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Honda Accord (1994-1997) Maintenance and Repair

1849 messages,  Last post on Apr 30, 2013 at 8:06 PM

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Messages Page 183 of 185

#1820 of 1849 Re: 2001 Accord LX [sahondabuyer] by jimdempster

Aug 24, 2012 (9:36 pm)

Replying to: sahondabuyer (Aug 24, 2012 1:11 pm)
Asking a car mechanic when to replace the timing belt is like asking a tire salesman if you need new tires...
 
I've gone 200,000 miles, but your mileage may vary. I'm a pretty conservative driver, so the stress on the belt is pretty low. If the car engine has been raced at high RPM, or installed with an over-stretch, or bent less than the minimum radius during shipping/installation (a No-No), then your belt life could be less. Some shippers bend the belt over on itself and wrap tape to make it a smaller package. These toothed belts cannot be mis-treated that way - it cracks the fiberglass, and you don't want it.
 
One way to check the belt condition: pull off the valve cover (it's held on with 4 bolts) and look at the belt. IF YOU SEE ANY CRACKS IN THE BELT RUBBER, IT'S TIME TO CONSIDER CHANGING IT. I had an older Honda ('78) and it was full of cracks. These belts do fail, without warning, and in the older models can destroy your engine.
 
My belt at 200,000 miles only had a few cracks - not much at all, but just because I was taking a chance doesn't mean you should go so long. If the belt looks to be in good condition, then you probably can get another 10k miles. Living in Los Angeles will shorten rubber product life due to the ozone in the air.
 
When you do replace the belt, the water pump should be replaced too (although my original water pump lasted the 200,000 miles also). I did it myself, but I hear the cost is on the order of $1200 for the belts, pump, coolant, thermostat, alternator belt, etc.

#1821 of 1849 Re: 2001 Accord LX [jimdempster] by sahondabuyer

Aug 24, 2012 (10:52 pm)

Replying to: jimdempster (Aug 24, 2012 9:36 pm)
I have a quote for $780 for a Timing Belt Package which includes all of the items you listed. We will probably do it before it reaches 100k. The car has never been driven rough as it was owned my a 70+ year old man. It was a Honda certified used car when he bought it in 2005 and looks great for a 2001. I appreciate the feedback.

#1822 of 1849 1995 Accord overheating by j_sum1

Sep 11, 2012 (8:53 am)

I recently bought a '95 accord, 5spd coupe and it seems to be overheating. The gauge showed hot yesterday so I added water and coolant, now the gauge shows lower than half way but when i park I can hear the water coiling in the reservoir tank. I was thinking thermostat or ECT sensor. any ideas? Thanks

#1823 of 1849 Re: 1995 Accord overheating [j_sum1] by jimdempster

Sep 12, 2012 (12:10 pm)

Replying to: j_sum1 (Sep 11, 2012 8:53 am)
An overheating Accord can have multiple causes, all of them serious because you can ruin your engine piston rings and burn oil - get this taken care of, the cost is not high (usually).
 
1) First, when the car is cool, open the radiator cap and look inside the radiator. You should see the radiator core, and core should not be covered with white hard water deposits nor should the coolant be rust-colored or have oil in it. The radiator coolant should be transparent.
 
If you have white deposits, then you need to chemically clean the radiator system - there are citric acid cleaners that are relatively safe to use and the directions can be found all over the web. The white hard water deposits act like a 'blanket' over all the cooling surfaces inside the engine and radiator and promote overheating - get rid of them and your temperature will drop. No excuse for having these. What usually happens is "someone" puts in ordinary tap water into the radiator instead of distilled water - that is the source of the hard water deposits. ONLY used distilled water, NEVER tap water (or you will have to clean out the cooling system again).
 
Also, when you drain the cooling system on Accords, you DO NOT drain all the fluid - there is a section of the engine that does not drain (there is a special drain bolt on the back side of the engine which is VERY hard to remove). This old coolant will contaminate the new coolant, so the easy way to deal with it is to drain twice as frequently until the system coolant is transparent and clean. The right way is to get a 3/4" breaker bar and 6 point socket and STAND on the breaker bar to knock the drain bolt loose (and hopefully not strip the bolt head). Then you can drain all the fluid.
 
2) Change out the thermostat and radiator cap - if it doesn't open in time the engine will overheat. They are inexpensive (compared to a new engine).
 
3) If the car still overheats, then you may have a larger problem. Examine the coolant for oil - there should be NONE. If the heat gasket is blown (it happens on occasion) oil from the engine will get into the cooling system (and vice versa). Look at the oil - if it looks like 'chocolate milk shake', water is getting into the oil. If this is the case, get this taken care of IMMEDIATELY. You can confirm you have a blown head gasket with a 'pressure tester' - the system will not hold 15 psi pressure for any length of time - the after market auto parts stores will loan/rent you the tool - no disassembly is required; or you can buy one inexpensively at Harbor Freight Tools (in-store or on-line). Boiling in the coolant tank is a clue that there is overpressure in the cooling system, even before the car has a chance to warm up. If you are mechanically inclined, you can change the head gasket but you will need 3/4" drive tools - the usual home mechanic tools are not up to the task.
 
4) There is a remote possibility that the fuel/air mixture is too lean, but this is unlikely - you would notice this only after some extended driving.
 
IF YOU ALLOW YOUR ENGINE HEAT TO GET INTO THE RED ZONE, THE HEAT WILL ANNEAL YOUR PISTON RINGS AND THEY WILL LOSE THEIR 'SPRINGINESS'. THE ENGINE WILL BURN OIL FOREVER AFTER AND YOU WILL NEED AN ENGINE REBUILD TO CORRECT IT. GET THIS TAKEN CARE OF IMMEDIATELY.

#1824 of 1849 Re: Wierd noise at 2,000 rpm [bdybuilder91] by thegraduate

Oct 15, 2012 (9:05 am)

Replying to: bdybuilder91 (Jan 17, 2012 10:15 pm)
We never did figure it out but it never created a problem. And sadly, my car was totaled by an 18 Wheeler who didn't check his blind spot as he passed me and proceeded to side-swipe me. 235k miles and it died a painful death on 11/11/11.

#1825 of 1849 Re: Wierd noise at 2,000 rpm [thegraduate] by jimdempster

Oct 17, 2012 (6:53 pm)

Replying to: thegraduate (Oct 15, 2012 9:05 am)
Hope you are OK - you certainly got good life out of the car.
Time for another Honda?

#1826 of 1849 Re: 2001 Accord LX [sahondabuyer] by alex222

Oct 28, 2012 (6:07 am)

Replying to: sahondabuyer (Aug 24, 2012 10:52 pm)
$780 is a lot of money, Iam in Houston and know my personalmechanic wich is very good and honest. He did the timing belt for $170labor and I bought the parts on E-bay which cost me $95 which included timing belt,water pump,cam and crank seals, valve cover gasket and thermostat.If you can drive to houston I can set you up with my mechanic. 832-818-2879 Alex

#1827 of 1849 1994 Honda Accord rough idle with 2 injectors shuting down by alex222

Oct 28, 2012 (6:25 am)

Anybody have any ideas. My 1994 honda accord runs on two cylinders after warming up. warms up fine and when I come to a stop it runs at very low idle shaking alot and shuts down if I dont give it gas because is running on two cylinders only. The funny thing is that after driving it for a while sometimes it fixes it self and the next day does it againg. I have replaced, Fuel filter, injectors, TPS sensor, idle control valve, O2 sensor, and a complete tune-up. It starts and warms up fine and when I start to drive it and come to a stop it idles low and rough and wants to shut down. It is the 94 Accord with the V-tech engine , thanks.

#1828 of 1849 Re: Wierd noise at 2,000 rpm [jimdempster] by thegraduate

Nov 02, 2012 (2:28 pm)

Replying to: jimdempster (Oct 17, 2012 6:53 pm)
Hope you are OK - you certainly got good life out of the car.
Time for another Honda?
 
I'm currently in my other car (I already owned it at the time), a 2009 Sonata V6. Have 92k on it now, will probably drive it another 50k before I make another purchase. I paid cash for it and am happy with no car payment for a while. it's not given me any trouble thus-far, knock on wood.

#1829 of 1849 replace manual transmission with automatic in 95 Accord Sedan? by jhrost

Jan 13, 2013 (5:10 pm)

I have a Japanese-made 95 Accord sedan I bought new in October of 94. It has 180,000 miles on it. The last 4 years it has been relegated to 2nd car status, being used about 5000 miles per year. It still runs great and has been a wonderful car, requiring few repairs. It has never broken down on me, never stranded me anywhere, and has never needed to be towed, always getting to where it had to go under its own power. About 4 years ago I was told that the manual transmission was on its last legs and would need to be completely replaced in the not distant future. I've been told that by a couple of other service persons since then, including a longtime mechanic whom I trust.
 
Despite those prognostications from 20,000 miles or so ago the car is still running and changing gears adequately as far as I can determine, though the clutch is probably harder to depress and the gear shift stick doesn't move as smoothly as it once did.
 
Anyway, I was content to just wait till the transmission went and have it replaced with another standard transmission, but recently I've started thinking about pre-emptive action. These thoughts have been inspired by a left foot problem which has been building up for the past couple of years (Morton's Neuroma?). I don't think the problem was caused by the clutch pedal, but the use of the latter has become unpleasant and certainly aggravates my foot when I drive the car.
 
My question then is this: is it possible to replace the manual transmission in this car with an automatic? I'm assuming the answer is yes and that an mt Accord and an AT Accord are the same in all other respects save the transmission type, but I don't really know.
 
The second part of the question is, assuming that the swap is feasible, how much more would putting an automatic transmission in this car cost me than simply putting in another manual transmission?
 
The last part of the question, assuming that the swap can be done technically and won't be prohibitively expense, am I likely to get a good result?
 
Thanks for any opinions that anyone cares to offer.
 
Regards,
 
John

Messages Page 183 of 185

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