Timing belt question, is every 60k/3 years accurate?

[RossMAN]

I called my local Honda dealer who said according to the owners manual it's 7yrs/105k.

$699 includes parts and labor

 

[Budmantom]

As long as it's a non-interference motor run it till it breaks

My Pathfinder doesn't have a belt or chain so it "never" needs to be replaced.

 

[funboy6942]

It based on time and miles because weather can play havoc on the belt, drying it out and making it brittle even with low miles, and miles because rotation will wear it our rubbing up on the water pump, idler or tensioner pulley.

ive seen belts go 150K and 10 years, I seen belts go less then a year because of a manufactures defect, if you don't have a clearance free engine OP you willing to take the risk?

 

[Scarpozzi]

Some car manufacturers actually have timing chains. They are often made of nylon, but tend to last longer due to less stretchiness.

I would change it around 75k to be safe. You don't want your timing belt to break.

Having said that, if you buy a car with 100k on it, you might want to ask the previous owner if they changed the timing belt. These days though, belts last longer than they used to and the timing belt is usually pretty thick.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: IGBT
..after all these years why don't they replace them things with chains.

Chains require an oil supply to keep them lubricated. They also are noisier and transmit more vibration to the valvetrain.

Belts are smoother and quieter, as well as simpler to engineer, with a tradeoff of requiring replacement more frequently than chains.

Neither belts nor chains are absolutely "better", they simply involve different trade-offs.

ZV

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi
Also..........yours is a non-interference motor, so no worries about valvetrain damage.

Honda + 4-cylinder = Interference with only one exception, the 2.0 litre SOHC, which was not used in the '02 Accord.

http://www.theautoshop.com/timing.html#HONDA

Asterisks indicate interference design.

ZV

 

[funboy6942]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: IGBT
..after all these years why don't they replace them things with chains.

Chains require an oil supply to keep them lubricated. They also are noisier and transmit more vibration to the valvetrain.

Belts are smoother and quieter, as well as simpler to engineer, with a tradeoff of requiring replacement more frequently than chains.

Neither belts nor chains are absolutely "better", they simply involve different trade-offs.

ZV

Not to mention a chain lasts almost forever and dealerships need you to come to the shop often
My 88 Firebird with a timing chain you cannot hear. Lots of older Caravans used chains and you couldnt hear them as well. Its all really BS, IMO, and just something that needs replacing to make people come to a shop is all. If people are given a choice between a little bit of rattle or a $800-$1500+ timing belt replacement bill which you think they would take?

 

[BornStar]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman

Originally posted by: apex32

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
Hijack:
What about timing chains? My Olds has a timing chain.

Gasp. Thread Hijacker.

what year/mileage.

Yeah, I bad.

2003 Olds Aurora, V8.

I've got a 99 Aurora and I don't expect to ever have to worry about the timing chain.

I got the timing belt changed on my 92 Camry for what I believe to be the first time in 2005. It had 120k miles on it and was still running fine.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: redgtxdi
Also..........yours is a non-interference motor, so no worries about valvetrain damage.

Honda + 4-cylinder = Interference with only one exception, the 2.0 litre SOHC, which was not used in the '02 Accord.

http://www.theautoshop.com/timing.html#HONDA

Asterisks indicate interference design.

Is it possible to break a timing belt without damage on an interference engine? I actually owned an '84 Accord with 1.8L engine and assumed it was non-interference (I actually broke the timing belt on the freeway in Sausalito, and it did no damage), but according to that guide I was wrong.

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: Slashur
Gotta love having a timing chain!

edit: Nevermind, continued reading the thead and saw Zenmervolt's answer

 

[Staples]

Originally posted by: Linux23

Our '02 Accord is 4.5 years old (25,500 miles) and the timing belt hasn't gone out yet.

Wow Ross, you don't drive much do you?:Q

Not much but it is more than me.

And I'd like to know, if you buy a used car, how are you supposed to know about when it change things? Are there symptoms you should look for? And why is preventative maintenance really necessary with the timing belt? Will the car blow up if it snaps? With most things, I figure a tow truck bill would be the only added cost over getting it fixed before it snaps.

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
I called my local Honda dealer who said according to the owners manual it's 7yrs/105k.

$699 includes parts and labor

you can justify using that cost for trading, doubly so since you get more for low mileage.

honda says you should change the belt more often for extreme cold/heat conditions but you probably don't see that.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
I called my local Honda dealer who said according to the owners manual it's 7yrs/105k.

$699 includes parts and labor

Ross,
You may want to hunt around for a local shop instead of a dealer. You may have the culpability of a large dealership to hold accountable for problems, but you pay through the nose for it. Call around to a lot of different shops, maybe orienting towards the ones that advertise "imports" or "Hondas" as their focus. Talk to them over the phone first: I've found that if someone is rude or is not very helpful over the phone, chances are you won't want to bring your business there. I've shopped for numerous types of automotive service in my area and found that to be nearly universally true. Then go check out the place. One of the things I noticed at the place I finally selected to service my Subaru is that they had letters and notes tacked to a wall from their customers expressing gratitude for the excellent work they had performed. Their place was overall well kept and when there was a minor issue with my service, called me into the shop to show me.

The issue I had to shop around for my Subaru was replacing a CV axle. The dealer wanted something like $200-300 to replace just ONE CV axle, not including the ridiculous cost of parts as well; it would've been over $800 parts and labor to replace both from CV axles. I ordered my axles $115 for both (remanufactured, same as the dealer would have used), and the Subaru shop rate was $115 labor per axle to install. MUCH cheaper and they did a great job.

Shoot me a PM if you have any questions And how do you like your ThinkPad???

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: DonVito
Is it possible to break a timing belt without damage on an interference engine? I actually owned an '84 Accord with 1.8L engine and assumed it was non-interference (I actually broke the timing belt on the freeway in Sausalito, and it did no damage), but according to that guide I was wrong.

It's theoretically possible, it's also possible not to have enough damage to stop the engine from running, but it is very, very rare.

ZV

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Staples
And why is preventative maintenance really necessary with the timing belt? Will the car blow up if it snaps? With most things, I figure a tow truck bill would be the only added cost over getting it fixed before it snaps.

Most used cars still have manuals... They will tell you the proper intervals.

On most modern cars, the engine is an interference design, which means that unless the valves are timed precisely, the pistons will collide with the valves. Typically this results in damage to the valves, but this can also result to damage to the pistons and cylinder walls as well (the latter occuring most often when a piston-valve collision results in the head snapping off the valve and bouncing around inside the cylinder). If the timing belt snaps, except in rare, near-miraculous, instances, the pistons will strike the valves and cause very expensive damage.

ZV

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
Ross,
You may want to hunt around for a local shop instead of a dealer. You may have the culpability of a large dealership to hold accountable for problems, but you pay through the nose for it. Call around to a lot of different shops, maybe orienting towards the ones that advertise "imports" or "Hondas" as their focus. Talk to them over the phone first: I've found that if someone is rude or is not very helpful over the phone, chances are you won't want to bring your business there. I've shopped for numerous types of automotive service in my area and found that to be nearly universally true. Then go check out the place. One of the things I noticed at the place I finally selected to service my Subaru is that they had letters and notes tacked to a wall from their customers expressing gratitude for the excellent work they had performed. Their place was overall well kept and when there was a minor issue with my service, called me into the shop to show me.

The issue I had to shop around for my Subaru was replacing a CV axle. The dealer wanted something like $200-300 to replace just ONE CV axle, not including the ridiculous cost of parts as well; it would've been over $800 parts and labor to replace both from CV axles. I ordered my axles $115 for both (remanufactured, same as the dealer would have used), and the Subaru shop rate was $115 labor per axle to install. MUCH cheaper and they did a great job.

Thanks for the tip. Fortunately I have a local mechanic who specializes in imports. So I called asking for his advice and he recommends 60k which is around 10 years assuming we continue to average 6k/yr.

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
And how do you like your ThinkPad???

I'm probably going to sell it. I shoud have ordered the other model which offers a 14.1" WXGA

 

[IGBT]

..does the Toy.4.0 and 4.7 L truck motors have chain driven cams or belt??

 

[Excelsior]

Changed it on my Passat around 90K.