The manual states that I should change my timing belt at 105,000 miles. I now have 111,000 miles and cant afford the work until the end of the year. Has anyone had one go on them yet?

 

I haven't had it go out on the TL, but I have had it go out on another car. It ain't pretty. If you can't afford it, try taking it to a reputable private mechanic. I think my friend found a bunch of places that would do it for like $300 or so.

(Better pay $300 now, then paying big $$$ for an engine rebuild)

 

Another option is to do it yourself. Get the Helms Manual for like $69 dollars. I watched a friend do it on his accord V6. Took about half a day for him, (he's never done it before), but the part is dirt cheap. All the cost is in the labor. If I remember, you just need to remove the passenger side front tire, and remove the serpentine belts, pullies, and then unbolt the cover, etc etc.

 

Good Idea to change the water pump too while everything is out of the way...

 

i have 160,000 miles on mine. i wouldnt worry to much about it, and the last time i checked with the dealer it was 800 to do the work. when you replace that you should also replace your water pump.

 

I've had 3 in my lifetime break. Your engine will need to be replaced if it breaks.

 

the belt is cheap, it is the labor that gets you.

 

how have you managed to have 3 break??? ive had 4 hondas now with a combined total of over 800,000 miles and never replaced a timing belt on them and never had one fail. i even raced one auto x and scca and it had 250+k on it and its still running.

 

I was in the military for 11 years, so I have owned many more cars than the average person. They seem to break more in higher temperature areas.

 

Could be just bum luck. In college, my room-mate's GF managed to total her brand new M3, as she was driving it off the dealer lot

 

i think it has to be

 

well you wont have a car if it breaks on you. if you cant afford the belt you definately cant afford an engine. i would do it asap.

 

i have 161,000 miles on mine. i wouldnt worry about it

 

They're both around the same area and it's better to do them both at the same time. It'll save you $$$ in the long run. I too had a mechanic do it themselves and just bought the parts from the dealer.

 

Yep - always do the water pump at the same time. Personally, I would be sure to change the timing belt. And yes, the belt itself is only a few dollars - it's the labour that kills ya! I wouldn't panic about it based on the mileage you have on the car now (manufacturers always list a suggested mileage for replacement slightly before it's time to change it knowing that owners don't run to do it the minute the car hits 80,000 or 100,000...). That being said - depending on the condition of the belt, you're always running a risk of it snapping. It's not really anything you can predict. If you don't want to chance killing your engine, I would get it changed. If you want to risk it - you might be lucky and never have a problem, or you might not and it'll break. No way of knowing. But the first thing I would do if I bought a used car with high mileage would be to change the timing belt + water pump if it hadn't already been done. Just my opinion though.

 

just a little side not to this, its usually not miles that kill the belt, its age. when they come up with the figure of 105k its usually based uppon the average drivers 12-15k a year, and at 15k that comes out to be 7 years. does it hurt to change it? no, will you run the risk of it breaking on you if you dont??? a new one could just as easily snap as a old one

 

Thanks all

 

cost me about 450 to do it, i'm definitely doing it myself the next time around, I hope I don't have to detach the engine from the body though, I'm getting aircompressor+impact drill/gun

 

I would have to recommend going to a dealer to do this. You mess this up even a little and your engine will go bye bye.
I only have 69 K's on my car, but I will get it changed this summer for piece of mind.

 

could it really cause damage if it snaps..

some motors it is not a problem.

 

our motor is a zero clearance motor. if the timing belt goes the valves fall into the pistons, and to put it nicely engine go BOOM!

 

fsttyms1 Do you have more miles that me? mine is a 2000 with 111,000 miles on it. I was quoted about 800.00 to have it replaced. I am getting a new car in 2005 should I just wait? car seems to run okay to me but I know nothing about engines.

 

There got to be signs of belt wear for us normal humans can look for. If so, what are they?

 

i have 161,300 miles on my original belt. mines still looking fine. its not dry rotted or cracking.

MadCat all you can do is pull the cover off and inspect it for dry rotting or cracking. its not the easies thing to look at

 

That's the danger. The belt is not exposed like the accessory belt, so you can't visually inspect it.

There are two types of engines when it comes to timing belt concerns: interference and non-interference. The TL has an interference engine which means that should the timing belt snap an open valve may be struck by a moving piston, when could damage either, or both. That would require major engine work or replacement, whichever was cheaper.
Non-interference engines do not allow the valve and pistons to ever occupy the same space.

Since the belt can't be seen without some engine disassembly, it's wise to not prolong replacement much beyond the recommended interval.

 

Y not? i now have 173,000 miles on mine

 

Well they were basing that recommendation on avg age at that mileage (105K) so you're just tempting fate. Your experience is exceptional compare to others that've posted on this thread about belts that actually broke.

 

nah im not tempting fate, im trusting in design, and actual experiance in honda engines. 4 hondas all over 200k (except tl) oll had original belt never broke. its kinda like the "3000" mile waste of money oil change. but hey on the bright side if it did break i guess it would give me an excuse to do a 3.5+ conversion