I am currently waiting on a tow as my battery is dead and the alternator isn't charging it when we tried jump starting (My spouse wanted to get the ice cream home before it melted so here I am).
I know I am paying for an alternator tomorrow. My question is, are there things that get removed during the process that would make it worthwhile to have other work done at the same time?
Specifically, the car has an oil leak. The dealership can't see exactly where, so they reccomended replacing the differential seals, cam plugs, and cam seals as a start, at ~1k each. I was watching videos to do the cam parts myself, since I'm reasonably handy, but if belts and things are already going to be off for the alternator, should I just see about having the seals done concurrently? or is the belt such a minor part of the process I can wait until I have a weekend free to do it myself? I don't think it's the differential seals, the oil starts higher than that in the engine, images look pretty exact for cam plugs. Figure if I'm in there should replace all since it's all original seals.
Vehicle has ~178,000 miles. Battery replaced aprox. 3 years ago. Regular oil changes. Most recent work was left front tie rod, both cv boots (shredded) and alignment in June.

ty!
(if you really want oily engine pics just ask)

 

Personally at that age, i would not bother with the oil leak, just leave it be and top off oil... a full reseal is going to be $$$$



If you are in there with the alternator, you can examine drive belt condition and replace that as well if required, maybe even the drive belt tensioner. Belt is easy to DIY..

 

Trust me, I'd rather NOT deal with a reseal, but the leak is getting to the point where it's problematic. Not so much in terms of oil loss, which remains at less than half a quart a month, but in terms of stains on the driveway (We rent, so we get to clean that out) and more importantly, the hot oil smell when I drive any length of time. I'm hesitant to toss a leak seal in to the system, since it could make things much worse by damaging the still good seals....

I need to get about 2 years out of this car while I free up money for a car payment. Having a car I own free and clear is cheaper than anything I can buy right now, but the scale towards spending too much on the old one is starting to tip the other way.

Thanks!

 

If you decide to move ahead and do the cam seals, you may want to do the timing and balancer belts at the same time, since to get at the cam( cam shaft ? ) seals, cam gears need to be removed first to expose seals. I did the timing/balancer belts R/R a few years back and it was a 6 out of a 10 IMO difficulty-wise. Just make sure to tape and mark hose connections when taking them apart or take pictures. I did both. There is one big hurdle in this job and that is loosening the crankshaft bolt. Its insanely tight. You'll need to buy the Honda crank shaft tool ( I got mine from Amazon ) to immobilize CS pulley while you apply body weight and muscle via a 3 ft cheater bar to the CS bolt. Once this is off, smooth sailing ensue. Others have mentioned removal of radiator to do the job. I did not. Allow a full day to complete job (pace is leisurely) . Maybe a good time to throw in new timing/balancer belts too if they are near due.