Honda Car Forum

my timing belt broke when i was going 40 miles per hour now how do i know if the motor is no good? should i risk putting in a timing belt to try it out? and what or were are the timing marks for my honda prelude 1989 2.0 si automatic please help i am not sure what i should do if i should just get a moto or fix the one i have and i dont know what i need to do please give me instructions asap

most Honda heads are interference fits, if you broke the belt, chances are you bent some valves. Try doing a compression test, if you get no compression, the valve is bent and you need a new head/valves

well there is only one way to know if the engine is still running good....you have to take it by your mechanic if you don't have a clue what to do.....if you have the Haynes or Helms PDF manual for car it will help alot ....you have to surf the net ....i'm sure it's out there somewhere......it could save you alot....but if you do get the manual the next thing you'll need is the correct tools....if is one thing that you should keep in mind when dealing with the timing belt....in order to take it out you have to remove the crankshaft pully & to tighten it you will need a TORQUE to get the bolt on the crankshaft pully tighten at the correct torque otherwise if you tighten it to much or less it will eventually spin out on you.....i can tell you cause it happened to me with my Civic..... it cost me a engine..

yea like he said do the compression test and if u didnt bend no valves u can put a new belt on and be fine...timing marks are either on the valve cover with marks on the crank pulley or on the tranny theres slot that u look through and can see the marks when u bring in up to TDC..hope that helped you out

If it broke while you were driving it you will have to replace the whole valve train. And it could have messed up a piston or two. These engines can be found in salvage yards for cheap. If I were you I would just swap it out. This would save you a lot of time. And probably money too.

At 40mph, you have a slight chance that the engine might be ok. I have a 94 celica and I ended up with the same problem. I was driving at 40mph then all of a sudden my timing belt snapped. I towed it home and fixed it myself. If you have the time and knowledge, don't take it to the mechanic. They will charge you an arm and leg to fix it. First, go and by a belt. It'll cost you no more than $20 and go rent a harmonic puller. With out the harmonic puller, you will not be able to get the pulley out. After you have everything put back to place, look at your manual and find the TDC(top dead center) and align your new belt. Put everything back to place and start it up. If the engine shakes, then your timing is off. If it idles fine than you have no bent valves and you just fixed your car for under $20. If the car runs funny and it don't feel normal that junk your car. To replace the valve(depend on how many are bad) it can cost you anywhere from $250-$1,000. Not worth it.

You still haven't solved this one??? Like I told you, I had a '91. Same engine, same problem. Just get a new belt installed, and have the engine re-timed. Take care of it, have is serviced regularly, and it'll last a long time. Take my word for it. I know what I'm talking about.

I thought I'd post this for anyone else that has broken thier timing belt.
I have an 89 Prelude Si DOHC, I was travelling over 100km on the highway.
My car is a manual, I felt something go wrong so I pushed on the clutch and my car bogged down slowly to a halt.
At first I had no idea of the problem so i retrieved the ecu codes. The code that I got was 8, which is the TDC Sensor,
but of course, because the belt was broke it was not rotating.

Anyways, I did what Thao did and towed it home, bought a $20 belt.
I didn't even need a harmonic puller, the pulley came of with ease.
I did have to take off the Actuator(cruise control), motor mount
and the power steering pump to get at it. Also had to take off
the wheel as well. Make sure it's at top dead center with the mark
and that both camshafts are lined with the holes. Take off the pulley,
put the belt on, then put the pulley back on. Now, tighten the pulley bolt.
It's not as hard as you'd think just a bit time consuming.
I fired mine up and it runs just as good as before.
I don't think I bent a single valve, maybe I lucked out, Peace!

Hope this post helps someone down the line...