5point9Limited

I ended up buying the kit off of ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=140229139699

Labor was $400 at a reputable shop.

The Accessory belts look hurt, but the timing belt and water pump look decent for the mileage. The mechanic said that it looks a whole lot different when there is tension on it.

timing belt:


timing belt:


Accessory blets:


Water pump:



Tensioner:

5cylinder

As decent of shape your timing belt is in, i would vote on the side of precaution.
the 2.5 can be brutal on the belt, although when i removed my water pump it looked as clean as yours. (245,000mi) i dont think that water pumps go bad as often as we are advised, but like a mechanic will say, as long as you are in there it is cheap to do.

the G25A will die ultimately from one of two things.
-low oil
due to a less than stellar oil pickup and one oiling point along the 20 lobe camshaft.
-broken timing belt

for the well being of my motor i change oil every 3,000 mi and am planning on replacing the timing belt again at 50,000.
I have torn two of these motors apart and anyone can see the difference between the one that was cared for and the one that was neglected.

5point9Limited

Good advise! What oil do you use? I also change mine every 3k. What kind of mileaage are these motors capable of?

TexasHonda

The reason for replacing the T'belt is to absolutely avoid belt failure, since this results in major engine damage. To do this you must replace T'belt well ahead of any obvious wear. Statistically, probably 3-5 std deviations below mean belt failure mileage to have a very low probability of failure.

Accessory belt failure is not catastrophic, although some damage can occur. I've always read that cracks in the grooved ridges of the accessory belt are not harmful. Still on the 2.5TL, you have to remove all accessory belts to get to the T'belt, so accessory belts replacement w/ T'belt makes sense.

Suggest popping the bearing cap on the tensioner and examining the grease. Is is still nice and moist, or has some dried grease? I ran an Accord tensioner to about 170K miles and it was very dry when replaced.

Water pumps don't have any obvious signs of wear except perhaps some growling from the bearing, if the pump is near failure. Otherwise nothing. They usually start to fail by weeping by the shaft rotating seal, which damages bearing and usually starts squealing.

Nice pics!

good luck

5cylinder

i use valvoline 5W-30
start with a clean engine and every 3,000 miles it still looks like light bear pouring out of your motor.

CitizenPete

Thanks for the post and pics. I have 106000+ miles now... Is it imperative that I get the belt replaced based on the mileage

I saw a new belt on eBay - just the one belt (not a "kit"). If I get mine replaced, should I take my 97 TL to the Acura dealer for the belt work, or buy the belt off eBay and find a local mechanic? It sounds like the accessory belts and water pump are typically replaced along with the timing belt -- does anyone know what the approximate dealer cost is for this kind of job?

I've got the back engine oil leak as well (maybe distributor seal?) and it's getting worse.

5point9Limited

Buy the kit from the link I supplied in my 1st post. I asked the mechanic about the quality of the parts, he said they seemed like very high quality parts. The water pump was NWP (Nissan Water Pump)

I was quoted at Boardwalk Honda/Acura $1,200 for the service. I spent $125 on parts and $400 labor. do the math!

Do everything while the motor is apart.

CitizenPete

I was looking at the service manual and there appeared to be a few odds and ends not in the kit that are recommended for replacement (i.e. gaskets) ... did you purchase those separately?

5point9Limited

No, they were in there too. I am almost positive I saw them in the package.

CitizenPete

I ordered the kit yesterday and have started my search for a decent mechanic at a "reputable shop" to do the work here in NE Ohio. My litmus for price is your stated $400. What part of the country do you live in and what kind of shop was it, if you don't mind me asking.

Also regarding the gaskets: It looks like the kit includes upper and lower timing belt cover gaskets, but did not include head cover gasket (metal?) or the "o" ring for the dipstick tube, or the rubber seals or washers in the head cover. I imagine that it is not always required that you replace these gaskets unless damaged or leaking.

5point9Limited

I am not sure about the rest of the gaskets to tell ya the truth! I had it done at a gas station that is reputable here in South Jersey. They do very nice work. I must add that I also had the thermostat done, too on top of the $400.

Call around and get quotes. 2 gas stations quoted me the same. The dealer was a bargain too...$1200.

01tl4tl

most towns have a honda-acura specialist shop- that often does other imports as well
Often staffed by former dealer techs and mechanics in training.
Look in the telephone book for those- go in person and see if its clean and organized- what about the workbenches as the techs are doing jobs- organized or stuff laying all over the place...guess which one I would use

CitizenPete

Gaskets http://www.acuraautomotiveparts.org/...s=&view=normal

I guess these gaskets in the diagram above are optional and only replaced if damaged or deteriorated.

O-ring gasket for water pump comes with the kit.

Plus o-ring for oil dip stick pipe.

Superdesi

Do they even print telephone books anymore? I haven't had one delivered to my house in years. Nonetheless, I have received more info about good mechanics here than searching on the net.

racerock

Could not have written it better. I'll just add:

- I have a timing belt from an Audi A4 1.8T Quattro that failed and resulted in a bunch of problems. I bought the car as is and fixed up the engine, and it runs great now. But my point is:

--- If you look at the 12" around the point of failure on the timing belt, one would say that the belt looks bad (DUH, it is broken and fractured). If you look at the rest of the belt, it looks absolutely fine.

So my point is that looking at a timing belt does not tell you squat - go by the mileage...

vas25tl

Better safe than sorry.. I'm on my 3rd timing belt and 234K miles

TexasHonda

One acid test for finding a mechanic. Ask has he done an Acura 2.5TL, Honda Accord, or Civic? If not, then pass. Some experience w/ Acura/Honda products is essential.

The 2.5TL is not bad, perhaps even easier than Accord or Civic, but you don't want someone learning on your nickel.

good luck

Go90go

If anyone with a 3.2 is going to do the timing belt and accessory belts, too, LMK. You might as well buy my crank pulley and install it at the same time. I'll give you the power steering, alternator, and AC compressor belts (custom Gates belts), too, all for a good price!

~Cheers~

P.S. My 3.2's timing belt was done for about $800, so you 2.5s really have it cheap!

racerock

Or a 3.2TL, Subaru DOHC (SOHC is not too bad)

Or Head gaskets on a Subaru along with the Timing Belt

Go90go

^ BTW, good to see you posting again!

~Cheers~