stretchjob

I'm at 100600 or so...I know replacement is inevitable but I'd like to accumulate a little more $...

Slooo97CL

iTrader: (1)

if you wait and the belt breaks lil more $ becomes a lot more $

cantCL

haha he's right ... even though I'm in the same situation. I just broke 100k in KM. Im planning on taking action sometime in this summer. Did anyone do the change themselves? How difficult was it?

Repo1234

I've changed the belt on other cars before but I'm not even going to try with this one. It has a really small space and I would rather pay this time around. Besides I'm to busy with school! Oh and I'm also at 100800, but i'm gonna wait until I reach 105000.

1StGenCL

what is a few thousand miles from now until then I mean get it done, If that thing goes you are screwed. I have had mine changed twice, 100k and 200k and will change it again at 300k. Bottom line, if you wait some more you will probably be fine and maybe will have saved some more money for it but if you wait and it goes you are SOL.

DrDre1443

I just changed mine at 105K.......it's recommended by acura

vkilmor

105K is around the time to make that change i agree listen to you engine & pay attention to you performance. avoid a thousand dollar repair....
"A timing belt failure can be disastrous for an engine that doesn’t have enough clearance to prevent the pistons from smashing into the valves if the cam stops turning, it usually results in bent or broken valves, What would have been a couple hundred dollar job to replace the timing belt now becomes a major repair expense"

Zerostatic

hmmm . . . an optimistic man would say what would have been a couple hundred dollar job to replace the timing belt has now morphed into the perfect opportunity to do an engine swap!!!!


J32 here I come

stretchjob

so there's an indie shop across town who will do the belt and water pump (OEM parts) for 500 or so - plus Merchants tire who will do it all plus a few more things for about 800. I don't have a dealer close by, plus I'm fairly sure it would be a hose job there anyway. the guys at the honda place were kinda clueless.

CLpower

yea, i'm in the same boat, I didn't want to deal w/ lifting the motor, etc. Had a friends shop do it last saturday

Mitchel

i just had mine replaced last week $380 for timing belt and oil change. i am just about to break 200,000. 2nd timing belt and still on the first tranny! i would get it changed as soon as possible, a 400 dollars fix could easily turn into a 1800 dollar fix. i didn't get the water pump changed because the guy said he rarely sees them go out on the cl and tls. is that true???

Slooo97CL

iTrader: (1)

i got the water pump replaced on the second timing belt.

Mitchel

i think my water pump might have been changed at a 100k with the first timing belt changed but i am not sure i think i will be okay i hope

Slooo97CL

iTrader: (1)

find out, if it wasnt i would recommend changing it during the second timing belt change.

Mitchel

well it s to late now i had it done last week. oh well time will tell

r3mix3r

I have 73k miles and im a 97' 2.2cl and my mechanic was like telling me i need to change it asap. Is that true?

Smalls

first of all, DONT do it yourself unless you have advanced mechanical expirence. There is a special tool needed to do the job.

As for me, I had mine changed at about 110,000 along with the water pump. My car has all highway miles and my belt was in prestine condition. But my water pump had a small leak in it. Glad I did them together. DO IT TOGETHER, because the books have the same time for labor for both the pump and the belt. SO pay 300 no AND 300 later, or pay ~375 now and save yourself that money.

Smalls

depends on your car's history. Do you always floor it??? If you do, than yes sooner than later. Most of the time you change near 100,000 miles is industry standard.

r3mix3r

What matters more...Time or Miles? Because If u look in the manual my car being a 97' shoulda been changed years ago

Hobo

miles, if it sits its not putting wear on the belt...

this is of course within reason, dont let it sit for 15 years and then expect the belts to be like new

r3mix3r

Why does acura specify a certain # of months then!?

r3mix3r

bump

wilp99

naw man theres no special tool. the manual says to use the battery tie down rod for the 3.0 atleast. and for the 2.x u can use a small screwdriver to put in the hole behind the engine to stop the shaft movement.

wjk

My recently purchased '99 has 98,000 miles. I have always changed timing belts at purchase, but my other vehicles all had lower specified intervals (50,000) and I wasn't sure if it'd been done. On this new one the interval is 105,000 and obviously I know it came with one from the factory...

Both my mechanic and the service manager at an Acura delaer say I can wait a while. The service manager at the dealer said she'd never seen one break on a CL (perhaps because most Acura owners don't wait till 125,000).

So I guess I'll wait 1 or 2k and then get it done.

wjk

Is your neck of the woods very, very cold? If so, the recommended interval is 60,000miles

acura519

I have never heard of anyone's breaking, yet people are paranoid as hell about it. My car has 125k and I haven't had it done, and I'm selling it. I'm telling the guy who buys it its not even worth it, imo.

I've scoured the internet for a story of someone breaking theirs, not even people who hotrod this car out have it break. There is like 10 other parts that will fail before your timing belt... The water pump may fail eventually, then I suppose it would be worth it to swap the belt out as you change that, but.. imo, timing belts on CL's are pretty much indestructible, unlike on Integras or earlier Hondas.

suprachica79

do not wait, change it right away and make sure you do the water pump as well, I'm facing over $1000 of problems because the idiot before me didnt change the water pump when he did the timing belt. It might not totally break but all it takes is 1 tooth to get jumped and its all over since we have an interference motor.

civic_slayer

do the math acura519
rubber+age/wear=destruction

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Someone's timing belt just snapped on here a while back aside from suprachica's problems, I can't remember who it was but they just posted about it a month or 2 ago

arstraub

Do you mean the first time or the second? HAHA

1st: 115k
2nd: 195k

That's in my 3.0, though. My sister's went @ about 140k I do believe in her 2.2 w/ the water pump when we were on vacation...and hers just snapped and the car stopped haha

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

She's lucky she didn't throw a rod

acura519

Wow thats almost 2 people.

civic_slayer

yeah because the rest of us are smart and replace the timing belt when it is supposed to be changed at 100K miles. Don't come complaining to us when your engine blows up.

arstraub

I changed the timing belt after I got the car "sorry" I can't "fix" previous owners' doings

acura519

I've read far more about people abusing their CL's and changing the timing belt, on a whim, at like 230k miles and taking it off and going "looks new" than I have read about people who have had a timing belt problem.

Think about it, all the timing belt scares started with mid to late eighties Hondas having problems, and the Integra occasionally. Honda, however, doesn't mess around and made the belt more robust. Ten years later you have our cars, virtually bulletproof mechanically.. but guess who likes to charge lots of money to do preventitave maintenance? That's right, dealers.

Hondas don't break enough, how else are they supposed to make money?

Cocoa

iTrader: (2)

I wonder if this was the guy there were rumors of having it done out in the NY area. I've heard it was left auto (the 5 speed tranny from the cls), and that the wiring was a mess. But there was no such proof...



Btw, I waited till 110k to change my belt.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Then changed your motor

Iagent

I only know of one Honda belt that snapped, and that was on a 1987 Accord with about 250K mi. It was total destruction of the engine, but it was a worn out car anyway.

shnee

i think i'd rather play it safe when it comes to the longevity of my motor

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

I changed it @ 60 and I'll change it again sooner than later