Mother-in-law's Honda Accord died on the road tonight!

[Erich_870]

Hey guys,

My mother-in-law was driving home tonight and her 1996 Honda Accord (4cyl Vtech) died on a bridge, blocking one of the lanes. She said she started to loose power about 2 miles before (she should have pulled over, but what can you do now :shake:), and as she was going up the ramp to the bridge she heard a pretty loud "POP" and the car immediately died. She got it towed to a nearby repair shop and without looking the mech said he thought it is likely the timing belt. He had to run to assist someone with a flat tire, so he's going to look at it tomorrow. Until then, I'm wondering if anyone can tell me if her engine is a non-interfacing model. Fingers crossed he can just replace the timing belt and be back in the game. I really hope she didn't toast the engine.

Erich

[Crinale]

being a 96, that means she has an F22(A or B?) engine. that is a SOHC 2.2L 4 cyl.. and a quick google search brought up a prelude forum asking this very question, the answer there was
Yes it is an interference designed engine!
so i hate to tell you, but if her timing belt snapped, the engine is toast.

[Erich_870]

Ouch! Well, I guess we'll have to see if it was the timing belt tomorrow. She bought it used a couple years ago, was told the belt was recently replaced (looks like a bold face lie now) and she still owes a bunch on it (~$3000). Worst case I guess we'll have to see if we can find a low mileage engine, or sell it for parts...

Erich

[L33T35T Tacoma]

I could be, and am probably, wrong, but if it was losing power for a couple miles first, I wouldn't say 100% it's the belt. It sounds like maybe very low oil (or a complete loss, or seized oil pump) caused the engine to seize and kick a rod.

Either way, normally when you head a "pop" it's time to start engine shopping.
s

[Crinale]

Erich, even if it turns out that the belt is the problem, doesnt necessarily mean they lied about changing it.. just means they did a very poor job, and probably either cheaped out and bought pep-boys parts (or didnt replace tensioners and such), or just didnt get everything put together correctly.

but Jason is right, i wouldnt say 100% that it is the timing belt either, but no matter what, a POP is a bad thing to hear (especially when immediately followed by complete shut down).. The good news however, is F22's tend to be fairly cheap and plentiful. If you search around, you might be able to find one for ~$300

[Erich_870]

The mechanic said he could see some damage to the valves, so it's toast...

Time to change gears to find a low mileage engine in Seattle. Anyone have a good place to call? I have her VIN so I can identify the exact engine we need.

Keep the suggestions coming guys!

Thanks,

Erich

[CJM]

The same year roughly complete car with 100k on it would cost 1500 or so, engines probably 500 and then labor.. 800 bucks.

Is the car really worth it?

[Erich_870]

The same year roughly complete car with 100k on it would cost 1500 or so, engines probably 500 and then labor.. 800 bucks.

Is the car really worth it?


The car is NOT worth it, but she bought it used for too much and still owes $3000 so I think her only option is to fix it. No sense in buying a beater for $1000 and still make payments on the car. I'm on Car-Parts.com right now and I've found some engines with under 50,000 miles for $500-800.

This is new territory for all of us involved, so if you guys have any suggestions, I'm all ears! It's really good practice for the day when my '99 needs a new heart though! :)

Erich

[04 Rocko Taco]

she bought it a couple years ago, and still owes 3 grand on a 96 honda? Sounds like she should have done better car shopping. That being said... if you are determined to replace the engine, then so be it, but at this point, unless you have the time, know how and facilities to do it yourself, it may just be better to go car shopping instead.

[04 Rocko Taco]

Erich, looks like you beat me to it. Your post wasn't there when I typed mine. lol.

[Erich_870]

Erich, looks like you beat me to it. Your post wasn't there when I typed mine. lol.


No problem Rocko, :)

Without dragging my dear old M-I-L through the mud too badly, she can't afford to payoff this car loan, let alone get a new car. She was finally getting back on her feet financially and has damaged credit and no savings to speak of. The day that she pays off her car loan, has a running vehicle and starts to tackle other financial burdens will be huge for her. :)

Erich

[corax]

According to Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_F_engine), it should have the F22B engine. Maybe take a look around the internet for a JDM engine - most come with some kind of warranty and some even have a fresh timing belt put on when they hit our shores (double check that though)

[Erich_870]

Well, I'm not sure what to do now. I've called around and just the labor to install the engine is $1300-1700, Add ~$600 plus shipping (assume $300) and it's up to $2200-2600. She's not in love with the car and really should get something more suited for the winter weather up here. I guess it would be smarter to find a inexpensive car on craigslist and just drive it until she can get into a car that she wants to keep for a while. I found a 1992 Plymouth grand voyager AWD - $1600 and a 1991 VW Golf - $850 on CL.

Erich

[DHC6twinotter]

I'd stay away from the Grand Voyager unless it has a newer upgraded tranny in it. Those are notorious for blowing trannies. My parents had a '91 GV that was on it's 4th tranny when they gave it away at 245k. The last tranny was an upgraded one they got from the dealer, and it worked great. Prior three were junk. Other than that and some brake issues, it was a pretty good van. The motor (3.3L) was never touched other than routine maintenance.

I don't know anything about VWs.

Are there any cheap Subarus up there?

[Erich_870]

I'd stay away from the Grand Voyager unless it has a newer upgraded tranny in it. Those are notorious for blowing trannies. My parents had a '91 GV that was on it's 4th tranny when they gave it away at 245k. The last tranny was an upgraded one they got from the dealer, and it worked great. Prior three were junk. Other than that and some brake issues, it was a pretty good van. The motor (3.3L) was never touched other than routine maintenance.

I don't know anything about VWs.

Are there any cheap Subarus up there?


Good to know. Thanks for the heads up.

There are a ton of old Subarus up here, just nothing on CL at the moment.

Erich

[CJM]

Buy a subuaru, run away from anything chrysler/dodge please specially the vans.

You want another good option-maybe an older 4runner with 22re?

[fenrisx]

Yeah... I was just checking the CL for your area and there's hardly nothin' on there! 1 Toyota 4Runner. Only a few Subarus, and none really on the cheap.

There was a 92 Toyota Previa AWD van with about 80k on it for $3000.
A 92 Jeep Cherokee Laredo for $2k obo. It has 202k miles though.. not sure how reliable the 4.0l engines are, but regardless that's a lot of miles.

[YotaFun]

Sorry to hear about the car issues Erich.
I agree with the rest of the fellas,
I know she owes but that is just not worth fixing.

I agree with Marc in that stay away from the Van.
The VW is touch and go, but I would stay away from that too.

Fenrisx posted a few options, but the Previa wasn't Toyotas best idea imho,
The jeep is still a Jeep, while the 4.0l is a good motors, the auto trans isn't.

I know the weather is crappy there but I suggest just finding a some what same year Camry with the 4cyl, put some good tires on it and make sure all other maint is caught up on it.

[fenrisx]

I know the weather is crappy there but I suggest just finding a some what same year Camry with the 4cyl, put some good tires on it and make sure all other maint is caught up on it.


There were a few Camry's listed, maybe one of those would be a good option for your MIL.

[CJM]

Jeeps ok, make sure its the 4.0L tho. They are tough little trucks really, trans is ok..depends on how they drove it really. Avys right on that aspect.

Camry with snows would be good, so would a corolla maybe.

[Crinale]

The jeep is still a Jeep, while the 4.0l is a good motors, the auto trans isn't.


the 4.0 is a damn good reliable motor.. a bit underpowered, but very reliable.. and you do realize they use the same Aisin-Warner auto tranny that the Toyota trucks do right? the AW4 tranny is basically the same as an a340 just with a tailhousing to bolt to a Jeep transfer case. im pretty sure internals are identical

[CJM]

Really? I found that for some reason they had slight trans issues, not common but it happens.

Still a damn good engine tho!

[Erich_870]

UPDATE: The mech. did a leak down test and some other investigating and has found that only a couple of valves are bent so he's pretty confident that he can repair it. The hit to the pocket book will be around $1250.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions so far. I'll keep you updated, and *fingers crossed* hopefully there aren't any more surprises.

Erich

[fenrisx]

Good luck, hopefully things work out in the cheapest way!

[Crinale]

Hopefully bent valves are your only problem.. if they bent too violently the aluminum heads sometimes don't fare too well.. but good luck!

[CJM]

Good luck. Id have the heads checked if I was you tho.