I purchased a used 1997 honda accord s.e. with just over 100,000 miles. I contacted American Honda as well as the local Honda dealerships in the area where I purchased the car to try to get the service history on the car. No one has a record of the car being serviced so I don't know for sure if the timing belt has been changed. I think it was because the drive belts appear fairly new as well as the valve cover gasket but I want to play it safe. I purchased a timing belt kit which includes the following items:

timing belt
balance shaf belt
timing belt tensioner
balance shaft tensioner
timing belt tensioner spring
balance shaft tensioner spring
water pump with gaskets
valve cover gaskets
spark plug seals
valve cover grommets
camshaft seal
front crankshaft seal
balance shaft seal
two accessory drive belts
balance shaft seal retainer kit

I asked my local mechanic how much his labor would be to install the following items and he told me $500. In your opinion is that a fair price for just his labor.

 

Not for just labor... Ive heard of shops doing that job with OEM parts for $500 out the door. $400 would be a better deal, thats nearly $100/hour

 

If you are just paying the labor, I wouldn't pay a penny more than $300

 

Thanks for all of your help. I went around to a few other shops, being that a timing belt is a big job and I am not going to let any and everybody do it. The best price that I got from a trust worthy shop is $400 so I think I am going to go with that.To get it done for less some of the mechanics were talking about not changing all of the seals, but I figure if Imightas well get everything done instead of just doing to water pump and belt and then three months down I have an oil leak.

Thanks again

 

I see your profile says NY. Labor rates vary by a tremendous amount based on location. Finch & Jon are not in your part of the country.

 

The mechanic is working on the car right now. When I brought it in this morning I notified him of a small oil leak on the spark plugs and on the pcv valve I was assuming it was the spark plug grommets. He just called me to tell me there are some o -rings on the rocker arm for the engine. He wants an additional $30.00 for parts and his labor for that portion is an additional $80.00. He said he has to adjust the valves after he does this. I am not the most trusting person in the world so I told him just do the timing belt job that I asked him to do and leave the other portion that he just discovered. To you folks that know more about engines than me is what he is saying making sense?

 

No valve adjustment is needed after those seals are changed. You can get a valve cover gasket set (1 VC gasket and 4 spark plug tubs seals) for $20 and do it yourself for free.

 

Yes, there is a 2nd set of seals, farther down in the spark plug tubes.Yes, you have to remove thevalve rocker assemblies to replace them. Whether THAT lower set is leaking is where you have to trust him (or not).

Id get a valve cover gasket set. It should come with both upper& lower seals (lower ones are thinner, like O-rings). Replace the gasket & upper seals & watch to see if the leaking stops.

 

i had this same problem with my beat f22a i replaced the upper seals and it still leaks so id replace them both for sure because now i have to tear it apart again and its freezing

 

I just did the timing belts and gaskets on my '91. Started up just fine and runs good with the exception of an idle problem. I would charge someone $600 to do this again. Replacing the water pump was the objective, but did the timing belts while I was there.