I've seen numerous broken timing belts. Some are disastrous and some are
just a nuisance. It all depends on whether your motor is an "interference
motor" or not. That means, is their any space between the piston and any
hung open valve. If there is space then internal damage will not occur. You
would have to tow the car to repair it and replace your timing belt and any
other needed belts or items due for that type of maintenance. If there is no
room between pistons and valves or your engine is an "interference motor"
then when your motor is running (spinning) and your timing belt breaks the
piston will smash in to the open valves and bend them. Depending on how fast
your engine was turning (RPM) you may bend a majority or all your valves.
You may even damage a piston. All bent valves and damaged pistons would need
to be replaced if you wanted the engine to run again. I've seen the costs
run from about $300 for no engine damage to a couple of thousand to replace
valves and/or piston(s). Sometimes the cause is a frozen belt tensioner
which should be inspected when repairing and replaced.
Most of the time the failure has occurred after the factory specified
mileage period for replacement when owners have ignored the maintenance
schedules. But I have seen a few that have failed before the specified
interval, though that is rare. It all depends on how a vehicle is maintained
and under what conditions the vehicle is operated under. Normal or severe
conditions require different timetables of maintenance.
The most frequent end result I've seen is people will follow the recommended
service intervals after going through that experience and then not have that
problem again.
And that is usually all that is required to make a Honda last and be
dependable. Just follow the recommended service intervals from the factory.
Don't let anyone sell you a service you don't need, such as an engine flush,
transmission flush or anything beyond the factory intervals. If you follow
them you usually won't need these unnecessary services because your Honda
has been properly maintained.
Howard
"Hank" <jdoe@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:K6ednftGX45K9zHcRVn-uw@rogers.com...
> Just wondering if anyone on this newsgroup has had a timing belt break on
> them
> and would like to share the experience with the group?
> The conditions at the time, such as the age and make of vehicle,
> mileage, damage that occurred, cost to repaid and end results.
>
> "Howard" <Howardh@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:ECZqd.883$Dm2.552@bignews1.bellsouth.net...
> > DO NOT WAIT!
> > You do not want to wait for something to happen. If your belt breaks you
> > can
> > cause major engine damage. That $800. figure will pale in comparison.
When
> > a
> > timing belt fails, there is no warning, so don't be fooled by how your
car
> > runs.
> > If it were my car, I'd bring it to my dealer. I'd want to be sure that
> > it's
> > done right and with the best quality parts. Avoid all "back alley" guys.
> > But
> > if you do it outside of your dealer be sure of three things. First, be
> > sure
> > to do it right. Change all of the following: timing belt, balance belt,
> > alternator belt, power steering belt, air conditioner belt, water pump,
> > camshaft seal, balance shaft seal (make sure you have a retainer for
this
> > seal which was added by Honda later) and crankshaft seal and use Honda
> > antifreeze to prevent any damage to your cooling system from the wrong
> > coolant. Second, as I said before, use original Honda parts. They WILL
> > last
> > longest. Third, if your dealer does it, fine. If you do it elsewhere, be
> > sure that person/shop is not just an experienced mechanic but is a Honda
> > specialist. These three steps are the key to be lucky enough to have the
> > opportunity to get you to be able to spend this much and more for the
next
> > time at 180,000 miles!
> > Good luck,
> > Howard
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Mike" <powerpNOSPAM@yahoo.com>
> > Newsgroups: alt.autos.honda
> > Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2004 12:05 AM
> > Subject: '96 Accord 90K preventive maintenance
> >
> >
> >> Hi,
> >>
> >> 1st time on here...
> >>
> >> Honda recommends preventive maintenance replacement of water pump and
> > timing
> >> belt at 90K.
> >> I'm at 91K now and things are running fine with my '96 Accord coupe
(4cyl
> >> Vtec auto).
> >> Should I have it done now by Honda ($800), find a good back-alley guy,
or
> >> just wait for something to happen?
> >>
> >> Thanks in advance,
> >>
> >> Mike
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>