88 honda accord timing belt

I'm thinking of changing the timing belt on my 88 Honda Accord. I've done
timing belts on other cars, so I am not a complete novice. How hard is it to
do on this car? The car is just coming up on 60k miles. Should I change
the water pump too? I will be replacing all the other belts since they have
to come off any way. Any other pointers would be greatly appreciated.

 

"The car is just coming up on 60k miles."
You're kidding aren't you?

I did my 87 LXI a few years ago.
In my case the water pump doesn't have to be changed, since it's "external".
The plastic timing cover has to be loosened tho, since it overlaps the
pump slightly.
OTOH, I felt R&Ring the accessory drive belts was the biggest hassle (next
to the famous crank pully bolt), so changing them is a very good idea.
I'd probably change the WP anyway, just because of the belt hassle/peace
of mind.

 

Detailed discussions of this procedure here:

http://3geez.com/

 

Look at the water pump and if there are no leaks and the thing turns
smoothly-don't replace it. A friend has an old 80 accord of
mine-coming up on 300K with origional WP. Have a 97 with 176K and
wont replace the WP at 240K/timing belt replacement unless it is
weeping fluid or is rough. Make sure you use a Honda timing belt-the
others don't even look like a honda belt.

 

Nope. It is a low mileage car. I just sold a 1995 Miata with 40.5k Miles
on it. Living and working in NYC means our car gets little use.

That's great news. My Omni was like that too. Most of the other cars
I have seen for some dumb reason drive the pump off of the timing belt.

Shouldn't be a problem.

I'll take a close look at the pump and then decide what to do based on
what I see and how long it takes to pull the belts.

 

Any suggestions on where to get the belt? I don't want to get reamed
by the local dealer who is a jerk.

 

I am novice in these things.
After getting a few advice from this group, I recently had my accord
93 timing belt replaced from a honda dealer. I specially asked him for
waterpump replacement but he did not replace it and said its good. No
need to replace it this time.
But what exactly is waterpump for?
Thanks.

 

the water pump pumps water.

 

How much did your dealer charge to change the timing belt? If the price
is not too bad I may just look for a another dealer to work with.

A water pump circulates the coolant throughout your engine and then to
your radiator. If it fails, your car might overheat.

 

Sites to help you decide whether you want to do this by yourself:

- http://timingbelt.soben.com/ (specifically designed to help a person decide
whether to do the job him/herself, for a circa 1994 Integra)

- http://www.cadvision.com/blanchas/54pontiac/honda.html

- http://www.crxsi.com/resources/repair/change_timing_belt/index.htm

- The archive for this newsgroup. Try a groups.google for {"timing belt" accord}

- www.autozone.com . Click on "Repair Info" on the left. Follow pointers to the
repair guides section, autozone may have the Chilton's manual instructions for
changing your 88 Accord's timing belt. (It has them for my 1991 Civic.) Or try
this autozone link: http://tinyurl.com/2zyzm

- one or more of the Honda manuals at
http://www.honda.co.uk/owner/workshopmanuals2.html may be helpful.

For buying online parts, consider:

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/catdisplay.jsp (great
drawings!)

http://www.slhonda.com (same great drawings but not quite as user friendly)

http://catalog.honda-auto-parts-wholesale.com/

http://catalog.hondapartstore.com/

I've bought Honda parts online at least three times and have had good
experiences with it. I think I used Majestic (the first site above) at least
once. I also buy parts from local import car repair shops. They sell OEM and
often cheaper than the dealer.

Caroline
Roar Lions Roar(!) ;-)

 

If it fails, your engine will most likely lose all coolant as the
way they fail is to usually blow out the main front seals
when it siezes, or worse, sieze and snap the entire fan assembly
off and send it into the radiator.(think big auger)

 

Huh? On a Honda with electric fans?

 

It was High River Honda in AB (Canada). They charged me CAD$230 for
timing belt (Labor and belt). While installing it, they called me and
said your alternator belt and power steering belt also need
replacement. Both were CAD$80 (no installation charges for them). I
asked about waterpump and they said its fine. No need to change it.
They also put in new rear brakes for $150 (parts and labor, it is
their "special" these days).
They also did Type 4 Service (http://www.highriverhonda.com/major.html
) for $280 CAD.
So my grand total (parts + labor + GST) came to $902 CAD (approx
US$650).

And yes, my defroster does not throw air with fill pressure.
Apparently they also looked at it ($900 has $40 for this) and said its
not worth spending more time to investigate it, they may have to
unplug? the air conditioning and it will cost me a lot.

I am not a mechanical person and I dont know these things in detail.
Do you think they were unfair? Next time should I find someone else
for repairs?

Thank you

 

waterpump lasts 300000 km, timingbelt needs to be replaced every 100000 km
as long as the belt is properly mounted there is no need to replace the
waterpump
but check the coolingfluid level after a belt replacement and hear if the
waterpump "screams", it's a very specific noise

proper maintenance at brakes always lasts

marcel