I have a 1996 Honda Accord with v-6 engine, replace t-belt and water pump about 37,000 milea ago but my water pump froze up and broke or tore apart timing belt. I need to know does this mean my engine is gone now. The only way i know to find out would be to put belt and water pump on and turn engine over i think.

 

That's all you can do. Put a belt on it and try it.

 

Um, DO NOT turn the engine. Tow it to a mechanic so he can inspect the vavles.

 

ha

 

I believe that you'll find some bent valves as you go thru your diagnostics. Sinse 1990 (with the advent of the f22 series) with Honda, and my experiences with Sterling (Acura V6 drivetrains), these are considered "interference type" engines. It means that; there is insufficient space between the valves and the pistons if the timing belt should break, and damage will occure.
This can be determined by backing off all the valve lash adjusters (under the valve cover) and applying air pressure to the cylinders. If you hear air escaping, you've got damage.

P

 

you will need to set it to tdc before placing the new belt on. the V6 is 2.7L 170HP.

 

How hard is it to replace the timing belt on a v6 accord? How often do they need to be replaced?

 

Please believe me, I'm not trying to be smart mouthed, but I'll sum it up this way:
"If you have to ask, you can't do it yourself"
Basically, you need five hands, three feet, a smattering of special tools (to immobilize the camshafts and a road map showing how the one-piece timing belt is routed.
It will take over an hour to just get to the point where you can SEE the belt, let alone remove it.
And as was related here (and repeated in countless threads before this one) REPLACE THE WATER PUMP !!! at the same time.

Honda suggests from 80,000m to 100,000 depending on year, usage and local conditions.

P

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by P_Adams &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Please believe me, I'm not trying to be smart mouthed, but I'll sum it up this way:
"If you have to ask, you can't do it yourself"
</TD></TR></TABLE>

amen to that. though, i will say.. i have a friend who has a 94 integra and his belt broke and did NOT bend any valves. must have been real fortunate.\
and he didnt try to drive it..he just took it straight to a mech.

you'd be wise to do the same.

 

[Quote]
"I have a friend who has a 94 integra and his belt broke and did NOT bend any valves. must have been real fortunate.\"

Which proves that the lord looks kindly upon us from time to time. (Hey, he's your friend, Right?). Sometimes they break just as you're shuting it off.......

P

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mac_24_seven &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">... i have a friend who has a 94 integra and his belt broke and did NOT bend any valves. must have been real fortunate...</TD></TR></TABLE>Wow, that's lucky. Can he pick me some lottery tickets??

Just knowing whether the engine is interference or not isn't enough. Some engines are 'more' interference than others, but I would have expected that DOHC B-engines would have plenty of interference.

Here's what happens...
If the belt breaks suddenly & comes right off, the camshaft coasts to a stop. Depending on RPM it might coast for a couple of revolutions. It'll probably stop with all the valves mostly closed, since the valve springs pushing on the cam lobes will make it stop in that position.

During the couple of revolutions while the camshaft is coasting, it's simple dumb luck whether a piston will come to the top while a valve is open far enough to get hit. But if there's lots of overlap, there's lots more chances for something to get hit.

If the belt just loses it's teeth, but it's still wrapped around & spinning, or maybe the belt comes apart with it's cords still wrapped around the pulleys, that's bad. Then the camshaft never comes to a complete stop, so there's plenty of extra opportunities to hit something.

 

And not only that, but with the advent of 4 valve per cylinder designs, you've now got twice as much "stuff" begging to be damaged!!
Ah, progress

P