I have a 94 del sol si, d16z6. I was wondering if there is anyway to tell if the water pump and timing belt need to be replaced. I only want to replace them if necessary. The car has just over 107000 miles on it, i just got it in february, and don't have any service records from previous owners. My local honda shop said they will do the whole job for $680, but i don't want to pay for something that isn't necessary. Thanks.

 

if you don't know whether the tbelt and water pump were done, then i think you should do the maintenance.

it's better than having either of those components fail and destroying your motor.

you should be doing that sort of stuff at your mileage anyways. granted people have gotten away with milking it for much longer, but it's recommended in your owner's manual to do it.

 

Talk about milking it. I did that and I have a 97 civic ex with 217,??? on the clock with an B16A2 swap that just turned over 145,??? on the motor and it wouldn't start this weekend. Got her to the shop and the spark plugs where fried. My guy is doing a tune up, valve adjustment, and all that timing belt stuff for around $800. Just go ahead and do it before it goes.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mashimaro &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if you don't know whether the tbelt and water pump were done, then i think you should do the maintenance.

it's better than having either of those components fail and destroying your motor.

you should be doing that sort of stuff at your mileage anyways. granted people have gotten away with milking it for much longer, but it's recommended in your owner's manual to do it.</TD></TR></TABLE>

X2 If your car was a 1998, I would say get it done as soon as you can.

Without any service records, you really can't tell unless you open it up.

Since it's a 1994, I would change the priority to ASAP.

 

Alright thanks for the input, i'm going to get them replaced in a few weeks when i can get the cash together.

 

I'm not usually one to say that a shop's price is too much online here, but IMO $680.00 is a lot for a timing belt package.

If it were a DOHC model that price would be closer to what it should be, but even Honda dealers in the ATL area of GA do the D16Z6 timing belt, water pump, drive belts, cam seal, crank seal, and coolant change for $529.00 or so. I just called the closest dealer to me and verified that price.

A few things might be going on with this $680.00 price:

1. They mistakenly quoted you for a Del Sol "VTEC" model and it's more expensive DOHC B16A belt job

2. There is other work in that quote that you failed to mention

3. They are actually really charging that much, which is too much, even by Honda dealer standards

I would suggest having the timing belt, water pump, drive belts, cam seal, crank seal, and engine coolant changed. I would use only genuine Honda parts from a dealership parts department.

Prices will vary greatly from shadetree jobs running $200.00 up to that outrageous quote you got here. My shop does the job for $490.00 out the door with tax and everything, using genuine Honda parts. Some will still say that's a "rip off" but it's a fair price when comparing to the dealerships, and the techs I have are professional, and we use only genuine parts and warranty our work 12 months/12,000 miles.

I am NOT soliciting work because I don't even think you're anywhere near me - i'm just giving you a measuring stick to go against in terms of price and what to expect to get.

I'd check your area for reputable Honda specialist shops and price the same job with them. If they don't offer genuine parts ask them what they'd charge if you brought your own genuine Honda parts.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the info, i did forget to mention that the $680 included the water pump, timing belt, new seals, a valve adjustment, new coolant. Does the valve adjustment justify their high price? There is another honda dealership in my area, but they quoted me for $830 for the same job! I live in Morgantown WV, there aren't too many other options in this area.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wvudelsol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks for the info, i did forget to mention that the $680 included the water pump, timing belt, new seals, a valve adjustment, new coolant. Does the valve adjustment justify their high price? There is another honda dealership in my area, but they quoted me for $830 for the same job! I live in Morgantown WV, there aren't too many other options in this area. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Well the valve cover will already be off when they're doing the timing belt job, so honestly the valve adjustment shouldn't add too much to the cost they ended up with.

If there are no reputable Honda shops near you then I guess I'd just take it to the dealership, but ask them for a break down of parts and labor, because even with a valve adjustment, and even by dealership standards $680.00 still seems high IMO. Again there should be no additional parts involved with the valve adjustment since they'll already have the valvecover off to do the timing belt job.