timing belt replacement - and other 100k+ maintenance

so ive read some great thoughts about maintenance that i need to perform. my 03' accord v6 ex coupe has 106k miles. all the fluids look good and ive just been changing the oil myself. what else should i do now? spark plugs, coolant, brake, fluid flushes?

the one item i think will be difficult is the timing belt...that thing looks a mile long! any DIY out there? i did inspect it and saw no cracks or significant wear. should i still replace it? i'm not sure how many miles are on it or if it is the original.

last question, are there other belts to replace? ive seen the accessory belts mentioned but i don't see any other belts except the one huge timing belt that looks like it runs everything?

thanks for the help!

so ive read some great thoughts about maintenance that i need to perform. my 03' accord v6 ex coupe has 106k miles. all the fluids look good and ive just been changing the oil myself. what else should i do now? spark plugs, coolant, brake, fluid flushes?

the one item i think will be difficult is the timing belt...that thing looks a mile long! any DIY out there? i did inspect it and saw no cracks or significant wear. should i still replace it? i'm not sure how many miles are on it or if it is the original.

last question, are there other belts to replace? ive seen the accessory belts mentioned but i don't see any other belts except the one huge timing belt that looks like it runs everything?

thanks for the help!

There are only two belts, the serpentine belt and the timing belt. The timing belt drives the water pump, so you'll want to replace that as well if you do the timing belt. As far as doing it based on how it looks, it's an interference engine, so if it snaps you're kinda ****ed, it's up to you.

The belt you are looking at is not the timing belt, its the accessory belt. And im not trying to be rude by saying this, but if you didn't know that before then you should probably pay someone who knows what they are doing

There are only two belts, the serpentine belt and the timing belt. The timing belt drives the water pump, so you'll want to replace that as well if you do the timing belt. As far as doing it based on how it looks, it's an interference engine, so if it snaps you're kinda ****ed, it's up to you.

looks like you have the same car i do, nice. so when i look at my engine. on the left side, i see one huge belt, is this the timing belt? if so where is the serpentine? or are there really TWO belts on the left side of the engine block and im not looking close enough?

i dont mean to sound stupid, but we just got this car and i dont know squat about it. i do all my own work on my other car, belts, fluids, brakes, cooling system, power steering, etc. etc. so i know my way around a car and know i can replace the belts. the reason im confused is because i only see one belt and the previous poster says its an accessory belt and the other poster says there is just timing and serpentine...is the serpentine the accessory?

The timing belt is an internal belt, meaning you can't see if from the outside in the engine bay, it's under a cover along with the water pump. The belt you see on the outside of the engine is the serpentine belt, aka the drive belt. The timing belt is the one that they recommend changing at 105k. Most people end up having the dealer or a shop do the 105k service because changing it is very involved and not for the average joe mechanic. I've done pretty much every modification and service on my V6, but that's one thing I'm staying away from and having a shop do for me. Just my 2cents.

Make sure oem parts are used for the belts(t belt and serpentine), water pump, and Honda coolant. NGK(preferred) or Denso spark plugs. Prob get a better deal on the plugs at an Auto parts store like AA or similiar.

While your at it do a drain/fill on the atf with Honda Z-1 fluid. Oem PCV valve(there maybe 2 of them on v6?), air and cabin filters(fram, purolator, oem etc).

Also the dealer/shop should replace any leaking seals or noisy tensioners etc. Now you have an idea of how complex this service can be as mentioned above. Its nice having piece of mind if something should go wrong letting the dealer deal with it instead of you.

thanks for the clarification and suggestions. i think im going to avoid the auto trans fluid...because i dont know if it has ever been changed before...better safe than sorry i guess. but ill plan on the water pump, coolant flush, brake fluid, and spark plugs - i think NGK is the OEM brand. also plan to do the air filter and cabin filter

yea, sounds like ill let the dealer/shop handle the timing belt, ill have to get a few quotes.

Regarding not changing the atf. I would agree with you if we were talking about doing a trans flush stirring up who knows what and possibly resulting in blocked passages.

The recommended procedure is doing a drain and fill with the atf. Let 3 quarts drain out and refill with 3 new quarts. This procedure is in the owners manual. Do 2-3 D/F's spaced out weekly assuming the car is a daily driver.

thanks for the clarification and suggestions. i think im going to avoid the auto trans fluid...because i dont know if it has ever been changed before...better safe than sorry i guess. but ill plan on the water pump, coolant flush, brake fluid, and spark plugs - i think NGK is the OEM brand. also plan to do the air filter and cabin filter

yea, sounds like ill let the dealer/shop handle the timing belt, ill have to get a few quotes.
Don't forget you're going to need to have the shop do the water pump as well, if you can't do the timing belt by yourself you can't do the water pump. Spark plugs are an excellent idea to do yourself, just keep in mind they're going to be more expensive than most because of the iridium.

If you are buying NGK plugs go to advance auto parts (if they have those in your area) because the plugs are cheaper there than anywhere else i have seen them.. besides the internet of course,

If you are buying NGK plugs go to advance auto parts (if they have those in your area) because the plugs are cheaper there than anywhere else i have seen them.. besides the internet of course,

awesome thanks.

Can anyone give an idea on average shop cost of the 105K service?? I know where you live probably makes a big difference - just looking for a range. I'm getting close to 100K and would like to know.

Thanks!

Where you get the info that our J30A4/5 is an interference engine?

You are probably looking at $1000 at least, for the 105k mile service at a dealership. Be prepared for more. Changing the spark plugs is not that easy, because the rear plugs are hard to get to. My oem plugs are Denso. Advance auto parts has them for about $80 (for the six pack).
Cleankill, I'm pretty sure the J30 is an interference engine.

... i did inspect it and saw no cracks or significant wear. should i still replace it? ...

It may look perfect but if it has been soaked in oil and become harder then it may either snap without warning or skip a tooth or two. So, yeah, change it! There are more things to do, look into the service manual for the major tune up list of things to do. Actually your biggest job will be to clean up parts from oil and carbon.

Changing the spark plugs is very easy, it just takes some time and a bit of patience. I wouldn't bother paying a shop to do that for you. They would charge you over $100, if not more.

With regards to the timing chain, i would recommend going to a shop. my 03 is around 103K and due in for a change soon. $1000 seems outrageous.

With the changing of the water pump and timing belt, you're looking at most likely about $600-$750.

Where you get the info that our J30A4/5 is an interference engine?

If you look at a Chiltons or the Honda factory service manual for our cars, it will tell you in bold face in the section on changing the timing belt that the J30/J35 engines are interference. Most Honda engines are (possibly all of them still, even those with chains instead of belts).

If the timing belt snaps while you are driving, the valves can crash into the pistons, ruining your heads. I've heard if you're lucky and the belt snaps while you're at idle at a red light it might not do any damage, but if you're cruising at 2500 rpm at 70 mph and the belt snaps, you will need a set of new heads and possibly other parts.

Plus, since our water pumps are internal, you want to change them at the recomended interval anyways - even if the belt looks like it has another 20k miles left on it, the pump could go and leave you with potential big problems anyway.

I've done the belts and pump on the Prelude twice, and always 5-10k miles BEFORE the recomendation.