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2008 Honda Accord EX-L 3.5L V6 Timing Belt Tips for you.

170K views 62 replies 38 participants last post by  ctandc 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
2008 Honda Accord EX-L 3.5L V6 Timing Belt Tips:

The Honda Dealer quoted me the following prices for the various parts to do the job:

AC Delco kit TCKWP329 was purchased for $270 from the local parts house, or just less than 200 at RockAuto.com (plus shipping). It included an aftermarket water pump and tensioner, original equipment KOYO bearings for the guide pulley and tensioner pulley, plus an AC Delco timing belt.

The serpentine belt to drive the accessories such as the power steering and air conditioning is purchased separately from the timing belt kit. It was an AC Delco 6K841 belt.


Tips

This is a tip sheet for non-professional mechanics, not a step-by-step guide. This is intended to give you a little more confidence going into the job, save you a little time, answer questions thatmight come up as you complete the job, and more than anything increase your preparedness before starting. It is important to have everything you need to do the job ready to go. Not everything you will need will be in the kit:

• Mega Gray Sealant for the water pump o-ring. This seals casting imperfections. Many people use it when building import motors. It is a kind of a gray silicone like sealant available at most parts houses.


• Special holding tool for the 50mm harmonic balancer. These are readily available on eBay if you search for Honda Harmonic Balancer tool. Mine cost about $28. Don't buy the one with the pre-attached handle. It is better to use the one that hooks into a 1/2" extension or 1/2" breaker bar.


• If you Google this job very much, you will find out getting the harmonic balance bolt loose can be very difficult. I use a 19mm six point QUALITY socket in 3/4" drive size. Most of the time you will need either a 3/4" impact gun, or a 3/4" drive set to break loose the harmonic balancer bolt. I tried an 18" Craftsman 1/2" breaker bar with a cheater, and it was not up to the task. It, along with the extensions necessary to clear the wheel well, flexed too much. The 3/4" drive set did not flex. So with a 3/4" ratchet it quickly came free. Most 3/4" drive sets do not include a little 3/4" socket. They typically start at 1 1/4" and go up from there. When sourcing sockets, make sure after receiving the 50mm internal socket that holds the harmonic balancer, that the 19mm socket will fit inside of it. My particular 50mm internal socket has an inner diameter of 1.60". Gray Pneumatic (GP) makes 3/4" drive impacts that are just under 1.50" OD, and will fit inside the 50mm tool ok. SK impacts no longer fit. They increased the outer diameter size of the deep well to 1.63", making it the same as their shallow. Neither will work. A 3/4" drive ratchet (or breaker bar), extensions long enough to clear the wheel well is handy, OR a 3/4" impact gun. My 1/2" Craftsman pneumatic impact gun (one of the top of the line ones) did not get it free. Not enough power (an electric impact might work better, so I hear). Note that you will still need a 1/2" breaker bar to hold the special holding tool. An 18" long Craftsman will work best for that, because the handle is square on the end. That will engage the tie-rod end where the threads are on the inboard side, allowing it to hold the 50mm tool hands-free when removing. The 50mm the holds the harmonic balancer to prevent the engine from rotating, and the 19mm socket setup breaks the bolt free in the center. I propped up the extensions for the 3/4" drive set with a couple of wheel/tire assemblies and a wood block, then I was able to crank downwards against them to break it free. It can be a one-person job if you have the right stuff. When installing, I put the 18" craftsman breaker bar in the hole in the lower control arm. This held the harmonic balancer when torquing it. I was careful routing the breaker bar with the 50mm tool both times, as it can damage the wire to the brake for the ABS. Once the bolt is loose, no special puller was required to pull the harmonic balancer off the crank. It pulled straight off with a gentle tug of the hands.






• Special Honda blue long-life antifreeze. Go to the Honda Dealer or try an aftermarket import supplier. O'Reilley's special ordered it from one of their import suppliers. It is Beck/Arnley 252-1501U. It is already 50/50. It took nearly 2 gallons. If you are thinking you need to investigate substituting another type, be prepared to be overwhelmed with a ton of information that is inconsistent and unverifiable, with some "experts" changing their opinion over time.


• Excellent set of metric hand tools. 1/4" drive set. 3/8" drive set, both with shallow and deep with a good selection of extensions. 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 15mm, 17mm, 19mm (3/4) were used quite frequently. Combination wrenches, a set of deep offset box end wrenches, as well as ratcheting wrenches like Gear Wrenches are also handy. I used a 3/8" x 3" wobble extension quite often. I used a 10mm and 12mm universal swivel in 3/8" drive a few times. Determination and patience will substitute for some of this. I used a torque wrench. Some of the torque settings were 9 ft lbs (tensioner), 33 ft. lbs (guide pulley), 47 ft. lbs +60 degrees (harmonic balancer bolt). You will need 2 jack stands to hold the car, plus another to hold up the front of the engine, depending on how you do that.


• Spark plugs must be loosened to allow the engine to turn by hand. If you are going to break them free, I would highly recommend replacing them at the same time. There is only one option, the original manufacturer; NGK. It is an Iridium plug and is very expensive ($10 to 15 each depending on supplier). Do not put anti-seize or lubrication on plated spark plugs such as these. It causes up to 20% overtorquing, which can break the plugs or the cylinder heads. Do not gap the plugs. This will damage them (they are pregapped). Handle them carefully. At 80,000 miles they didn't look worn, however the 3 on the back side near the firewall were somewhat salty looking. I noticed an immediate improvement in smoothness and acceleration so I would think you would want to consider doing them while you have them loose.


• After the balancer comes off, there is a thin sheetmetal washer underneath, called the timing belt guide plate. Make sure you note the direction it installs. It is sort of a guide/retainer for the belt when it goes around the crank. If you install it the flipped over in the wrong direction, your belt will probably be noisy and get chewed up quickly!

• I drained the radiator, but that did not prepare me for the gallon deluge that happens when you pull the water pump from the front of the block. They put an irregular hole near the top center to be able to insert a screwdriver/punch/line up tool to help pull it free. The antifreeze is nastier than regular. It is a little more viscous, sticky, and will give you a mild burning sensation. It does not evaporate quickly. Keep the pets away until you have it thoroughly policed up and sealed in a bottle.

• The aftermarket instructions said I should remove a battery hold down bolt (long J-bolt) to use as a special tool. They instruct you to insert it into a tab near the tensioner, thereby holding it in place during the removal and installation of the belt. I could not understand the usefulness of this operation. I did it, but it seemed like a waste of time. It takes a lot of time to get it threaded in, and a thin metal bracket for the wiring harness must be bent back on the rear cylinder bank. A video I watched showed that during removal of the belt, undo one of the tensioner bolts and simply let it pivot out of the way (keep fingers clear!). I think I will do it that way next time and save the 20 minutes.
• The motor mount comes off in two parts. Support the engine for removal. The first part that bolts to the rubber biscuit will need removed right away. Wait to remove the second chunk, a big knob that goes over the water pump. It has 3 large bolts and covers the water pump. It cannot completely be removed until both cam covers are off, so if you want to save a little time wait until those covers are off. Be sure to install it after the timing belt goes on (since it covers the timing belt), but before the cam covers go back on. Having said that, once you have the water pump on (probably using the Mega Grey sealant), you need to be ready to do the tensioner, idler, and timing belt immediately thereafter. This is because the motor mount knob bolting is common to the water pump. You don't really want to have your sealant set up on you overnight without the only bolts going through the center of the water pump not being installed until the following day.


• I used threadlocker as shown in the following photo for the tensioner pivot bolt, and the bottom motor mount bolt common to the water pump.


• When you put the timing belt on for the first time, there is a good chance you will be off one tooth because the slack was in the wrong spot. Treat that as your learning experience for the rework-put a small chalk mark on a tooth on the belt and one on the offending camshaft pulley, and when you redo it you will know exactly which direction to move it. The marks must be lined up on the crank and the two cams exactly as the instructions show, or it will run rough or damage the engine. I rotated the engine clockwise through 2 revolutions and checked it again.

• The back cam cover has a long tab that must be inserted into the lower front cover. Do not bother screwing in any of the bolts until you are sure you have completely inserted the tab into the slot. When I got it right, it was flush with the block all the way around.

• Getting the accessory serpentine belt on can be difficult. I used a 1/2" breaker bar with long extensions and a socket going out from the wheel well to crank against the tensioner, and braced it against my leg while I wiggled the belt on. The problem is there is not a direct path from the wheel well because of a body flange, so it really helps to have a helper. It would have been better if Honda would have put a little notch there. Also, I placed a wood block underneath the harmonic balancer and a/c compressor, to keep the belt from sagging downwards and preventing me from using that slack when I was trying to pull the belt around the tensioner. I was sure to remove it when I had the belt in place!

• Disconnect the battery while performing all of the work. Support the vehicle and engine thoroughly. Wear eye protection and personal protective equipment. Keep animals away from antifreeze. Be safe.

Comments or questions appreciated.

The maintenance message reminder to do the timing belt service can be reset after the work is complete by using the same method as resetting after an oil-change.
 
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#4 ·
Adding some torque specs from the V6 Service manual:

Cam Cover, timing belt cover bolts: 8.7 ft. lbs
5 qty small water pump bolts: 8.7 ft. lbs
3 qty big water pump bolts common to side engine mount: 33 ft. lbs
2 qty side engine mount bolts (head oriented on top of mount): 40 ft. lbs
1 qty side engine mount bolt (head oriented at front of car): 47 ft. lbs
1 qty ground lug bolt common to side engine mount: 8.7 ft. lbs
1 qty timing belt tensioner pulley pivot on water pump: 19 ft. lbs with Loctite
2 qty timing belt tensioner mounting bolts: 8.7 ft. lbs
1 qty timing belt guide pulley: 33 ft. lbs
1 qty harmonic balancer bolt: 47 ft. lbs +60 degrees

Remember to only rotate the engine clockwise as viewed by looking at the harmonic balancer.

Follow steps in the instruction manual. :wave:
 
#8 ·
Quick question, my car had a horrible rattle, I brought it in at 59k.


Thats my video^^^
I had a previous upper valve body gasket leak, so they were already changing that.
They heard the rattle and determined it was the timing belt.
They took apart the case, and found a damaged tensioner.
They replaced the gasket for the valve body and only the damaged tensioner.
Anyone know if this could have caused the timing belt to wear?
Wondering if I should change my belt in the next 10k, or wait till 100k.
I accelerate heavily constantly but NYC isn't that hot.
I think my mounts will go with my habits sooner ;)
Glad I got it all covered under powertrain though.
Time to throw in my RV6 J Pipe, HiFlo Pre-Cats, and Catback magnaflow ;D
I drove roughly 1k with this rattle, checked my oil constantly and added a 1/4 of a quart when it needed.
 
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#11 ·
How much does dealer charge for what? The whole timing belt job? An arm and a leg. Go to your trusty local mechanic or bite the bullet.
 
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#13 ·
I just checked with the local Honda dealership yesterday, timing belt and water pump change plus fluid is $819 + our 13% sales tax, no other parts such as tensioner, plugs, valve adjustment etc.
 
#15 ·
I am not sure about the J-series V6 engines, but I know on my old Prelude with the H22A motor, a valve adjustment is also recommended while you are doing the timing belt. Not required, but when I took the valve cover off to check valve clearance at 90k, I was out of spec on some valves. I had my uncle who is a mechanic do it all, but he was in agreement that I have the valves adjusted when I change the belts.

So, anyone know if the J35A has a tendency for the valve to go out of spec much? Should they be checked when doing the belt service too?
 
#16 ·
I am not looking forward to this at all!! I bought my 08 used with about 60k on it, the people that had it before me appears that took care of it and did the maintence on it regularly- I have my doubts that they did the timing belt on it- 2 things here- how do when my timing belt is about to crap out on me? And secondly I guess I will never know other than looking for documents possibly showing this done- which I haven't found anything yet. I have worked on multiple cars and done mods but I don't think I'm comfortable doing this job myself- I am thinking ill have to bite the bullet on this repair- I drive normally and sometimes accelerate when I feel the need to. I've got 78k now- I don't think I should go much longer ?
 
#18 ·
You do not need to change it now. If it makes you feel more comfortable you can change it at 90k, but you really can wait until the 105k recommendation.

Also, there is a code on the MM that will show when its time for a belt change. Our 8th gens have an MM code, B4. It's in the owners manual under the MM chart.

So you can change it at 90k to make you feel comfortable, or wait for the MM code B4 to show, at which time should be around 105k.

I changed the belt on my Prelude twice. The first time I changed it at 80k when the recommendation was 90k. The belt was still in excellent condition, but you would not know it until you took everything apart.

The next time I changed it at 90k.
 
#17 ·
You should be quite safe to wait for 100,000 miles or 7 years, whichever come first, or you can be proactive and get it done early, as one of my friend very aptly said:

"You would rather change the timing belt 30,000 miles early than one mile late"

BTW, there is really no easy way to tell if a timing belt is about to fail, you would have to take some covers off before you can even see the timing belt, so unless you have had coolant or oil leak issues which containminated the timing belt, you should be safe to assume Honda's recommendation of 100,000 miles or 7 years.

BTW, I was willing to do the job myself since I've done 3 timing belt changes in the past by myself on Honda/Acura DOHC engines, and bought the parts etc., but at the end could not bust open the crankshaft pully bolt loose with several different 1/2" drive 500 ft/lb pnuematic impact guns, so I took the car and the parts to a friend's shop specializing in Hondas to get this work done, no hassle for me and good value for the labor charges I paid so that I'm not busting up my knuckles and worry about the coolant gushing out when the water pump is removed, plus all the critical alignment of the timing belt and camshafts.
 
#25 ·
Success! A few tips / tricks & notes

Firstly, major kudos to the contributors here. If you’re like me, the biggest challenge with any major car repair is getting past the “what if I can’t handle it” fear. As a casual knuckle buster, this is the first time I’ve worked on this engine. Here are a few tips / notes I can offer that may save the next guy some time & frustration:

1) Heed War Wagon’s recommended tool notes regarding the harmonic balancer! I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. Not only did I shear a ½ drive breaker bar, I also applied a Husky 800ftlbs air impact gun to this bolt and it wouldn’t budge. Penetrating oils? Tried that & failed. Heating up the bolt with a torch? Tried that & failed. Verified the direction of the engine rotation (clockwise from the passenger wheel-well’s perspective), applied a cheater bar to the bolt, pulled the fuel-pump fuse & bumped the ignition several times? Tried that & failed (the cheater bar literally chipped concrete). If you’re going to tackle this project, get the right tools. Don’t make the same mistake I made in thinking I could muscle it off with a ½ breaker bar. Every (wanna-be) mechanic I called looking for a deep-well 19mm x 3/4 drive socket all said the same thing: “Why do you need a ¾ drive? You should be able to get it with a ½ drive,” (emphasis on ‘should’). Wrong! Save yourself the frustration & get a ¾ drive breaker bar, a 20” x ¾ drive extension, and a 6-point, deep-well 19mm x ¾ drive socket (a 12 point will not work – tried that too). I’m sure there are cases where something less worked but if this is your daily driver, chances are, you will not want button the car back up without being able to make the intended maintenance.

Here you can see where I tried to use a 3/4 drive reduced down to 1/2 trying to accommodate the only 19mm deep well socket I had:


Another photo of the sheared adapter:


And here is why you need a deep-well socket:


2) Common sense may dictate this, but by the time I got the bolt loose on the Harmonic balancer, I was so excited that I did not pay attention to the that thin sheetmetal washer in between the harmonic balancer & the crankshaft. Its really more like an escutcheon. The outer circumference of this escutcheon is flared / cupped. The flare faces out. As War Wagon noted, if you install it in with the flare facing in, I imagine it will eat your new timing belt.

3) Before you remove the old timing belt, take the old spark plugs out & leave the new ones out until you’ve installed & verified timing on the new belt. This way, if you miss your marks on the timing, you can rotate the motor without having to fight compression.

4) Also, before you remove the old timing belt, note the positions of the cams & crankshaft relative to Cylinder One TDC (Top Dead Center) marks. I know of some mechanics who disregard these marks assuming that if nothing changes between taking the old off & putting new belt on, timing will be spot on. Maybe I’m too cautious, but working on an interference motor like this, its too risky for my kind. Once you remove the harmonic balancer, you will see the markings on the crankshaft & motor wall for TDC. In my case, the Woodruff Key happened to coincide with the crankshaft mark. I put the harmonic balancer back on and used the special Honda tool to rotate the motor to TDC (clockwise). The cams will match TDC every second full rotation of the crankshaft.

5) I’m one of those idiots who charges ahead and refer to instructions / manuals only after I get stuck. That said, I’m sure there is a precise sequence for routing the new timing belt – nonetheless here is how I did it & got it right the first time.

a. Hand thread the top bolt into the tensioner but leave the lower bolt off until you’ve routed the timing belt. This will give you a little extra slack to work.

b. Start on with the belt on the inside of the tensioner pulley & work your way up to Cam 1 (closest to the firewall). This cam not only has an edge guard, but the head-wall has an obstruction / guide just above the cam with just enough clearance for a fully-seated timing belt.

c. From Cam 1 tightly draw the belt under the water pump, up to Cam 2, down & inside the pulley guide & finishing on the crankshaft. A third or forth hand is extremely helpful, but if you doing this by yourself, you can use desk / office binder clips to keep the belt on the cams.

d. All of the timing belt slack must be between 9 o’clock of the crankshaft an 9 o’clock of Cam 1. Once the tensioner is fully installed & engaged, it will absorb all of this slack. You ready for the secret?

e. I like to cheat (when it means I can win). I imagine there is a iron-grip monster out there that can pull the belt taught in between Cam 2 & the crankshaft but I am not one of those guys. The best I could do was pull the timing belt taught enough to match the belt-grooves & crankshaft-splines peak-to-peak. So with the timing belt on everything but the crankshaft, I hand-pressed the harmonic balancer back on & used the special Honda tool to rotate the crankshaft counter-clockwise (away from TDC) by almost a full tooth (minute rotation - maybe 1 – 2 degrees). Then, harmonic balancer back off, I pulled as much slack out of the right side of the belt and pressed it on the crankshaft. This way, once you rotate the crankshaft clockwise back to TDC, it will absorb the remaining slack on the right side of the timing belt before it engages the rest of the assembly.

f. Swing the tensioner up into place, & insert the lower bolt. Remember: once you pull that tensioner retainer pin, its 2200lbs of game-on pressure! If slack is in the wrong place, you’ll have to remove the tensioner entirely, re-set the hydraulic tensioner pin & start over. They make a special tool for that too, but I've heard a C-clamp works just as well(?).

g. Using the harmonic balancer & the special tool, rotate the crankshaft clockwise through two rotations. Verify both cams & crankshaft line up with TDC. If you’re as good as I am, (jk) everything should line up.

6) I decided to install an Unorthodox Racing under-drive pulley (Part No. CU6141A) in lieu of the harmonic balancer. Brief instructions accommodate this little wonder but(!) there’s only one small problem: you cannot use that special Honda tool to lock that fancy new pulley and crankshaft while you re-install the bolt. Youtube has a video where the mechanic puts the car in 6th gear, applied the brakes, and was able to lock down the crankshaft. Me? Not so much. My car is an automatic. If I may, I’ll save you the frustration of pointless google and youtube research. You’ll only find this tip here. The only way to lock the motor for the proper tightening sequence is to pull the starter and hold the starter gear on the flex-plate with a pry-bar / crow-bar.

7) Moving on to the re-assembly of the turpentine belt assembly, that tensioner is a real bee-ah for two reasons: 1) the lower pulley is the one that has the pivot bolt and escutcheon / washer. I wasn’t paying attention when these parts fell away from each other. I was left scratching my head and googleing images trying to figure out how that escutcheon is oriented –especially because when I put it together like common sense dictated, the washer & the pulley seemed to interfere with each other. I save you another 20 minutes: it goes in between the bolt and the pulley and, just like the crankshaft washer, the flare faces out! This is what I assumed originally but what I didn’t realize while holding the assembly is that the interferences cease, only after the pivot-bolt is torqued down to spec. 2) If you’re doing this project by yourself, applying enough pressure to the tensioner AND trying to route the serpentine belt? It’s nearly impossible. My trick? I positioned the breaker bar on the tensioner and then used one of those ratcheting furniture straps. I ran the strap from the sway bar around the breaker bar & ratcheted them together. The strap held the breaker-bar & tensioner while I finished routing the serpentine belt.

That’s about it folks. Armed with the right parts & tools, a little courage, and a lot of patience, this project is a fun one! Having no prior experience with this engine, it took me right at 10hrs to complete with the upgraded UR Underdrive Pulley (part no. CU6141A). Now that I am armed with the right tools & experience, I would say I could comfortably complete this project again in half the time.

Two side notes:
1) The old serpentine belt and the timing belt matched each other in signs of wear –next to nil. After 98k miles, they could have easily gone another 20k. The only component that showed noteworthy wear was the timing belt guide pulley. I imagine this component would ultimately led to the failure of the others. As Aviography quoted: "You would rather change the timing belt 30,000 miles early than one mile late."

Here is a photo of the soon-to-fail timing belt guide pulley:


2) The ECU is still adjusting to the new underdrive pulley but so far, I am thrilled with the upgrade. The original harmonic balancer weighs 5lbs 9oz. Unorthodox Racing’s underdrive pulley weighs 11.7 oz. By my calculations that nearly an 87% reduction in spooled / torsional weight! Not to mention the reduction in parasitic drag. It’s not a cheap upgrade but I intend to drive this car until my great-grandchildren mock me for it. You can’t put a value on the rush of more responsive acceleration but you can put a value on the more efficient fuel consumption. So I expect my ROI is about another timing belt project away. ☺ Best of luck!

Here is a photo of the UR underdrive pulley compared to the OEM harmonic balancer:
 
#31 ·
Firstly, major kudos to the contributors here. If you’re like me, the biggest challenge with any major car repair is getting past the “what if I can’t handle it” fear. As a casual knuckle buster, this is the first time I’ve worked on this engine. Here are a few tips / notes I can offer that may save the next guy some time & frustration:

1) Heed War Wagon’s recommended tool notes regarding the harmonic balancer! I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. Not only did I shear a ½ drive breaker bar, I also applied a Husky 800ftlbs air impact gun to this bolt and it wouldn’t budge. Penetrating oils? Tried that & failed. Heating up the bolt with a torch? Tried that & failed. Verified the direction of the engine rotation (clockwise from the passenger wheel-well’s perspective), applied a cheater bar to the bolt, pulled the fuel-pump fuse & bumped the ignition several times? Tried that & failed (the cheater bar literally chipped concrete). If you’re going to tackle this project, get the right tools. Don’t make the same mistake I made in thinking I could muscle it off with a ½ breaker bar. Every (wanna-be) mechanic I called looking for a deep-well 19mm x 3/4 drive socket all said the same thing: “Why do you need a ¾ drive? You should be able to get it with a ½ drive,” (emphasis on ‘should’). Wrong! Save yourself the frustration & get a ¾ drive breaker bar, a 20” x ¾ drive extension, and a 6-point, deep-well 19mm x ¾ drive socket (a 12 point will not work – tried that too). I’m sure there are cases where something less worked but if this is your daily driver, chances are, you will not want button the car back up without being able to make the intended maintenance.

Here you can see where I tried to use a 3/4 drive reduced down to 1/2 trying to accommodate the only 19mm deep well socket I had:


Another photo of the sheared adapter:


And here is why you need a deep-well socket:


2) Common sense may dictate this, but by the time I got the bolt loose on the Harmonic balancer, I was so excited that I did not pay attention to the that thin sheetmetal washer in between the harmonic balancer & the crankshaft. Its really more like an escutcheon. The outer circumference of this escutcheon is flared / cupped. The flare faces out. As War Wagon noted, if you install it in with the flare facing in, I imagine it will eat your new timing belt.

3) Before you remove the old timing belt, take the old spark plugs out & leave the new ones out until you’ve installed & verified timing on the new belt. This way, if you miss your marks on the timing, you can rotate the motor without having to fight compression.

4) Also, before you remove the old timing belt, note the positions of the cams & crankshaft relative to Cylinder One TDC (Top Dead Center) marks. I know of some mechanics who disregard these marks assuming that if nothing changes between taking the old off & putting new belt on, timing will be spot on. Maybe I’m too cautious, but working on an interference motor like this, its too risky for my kind. Once you remove the harmonic balancer, you will see the markings on the crankshaft & motor wall for TDC. In my case, the Woodruff Key happened to coincide with the crankshaft mark. I put the harmonic balancer back on and used the special Honda tool to rotate the motor to TDC (clockwise). The cams will match TDC every second full rotation of the crankshaft.

5) I’m one of those idiots who charges ahead and refer to instructions / manuals only after I get stuck. That said, I’m sure there is a precise sequence for routing the new timing belt – nonetheless here is how I did it & got it right the first time.

a. Hand thread the top bolt into the tensioner but leave the lower bolt off until you’ve routed the timing belt. This will give you a little extra slack to work.

b. Start on with the belt on the inside of the tensioner pulley & work your way up to Cam 1 (closest to the firewall). This cam not only has an edge guard, but the head-wall has an obstruction / guide just above the cam with just enough clearance for a fully-seated timing belt.

c. From Cam 1 tightly draw the belt under the water pump, up to Cam 2, down & inside the pulley guide & finishing on the crankshaft. A third or forth hand is extremely helpful, but if you doing this by yourself, you can use desk / office binder clips to keep the belt on the cams.

d. All of the timing belt slack must be between 9 o’clock of the crankshaft an 9 o’clock of Cam 1. Once the tensioner is fully installed & engaged, it will absorb all of this slack. You ready for the secret?

e. I like to cheat (when it means I can win). I imagine there is a iron-grip monster out there that can pull the belt taught in between Cam 2 & the crankshaft but I am not one of those guys. The best I could do was pull the timing belt taught enough to match the belt-grooves & crankshaft-splines peak-to-peak. So with the timing belt on everything but the crankshaft, I hand-pressed the harmonic balancer back on & used the special Honda tool to rotate the crankshaft counter-clockwise (away from TDC) by almost a full tooth (minute rotation - maybe 1 – 2 degrees). Then, harmonic balancer back off, I pulled as much slack out of the right side of the belt and pressed it on the crankshaft. This way, once you rotate the crankshaft clockwise back to TDC, it will absorb the remaining slack on the right side of the timing belt before it engages the rest of the assembly.

f. Swing the tensioner up into place, & insert the lower bolt. Remember: once you pull that tensioner retainer pin, its 2200lbs of game-on pressure! If slack is in the wrong place, you’ll have to remove the tensioner entirely, re-set the hydraulic tensioner pin & start over. They make a special tool for that too, but I've heard a C-clamp works just as well(?).

g. Using the harmonic balancer & the special tool, rotate the crankshaft clockwise through two rotations. Verify both cams & crankshaft line up with TDC. If you’re as good as I am, (jk) everything should line up.

6) I decided to install an Unorthodox Racing under-drive pulley (Part No. CU6141A) in lieu of the harmonic balancer. Brief instructions accommodate this little wonder but(!) there’s only one small problem: you cannot use that special Honda tool to lock that fancy new pulley and crankshaft while you re-install the bolt. Youtube has a video where the mechanic puts the car in 6th gear, applied the brakes, and was able to lock down the crankshaft. Me? Not so much. My car is an automatic. If I may, I’ll save you the frustration of pointless google and youtube research. You’ll only find this tip here. The only way to lock the motor for the proper tightening sequence is to pull the starter and hold the starter gear on the flex-plate with a pry-bar / crow-bar.

7) Moving on to the re-assembly of the turpentine belt assembly, that tensioner is a real bee-ah for two reasons: 1) the lower pulley is the one that has the pivot bolt and escutcheon / washer. I wasn’t paying attention when these parts fell away from each other. I was left scratching my head and googleing images trying to figure out how that escutcheon is oriented –especially because when I put it together like common sense dictated, the washer & the pulley seemed to interfere with each other. I save you another 20 minutes: it goes in between the bolt and the pulley and, just like the crankshaft washer, the flare faces out! This is what I assumed originally but what I didn’t realize while holding the assembly is that the interferences cease, only after the pivot-bolt is torqued down to spec. 2) If you’re doing this project by yourself, applying enough pressure to the tensioner AND trying to route the serpentine belt? It’s nearly impossible. My trick? I positioned the breaker bar on the tensioner and then used one of those ratcheting furniture straps. I ran the strap from the sway bar around the breaker bar & ratcheted them together. The strap held the breaker-bar & tensioner while I finished routing the serpentine belt.

That’s about it folks. Armed with the right parts & tools, a little courage, and a lot of patience, this project is a fun one! Having no prior experience with this engine, it took me right at 10hrs to complete with the upgraded UR Underdrive Pulley (part no. CU6141A). Now that I am armed with the right tools & experience, I would say I could comfortably complete this project again in half the time.

Two side notes:
1) The old serpentine belt and the timing belt matched each other in signs of wear –next to nil. After 98k miles, they could have easily gone another 20k. The only component that showed noteworthy wear was the timing belt guide pulley. I imagine this component would ultimately led to the failure of the others. As Aviography quoted: "You would rather change the timing belt 30,000 miles early than one mile late."

Here is a photo of the soon-to-fail timing belt guide pulley:


2) The ECU is still adjusting to the new underdrive pulley but so far, I am thrilled with the upgrade. The original harmonic balancer weighs 5lbs 9oz. Unorthodox Racing’s underdrive pulley weighs 11.7 oz. By my calculations that nearly an 87% reduction in spooled / torsional weight! Not to mention the reduction in parasitic drag. It’s not a cheap upgrade but I intend to drive this car until my great-grandchildren mock me for it. You can’t put a value on the rush of more responsive acceleration but you can put a value on the more efficient fuel consumption. So I expect my ROI is about another timing belt project away. ☺ Best of luck!

Here is a photo of the UR underdrive pulley compared to the OEM harmonic balancer:
Metro....Great post.

Where did you find the 20" long 3/4" drive extension? The longest I have found is a 16"...either Powerbuilt or Alltrade brand.

Thank you
 
#28 ·
The first timing belt service is due anywhere between 90k & 110k miles. My mechanic friends tell me that subsequent service goes in 60k intervals but I know of quite a few folks who simply do it every 90k. Just remember: You are better off early than late! If the timing belts fails, either scrap the engine or expect to pay well over $2k in specialized valve & head work.
You both need to go back and re-read this thread and your owners manuals.

Timing belt interval is around 105k, but you will see the letter "B4" in your MM when your timing belt is due for a change.

You can change it at 42k, or 60k, or whenever you want before then. It's your money. But it's not worth it. Heck at 42k the belt is still brand new. Any mechanic telling you to change it before 90k is doing so to take your money, and that's the truth. Our belts will not break before 90k, most likely will not break before 105k or whenever your MM tells you it's due, and probably won't break before 120k. I worked with my Uncle doing the belt on my old Prelude, which I drove much harder than I do my Accord, and at each 90k interval there was EASILY another 20k left on the belt.
 
#27 ·
The first timing belt service is due anywhere between 90k & 110k miles. My mechanic friends tell me that subsequent service goes in 60k intervals but I know of quite a few folks who simply do it every 90k. Just remember: You are better off early than late! If the timing belts fails, either scrap the engine or expect to pay well over $2k in specialized valve & head work.
 
#29 ·
Kudo's to the contributor for the detailed DIY. Good to know.

I was told that most dealer do not change the water pump until the second t-belt change since the OEM radiator fluid contains lubricants to reduce the wear and tear on the seals and bearing.

Has anyone not changed the water pump on the 1st t-belt job (V-6)?

Thanks
 
#30 ·
The coolant should be changed at this point. If you use genuine Honda coolant there are no worries.
 
#32 ·
A few items:

The battery bolt only needs to be screwed in if youre not replacing the tensioner. Unless you have a hydraulic press, you better replace the tensioner. Aisin is the oem one as is the waterpump.

You can get all oem stuff from rockauto. You can buy oem type 2 for 12.95 shipped from partstrain.com so no excuse not to use oem.
 
#33 ·
I did a timing belt on a 2006 Honda Pilot.

1. I could not break the crank bolt loose, so following the advice on the Pilot forum, I wedged the breaker bar against the lower control arm and quickly started/stopped the engine. Bang - bolt loose.

2. Order some spare bolts for the water pump. Despite having a torque wrench, two broke, thankfully sticking out from the block.


Total time for me 17 hours, including 1 hour messing with the crank bolt, several trips to home depot/NAPA for parts. Breaks for dinner, etc., and not rushing.

This was my first timing belt. The next one will go faster.
 
#34 ·
Why do they have to torque the bolts so much to where people are using macgyver methods to break it loose? Seems odd.

Doesn't seem like this is a very easy job, I wouldn't consider doing it myself, but trusting somebody else to do it seems just as hard as trying to tackle it myself.
Where do you guys prefer to take this job? A dealer? As opposed to an independent shop?
Should I be asking 101 questions before I allow them and pay them a grand or more to replace the timing belt and adjust the valves as well.... Seems like a very large job that a manufacturer shouldnt require until a long time into ownership , just 100k miles and you've got to do what seems to me like a not easy maintenance item.
 
#35 ·
Why do they have to torque the bolts so much to where people are using macgyver methods to break it loose? Seems odd.
It's not JUST the torque of the bolt...it's what the bolt is subjected to every second the engine is running.

Doesn't seem like this is a very easy job, I wouldn't consider doing it myself, but trusting somebody else to do it seems just as hard as trying to tackle it myself.
Depends on your wrenching experience. No harder / easier than other timing belt changes. I've only done two Honda timing belts. The first one was my kid's car...and it was in my garage....so I just went out and worked on it when I felt like it. The second time I was helping someone out. They fetched tools, beer etc. I think it took like 3 hours including breaks. And that was replacing all drive belts, water pump, timing belt, valve cover gasket, spark plugs, wires, cap / rotor and setting valve.


Where do you guys prefer to take this job? A dealer? As opposed to an independent shop?
Depends on the shop / dealer. Me personally, no one else wrenches on my cars but me.

Word of mouth, in my opinion, is the best sign of a good independent mechanic shop.

The only thing I don't do anymore is transmission rebuild and differentials. I sold all those tools long ago. I yank them and take them to a rebuilder I know.


Should I be asking 101 questions before I allow them and pay them a grand or more to replace the timing belt and adjust the valves as well.... Seems like a very large job that a manufacturer shouldnt require until a long time into ownership , just 100k miles and you've got to do what seems to me like a not easy maintenance item.
"Just 100K Miles?"

How spoiled we have become. Wasn't too long ago 36k miles was the standard warranty.

Of course, more engines would have timing chains instead of belts, but too many people complained about engine noise.
 
#37 ·
thanks to all the contributors on this thread, this was bang on for getting through this job last weekend.

One thing I'd like to add - I moved the power steering pump out of the way by taking the top (outlet?) hose off, and the 2 mounting bolts. This allowed the pump to be moved out the way, and made for some extra wrench room for the job. Not necessary, but I found a few extra minutes was worth the extra room.

also, +1 on upgrading to 3/4" drive for the pulley bolt. I was lucky and got things removed with 1/2 drive tools, but the flex in the extensions was scary. Over 90 degrees of flex before the bolt came free. I was waiting to lose a few teeth in the process!


couch
 
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