1996 Honda Accord LX
2.2 non-VTEC Auto
191,417 Miles

Hello,

Just wanted to share my experience and ask a few questions.

My water pump went out recently, and I have had so many oil leaks like pimples on a teenager, so I decided to have as much work done as possible while in there.

I had to rent a car while my car was in the shop, so it was no longer worth it to buy the very cheap kits on Ebay (~$70 for most of the parts listed below) that come with so many parts for this job, and wait for them to arrive, while racking up daily charges for the rental in the meantime, and not having the work covered by the shop. For every day I waited, I would pay $80 in rental fees.

I decided to fork over hundreds and have the shop source the parts and do the work I elected to have done from my research:

Timing Belt
Timing Belt Tensioner & Springs
Balance Shaft Belt
Balance Shaft Belt Tensioner & Springs
Balance Shaft Seal & Retainer
Water Pump & Gasket
Camshaft Seal
Crankshaft Seal
Valve Cover Gasket
New Spark Plugs
Spark Plug Tube Seals & Grommets
Power Steering Belt
A/C Alternator Belt
Oil Change & Tire Rotation

The shop charged $900 total, after some negotiation getting them down a bit. With this charge, tax, the rental, and rental gas, I was up to $1,185 to get this done. Some would call me crazy, and have, but the car was worthless, at least nearly worthless, as it was (the exterior is just awful, but the interior is quite nice for a 96), but now that it is drivable, I can now use it, sell/trade it and get my money back and then some.

The shop showed me the timing belt to show that it was cracked all over it and was the worst they had ever seen of one that hadn't broken yet. They also found that the balance shaft belt was already broken.

I have noticed a power decrease, most likely from the balance shaft now being turned. I also have noticed a weird noise as I begin to accelerate. Hard to explain...something getting turned that is not lubed up well? Anyway, how likely is it that the shop did not get the timing right with the balance shaft? It is a very reputable shop whose co-owner is a co-worker of mine, and all of the shop employees are aware of this relationship I have with the co-owner.

I now need to address my distributor oil leak, and when that is done, hopefully the only oil leak to remain will be the rear main seal. I have had the oil pan gasket done and the oil pressure sensor replaced, which are both notorious oil leak areas from what I have read.

Also, I have noticed that the car gets pretty hot during idle at stop lights, the temp gauge goes over half way, which it never did before this job. Before this job and after, my radiator fan always comes on after I turn the car off and runs for quite a while. Could this be a thermostat issue?

Thank you for reading and to any who take the time to help with my questions. I hope this helped others, who may be contemplating this job, make a good decision based on their own situation.

 

Well, all that work done for your stated price is fabulous. Wouldn't have happened in my neck of the woods.
Your $900 charge would have been $1500+ here. Probably closer to $2100. Just saying.


And, so, not addressing your primary question...


minor question of radiator fan running after you shut it off, well you might try idling it for 30-90 seconds in your driveway.
Engine has heat to dissipate during/after driving and, if coolant isn't circulating, block and temp sensor heats up and
fan comes on to try to cool it down. Fan coming on after engine shutdown is absolutely normal/acceptable in my book.

Welcome to the forum.

 

Slight overheating could be a number of problems. 1) Thermostat fault, 2) thermoswitch B (enables fan when temp reaches ~195F), one/both fans have failed.


Testing required to isolate fault. Problem is possibly related to work performed as it would be possible to damage the wiring or connectors to thermoswitch B, but this is not likely IMO.


good luck

 

You dodged a bullet by getting a new timing belt (judging from your description of it having cracks). Otherwise you would've been buying a rebuilt head (or whole motor).

Also lucky from another side. Often when the balance belt breaks, it gets tangled up in the timing belt so it takes them both out. Bent valves, etc...

It's pretty normal for the temperature to climb a bit (over 50% but not close to the red) when sitting still with the engine running. However, it's not summertime in Utah so I bet it isn't very hot climate today. It might be a T-stat issue. You'll spill some of your new antifreeze if you put in a new T-stat, but first you should make sure that all air pockets have been removed from the cooling system. There's a bleed-valve on the T-stat housing.

So what about the noise & loss of power?
Fresh new timing belts can make a whining noise for awhile. Especially if they're borderline too tight. That doesn't explain a loss of power but maybe it IS from the balance shafts spinning now.

 

Thank you for the replies. I actually live in the desert part of Utah. But ironically, it snowed last week, which is rare to even happen once per year here.

The heat issue resolved itself. However, the noise is still there. I plan on posting a video that will hopefully capture the noise adequately. I have probably put on 600+ miles on it since the work was done.

It happens upon the very beginning of acceleration, then is not heard as the gas is more significantly applied. Can't be heard while driving nor at idle. It sounds like a groaning; my lack of knowledge leads me to believe that it is the balance shaft either being bad in some way, or just not getting lubricated.

So, until I post the noise in a video...

 

Been a while.

Just a follow up on these issues I had.

The noise problem was due to the timing belt being too tight. Had that adjusted and everything is fine now.

The heat issue dang near killed the engine. Ended up blowing a crack in a pipe and was luckily right next to the dealership, so I pulled in. They had to do the check to make sure I didn't blow a gasket, and test came back negative. They replaced the part and the thermostat and it has been great since.

 

Thanks for posting the outcome. This will help others that may have a similar problem. Glad your car is working properly.