Honda Accord timing belt change?

:shakehead My mechanic is recommending that I change the timing belt on my Honda! I.
don't know if I need to or not...

Any help ?

How many miles are you at? Do you have the owners manual, it will tell you when.
Jeff

You can always pop the top cover off and take a look at the belt to see what condition it is in if you do not know the history of the vehicle.

I think the manual says 90,000 miles and that is about when I would replace it. You should also do the water pump and ballancer belt and bearings while there.

I just did the job on my 91 wagon and it turned into a complete nightmare because I used aftermarket parts from PCI (Prefered Components Inc.)

They sell a kit that includes all the belts, bearings and pump and after my mechanic got it all put back together the bearning they sent would not spin and toasted the new belt.

It cost me twice as much because my mechanic had to do the job twice and find the problem.

Here is a side by side view of the honda bearing on the left and the offending one from PCI on the right. The PCI one is much taller and as you can see, the lower edge is much closer to the bracket so it was hitting on the engine case and ceasing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v722/Gamalot/PCI%20Bearing/bearings.jpg

At first PCI said they would reimburse me for some of the extra costs but then they decided to not send the cash and not respond to me any further.

Use original OEM parts from Honda is the lesson I learned because you might save a little on the parts but the labor is the expensive part of the job and Honda will stand behind the parts they sell while PCI will not!

If your belt breaks your engine will be toast!

Gary

You can always pop the top cover off and take a look at the belt to see what condition it is in if you do not know the history of the vehicle. ...and how will this help? Good looking belt may fail the same way bad looking belt will. Broken belt will result in catastrophic engine failure which will cost thousands of dollars on Hondas.

Timing belt suppose to be replaced either by number of miles driven or month driven. On mine 99 Accord it is 105,000 miles or 84 months. On my son's 95 it is I believe 90,000 miles.

I replaced mine at 95 months even though I had only 72,000 miles.

This is a very inexpensive insurance!

Sam

Excellent point Somick!

I have the old belt I removed after over 100 thousand miles and it looks just fine!

If you look at the cogg side and bend it backwards you can easily see that time has taken a toll on it and it could have gone at any moment. None of this would be visible while the belt is still on the pulleys.

They always say that oil is cheaper then engines and so are timing belts as long as you stick with reputable parts or OEM when you do these jobs.

I tried to save a few bucks and ordered from Import Experts on ebay but will never do it again.

Gary

Good points !! My bad ! Must have been off in lala land with that remark. Sorry !

In response to Gary L's post I feel it important to clear up some missing gaps in his post, so here are some facts:

PCI had a batch of tensioner's supplied by GMB which as the picture shows is clearly wrong. This type of mistake can happen to ANY supplier, like Gates, CRP, and even Honda. PCI took swift action to resolve this issue, and now they supply a Koyo bearing (OEM to Honda) in there kits, and a note in the box to beware of the tight tolerance designed by Honda.

This issue should of been caught when the tensioner was first installed, as the bearing was clearly hitting a stud causing it to bind, and not spin. Even the most capible mechanic might have overlooked this during installation, as a timing belt job is fairly routine for most shops.

PCI issued a credit to cover labor claim, plus $75.00 for the hassle. I've been in the automotive business for over 20 years and there is not a single supplier I know of that would have done this.

The Import Experts attempted to credit his credit card, and somehow it didn't get processed correctly. So instead of simply calling back and resolving the issue, he's posted this.

In response to Gary L's post I feel it important to clear up some missing gaps in his post, so here are some facts:

PCI had a batch of tensioner's supplied by GMB which as the picture shows is clearly wrong. This type of mistake can happen to ANY supplier, like Gates, CRP, and even Honda. PCI took swift action to resolve this issue, and now they supply a Koyo bearing (OEM to Honda) in there kits, and a note in the box to beware of the tight tolerance designed by Honda.

This issue should of been caught when the tensioner was first installed, as the bearing was clearly hitting a stud causing it to bind, and not spin. Even the most capible mechanic might have overlooked this during installation, as a timing belt job is fairly routine for most shops.

PCI issued a credit to cover labor claim, plus $75.00 for the hassle. I've been in the automotive business for over 20 years and there is not a single supplier I know of that would have done this.

The Import Experts attempted to credit his credit card, and somehow it didn't get processed correctly. So instead of simply calling back and resolving the issue, he's posted this.

My intent here is to advise other members of real issues so they don't make the same costly mistake I made.

Supplying wrong parts that can cause catastrophic engine failure does not cut it!

Your quote;
"The Import Experts attempted to credit his credit card, and somehow it didn't get processed correctly. So instead of simply calling back and resolving the issue, he's posted this".

Since October 2nd I have a record of over 35 emails and three phone calls attempting to resolve this. What I don't have is this Credit PCI supposedly issued for me and here it is almost February.

If this was about a timing chain I could certainly say you are YANKING it by claiming GMB supplied the wrong bearing, PCI issued a credit back in November and now "Somehow the credit did not go thru"!

Fortunately for me my mechanic saved my engine from the catastrophic failure this could have caused and I gladly paid him, 4 months ago, for doing this "Fairly routine" job TWICE.

These pictures will help others here to understand the issues. The white post in the picture is a simulation of the permanently molded aluminum post on the face of my engine, clearly marked in the bottom picture, that this bearing pivots on and was binding against but only after the cover was in place and the final tension adjustment was made. No tension gets applied until the cover gets installed so this won't ever be seen or felt until the engine is fired and the belt is frying against the pinched bearing!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v722/Gamalot/PCI%20Bearing/DSCN2214-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v722/Gamalot/PCI%20Bearing/DSCN2216-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v722/Gamalot/PCI%20Bearing/Bearing_stud-1.jpg

Gary

My intent here is to advise other members of real issues so they don't make the same costly mistake I made.

Supplying wrong parts that can cause catastrophic engine failure does not cut it!

Your quote;
"The Import Experts attempted to credit his credit card, and somehow it didn't get processed correctly. So instead of simply calling back and resolving the issue, he's posted this".

Since October 2nd I have a record of over 35 emails and three phone calls attempting to resolve this. What I don't have is this Credit PCI supposedly issued for me and here it is almost February.

If this was about a timing chain I could certainly say you are YANKING it by claiming GMB supplied the wrong bearing, PCI issued a credit back in November and now "Somehow the credit did not go thru"!

Fortunately for me my mechanic saved my engine from the catastrophic failure this could have caused and I gladly paid him, 4 months ago, for doing this "Fairly routine" job TWICE.

These pictures will help others here to understand the issues. The white post in the picture is a simulation of the permanently molded aluminum post on the face of my engine, clearly marked in the bottom picture, that this bearing pivots on and was binding against but only after the cover was in place and the final tension adjustment was made. No tension gets applied until the cover gets installed so this won't ever be seen or felt until the engine is fired and the belt is frying against the pinched bearing!
Gary Even though this is not a resolution board I am still grateful for the Gary L's post!

What else could he do? Where else he could go to complain?

I have had the similar problem with rockauto in the past! They sent me a wrong part and then accused me of ordering the wrong part!

I am a big fan of aftermarket but I have heard it a lot of times: Hondas do not like aftermarket!
I try not to go to sealers. There are OEM parts sites that charge you a reasonable price.

Sam

Thank you Sam but I have to make it perfectly clear I am seeking no resolution and not even complaining here.

I am simply advising others of the problems I had when using aftermarket parts.

YMMV and I have used many aftermarket parts from various vendors with excellent results.

As you state and I agree, Hondas can be rather finicky and in my experience so far they do not like non OEM parts.

If this info saves another member from making the same mistake then I have contributed to this community the valuable information we come here to find.

Gary

I am about to perform this job and have found this post very informative . I am tempted to used aftermarket parts but don't want wind up like the OP here. What are the best aftermarket parts TB kit for this job that are truly up to Honda OEM quality or better (PCI, Contitech or some of those palces that piece togehter the kits wiiht OEM stuff like - www.timingbeltkit.com . ( If there is any question , I would rather just buy the OEM Honda parts online from one of Honda dealers like http://www.hondapartscheap.com/southbay/jsp/home.jsp etc . ) . Additional comments and recommendations are appreciated .

I am about to perform this job and have found this post very informative . I am tempted to used aftermarket parts but don't want wind up like the OP here. What are the best aftermarket parts TB kit for this job that are truly up to Honda OEM quality or better (PCI, Contitech or some of those palces that piece togehter the kits wiiht OEM stuff like - www.timingbeltkit.com . ( If there is any question , I would rather just buy the OEM Honda parts online from one of Honda dealers like http://www.hondapartscheap.com/southbay/jsp/home.jsp etc . ) . Additional comments and recommendations are appreciated .

I would highly recommend you go with OEM Honda parts. I can tell you from my own experience that the ebay seller I dealt with is impossible to deal with when you have an issue such as a wrong part that could easily destroy your entire engine. Honda would certainly stand behind such an issue if they ever made a mistake.

Gary

You may try to do what I did: I bought only a timing belt from the dealer since this was the most important part. The balancer belt was aftermarket.

Here is a list of online Honda parts I sometimes use.

http://syclone.motocrew.com/CG5/index.htm
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/home.htm
http://www.hondapartsdeals.com/honda_parts.php (http://www.hondapartsdeals.com/honda_parts.php)
http://www.slhondaparts.com/ www.bkhondaparts.com (http://www.bkhondaparts.com/)

You may try to do what I did: I bought only a timing belt from the dealer since this was the most important part. The balancer belt was aftermarket.

Here is a list of online Honda parts I sometimes use.

http://syclone.motocrew.com/CG5/index.htm
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/home.htm
http://www.hondapartsdeals.com/honda_parts.php (http://www.hondapartsdeals.com/honda_parts.php)
http://www.slhondaparts.com/ www.bkhondaparts.com (http://www.bkhondaparts.com/)

No argument from me Somick. In the best of conditions this is a 4-6 hour job by those who know the process. It makes absolutely no sense to get the front all apart and then not change the bearings, seals and water pump while there. It probably all has 90,000 plus miles on it so just do it!

Gary

Just change the belt, man. It's only like, 17 bucks at Autozone.