Honda prelude timing belt broke when going 40mph now what?

Question

my car is a honda prelude 1989 2.0 si automatic fuel injected and when i was driving home the timing belt broke when going 40 mph people tell me that i might as well get a new motor but were and also many tell me that i can just but a new timing belt into the car and it might work....also i could take the head off and get it fixed i am not sure of the damage of the car since i havent taken the head off but i did take the valve cover off and the belt is boken but what do i look for and how do i take off the head please help me

Answer 1

Just re-read my list for the 3rd time, and checked another. I don't see that your 2.0 IS a non-interference engine per the other post here. All of the lists I have on this indicate that a 2.0L of that vintage has issues with valve/piston "discussions" when the timing belt breaks. As far as I've been able to determine, ONLY Honda's 3.2L engine is exempt from this problem.

Unless you can get mfgr verification that you're as lucky as some claim, you'll need to pull the head to see what's left of the valves, and to assure that no piston damage has taken place. A simple compression test won't get you that latter bit of information in many cases.

Also -- don't go cheap and just replace the belt. With the miles you've probably got on an '89, the tensioner REALLY ought to be replaced with the belt. You don't want to be in there doing this again.

Here's what I've got for Honda -- this one happens to be the AERA list, but others agree with it...

1986-87 1.0L Prelude
1973-78 1.2L All
1973-78 1.3L All
1980-84 1.3L All
1973-78 1.5L All
1985-89 1.5L Civic
1988-95 1.5L Civic, CRX
1993-95 1.5L Civic Del Sol
1979-84 1.5L All
1985-87 1.5L CRX
1993-95 1.6L Civic Del Sol
1973-78 1.6L All
1980-82 1.6L All
1988-95 1.6L Civic, CRX
1984-87 1.8L Prelude, Accord
1979-83 1.8L All
1986-91 2.0L Prelude
1990-91 2.1L Prelude
1990-95 2.2L Prelude, Accord
1992-95 2.2L Prelude
1995 2.7L Accord

Answer 2

You do have an interference Engine. What you can do is just replace belt and hope no valves are bent. But 8 out of 10 times you are going to need a Valve job and or head job. One way or another it may end up costing so change...

Answer 3

84 Honda Prelude

Answer 4

You're lucky. The B20A5 (the engine in your car) is a non-interference engine. All you have to do is replace the timing belt. Pull your distributor cap and check the rotor. The screw that holds the the rotor in place could have fallen out, causing the rotor to stop spinning. If the screw is intact, have someone watch the rotor while you try to start the car. If it doesn't spin, the belt is broken. Get it replaced and have the timing re-set.

Shouldn't be too expensive, but for next time, remember to change the belt at every 60,000 miles.

Answer 5

Those are interference engines. To check to see if it is fixable with head off look at the cylinders for breaks or cracks. small dents will be ok. Disconnect the battery ground cable. Drain the cooling system. Remove the air cleaner and intake duct assembly. Label and remove the brake booster, PCV and charcoal canister vacuum hoses from the intake manifold. Remove the engine ground cable from the cylinder head or valve cover. Relieve the fuel pressure using the proper procedure. Disconnect the fuel lines. Disconnect the accelerator cable at the throttle body or carburetor. On automatic transaxle vehicles, also disconnect the throttle control cable. Disconnect and tag all the wire harnesses and vacuum hoses from the cylinder head, intake manifold and throttle body/carburetor. Disconnect the spark plug wires, then position them aside. Disconnect the upper radiator hose. Remove the heater hoses from the cylinder head. If equipped, remove the cruise control actuator. Do not disconnect the cable; move the actuator out of the work area with the cable attached. Remove accessory drive belts. Disconnect the inlet hose from the power steering pump and plug the hose immediately to prevent fluid leakage. Remove the power steering pump from the cylinder head and position it aside. Disconnect the inlet hose from the power steering pump and plug the hose immediately to prevent fluid leakage. Remove the power steering pump from the cylinder head and position it aside. When the power steering hose is disconnected, the fluid will flow out. Cover the alternator with a shop towel to prevent the fluid from leaking into it. If the alternator is mounted to the cylinder head, remove it. Remove the power steering and alternator brackets if they are mounted on the cylinder head. Remove the distributor. Be sure to scribe a line relating the position of the distributor to the engine for easy installation. If equipped, remove the cylinder sensor next to the distributor. Remove the valve cover. Remove the timing belt. Do not crimp or bend the timing belt. Remove the exhaust header pipe nuts and the header pipe bracket (if equipped). Pull the pipe away from the exhaust manifold. If equipped, remove the EGR crossover and air suction pipes. On Accords through 1989 and Preludes through 1991, the cylinder head can be removed with the intake and exhaust manifolds either still attached or removed. On other models, the manifolds should be removed first. On some engines, it will be necessary to remove the camshaft holders, camshafts and rocker arms to access the cylinder head bolts. If so, refer to the proper procedures in this section. Remove the cylinder head bolts in sequence (take notice of any bolt holes occupied by longer bolts). Failure to follow this procedure may cause the head to warp. On 1984-89 Accords and 1984-91 Preludes, work from the ends toward the center. Loosen each bolt about 1/2 turn each time and make several passes to release the tension evenly. On 1990-95 Accords and 1992-95 Preludes, follow the loosening sequence shown in the illustrations. Loosen each bolt about 1/3 turn each time. Repeat the sequence until all bolts are loosened.

Answer 6

You replace the timing belt and do a compression check before you start it to see if you damaged the valves.

Answer 7

To determine engine damage, you don't need to remove the head. Just remove the cam, and do a leakdown test. If you have bad valves, you may be able to find a used head more cost effective than repair.

Answer 8

It's a Honda. If the timing belt breaks you're screwed.

Answer 9

Motor Alldatapro

Answer 10

Timing belt replacement:

http://www.alldatapro.com/alldata/PRO~V55181403~C2992~R0~OD~N/0/34870075/56619482/56619483/56619484/34853741/73661385/34853743/34872060/34849574

Head R/R fuel injected:

http://www.alldatapro.com/alldata/PRO~V55181403~C2992~R0~OD~N/0/34870075/56619482/56619483/56619484/34853741/73661385/34853743/34854590/34849578/76875934

Head R/R carbureted:

http://www.alldatapro.com/alldata/PRO~V55181403~C2992~R0~OD~N/0/34870075/56619482/56619483/56619484/34853741/73661385/34853743/34854590/34849578/76875932

Good luck!