thank you so much for the advice. I think I'll do exactly as you suggest this weekend and cross my fingers that I have good compression.

213374U

$500 to diagnose really isn't that bad considering they already know that the belt snapped while you were driving. To "truly" determine if there is damage (likely valves) requires pulling the head. No RESPECTABLE shop is simply going to slap a timing belt on and "give it a whirl". If they get in to the point where they can verify damage, they've already removed the head and gone a step further than a simple timing belt job which typically runs between $700-$900 depending on the shop that you take it to.

Considering they are likely to find damage, it is then up to you to continue from there. But when most customers take their 15 year old car (13 in your case) to a shop and find out the bill to repair is gonna run them upwards of $3000, their gonna say "screw it" and try to sell. Now the shop is stuck after however many hours of labor with a torn apart car and no money, if they diagnose for free. The $500 is simply a buffer to weed out those that aren't serious about the repair, and if you decide not to fix it, they won't put it back together and your $500 is justified as the labor to get it to that point.

/rant. Just something to think about.

OHHHH, just now realized it was a V6, $500 is totally fair.

tinton

You are asking "Is my engine design an INTERFERANCE DESIGN?" can I find the answer independantly? and learn what this means?

Here is a good reference guide from the timing belt company GATES

main page URL http://www.gates.com/brochure.cfm?br...cation_id=3487

1998 engine result URL http://www.gates.com/part_locator/in...cation_id=3598

ANSWER = INTERFERANCE ENGINE

GL

Sucreem

Thanks for your honest opinion. It does seem like a lot of work. I just wanted to know if there was another way to find out if there was extensive damage before I sink $500.

Sucreem

Thanks for the links. I did know that it is an interference engine and I know that damage is likely. However, I was told by the Honda mechanic that there is a VERY SMALL chance that there wasn't damage and I wanted to see if there was a way to find out without sinking $500 bucks. Anyway, I appreciate your post and links to the resources.

DCFIVER

At that speed there is a VERY good chance the valves are bent. Only removing the head or a compression check will say for sure. A compression check is easier and cheaper than taking the head off. If you have bad compression, the removal of the head will be needed to determine the extent of the damage. That will determine whether you need a full rebuild or simply new valves.
Would you expect them to look at it for free???
yes and from the OP's post i gather he is not capable of doing the belt hisself. hence the need to pay a shop....
Good advice. He will not need an import specialist, any competent mechanic can confirm the problem. (competent, being the key word here)

DCFIVER

Very good and very valid point. Sums up the situation best.

wteebo

I know this is an old posting but thought I would give it a try for my question - my timing belt broke when I kicked it over in the garage - would I assume there is damage also? Since I wasn't driving it thought it might not be damaged...

pinoy_93cb7

did it break from the intial start up? how many more times did you try to start it afterwards? if 0, minimal to no damage.

tim73

I know this is an old thread, but them 3.0 V6 are really cheap used. You can normally pick up a good running one for $250-300. I guess because the transmissions are such crap, people just choose to scrap the car instead of rebuilding the transmission for the third time. And then theres a bunch of good engines nobody needs.