‘01 Honda Odyssey: won’t start, needs $2700 repair. Junk it or fix?

[megabad]

thanks.
that's an interesting question. would a failed oxygen sensor have made the check engine light come on? the check engine light had come on at one point a while ageo but then it went away. it's not like we were driving it with the check engine light on or anything.

Generally the light comes on and stays on in my experience on older vehicles. On my newer vehicles, I have had the light come on intermittently for bad sensor though. My newer vehicles have been more finicky (and quite honestly less reliable). I just read the code right away (I carry a little cheapo reader in the trunk). I am very sensitive to this because I have burned up a cat on a relatively new car recently, but I drove that particular vehicle very hard with the check engine light on (I was in a rush, it was redlined many times over many miles in the mountains) so I wouldnt think this is a problem for most. A few days later I drove it to a shop and babied it and the mechanic said he couldn't work on it for a while because the converter was glowing red. Oops.

[fundseeker]

You cannot trust a dealer at all!!! Get your van back and find out why it won't start and go to an auto parts store and ask them to tell you the code that caused the check engine light to come on, then see what it takes to fix that.

We have a 16 year old Acura with 175,000 miles and the check engine light came on, but it was reset and has not come back on. It could have been bad gas or something odd that caused it.

That is a relatively low mileage Honda. If you don't want to mess with getting it up and running, possibly for just a few dollars and a timing belt (normal maintenance), it will sell quickly running or not. Good luck.

[grok87]

It's time for a new(er) car, my friend. You deserve it. Life is too short as they say.

Just take the money out of your TIPS portfolios.

thanks!

[whodidntante]

You cannot trust a dealer at all!!! Get your van back and find out why it won't start and go to an auto parts store and ask them to tell you the code that caused the check engine light to come on, then see what it takes to fix that.

We have a 16 year old Acura with 175,000 miles and the check engine light came on, but it was reset and has not come back on. It could have been bad gas or something odd that caused it.

That is a relatively low mileage Honda. If you don't want to mess with getting it up and running, possibly for just a few dollars and a timing belt (normal maintenance), it will sell quickly running or not. Good luck.

The diagnostic codes are mostly oriented towards flagging problems that affect the emissions of the engine. The diagnostic codes may not be relevant to why the engine does not run. Also, the engine does not run, are you suggesting the OP tow it to an auto parts store?

[grok87]

thanks.
that's an interesting question. would a failed oxygen sensor have made the check engine light come on? the check engine light had come on at one point a while ageo but then it went away. it's not like we were driving it with the check engine light on or anything.

Generally the light comes on and stays on in my experience on older vehicles. On my newer vehicles, I have had the light come on intermittently for bad sensor though. My newer vehicles have been more finicky (and quite honestly less reliable). I just read the code right away (I carry a little cheapo reader in the trunk). I am very sensitive to this because I have burned up a cat on a relatively new car recently, but I drove that particular vehicle very hard with the check engine light on (I was in a rush, it was redlined many times over many miles in the mountains) so I wouldnt think this is a problem for most. A few days later I drove it to a shop and babied it and the mechanic said he couldn't work on it for a while because the converter was glowing red. Oops.

hmm..interesting. now i'm starting to wonder if the check engine light bulb has maybe burned out our something. in other words we maybe WERE driving with the check engine light on but it wasn't "on" because the check engine light bulb had burned out...?

We had to replace the bulbs in the headlights a while ago...

[grok87]

You cannot trust a dealer at all!!! Get your van back and find out why it won't start and go to an auto parts store and ask them to tell you the code that caused the check engine light to come on, then see what it takes to fix that.

We have a 16 year old Acura with 175,000 miles and the check engine light came on, but it was reset and has not come back on. It could have been bad gas or something odd that caused it.

That is a relatively low mileage Honda. If you don't want to mess with getting it up and running, possibly for just a few dollars and a timing belt (normal maintenance), it will sell quickly running or not. Good luck.

thanks

[fundseeker]

So, what if you (OP) call your service guy and ask what is the minimum they need to fix to get it running just to get it home, telling him you're probably going to just sell it and come back and buy another Honda. Maybe then he will help you out and not hold it hostage. Hopefully we are talking only a few hundred dollars or much less. Then, you get the van back and get more objective decisions.

[neilpilot]

hmm..interesting. now i'm starting to wonder if the check engine light bulb has maybe burned out our something. in other words we maybe WERE driving with the check engine light on but it wasn't "on" because the check engine light bulb had burned out...?

We had to replace the bulbs in the headlights a while ago...

No relationship between headlight and check engine light, except they both require 12v

While it's unlikely the check engine light is burned out, all dash lights typically illuminate when you turn the ignition key just prior to engine start. That's a very easy way to confirm that warning lamps will illuminate.

[wrongfunds]

Alternator will eventually need replacing and the transmission will eventually go again.

But none of this has anything to do with the vehicle not starting. I mean without you having an independent and trustworthy mechanic, it is going to be difficult to figure it out what is preventing the engine from starting. Is the main relay bad? This is one of the common problem on Honda where the fuel pump stops running because of the relay under the dash. Or it could be something to do with anti-theft system aka green key symbol on the dashboard. But somebody needs to figure out what is prevent the engine from starting aka fuel? spark? air? compression? timing? If you do not have somebody who is willing to do real diagnosis, ditch it and get a new one.

[Feb29]

I currently own a 2000 Odyssey that needed a transmission replacement since 130K miles. Also a/c, rear power windows, and a few other things don't work. And I did all scheduled maintenance throughout the years. I'm donating it to a charity.
BTW this was my fifth and last Honda. Just replaced it with a Toyota Highlander.

[letsgobobby]

Deleted

[RootSki]

17 year old minivan is too old of a car for a daily driver.

[Reubin]

Assuming no information other than the OP's postings and a vehicle in decent condition, I'd op to have it towed from the dealer to a competent indy mechanic for evaluation prior to the scrap or repair decision.

Speak to a private mechanic about it and see what he says. If he sounds encouraging tow it over to him.
Some of these dealers should probably be in jail.
I've got an '01 Odyssey and we absolutely love it. It's got 170,000 miles on it and is going strong.

thanks that's encouraging. any major repairs you've had to have done over the years? we had to replace the transmission about 4 years ago...

No, none at all. I bought the vehicle with 115,000 miles on it.
I heard about transmission issues with the vehicle so I did a few drain and fills on the transmission using Honda's updated transmission fluid. I also added a magnetic filter to the transmission line to remove any metallic particles that might have been floating around in there.

[naha66]

If the dealer told you that the clogged Cats damaged the timing belt That's crazy. The 2001 Odyssey timing belt change is 105k or 8? years which ever comes 1st and have them change your waterpump at the same time no extra labor just the parts cost. I would take it to a independent shop, ask some friends where they take their auto's.

[pindevil]

I'm surprised at the number of people against the dealer mechanic. I've had many issues with independent mechanics cutting corners. Specifically, they have put things together incorrectly by omitting gaskets, omitting screws/bolts, and they have stripped out bolt holes on the engine block. Most (not all) Honda service departments around me do an excellent job.

In my experience the Honda service department will reduce the cost if you ask. At the very least I can usually get 10% off without much hassle. Also, if this is your first time with this particular service department you should definitely take the vehicle somewhere else to have the diagnosis confirmed.

[capsaicinguy]

OP,

If the timing belt jumped teeth enough to not start, there is a chance it bent valves and still won't start after a new tbelt is on. You won't really be able to tell until a new belt is on and it's back in time so they can do a compression test or a leakdown test. If it only jumped a tooth or two, you might get lucky. If it jumped a bunch of teeth, maybe not so much. If valves are bent it will need a top end rebuild assuming no piston damage. The cats didn't cause it to jump time, the belt probably got too old and worn out, or a tensioner failed. I do all that stuff myself so I'd be inclined to put a new belt in and see what happened, but if I were facing having to pay a mechanic for all that I might be inclined to toss it on Craigslist for $1000 with full disclosure and see if I got any bites, then shop for a new van.