Yeah so what a difference...

Found a Honda mechanic who did the job on the side. He change my tbelt, water pump, crank seal, cam seals, tbelt tensioner, accessory belt tensioner and whatever else was needed on that side of the engine along with the thermostat, and a coolant flush. On top of this, he adjusted the valves and put on the option racing pulley I bought. This coming Friday will be replacing my leaking rear main seal along with my tranny oil.

The Results:
The engine runs soo much smoother now. It idles perfectly. No ticking, no pinging (not that it was...), nothing. Just a smooth running engine. The pulley is acting normally and is balanced properly. He checked it at Honda before he installed it on some kind of special machine. It sounds nicer too. More even if you know what I mean.

As for the removed parts, the tbelt was starting to chip. Probably would not have lasted another 6 months he said. The water pump was still in excellent condition. Thermostat was tested in a pot of boiling water and functioned properly. The crank seal started to leak, cam seals were OK, belts were worn, and the tensioners were leaking.

The valves were all way out of whack. He said that they all were loose as hell thus the ticking at idle. Pistons number 4 and 5 had the loosest valves out of any. He also said that the valves come tighter and looser than spec from the factory but I dont remember which side. He said that its ridiculous how sometimes they get a brand new car in and its valves are ticking right off the truck.

Now as for the difference in driving with the pulley. Its not a great difference, however with all the work done to the motor and the fact that its still learning the new settings, I have to admit that I am pleased. Everything is working great and just a slight pull on the highway shows a difference in responsiveness and slight power.

cliff notes:
got tbelt, seals, water pump, tensioners, belts, thermostat replaced
valves adjusted (were way out of spec)
option racing pulley installed
car runs very smooth with no more ticking at idle
slight pull on highway shows more responsiveness and slight power increase

 

how many miles on the dash?

 

110xxx daily driven and driven the way that it was meant to be driven..

 

nice write, i'm at 109k waiting to do similar

 

how much did he charge u?

 

I wz suprised he failed to mention tht part?

 

I think a local acura guy around my way said he'll do it for 500-600... not bad!! Im at 83k and i think i need to change my tranny fluid, radiator flush...

 

He charged me $325 for what is done already.
As for the rear main, he is charging me $300
Parts came out to $380 from Honda

So a decent tun-up with factory parts comes out to just over $1000
Much better than the $2700 quote i got from Acura.

 

anyone know how much just a valve adjustment should run?

 

They didn't give me an accurate quote but they did say 300-500

 

great write up! I'd like to find a guy/gal in Saint Louis that could/would do the aforementioned for me. Props on the resourcefulness! How did you go about finding your mechanic? Oh and did you change plugs? Either way, which ones do you use? (not a hijack attempt)

 

Try calling HTP in Arnold. They do great work. Also, plugs are easy to do yourself. NGK Iridiums is what I'd suggest.

 

Man that was a great write up...i am approaching my 105k tune-up and have a hookup too...now i see all that is going to be done...im going to suggest the valve adjustment too as mine have been ticking ever since i've had the car.

I have been thinking about getting a pulley but im not really knowlegable on which one to get or is most important. I might get all 3 UR pulleys and go with it but heard it messes up the harmonics of the car??? Does anyone know if that is true?

Anyway sounds like your car is a whole lot happier.

 

i am having that stuff done next tuesday for $500 parts from acura included that is still a good deal. my buddy is the head of service at acura.

 

Shit. I thought a valve adjustment was around $100.

Oh well. Having my valves adjusted this Saturday morning by Jotech. Just had my exhaust valves replaced and ever since my car has been ticking pretty bad.

 

I changed my plugs about 15,000 miles ago to Iridium of course but they were the Bosch plugs with the 4 ground contacts. Only bought them because they were the ONLY ones that AutoZone had that were Iridium at the time and were in stock. So thats whats in my car.

I called a friend of mine who knew a Honda mechanic who said that he wanted the job. The thing is that he never called me. SO, against Honda rules, I walked into where they fix the cars at the dealer. Walked up to a guy that was working on a Honda with a V6 on a lift. Asked him if he was up to doing some work on my car namely the tbelt, valves, and the rear main seal. He asked what car, I told him and he said that he would do it in his driveway. So I got his number and set it up to have it done.

I rather pay the guy cash and have him happy AND have someone that if I need something fixed on any of our Acura's (3 of them), I'll contact him first as he can tell me if he wants the job or not. Either way, he is a certified Honda mechanic so he can fix almost anything needed and has access to any specialty tools needed.

The dealer might not like what I did but to hell with them.

 

I hear that. Good job!!! That was a nice move, techs are always looking for sidejobs that they can do without a lift. Don't be afraid to ask them guys... you'll be suprised. Everybody is trying to make some tax free paper. Some shops/dealers even allow senior techs to work on whatever they want on weekends or after hours.

Lucky for me I used to work at a Acura dealer. My good friend still works there. Since I left that job (05-06) he has become the head tech and has the most seniority. I get parts at mega discount, and he's willing to do work on the weekends. He's even brought my car in during the day and got stuff done under "warranty". It pays to make friends and take care of people. Next time he does work for you make sure to tip him extra, trust me he'll appreciate it.

 

true that!

 

revival:

I stopped by a honda dealership and found a tech to do my 105 for $350. Now I need to buy the parts. Whats the average difference between buying them online opposed to dealership? Whats the preferred online vendor for these parts and if anyone has a list of parts that would be great too!

Thanks!

 

search...and there's info in the Second Generation Information Thread (sticky).

 

thanks.

 

I highly suggest using Craigslist. I have found several Acura techs doing that.

 

Awesome! Sounds like you have rekindled the flame with your car. I'm in the process of considering that if she doesn't sell. In a weird way, I kinda don't want it to sell, lol.

 

Mind passing me a PM with this guy's information? I'm in need of most of what you had done as I approach the 225,000 mark, and you sound extremely satisfied with his work ... and it appears he's relatively close.

 

I dont think I could bare to part with this car. Ive had quite a few cars and this is my favorite. I can beat the crap out of her and she still purrs when I get on her. lol.