Looking at used 96 4cyl wagon-no records-just do timing belt and water

[Goldenvoice]

I'm looking at a 96' Accord wagon, 4 cyl - AT, on a lot, with 190k registered. Car is very clean, like one-owner clean, thing is, no records are available. So, do I just assume it's time for a timing belt, tensioner, and water pump?

 

Are these interference engines?

 

Going to look and drive tomorrow; anything else particular to this generation I should look/listen closely to?

 

How finicky are the AC systems to service (in case the AC isn't up to snuff)?

Not Freeon is it?

 

. I'm an old-school shade-tree farm-kid-mechanic, so aged American cast iron I'm familiar with; cars like the 96 accord, not so much... the wife and I have run the heck out of a 96 Civic 4cyl 5sp the last couple of years, however.

 

Input?

 

Thanks, Joe

[Raley]

that civic and accord are very similar cars. so if you could keep the civic going, you will be fine with the accord.

 

id recommend a timing belt and water pump unless they are mint...

[s_frost]

if one person has owned it since it was new, they should have records. if they don't, they're either lying to you or they intended to keep the car until it completely crapped out. people can change their minds, but nobody sells a car for no reason, so be careful.

 

check the front brakes. I want to think something was different with the wagon brakes, but you should be aware that this generation of accord typically uses a hub-over-rotor configuration, which is retarded. you can convert it, as I hope to do in the near future, but just check on that because a h-o-r (read that as it sounds, seriously) can make rotor replacement a lot more expensive if you are paying someone or a heck of a lot more time-consuming/difficult if you are doing it yourself.

 

also, go ahead and check the spark wells. oil in the wells = not top maintenance. I don't know how much that affects the rest of the car, but I certainly don't want oil in my plug wells. our cars have upper and lower tube seals - uppers are easily changed along with the valve cover gasket, lowers require you to remove the rocker assembly. I need to do that, but I'm a bit weary of it [this is referring to the non-vtec engine. do they put v-tecs in the wagons? I would think some might. my knowledge of the different models is limited]

[Xeryon]

Yes, they had a vtec engine for the wagons. As for drivetrain it exactly matched the standard sedans configurations - dx, lx, ex type stuff. Nothing was different from the front doors forward compared to a sedan of the same generation.

 

Not sure of your technical ability, but as frost mentioned they have a hub over rotor front brake design which means you need a press or a shop to change the front rotors. What a PITA.

 

The wagons were very limited distribution so repair parts for anything in the rear can be a pain - ie someone hits you in the rear or you break a side window.