WillEat4F00d

My timing belt broke while driving on the highway home. My brother say it will cost a little bit over 1K to fix the engine. Am I better off buying a new engine instead of trying to fix the old one? My car is old with 170K miles on it anyways.

I see jdm vtec engines on ebay for $500-$600. Will those fit on my car? I have a 97 Accord SE non-vtec. Is that all I would need to buy?

How much do shops charge to change the engine? Whatever it is, it will be cheaper for me because the shop is owned by a good friend of my brother.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/94-97...Q5fAccessories
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/94-97...Q5fAccessories
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/94-97...Q5fAccessories

Thanks alot!

P_Adams

Whoa there. You're getting way ahead of yourself.
True, the F22B2 is an "interference" engine but there have been instances of people "dodging the bullet" on this.
It may be worth your time to have a timing belt installed and see if it starts.
If it does, Great! Congratulate yourself and move on.
If it has issues, you can decide which way you want to go.
Repair the engine or
Install a replacement unit. If you go this route, take the fresh t'belt from your old motor, add a new water pump and install them on your "new to you" F22B2 b4 you drop it in.

P

WillEat4F00d

What do you mean "interference"? I'm just thinking about changing the engine because it's old, and as of right now, it's broke. Isn't it going to almost cost the same as fixing the old engine anyways? That's why I'm wondering the price for changing out the engine. If I do change it, it would fit with little or no problems right? Sorry for being so noob.

Thx.

Chilln' Willie

Engine seized bro, get a new one!

P_Adams

The word "interference" refers to the clearances inside the combustion Chamber between the valves, the pistons and head. Earlier Honda engines were non-interference; which ment that should the phasing between the Crankshaft and the Camshaft were to change (T'Belt Broke), nothing would get damaged.
Honda redesigned their engines with closer tolerances and are now "Interference". If the belt were to break, there can (and has) been damage to the valves. pistons and /or head.

P

1grex

negative negative

The-Kid

I say try to change the timing belt and see if it works. I mean if it doesn't work, you can always use that new belt on the candidate engine you're going to buy.

There are multiple success stories. Try it!

mar778c

iTrader: (1)

Just do a leak down test and you will know if you need to replace the motor.

turboef90

my timing belt blew a part on my crx on the highway. change it started right up ran great

Targa250R

I've never seen nor heard of an F-series that didn't bend valves after a broken belt, and I've seen a lot of broken belts. I've seen a number of supposedly "interference" engines that dodged the bullet, but never an F22 or F23. Odds are that you've bent some valves. You can often tell just by checking some clearances under the valve cover.

With 170,000 miles on the clock, it's often a better move to just put a complete used engine in it. Cost is roughly the same as doing a valve job, but freshening the head on a high mileage engine will put more pressure on the bottom end and cause heavily increased oil consumption in most cases. With a used engine, you at least have a chance of picking one up that doesn't burn a ton of oil - but you never know.

Forget buying JDM VTEC engines on eBay. VTEC requires additional wiring and a VTEC ECU, etc. that your friend's shop may not be willing to deal with, and buying from eBay usually means heavy shipping costs and big hassles if a warranty issue arises. Check local salvage yards first. Many will deliver to shops within a set area, and one of the yards local to us has sold several used F22s and F23s with a 6-month warranty for $350 + tax each.

WillEat4F00d

I really don't know much about engines at all, as you will probably know.

As far as the condition of the car, my brother did say something is bent, but I forgot what. Right now, he's actually driving the car, but only on 3 cylinder (I guess that's what it's called) instead of all 4, with the car shaking alot. His friend said he could drive it, but try not to go fast or far. My brother also said it will cost over 1K to fix it.

Targa250R

Well that answers that question. You definitely bent some valves.

WillEat4F00d

Lol, is that bad?

P_Adams

Well:
three choices:
Repair Head
Replace Engine
Sell car

1grex

Wow so the timing belt broke and you're still driving around. Amazing. Where d' I git one dem motors? lol

niceprelude

can i take the timing cover off permanently,so i can check the condition of the belt more often,seem serious,i don't want to happen to my car

WillEat4F00d

When it broke, I couldn't start the car. My brother's friend towed it to his shop. Then after a day, my brother's driving it around, but barely as stated above. I guess he fixed it just enough for the car to craw around.

1grex

People do this, yes. Just the top half though

wdissident

ya i broke the lower and bottom covers.risked it and... a rock ended up in my timing belt... a huge lesson learned. the top you can live with out but the bottom is also a guide

WillEat4F00d

What's the best replacement engine to put in? Best as in easy to put in, not going all out lol. Also, what's a good place/price to get it?

Targa250R

The easiest engine to use is the engine that's in it already: '96-97 Accord SE or LX. '96-97 Odyssey also uses the same engine.

WillEat4F00d

I knew that was gonna be the logical answer. How much more work would it be if I wanted a different engine than the stock one? What if got the F22B1? Would that be the next easiest engine to put in after the stock?

Targa250R

It's certainly do-able, but not really worth the hassle or additional expense. The engines are usually more expensive and you're going to need a number of additional parts along with some wiring work. It all depends on what the shop will be willing to do for you, so they're the ones you need to ask.

P_Adams

As Targa250 mentioned, do yourself a big favor and stick with the original F22B2.
Unless you have a close personal friend who just happens to run a shop that specializes in engine swaps, the car will be tied up like forever if you try to go the Vtec upgrade route.
There's enough detail work required with the F22B2 to keep you busy.
You don't need the additional confusion of ECM selections, Jumper Harnesses and wiring extensions.

P

AccordInTheMaking

[QUOTE=Targa250R;37273177]I've never seen nor heard of an F-series that didn't bend valves after a broken belt, and I've seen a lot of broken belts. I've seen a number of supposedly "interference" engines that dodged the bullet, but never an F22 or F23. Odds are that you've bent some valves. You can often tell just by checking some clearances under the valve cover.

With 170,000 miles on the clock, it's often a better move to just put a complete used engine in it.



Never seen an F22 survive a timing belt failure? and where do you work again? Anyway I posted a while back about my '95 Accord I got from my neighbor for free with a broken timing belt. Long story short I installed a new timing belt and the engine runs perfectly smooth and has plenty of power... Did I mention it has 375,000 miles on the engine...? The engine is an F22B1 VTEC.

I really hate it when people say "oooh your engine's at 170K, or 200K... so its "junk"". It all depends on how you take care of it- NOT how many miles it has. Theoretically an engine will last forever given worn parts are replaced and maintenance is continued. Both of my accords have over 200,000 ('91 was at 228,000 before the rebuild, and the '95 is at 378,000 miles now). An engine is only as good as the owner who takes care of it!

My 2 cents- take it or leave it