DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

No, Austin, dammit, I'd buy you pizza and vodka for a week, haha

Majofo

I have a good buddy that lives in Jersey. If I'm ever in those parts I'll shoot you a PM.

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Ah, you're better off...you're not getting raped by the high cost of everything we New Joiseians face, anyway...but if you were up here in October of next year that would be all too spectacular

This is seriously my fav thread on AZine...awesome DIY in such a critical area, well written, saves people a boatload of cash, I could go on...

I am going to spend a good amount of time studying this and try to find someone that can lend a hand in doing this (to ensure I'm doing it right), but there's no way I am paying for the service at the dealer after reading this. Not to mention, I am sure the same level of detail you're following would not have been at the dealer...

Again, this really is awesome stuff...thanks for all the pics and detailed write up!!!

Any idea when you're going to be getting the ported components in?

Majofo

I need to talk to Paul (NVA-AV6) about it before pulling the trigger on some new valvetrain components. That, plus I'm getting married next year.. so.. it'll either be this winter.. or next winter.. lol.

antlive

Man what a great DIY....wish I had the tools to do this..

subinf

Very nice.

ed-gsxr

AWESOME write up! thanks for the diy man.

240sx acura tech

hope thats not a china water pump. its not an acura one. not good.

gotkilled

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the excellent writeup. Makes me wish i attempted the 105k service myself instead of paying someone to do it.

Majofo

It's a Gates WP.. Do you think it'll give me issues down the line?

gotkilled

iTrader: (1)

Gates is good. You shouldn't have a problem with it. I heard Gates is one of the leading brands for timing belts ..pretty sure they're decent w/ water pumps.

240sx acura tech

you should be all right. them china ones crack blocks.

Majofo

You had me worried.. Thanks for the help 240sx. I need to ask your advice on my X trans.. I'll bump the AT thread in the MDX section.

kostya.lyt

iTrader: (1)

Excellent write-up! I'm about 30k miles away from this and was trying to to figure whether I should do it myself or not. After this write-up, I'm definitely going to tackle it.

Thanks!

'04ack

OH my, this is right on time for me. I'm needing to do this ASAP. My TL is at 134K. I've got to get some money soon. Unemployment SUCKS!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Dude, I have to say thank you. I have a lot of respect for someone that takes that much time to make a detailed DIY to help people out. This should definitely go into the garage.

It did something else for me, it confirmed that although I have a lot of confidence with tinkering....I will be paying someone to do this for me.

Majofo

I know.. I've been there and I have several friends who are still unemployed for 1.5 yrs now, floating from temporary jobs / low pay contract jobs until something comes through. Three of my friends have fortunately found jobs in the past couple months so things are improving and companies are starting to hire again. Since they were laid off I've helped change out the struts on a civic, swap out the alternator on a focus (pita btw) and helicoiled new threads for the plugs on a hyundai 4 banger after some shop botched a tuneup (didn't screw new plugs in all the way causing a blowout).. They saved at least $600 on each of the jobs so think of it as a good time to start saving money, not only now, but also in the long run. Definitely try to fit in the service ASAP and best of luck on finding a job. If you tackle this DIY, just bump the thread if you get stuck or have a question.

Thanks and I definitely understand. My main goals was to help educate members on what is involved so whether they decide to tackle it or not, they know exactly what needs to be done, and for other more experienced members to chime in their thoughts.

wilsel

I think the crank pulley bolt removal is the hardest part of the entire job. It can look intimidating, but it's pretty straight forward once you get into it. If it's your first time be prepared to spend up to 8hrs to replace the TB.

'04ack

Cool, as soon as I can I'll be diving into this. I've got an interview Thursday. Just got to tell my wife that the car's going to be down for a day.

TheChamp531

iTrader: (3)

Perfect.

I can see it now. While I'm headed to class, Majofo will be replacing my timing belt. I come back too see my car is not done and he is passed out with a bottle of GG.

Nice write-up!!

vytenisb

Thanks for putting the time in and sharing.

"V"

jr27

im at 104k now and im still debating wether i should do it myself? i am not a total noob when it comes to mechanics but im not pro either. it looks like ill be doing it my self. and also where can i get the gates belts and waterpump you guys talk about in this thread?

vytenisb

Partsd should be available from Acura or aftermarket from an auto parts store.
The difficulty I'm having is locating the 50 mm hex tool to aid the removal of the crank pulley. Acura dealer will not sell it to me.

DMZ

Whether you do it yourself or not, I'd stick with OEM parts. Remember, you're dealing with INTERNAL INTREGAL MOVING ENGINE COMPONENTS when it comes to the timing belt and the water pump. Go for the $295 kit special Hansel Prestige Acura is offering AZine members on this site.

And if you're not 100% certain about being able to do the job yourself, bit the $$$ bullet and let an experienced professional handle it.

.
.

nfnsquared

Two questions for you two gents:

At what mileage (if at all) did you get the "4" and "Service due soon" message?

At what mileage did the message change to "Service due now"?

Thanks!

nfnsquared

Someone has posted a link where you can get the tool. I think it might have been in mmade's 100K thread, not sure.

94eg!

I got mine from Amazon.com for $24. Works great. I've used it a couple times now without issue. Keep in mind the crank bolt is VERY difficult to remove. I had my pipe-handles slid over both my ratchet and my breaker bar (as extensions) to get the thing off and it was still bitch. It took all my strength and about 10 tries to break it loose.

http://www.amazon.com/Powerbuilt-648...3798023&sr=8-1

T0L8

Thanks for sharing! Awesome!

What is the saving, in dollar, of doing it yourself vs. having the stealership does it for you? I don't think I have the skill to do this, but want to just because I like doing things myself. It's a quality control issue with me.

94eg!

You probably save 50% doing it yourself. It's pretty labor intensive to get the job done and they charge you as such. Plus they like to add labor rates for changing things like water pumps even though they're already 95% of the way there already with the timing belt.

I agree with the quality control issue. I like doing things myself so I know it was done right. Of course not everyone is capable of "doing it right" themselves, and I can definitely understand that. For some reason my brain stays really organized with this sort of thing...

Another nice thing is that you have the option to pick and choose what you want to replace. Since you can always do it again yourself for free, you can forgo changing "preventative maintenance" items like idler pulleys or even the water pump that could always last another 100k miles. You can wait till these items actually experience failure because they tend to be noisy and semi obvious when they do. Personally I replaced everything except the idler and tensioner pulleys when I did one of these V6 motors.

T0L8

If it takes that much force to loosen, then how did you apply the same force when you re-installed it? Torque wrench?

Majofo

Shop around.. Amazon would definitely be a good source. I recommend getting an OE waterpump in hindsight since they're proven reliable and have the lipped lining to hold the o-ring in place. Gates makes quality components but just a thought. One of my favorite sources for OE parts is acuraoemparts[dot]com.. there are also some vendors here who have great deals on parts.

Mine finally tripped around 106.7K.. I'm in the 107K range and it still says "due soon" I'll update you when it says "due now"


This varies greatly depending on your location and what tools you have available to you. It could be anywhere from a couple hundred to $1.5k if you add in the plug and thermostat change. Doing this job myself gave me great peace of mind.


The moisture, dirt, thermal and mechanical stress the CP bolt is subjected to for 100K miles makes the breaking torque somewhere > 600 ft.lbs (maybe more like 800 ft.lbs to be honest). The spec torque to reapply the bolt is 181 ft.lbs. Big difference.

Majofo

What do you know.. it happened after I posted.

~106.7K - Due Soon
~107.5K - Due Now

so somewhere between 0.8k - 1k miles.

TLTrance

Mojofo (or anyone else): Know anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area that can do a good job with this service? I'm torn between letting the dealer do it, but possibly getting some things done "not so well", and definitely paying up the a$$. I don't think I have the mental fortitude or mechanical know-how to attack this one. Even if I tried, I think there's a good possibility I might f this up.

I think the only thing I may do myself is the spark plugs...

TLTrance

I should add that I'm at 98,700 miles right now, so I probably still have a good 7-8K miles before this service...

Majofo

Doing the plugs alone saves you ~$200.

I know people in the bay area but none of them are mechanically inclined unfortunately. Give a shout out in the regions section, I'm sure those guys will point you in the right direction. Shop around as well.. this DIY is still a good guide for those letting the shop do it so you know exactly what needs to be done. At your miles I would wait it out and find the best deal in the mean time. A decent quote will be around ~$700 all inclusive - valve adj & plugs. Anything lower than that is an excellent deal.

Call around and inquire about the labor price alone, ask if they'll do it if you bring in the parts. Also request the old parts be put in a box in your trunk when you pick it up so you verify everything was installed. I know Acura dealerships will only use OE parts but you still save a huge margin on OE parts bought online. The in house price sometimes carries a ridiculous margin.

TLTrance

For the NGK Iridium Laser #6994 part, I noticed that it comes pre-gapped at 0.044". Is this the correct gap width for our 3G TLs? Specifically, I have a 2005 5AT.

Majofo

They're OE spec'd plugs so it's not necessary to change the gap. The actual spec is 0.039 - 0.044" or 1.0 - 1.1mm.

nfnsquared

Yeah, on the Iridiums, don't try to gap them yourself. You can check the gap, but if it's off, take them back and get another set/plug.

and the 04 service manual lists the gap as 1.0-1.1 mm or 0.039"-0.043".

Wonder why/if the gap spec changed between 04 and 05?

saturated_fat

Ok, I'm stumped. I just did this service on an 05 TL. Infact I did the timing belt TWICE now because I thought maybe the timing was off.

Basically the car idles a little rough, Cel (I'm assuming its a cel, picture of a motor) will either come on and flash for a few seconds or so and then go away or stay solid.

I've done, the Thermostat, Plugs, Timing Belt, Serpentine belt, Water Pump, and all tensioners (on the timing belt). I've went back to the old plugs just in case there was an issue with the new ones...

I have not pulled the code as I'm worried about driving the car to autozone.

I've attached a pic of the front cam as it is now. Is this correct? Is it off by a tooth? I've done this twice now I dont see how to get it any tighter on that cam.

I havnt slept in awhile so maybe the CP isnt EXACTLY on the arrow when I took the pic but I think it is....

Any thoughts?

Majofo

pics?

sounds more like misfire to me.