ajth87

i wanted to get an opinion on a 94 acura vigor gs. i know someone who is selling one for 1000 with no timing belt. i have a mechanic that will do the job for 150. I wanted to know if it was worth it, the car is in good shape in and out but i don;t know how it runs because of the belt. the owner said that there are no problems just that when the timing belt went he didnt bother fixing it. are vigors good cars?

AcuraTL

It is really your car. Unless you just want to spend the money to replace the timing belt and see if the engine is ok. Sometimes, when the engine is at speed and the timing belt breaks off, it could do some damage to the engine. I would recommend a leak down test to see if there's any compression lost in each cylinder.

simplyredvw

Getting a pressure test done will give you some idea as to whether the valves have been damaged or not. If the owner hasn't kept the valves adjusted tight, you may get lucky and be able to have a running car after throwing a timing belt on there.

ajth87

so after the timing belt is on i should get the compression tested and if it isn't normal will that be hard to fix?

simplyredvw

If it isn't normal, it would most likely have some bent valves. This would mean that the cylinder head would have to come off and be rebuilt.

ajth87

so then in other words i can rebuild the head, buy a used head and install it or just a new engine. the labor isnt the problem because I have a friend that is a pro mechanic. so which would be the less costly as in part wise?