Hi all,

My car is a 1998 Honda Accord EX v6. About 130,000 miles.

I'm looking for a bit of advice. My timing belt broke over the weekend while driving between 45 and 50 mph. The car just shut off and there were no sounds out of the ordinary. No bang, clank, etc. The engine just shut off and I pulled to the side of the road.

After towing it to a mechanic and confirming that the timing belt broke, they wanted $500 bucks to determine if there was any engine damage. They said that if there is damage then I'd need a new engine.

My questions:
How likely is it that there is engine damage, keeping in mind that I heard no sounds that I think would accompany bent valves and damage to pistons? Can damage occur without any of those sounds?

Is there a way to find out if there is damage without paying a mechanic $500? I'm not super mechanical but my boyfriend and his dad are fairly good.

If there is damage, do I need a whole new engine? Or can the damaged parts be replaced?

Any advise is greatly appreciated!

Oh and here's the kicker... I had the timing belt and tensioners replaced 2 years ago. Booo!

 

Welcome to the forum,It's hard to say without looking at it but $500 to check it is way high,the 98 had the Interference engine,it could have bent valves or a broken piston .I would let someone else look at it.Good luck.