1990 accord- timing belt or engine?

[Scottyd]

Tach dropped out, and temp gauge went to hot quickly. Plenty of water in radiator, and after coasting to the side of the road the car would not turn over again. The oil was extremely low, but if the engine siezed up wouldnt it make some noise? And is there and engine shut of in the accord that will cut off in the event that the engine overheats? I'm pretty sure I'm screwed, so how much is a new engine if I need it?:finger:

[b16a3sol]

as far as i know, there is no cut-off switch to kill the motor if it starts overheating. when you tried to start the car again, did the starter motor spin at all or not. if not, then i would say that the engine siezed. if it still spins, that means the engine can still move, so i would try something else. i think the valve cover covers the top portion of the timing belt, so just take that off and see if there is still a belt. it could be that your cat failed so it got clogged to the point that the exhaust trying to leave the cylinder had nowhere to go, killing the motor. could be your fuel, or your spark. could be a lot of things. check it out to some extent then ask for some more opinions.