anupjthomas

Hello,

I'm at work so not a lot of time to jot a lot of questions down. I finally have the money to fix my wife's car which has been sitting for months disabled due to the drive belt tensioner snapping. I have a few things to fix for sure, and your advice is needed and much appreciated:

1) I know the timing belt needs to be replaced. I was thinking of getting the Gates water pump/timing belt/pulley/tensioner kit from Amazon.com. Will I be okay with this kit or is it a must to find a genuine Honda kit somewhere?

2) I believe the head gasket is blown. Is there a way to know his for sure with a radiator pressure tester? Aside from the chemical tester, is there any other test that would be better to determine this? I don't have an air compressor to do a leak-doen test myself.

I'd like to do all the work myself and buy what's needed before the money disappears.

anupjthomas

Okay, out of work. I have more time now. I realized I forgot to mention the car model:

1997 Acura CL 3.0

I've been blessed with a new job, and after months of catching up with bills and whatnot, my wife and I finally have some money to fix her car. I'd like to put this money into parts before other needs of life claim it.

I'll delete this post from this thread in some time, as these product links will be useless years from now. The information I can get from your experiences with these brands will help anyone looking to restore these engines in the future.

I'm a firm believer in buying parts from brands and manufacturers who produce the OEM parts, but without paying the extra markup by buying actual OEM.

If I can determine that the head gaskets are fine and that my coolant is not leaking into the pistons or crack case, then I'll put off the head gasket job till later. The aim is to get the car running without the risk of it breaking down again within the next few months.

If the head gasket must be done, I'll 'machine' the heads myself. I found a nifty method on YouTube I'm willing to try, gives deadflat results.

This is the Gates timing belt kit I was referring to:
Amazon.com: Gates TCKWP286A Engine Timing Belt Kit with Water Pump: Automotive

Will it suffice? Or is there a better deal for this price range?

TBK (Bando belts) timing belt kit:
http://www.amazon.com/TBK-Timing-Bel...ng+belt+kit+v6

OE combination of parts timing belt kit:
Honda OE Timing Component Water Pump Kit w Gates Belt 98 02 Accord 3 0L V6 EJ | eBay

Here are a few head gasket kits I found off Amazon:

Evergreen head gasket kit, includes new head bolts:
http://www.amazon.com/Evergreen-FSHB...DP0T9YZJDCC5H8

Ishino head gasket kit:
Amazon.com: Ishino Cylinder Head Gasket Set: Automotive

OES head gasket kit:
http://www.amazon.com/OES-Genuine-Cy...DP0T9YZJDCC5H8

It's been a while since I've been back on these forums. I've done little things here and there for my 1999 Toyota Sienna and my Dad's 2005 Honda Civic to help them pass inspection and regular maintenance.

I'll be purchasing tools along with these parts like breaker bars and the Honda crank pulley tool. I'd like to just get in there either this Saturday or next to finish out the head gasket job if it's needed. I think I can pull of the timing belt job after work one of these days.

If I need to do both the timing belt and head gasket, I would think both would have to be done at the same time. At least all the oil seals certainly could use a replacement.

Please let me know what you have used and I'll look around to see if it's still available somewhere online.

afreuden

What did you end up doing for your timing belt? I am looking at those kits you suggested. I am really considering the TBK on Amazon. The interesting thing is that two different suppliers are selling the exact same kit (i checked the part number). One is the manufacturer and one is a distributor. The manufacturer has perfect reviews for the kit and the distributor has some reviews with people having a few issues. Just wondering what you ended up going with and what you recommend. I am considering pricing out all the parts from the dealer. Thanks!

Amazon TBK manufacturer with perfect reviews - https://www.amazon.com/TBK-Timing-Be...iglink20955-20

Amazon TBK from distributor with negative reviews - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...STHR6G891XVW5R