Hello all, I am new here. my daughter is looking to replace the most recent in an ill fated group of automobiles which have had the misfortune of being owned by her, a 93 GEO metro (in met with a rather untimely end..think Buick, rear bumber, middle of hood...not a pretty picture. never mind me, I'm merely venting a bit, thought I taught her better...oh well) anywa, she is looking at an Accord, I believe a '94, she asks me if I can fix it, tells me the timing belt was broken, new one installed and now will not run. ok, I'm no nimrod, I've been under a hood or two in my time, I'm thinking whomever put this timing belt on must have at least some mechanical skills, and therefore would know that the valves are "likely" bent. I actually have two questions. First, if one knows there are bent valves, why put a timing belt on, replace the valves or junk it or sell it or whatever, but don't put a belt on and act like it'll run again, I'm no genius and I know that! Second, and more to the point, how big a P.I.T.A is it to pull the head on one of these and replace the aforementioned "bent valves". oh and I guess third, how much is it worth? I know nothing about it other than what is in the post, I know not much information and alot of wordy nonsense for a couple small questions, but I'm a wordy, nonsensicle fellow. thanks in advance for any insight. have a nice day and ride (drive) safe

 

1. The owner may not have known Hondas have interference engine. On other engines you can break the timing belt and the valves simply wont open.

2. If the belt broke while the engine was running, the valves are bent for sure. There are 10 long 12 or 14mm head bolts that hold the head to the block. You'd have to drain the coolant and probably oil to remove the head, but once those bolts are out, it just comes right off.

3. Depending on the miles and condition of the body, I'd offer someone $3000 at the most. Given that the valves are bent, I'd subtract the cost of new valves, any head machining needed and labor from the $3000. With that said, the car is probably worth less than $2000. Live2Rice is our resident 5th gen (94-97) Accord expert and recently just bought another one, so look for his input on what he paid.

 

It all depends on what you want to spend on it to fix it.

First off, in the DIY Forum, open the Online Manuals thread and use the spoonhonda link to download a 94 shop manual. It has all the info you need on what is involved in pulling the head and is an invaluable when doing car work.

You should also have the head milled so that the surface is perfectly flat when you reinstall the head.

The other option is to find a low mileage engine from a junkyard and install that.

 

It would be easier to just replace the head with one that works rather than replace the valves. Considering a whole f22 costs $300, a head shouldnt cost more than $100.

I would not pay more than $1000 for that, considering I just paid $1600 for my 1994 Accord that runs perfectly, with only a few blemishes(to be expected with a 15 year old car).

 

Thanks for the replies fellas. apparently, I will be talking to the guy that put the timing belt on sometime in the next couple days. mayhaps I'll get a little more information from him than I got from my daughter. I don't know whether or not she'll buy the car, but if she does, I imagine I'll become a frequent visitor here. thanks again, have a nice day and ride (drive) safe