I just bought a 97 Accord EX for my son. It has 91K miles. I don't have any idea what kind of service has been done on the car in the past. Any suggestions of what service I should have done. I've read several things about the balancer shaft seal and retainer. Is this something that I should do?

One thing I was planning on doing was replacing the transmission fluid and filter. After talking to a neighbor who used to sell cars he suggested I not to this. He said sometimes when they sold a high mileage car, the customer would have the transmission fluid changed and shortly after they would develope transmission problems. He speculated that maybe the fluid had never been changed and the old fluid was thicker and when the new fluid was put in it was thinner and maybe that is what caused the problem. Doesn't sound right to me. I didn't buy the car from him so he wasn't trying to cover his butt. I thought I had better get some other opnions.

Thanks
JCP

 

Change it. Honda atf is best for it.

 

First off WELCOME to HAF........

since you got no clue on any service performed i would do a major service

engine + tranny fluid ( Honda atf-z1) , plugs, air and fuel filter, valve adjustment, and have the shop inspect the timing belt ,,,,,
if there is a shop that specializes in Hondas i would go there rather than the dealer ( cheaper ) and they should still use honda parts

and what that guy said about the tranny fluid being tick etc etc,, pay no attention to that

 

DH forgive me if I miss something but Major service should include

Timing belt
water pump
drive belts
coolant flush/ change
trans fluid change
brake fluid change
PS fluid change
Oil change w filter
inspect air filter and change if needed
Inspect brakes
adjust parking brake
inspect rubber suspension parts and replace as needed (this has to do more with the car being 9 years old than the milage)
inspect allignment
inspect suspension
inspect tires

 

Yeu,, buddy ol pal there is nothing to forgive ,,as i always appreciate your inputs.

the timing belt IS NOT part of the major service.. if you go to a dealer and ask for a major service , it will never include the timing belt., neither a wheel alignment nor a p/s fluid change , you can inspect wheel alignment but all you do is actually see how the tire are wearing ..if uneven wear than you reccomend a wheel alignment but it is extra money ,normally 60 to 70 dollars

adding to the above list ,what is also included on a major service is,a valve adjustment, a fuel filter , spark plugs,,

 

well based on the milage/age of the car, they should tell you t-belt is due when you ask for major service at 90K...at least my dealer did when I had my 94....

 

i totally agree with you,, the tech should ask wether t-belt has been done and if not , reccomend that customer does it in the very near future ..
some people do it at 60, 70, 80k miles / ..so at 90k t-belt could have been done already at another shop , but if customer goes to same shop all the time than obviosely they would know if it has been done or not and advice customer accordingly

 

Thanks for all the info.

JCP