OK. I now have 223300 miles on my 1995 Accord 4-cyl 4 dr. EX-L. I bought the car new in '95 and have taken excellent care of it for the most part.

It's just now beginning to show signs of some of the "bigger" issues.

Below is a list of the things I know are wrong and some I think are going wrong. Any guidance on what to expect price/cost-wise is greatly appreciated. The dealer is not out of the question.

Front suspension: Specifically the tie rods, etc. have worn out, the boots are rotten and I have severe toe and camber wear on the front tires.

Oil leak 1: I think it is from the main seal there around the side of the transmission. Can't remember what it's called but this is a main oil leak.

Oil leak 2: Not so big but the drain plug in my oil pan has started leaking. Can this be fixed with a new drain plug (newer threads) or should I look to replace the pan when I have them replace the oil pan gasket?

Oil leak 3: I think I'm seeing the beginning of some head gasket leaks. Not good. This seems to be the biggest cost item to me but needed some confirmation.

Power steering reservior leak: Seems just to be the lower hose at the clamp that is producing the leak. I can get the hoses and probably fix this myself; yes?

Tranny slippage: 3rd gear is starting to slip.

So how much would each of these issues potentially cost to repair???

Knowing you can't buy a new car right now or get one in the same condition for the money, how much total money would you put into it at this point? I know that's subjective but I just wanted to get input. I hear that I shouldn't dump more than $2K-$2500 into it at this point. I don't think that will fix all the issues unless I get lucky. Thoughts???

It sounds like a lot of issues I know. But with 223K+ on the original motor, I suspect that these are normal issues to come about. Amazing it's taken this long for them to.

Also, I am in the Atlanta area so if anyone knows of any reliable and HONEST mechanics outside of a dealer, that would be great to know too.

Thanks in advance.

 

I'll be honest, I have no idea what all that stuff would cost. I often think I know what something will cost at my mechanic but then it ends up costing way less or way more. But have you ever considered retiring the old beast? It seems your repairs might be more than the car is worth. Granted, it would be hard to part with a car that you've owned for 12 years, but financially, it looks like it's unpractical to fix all that stuff via a mechanic. If you did it yourself, like a hobby or project or something then I could see the sense in it. But a mechanic doing it? Again, probably not financially practical.

 

Every single on of them is DIY except the tranny

Look on Ebay and find a used tranny and replace it

Replacing is better then Repairing in my opinion

The headgasket my be a bigger task then you might be able to handle if so take it to the dealer and have them do it...might as well replace the timin belt at the same time, since you have to take it off in the first place.

good luck

 

I would disagree.
A major costly repair would be tranny replacement.
You should search a used tranny at your local junk yards.
I would estimate tranny price at $600.00. It can be higher but if you search hard enough you will get it cheap. Tranny swap on 4-cyl. engine is about
$400-600(I know a guy that does it for $400.00)
Oil leak#1 will cost you almost the price of the part itself because it can be replaced during tranny swap.
Oil leak#3: If you didn't replace a timing belt yet, I would recommend you to look for an engine-tranny swap. Gasket repair and timing belt replacement will run you more $ than used engine. Try to look for a engine-transmission bundle. If you are able to negotiate you will get a good deal.
Oil leak #2: It could be just a washer that should be replaced every time you change oil. (I replace it every 3)
Power steering leak: It wouldn't be much. It can be tank it self, hose or clamp. Even all together you can get under $100.

 

Yes, you are right. Purely from a financial view it doesn't make a lot of sense. However.... Even if I dumped $5K into it, not saying that I would, but IF I did, it would still be cheaper than a new car or anything I could get comparable.

My "new car buying funds" have been tied up for awhile, so my options are few. It's either drive it until it literally blows up, then I'd be totally screwed, or fix it and keep going with it, which is what I need to do from a financial standpoint ironically. The question is, without me having to do ALL the work myself, what's the best options and costs?

Thanks for the inputs so far!

 

I would find a smaller HONEST mechanic that is recommended by other Honda owners/DIYers. I know which guys I can take my car to when I can't handle a repair job, so someone in your area should know also.
If you find that mechanic, then discuss all that you want done and see if he/she will work with you. He/she will also where to find a GOOD used tranny becuase they don't want to do all that work again either.
Then tell them you want to reseal the motor (oil pan, valve cover, rear main, cam seals, crank seal), replace the headgasket (headwork shouldn't be needed, but that's up to you-I would have the seals replaced, but that's it), the timing belt, tensioner and water pump, thermostat, plugs, all the drive belts, tranny swapped in and tie rods replaced. The shop will do an alignment so make sure you go in with new tires when you have the work done.
It will cost a lot, but if you do all of this stuff seperately, the repeated labor would kill ya.

I will be doing this soon to a 96 Accord that someone didn't want to spend the cash on (I got it for $500), now they have to go pay for a NEW car.

Post the toal guesstimate that the shop you choose charges, just curious.

 

Yeah, the drain plug leak must have to do with the threads because I replace the washer at every change.

 

Maybe I'll just do the tie rods, the rear main seal, the oil pan related issues, and the power steering and see where that keeps me for a bit. Then, deal with the tranny maybe when it get really bad and just drop in a used one at that time. This way I fix what I have to have to continue to drive the car for now. I don't think the head gasket leak is bad at this point either so it may could go for a bit longer too. The rest should make it. Thoughts???

 

Since the tranny has to come out to the rear main seal, that's why it's lumped into that repair. You'll be paying for the labor to remove the tranny twice.
If you mean an axle seal from the side of the tranny, then that's different and much easier to replace, but I hope you have oil left in your tranny at this point. Although you say third gear is starting to slip, so I would assume it's automatic and you would know the color of the oil it's leaking. And since I don't have much experience with Honda automatics (yet), I'm not going to give any advice on flushing the fluid.
Why do you think the head gasket is going? Because of the oil leaking around it? It could be, although there are other spots for the oil to leak from and look like the head gasket area. How much oil are we talking about here? A half quart needed every 500 miles?

You CAN retap the threads on the pan (if needed) or try a new plug. I've seen some funky cures for fixing leaky plugs that I assumed the previous owner had stripped from a oil change place.

I would say to get a definite list of where the oil is coming from, then work out a plan of attack. Anyway you cut it, you'll have to do the tierods, alignment and tires.

 

Yeah, I was going to see about a new plug for the oil pan just to see if that fixed it. I need a new pan gasket too either way.

The problem with doing the tranny at the same time I do the rear main seal is that that is another chunk of money. Now the consensus is to do a used tranny instead of a rebuild but there is no warranty with used trannies most of the time so that leaves me in a bit of a spot. So a lot of money with no guarantees. With a rebuild, I can get a 12 mo warranty of some type but then run the risk that whomever does the job knows what they are doing and did it right. So, even if I do the rear main seal and I hold off on the tranny. I still save a bit of money and hassle for right now.... I have to live with 3rd slipage for a bit longer but it's not that bad and I just think I could drag it out some. In either case, I'd imagine a tranny fluid replacement too.

The oil burn is about 1/2 qt every month or so roughly if I had to gauge. I dump anywhere from a 1/5 to a 1/2 a qt in when I check it. Here lately it seems to be maintaining for the most part. No smoking or anti-freeze into the engine / oil yet. Not that I can tell anyway.

The power steering leak I'm not too worried about. Just bothersome but I can fix that.

So really the rear main seal, the oil pan, the power steering and the tie rods are all I probably need or HAVE to do right now at this moment. The rest will be coming shortly, as in the tranny, but I can put that off for a bit. Well, maybe anyway.... And that keeps the bill down a bit or at least lets me take it on in pieces instead of all at once....