Timing belt in 3rd gen prelude.

[LaZaZaL89]

Was driving home a week ago up a hill and the timing belt went.. (The engine was replaced a while ago with the previous owner.. But im geussing the timing belt wasnt.) I know since its an interference engine I could be up for big costs here.. But about how big do you guys think? I was quoted by one mechanic that it could cost up to 3.5-4.5grand to fix?!? Surely that cant be right.. Also does anyone know any good/reliable honda mechanics in sydney that wouldnt try and rip me off lol..?

Cheers.

[gumus89]

You may need to replace a piston or two and any affected valves. That does sound a bit iffy to be honest. Get some more quotes. Try a Honda dealership for the uppermost cost. If Honda says less than 3.5-4.5 then your mechanic is a stooge.

[digler]

For a repair i would say around the 3-3.5k mark is about right. There is alot of labour involved and depending how bad the damage is, there could also be some costly parts aswell.
Have you considered just replacing the engine with a low km one from a wrecker? Might work out cheaper.

[phattzy]

dude id be buying a 2nd hand engine replace the timing belt in it and just drop it in . saves stripping it down replacing , getting things machined and new gaskets . i have a b20a6 on a stand that was running 4 weeks ago . maybe send me a P.M and we might be able to work something out . ive just spent 15000 on my b20 and i plan never to rebuild a engine again . but if you deciede to strip and replace id be inclined to purchase a cometic mls head gasket www.1funryd.com and id be going the gates racing timing belt . if your head and valves are in bad shape id be replacing with stainless valves and h22a outer springs , if there is piston damage id either go je pistons or weisco . rod damage pauter rods www.pauter.com/acura_honda.htm . but then if rod damage then id be looking at a cheap replacment motor .

[hondapop]

What do you reckon your car is worth? Until you get a proper idea (or appraisal) of it's market value you won't know if it's worth spending the money on, or whether it's better to put what you're likely to have to spend to fix it towards another car. Just taking the head off one of those to check the damage could cost you a few hundred alone.

I think you'll find your true market value is at most, going to be around what you've been quoted to fix it.