Hi all,

My 2004 4-cyl. Honda Accord EX-L Sedan has reached 95k miles. Problem is, I am confused by the manual and online posts about what needs to be changed. Up until now, most of the maintenance has been mostly oil changes and rotating tires. My car's been in California (fair, dry weather!) the past 9 years and kept in a garage. It does not have any odd noises or ker-plunks.

So my questions are, when do these need to be changed and how much would it cost per number? I'll probably take it to a fairly priced auto-shop to get all of it done. I read that the 2004 4-cyl. has a timing chain so does not need to be changed.
1. Water pump, drive belt/balancer belt, crank and cam seals, tensioner
2. Valves
3. Coolant, tranny fluid, brake fluid

Do I need to replace the transmission fluid? I've seen conflicting opinions on whether to change it since the car has so many miles and the new transmission fluid could mess up the old transmission.

Any help is appreciated kind sages!

Signed,
Accord newbie with a "?" over his head

 

We need to know if this is a 4 cyl or 6 cyl engine?

Also an auto or manual trans?

Example....the four cyl does not have a timing belt......so #1 in your list does not apply to the four cyl's......

If you can answer the engine and trans question we can go through everything

Thanks for joining HAF

 

Regarding the water pump, oil seals, and tensioner; change if they are leaking or there is a problem. They can last a long (long) time without problems. Otherwise, I say leave it alone.

For the drive belt, check the condition of the drive belt (i.e., look at the auto-tensioner gauge position if it is within range, inspect for obvious damage; a few cracks (rib side of belt) is not a big concern, only if a lot of cracking or chunks gone then it is a concern). If it were me, I would change the drive belt due to the mileage and age regardless of how it looks.

See my post #3 in this thread: https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/for...linking-47867/

Have the valves adjusted if they are really noisy; otherwise, I'd leave it only.

Brake fluid should be changed at least every 3 years, so you are overdue for that if it has never been changed.

If you're bringing it in for fluid changes, I would get the coolant and transmission fluid changed at the same time. -- Yes, okay to change the transmission fluid, considering Honda's recommended change interval in the owner's manual. I personally would change to more frequently than the owner's manual recommendation though.

 

wouldn't hurt to slap some plugs in it as well. VERY DIY on the 4 cylinder if you have some mechanical ability...use O.E. plugs, will run ya about 10bucks a pop, they come gapped so don't mess with them. NGK laser iridium's

 

Yello,

It's a 4-cyl auto. Does that mean that the drive belt/balancer belt do not need to be changed?

So here's what I read (correct me if I am wrong):
1. Inspect water pump, oil seal, tensioner, drive belt, and valves for problemos.
2. Replace spark plugs - NGK laser iridium
3. Replace brake, coolant, transmission fluid
4. Replace cabin filter and engine air filter (from redbull's other post)

Thanks for your help!

 

I would still change the drive belt due to the age and mileage, as I previously mentioned. That way you don't have to worry about it again for around another 105,000 miles or 7 years, whichever come first. I like to do preventative maintenance.

 

yup, belts are cheap maintenance/insurance...