Timing belt went at 120 KM/H
 

My car died on the 401 last Friday...I managed to pull over to the shoulder in the express - thank God before the construction area after yonge where there is no shoulder. I had it towed to a mechanic I trust and the next day he confirmed the timing belt went, but didn't have time to assess the engine damage. What are the odds that the damage is serious? I understand pistons and other engine components could be damaged. Has anyone ever experienced this in an integra? Its a 94...I should have done the timing belt a year or two ago but I guess I decided to ride this car into the ground...

I'm just looking for opinions here...is it repairable, what would an engine rebuild cost? The body is in bad shape (rust, bumper hanging off, cracked windshield)...do you think I could sell it for parts - I don't want to have the shell sitting on my driveway while I sell parts - what would be a reasonable price to sell it for parts as is?

Thanks,

Varrus

Well first you need to find out if anything is damaged, and hopefully there is none, and you got lucky. If you did bend something it would most likely be a valve. Timing belts will last longer then when they say to change them, just all debends on how you drive the car, if your nice on it, it will last longer, but if you hard on it most of the time, you should change it sooner, it's pretty much the same for brakes. If you have no damage, you will most likely be looking about $300-$400 to get the timing belt changed, but that should include parts and labor.

Spikes right...I believe you might have some damages considering you were between 3-4000 RPMs when it snapped! Hopefully its JUST the timing belt that needs replacement and all other components can go unscathed...You can probably get the labour done for about 150 bucks and the belt itself should run you between 125-175...If you're getting it fixed, i'm assuming you haven't changed the waterpump yet either! Now would be a good time to do that...

Thanks for the replies guys...the mechanic called me and there was some damage...he said it will be around $800 to fix....never mind the brakes, and good point on the water pump....looks like I will be posting in the for sale section and picking up something new(er)..

Speed has little to do with it; i've had a timing belt snap at 140 km/hr and it resulted in no damage.

Where are you quoting these prices from? I havn't seen a timing belt sell for more then $120, and labour is DEFINETLY more then $150. A standard timing belt/water pump replacement is generally in the 4-6 hour region.

All can be had for $500.

Don't take his word for it; ask him to explain the damages, and show you if possible. To properly assess the damage, he'll have to take the head off.

Go see your car; if the motor is still assembled, then i'd take his opinion with a grain of salt (unless he can show you clear valvetrain damage).

^^My bad...I know i was saving some money because I got mine done from my cousin who is a mechanic. He charged me I believe 150 for the new belt including the installation. Thanks for clarifying tho...

my buddies timing belt also snapped around 120km/h and engine was fine replaced timing belt and pump and he was good to go

yeah my timing belt went and all internals were fine and i was going 120 as well.. but i dont drive crasy tho..

there should be no damage to the engine, unless you dropped a valve. i was under the impression a stock b18 was non-interference (no way for the valves to touch the piston unless something in the valvetrain broke), so regardless of speed, there should be no contact. I would def ask to see the damage, hes probably just trying to snake you for about 4-5 hundred bucks.

sell it

I would not believe your mechanic unless he can show you the damage.
Many ppl seem to think timing belts breaking = damage to motors.

Not all the time....

Many ppl think Nitrous / turbo set-ups hurt motors aswell ... not true :)

If you would want an honest opinion please pm me...

Im about 99.9%sure I can beat that price of $800 if there is damage...

ha ha ha ha ha ha that sucks

my 98 gs has 231000 km and i still havent changed the timing belt everytime i get an oil change at acura they trip out. Is this common for these cars to go for that long with out a change?

have the mechanic check it out first properlu

i would check with a baroscope to see if there are markings of the valves thising the piston through the spark plug hole. i ve seen a civic that the belt went and tap all 16 valves.

It's the engine speed (RPM) that you should try to remember, not the car's road speed. The higher it is, the more likely it will have sustained engine damage.

are there any obvious signs of timing belt wear?
will you know if your timing belt is going?

cracks, wear and tare

I have had a few integras and crvs come to my shop with broken belts, the ones that were on the highway had bent valves and lots of valve/piston contact, the ones that broke or stripped on startup were okay