[NCAD]

I got 96 honda accord with 132k miles.

Don't know if timing belt or water pump have ever been replaced.

Amount to fix it ~$800.

The car will go for $2k.

Will the car be OK if I keep driving without replacing those?

I need it for 4 more years until I finish college.

 

[MortsAccord]

Water pump, Timing belt, Balancer belt, 1 tube of RTV, Valve cover gasket kit, a set of feeler gauges for adjusting lash on valves. all totals to about 100-150 bucks.

To replace the timing and balancer belts is easy, its really not that difficult, however when you do this you must replace the valve cover gasket. 800 fucking dollars? that is crazy talk. Find someone with some basic tools, the worst thing you'll encounter is the crank shaft pulleys bolt, which requires a 19mm socket, perferably one that is 6 a point style. and a hefty breaker bar, or impact wrench.

A link to a downloadable shop manual for your accord(which is 1300+ pages) is on this site.

Man up and do this yourself for about 1/4th the cost. You'll learn alot.

Here's a basic breakdown of what you'll need:
1 descent floor jack and 2 jack stands.
Socket sets with wrenches of 1/4' 3/8' and 1/2' drive, some small extensions maybe some converters from 1/2' to 3/8 and 3/8' to 1/4'

10,12,14 mm sockets for all of the drive wrenches, and deep wells if possible.

The water pump does NOT have to be replaced when you do a timing belt change, however it is considered to be preventative maintainence, and just a good idea considering your already in there and the pump isn't that much.

This is all fresh in my mind as im currently doing the exact process your talking about.

If you study the manual thats available through the stickeys in this site and really learn what items you will need to remove what bolts go where etc this install will be very easy, so long as you can follow directions.

I like to use my laptop by my car and keep the PDF file up on it for a quick refrence.

Most of these tools , if not al of them, can be rented from an autoparts store, which youget al the money they cost back upon returning them.

For a complete novice I would expect the install to take roughly 15 hours of your time doing it solo, which includes cleaning the stubbron old gasket out of the valve cover.


Any other questions?

 

[hondacarcar]

i think you'd better have it completely checked, it's hard to simply say yes or no only according to the data you offered. however i'd replace it.

 

[mattliston]

I got 96 honda accord with 132k miles.

Don't know if timing belt or water pump have ever been replaced.

Amount to fix it ~$800.

The car will go for $2k.

Will the car be OK if I keep driving without replacing those?

I need it for 4 more years until I finish college.

get a head gasket and valve cover gasket kit, timing belt, water pump, tensioner, and 4-5 hours of your time. borrow some tools, and get a mechanic friend to help out

less then 150 bucks I would imagine. get cracking homie

 

[MortsAccord]

get a head gasket and valve cover gasket kit, timing belt, water pump, tensioner, and 4-5 hours of your time. borrow some tools, and get a mechanic friend to help out

less then 150 bucks I would imagine. get cracking homie

:confused

Why would he need a head gasket? But since we're on head gaskets.


To tell if you need a head gasket do a compression check, if the numbers come up with more than a 10% tolerance between cylns you may have a head gasket problem. If you can find yourself a mechanic friend that can also do a leakdown test you can hear where the leaking is comming from, if you can hear air hissing from cyln #2 and your checking cyln #1 or 3 for example.. then the head gasket is fouled between those cylns and needs to be replaced. Hissing when listening to the intake means a leak at the intake valve, and some hissing thought the exhaust would of course mean the exhaust valve is leaking.

Anywhoo, I'd just do a valve adjustment and while your there doing it inspect the timing belt and balancer belt. You shouldn't need a new tensioner, and a water pump is recommended for preventative maintence. Basicly because IF it does leak it will destroy the timing belt which will damage your engine if it breaks.

Also when installing a new balancer belt it takes a special tool to hold 1 of the balance shafts in place. Instead I used the inside of a pen(the little plastic tube /w ink) to line things up and took care getting it on there right.

Good grief is there anything else? I did this 2 weeks ago.

 

[mattliston]

not necessarily that he needs one, but its with good maintenance, replacing some critical things before they blow and put you ont he side of the road. I had a headgasket blow on my civic, 120k miles, and the car was owned by a honda mechanic

 

[mattliston]

no balancer on honda single slammers BTW

 

[MortsAccord]

no balancer on honda single slammers BTW

single slammers meaning SOHC?

Yea there is.

 

[mattliston]

single slammer=sohc

no, honda civics never have had balance shafts (what I thought when you said balancer belt)

clarify?

 

[mattliston]

wow im a fucking idiot


sorry, yes there is a balancer, forgive me