timing belt

My brother just bought a 1987 Honda Accord with the timing belt shot.
What are the chances the valvetrain was ruined and how hard is this
thing to change?

 

Chances are pretty good that it will be ok. 86-89 accords are not supposed
to bend valves.... but I have seen them do it every now and then.

 

im not sure what kind of heads they had in those years but if he sayes
they are non-interference them maybe you are ok, as for how difficult
the belt is to replace it can be done at home but if you do not know
what you are doing it will take all day and be quite frustrating so
that would be your call on whether or not u want to go through that.
most oil and lube/ muffler shops will do it fairly inexpensivly tho.
i would talk to a honda tech or mechanic about whether or not your head
is an interference head or not just to make sure.

Andrew

 

We could only guess. The only way to be sure is for you or a mechanic to
place a new timing belt on it and start it up. If a mechanic does it, ask
him or her to hook it up to the computerized testing equipment that he has
and determine whether any damage was or was not done to the valvetrain. If
you do it, start it up and let it idle--if it sounds ok--take it for a
short ride around the block. If it passes that test--go for a longer ride
on a road that will allow you to get it up to about 50 or 60 miles per
hour. If it passes that test--it means that no damage was done to the
valvetrain. You should advise your brother that in the future--he should
NOT buy a vehicle that has a timing belt that is "shot".

 

Computerized equipment to check for valvetrain damage?

 

Great point. It might not tell the mechanic about valvetrain damage but it
should reveal whether or not the engine now has serious problems that
could have happened after the timing belt broke.

 

I used a factory scan tool when I worked for a Hyundai dealer. It
could locate a "weak" cylinder by comparing crankshaft acceleration
after every ignition occurrance. A bent valve would surely cause a
compression loss and subsequent power loss at idle and could be picked
up by such a diagnostic tool.

 

Yeah, most OBD-II computerized cars would note this as a "misfire" on
cylinder whatever. But it would be up to the mechanic with a mechanical
means (such as a differential cylinder pressure testing gauges) to check for
cylinder leakage and determine where it is going.

I've heard of customers calling and asking about hooking their car up to the
computer to diagnose a break noise problem.... so I always have to tease
people a little when I think they are talking about a magic computer ;-)

 

If by saying the timing belt is completely broken, cam shaft doesn't turn with
the crankshaft then yes you have major damage. All the 87 accords have
interference engines. With luck you may not have broken a piston if it only
turned a few degrees after breaking the belt but it most likely has bent valves
at best. When you turn it over with the crank don't force it, you will just
cause more damage. The safest thing to due is to remove the cam before trying
to turn it over. If it turns over easily with the plugs removed tap on each
valve and see if they bind if so it is at least head rebuild time. Let us know.

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I believe that it would be easier to just check the valve clearances. Any
valves that are bent will have excessive clearance as they will not seat
correctly.

Eric