azure88

I have a 03 Honda Civic 1.7 with 176k miles. I purchased the car used in 2014 and do not know the car's history. I have not yet replaced any of the belts. The oil pan gasket was replaced last week at a Midas. The car's gas mileage has been very poor recently. Yesterday I noticed brown fluid leaking from under the front driver's side and took it back to the Midas. They showed me the oil spraying out and recommended I replace the front crank seal for 450.

I am about to relocate 1600 miles on a solo trip so I need to take care of any safety issues now. I spoke with my old mechanic out of state who told me the oil pan seals with silicone that needs to be left for 24 hrs to seal properly and avoid having to repeat the job. I am taking it back to a different Midas with the warranty today to be sure the oil pan job was done properly because they did the job in about 3 hours.

I know it is due for a timing belt replacement along with water pump, idler pump, drive belt etc. I have been quoted 600 to replace these - is this reasonable?

I was also told that to complete the job and replace the cam seal and crank seal along with the timing belt parts above should be around 700 - does this sound right?

I am most likely going to replace the timing belt parts and it makes sense to get any other necessary work done at the same time.

Thanks so much!

mac25

I call Honda up and ask for a quote, because if it's close, youd be getting better quality parts.

a random shop will probably use aftermarket parts, to shave cost.

BrotatoChip

What trim is your Civic? EX uses liquid gasket, others use a regular gasket. Also, any fault codes?

That sounds reasonable to me.

Sounds reasonable again. The timing belt has to be removed to replace the crank and cam seals.

azure88

Thanks so much for the replies! I called some Honda dealers and I'm getting quotes around 12-1300 for the timing belt kit.

The trim is LX, and no fault codes at this time.

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

oil pan, definitely a physical gasket on this trim, and not a silicone/rtv gasket like on the D17A2 (ex engine)

I've been quoted $650 for a timing belt job. 600 is very reasonable.

$700 for a timing belt job plus cam and crank seal? Yeah, definitely reasonable. In addition to taking off the timing belt, in order to replace the cam seal, the cam needs to come off. That means rocker assembly needs to come off, too. If I wasn't such a DIYer (and I've done those maintenance items myself before), I'd definitely pay the $50 extra for that.

Parts alone, for Honda OEM at list price, here's a breakdown (source for prices - Majestic Honda):

• Timing belt (p/n 14400-PMM-A02): $37.50
• Tensioner set (p/n 04145-PLC-315): $135.70
• Water pump (p/n 19200-PLM-A01): $109.47
• Cam seal (p/n 91213-P2F-A01): $6.15
• Crank seal (p/n 91212-PLM-A01): $7.45 (I think this is the correct part number, at least)
• PS belt (p/n 56992-PLM-013): $22.13
• AC/Alt belt (p/n 38920-PLR-013): $28

Parts total for just that list: $346.40
4 hours labor at $88.40/hr (I've seen shop rates anywhere form $80-$150/hr for labor)
Grand total: $700

My first DIY job of this was about 5-6 hours. Fastest time start to finish (for just timing belt/tensioner change) was just over 3 hours. Also keep in mind shop prices for parts may be inflated a bit, too. Also doesn't take into account any consumable materials (oil, coolant, RTV, etc.) they may use and/or charge for.

azure88

Thanks so much for the info!

At this point I am done with Midas after today they tried to charge me 180 for the repair of the faulty oil pan. And I was told the gasket was completely fine, but that there was a cut on the oil pan. The oil was very clean and I have no idea what happened there. This 2nd Midas also said the front crank seal is leaking. I am taking it to a local shop in the A.M. They are quoting 610 for the crank seal and the whole timing belt kit.

I have not seen any oil leaking since getting it out of the shop today... My old mechanic back home recommended driving it around to see if it was still leaking from the same place as before the pan was repaired (wondering if they did that job right the 2nd time...); the other local shop warned against driving it any more than absolute necessary saying I'm going to cause damage due to likely oil on the timing belt...

I know it is past due for the timing belt replacement (and other kit parts) since I've never replaced those. I am only considering postponing the timing belt repair and doing the absolute minimum (front crank seal) because I will be relocating so far (1600 mi) and have no plans to return so I won't be able to use any warranties if needed. However this shop is telling me they are almost sure they will find oil on the timing belt - in which case I will get the replacement kit. I'll be sure to get a look myself and get pics.

I've been talking to my old mechanic back home and he recommends waiting on the timing belt job unless they find oil. This makes me question a bit that this other shop is so certain about oil leaking onto the belts. I realize though that it's a cheaper job to do it all together (400 for the front crank seal alone vs 600 for that plus timing kit). I want to minimize risk of parts getting torn up on the trip due to waiting.

Any thoughts, feedback or words of advice are very appreciated - thanks again!

BrotatoChip

If you are going to do any work I would definitely recommend doing it all at once and using OEM parts.

Do you know how bad it's leaking? Does it leave an oil spot on the ground after sitting? Losing a quart every 3k miles or 100 miles?

azure88

Car lost about 1/8 quart of oil in the last week driving about 80 miles. Yes, it does usually leave oil spots. I'm still not seeing any new dripping and have not seen any drip while parked or running since the 2nd oil pan repair yesterday.

Thank you!

Colin42

Pretty easy to remove the valve cover and upper timing cover to see if the belt has oil on it