seattle dale

Hello all, its been awhile. As my 2003TLS just passed the 100k mark, I was just wondering how imparative it is to get your Timing belt changed @ 105k like the Dealer suggests? Wondering how long people have gone without making the change or some horror stories fron not getting it changed like reccomended. Tnx

WillrunifChased

Do it, its not worth risking the consequences of not doing it.

MurdaZ

iTrader: (1)

^^ yea what he said, sure it is a costly job but if u intend on keeping the car for another 2-3 years extra its worth it.

we heard a couple horror stories of the belt breaking because it wasnt changed but those were for 99 tls, its rubber so its not the mileage, but mainly the age, i changed my belt for my 02 tl when i had 125 miles, and now im at 130 and going strong...

seattle dale

well i guess i better pony up & get er done. Its gonna hurt

01tl4tl

check out private honda acura specialist shops-look in the phone book- automobile repairing- some will have the make name or car pic- go in person if able or call and ask them for a list of whats done on their version of th e105- sone will know you need tensioners to be safe- others will lowball price you and then once the car is there and apart-------

Private small shops, with lower overhead and lower labor rate- they can do more needed work on the car for the same price total- like adjust the valves and clean the intake manifold EGR port and intake runners

There is a safety margin in the belt- most will go 150 no sweat, but to be safe 105 is the number- or on age- 7 years since rubber rots out over time
There are many 99s 00s on the OE belt and getting ready to change well past 105

DO get the Water Pump- if it fails you lose an engine- to replace it is a few dollars in comparison to the labor- its the very last part you get to- behind the timing belt!!!
Do get new tensioners and pulleys for the tining belt and may as well do the ac tensioner pulley and new belt while its all there

Do a lot of the basic if you can at home and save big- spark plugs are easy DIY, l
ooking at the fluids and topping off the washer bottle you can handle
A shop can do a brake fluid flush- should be done every year after year!!! Important!!
Changing cabin air filter and engine air filter are simple DIY, and the shops charge big money for the cabin filter- you will laugh at their 1.5 hours, when it took you 20 minutes and cost 17$ for new filters!

totaledTL

You could problably do the brake fluid yourself also, if you're fairly mechanically inclined- get or borrow a vacuum bleeder, they aren't that expensive and makes the job easier & faster.

Edward'TLS

Timing belt change is VERY IMPORTANT. Depending on how fast the car is driving when the belt snapped, the damage will range from a few bent valve stems all the way to a new engine unit. I have seen pictures of fractured valve stems poking out from the side of the engine block as a result of a broken timing belt.

david-s

my car has 122k so should i do it. Im thinking about purchasing some lightwieght pulleys should i have them installed at the same time i get my timming belt to save money on installation or will it matter?

Luke7

The local Honda Acura Repair shop here quotes $600 for timing belt and water pump replacement on my 99TL
The Acura Dealer (of course) is much more.

goldendragon576

Just not worth the risk to have the belt break. It's less then a $1000 for just the water pump and timing belt sevice vs. thousands more if I need to replace the engine or parts. Just not worth it IMO. Just like every time I pay for a parking meter, I always ask, is this quarter worth a $50 ticket. Yeah...quarter wins every time.

MurdaZ

iTrader: (1)

the dealer price will only include the water pump and timing belt.


many other things may go or just age will settle in eventually, when i got mine done i changed

water pump
timing belt
timing belt tensioner
ac tensioner
new ac belt, timing belt and p/s belt.

really its a peaceof mind, and like 01tl4tl, since its all being taken apart alrdy, wont cost much more


if anything avoid dealer, if u tell them all these parts to do,t heyw ill end up charging a lot more for labour vs the independant shop

01tl4tl

if you want a lightweight crankshaft pulley- thats all we need-,not the other units pullies changed too
- then yes!!! this is the time for its install-
see Excelerate for what you need-
or some use Bomz brand with no probs reported - CLs guys have been using them for years

Get the valves adjusted- everyone who has done their own found several intakes and a few exhaust valves on the loose side- cars run much better now-
with rising gas prices whatever you can do to eek out .5 mpg pays you back quickly

Have each shop you talk to give a list of what they expect to do- and what they often encounter as needing extra repairs on this job- they shuld know immedialty- ogh acura 105- yep tensioners and that router/idler pulley- and new belt for the ac of course and tension- Honda coolant is used- Do they clean the egr ports and intake runners on the manifold when its off for valve adjustment?
The low price gets you in- then it needs everything~~~~ -
I worked in a shop across the street fron the dealer- we each had our list of service and we provided more parts changed for the same money, and with a nicer attitude I was told!

Do what you can at home- air filter- spark plugs- cabin air filter- inspecting things-
that cuts off time the tech spends doing bs work, and more time doing skilled labor on your car

To me- who had a AC belt tensioner pulley make noise at 45k miles and finally fail in a loud and terrifying way at 80- some months after ac belt was replaced and the tensioner not changed then---
It sounded like a valve was about to come out of the engine but it was the belt tensioner!

So replacing the one for the timing belt is mandatory IMO-
I dont care if they think it will last another 50k- I dont plan on doing the next 105-
for another 105~!!!
dededeee

01tl4tl

there is a safety margin built in to the 105- and age is more critical than miles in most cases- 7 years and rubber deteriorates- probably less time now, with the reduced ozone layer around the Earth

if you run it hot and hard all the time- you could change it at 60 to be safe~
Many have run 120-130-150 and it didnt break
I know a certain wife (before she knew me) who went 175k miles and shredded the belt----bent the valves and everything!

So dont panic if you are at 100 in your 03- just start checking shops out
Ask for referrals with your type car- who cares about theor bmw tech- hopw is theor acura work?- look on the wall in the entry area- happy customers take time to write thank you notes- shops proudly display them! check the dates on them!! 5 years ago is not this month.
I found a place with a large buddah statue in the waiting lounge, the place is kept clean and organized during the day, and has a nice feel to it.
The owner, a Master Nissan Tech, has his sons and others he grabbed from privatew shops and dealers--working there- passing along the craft to the next generation of mechanics.

They even have a Hunter alignment rack sunk into the floor! so you can drive any lowered car straight on- no angle- no dragging the nose on your baby...
I have 85k mile and the plan is to do the 105 job before winter, it was going to be before this summer....but....ahhh i ahhhh

01tl4tl

I think procrastination is my biggest flaw-

but I would like a week or month or two to think on it and get back to you-
if thats ok~

myron

iTrader: (4)

I called Acura when I was coming close to 105 and they told me that timing belt is done every 100km not 105 miles like everyone says on this forum. Now I am at about 115 miles and still havent done it. Why the discrepancies between US acura and CND acura?

rob-2

it's 105k miles or 160k km.

Don't replace at your own risk.

qblink

Hi I have a 2000 TL (aka gaz guzzler) but anyway, I have 85K miles on it, and still haven't changed the timing belt...I am a little short on cash...and it is an expensive job. Could I got to 100K,the dealer mechaninc told that I should have done it at 60K and am asking for trouble...what do you think?

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Find another mechanic. 60K is way too soon to do it.....unless your car is 7+years old. As mentioned before, it's really more to with age then mileage.

smartypants

Hi Tl'ers :

I looked up the timing belt change interval in Canada and it said 165K's (not miles) unless your in a extreme cold (-20c) environment. I've got 113K and I'm not changing mine until at least 150K's. Thinking out loud, if I don't spend $5K and my engine destroys itself over a broken timing belt, the car is worth zero, but the car is only worth ~$8K now. So, you're really only risking $3k by not doing anything.

See my point ?

totaledTL

That does not sound like you- to put up with a noise for 35K miles w/out finding the cause-

CJITTY

I have heard before that if you do mostly highway driving, you can go much longer since the timing belt isn't stressing out as much? Not sure if that is true, but many people including acura and honda shops have told me that...I have 89K now, but almost all those miles are from my old 150 mile round trip commute to work going 75mph

Mystican

I have seen 100K belts that are OK, but if you look at the underside of the belt you start to see the cracks forming...I would just replace it!

truonghthe

Just replace it man, I ussually recomend people chage their TB around 90K miles.

YeuEmMaiMai

that's not true.........

there is only 1 dealer in my area that charges more for a water pump, and needless to say, he isn't very busy..........last time i got a quote for $700 and that included replacing any wearable parts that came off the motor to get to the belt such as drive belts and tensioners

YeuEmMaiMai

8 year old car with only 85K on it = dealer is going by servere service schedule......and in that case 60K would be about right......

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Certainly not trying to make light of his problem, but here is yet another reason why you need to take care of the timing belt service.

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-cl-2001-2003-50/my-2001-3-2-cl-type-s-died-emergency-help-687685/

itz.damenace

iTrader: (2)

eBay #1

dgronho

Replaced mine at 120k last year. Belt looked new. Was still glad I did it. It was a pain but got it done.

Replace all the crap under the belt covers. Water pump, tensioners, idler etc. You do NOT want to have a failure on any of those things and certainly don't want to dig into that for a damn water pump. And yes you have to remove it all to get the pump out.

I now have greater piece of mind when I zip up to 5k-6k rpms.

Misha322

A bit of a revival to the thread.

I am at the 105K mark and about looking to get the service done. Been doing some pricing around and have a question.

Talking to the parts department at the local Acura dealer and got the pricing on all the parts just so I know what they cost when I talk to the shops. When I went to the shop (Goodyear) I was listed in addition the Timing Belt, Power Steering Belt, A/C Alternator Belt and Water Pump, the also head "Timing Belt Kit" listed at a $200 price tag. When I called back the dealer parts department and asked about a kit, was told there is no kit. After looking on line some more, I found what kit included (Tension adjuster, crankshaft seals, etc.) but most kits included the belts as well, for which Goodyear is charging me separately. So then according to them, $200 kit only includes seals, crankshafts, tensioners. According to Goodyear, the kit is from OEM. I have not been able to find any Honda or Acura Timing Belt Kits on line to compare prices and bring it in to them to match (they are good about price matching, matched all the Firestone prices). Has anyone run in to the Timing Belt Kits? What is the reasonable OEM price tag for one if it dose not include the belts and pump?

Gfaze

I'm assuming they're talking about the timing kits (that Goodyear as well as other companies make/sell) that consist of a timing tensioner and timing idler pulley. $200 is pretty steep for that. Without the belt, kragen.com lists the kit for $54.99. With the belt, it lists for $105.99. Neither includes the seals nor have I ever seen them included in the kits. Seals are always sold seperately. (I work for Kragen) They're either charging you twice for the timing belt or they're really marking up that $55 kit.

I'd shop around if I were you, something doesn't smell right. If you'd like to see the kits I'm talking about, go to kragen.com, enter your vehicle info, go to Engine Parts & Mounts, then select Timing Belt Component kits, and there you'll see both of the kits. They're both there, with and without the belt. Good luck!

smartypants

Hi All :

I'm re-thinking my position on the 100K (timing belt etc.). It's a sad reality that our cars are losing value fast as we approach their end-of-life.

I've got a 99 with 73K miles (yes, I know it's low) and I'm thinking that even if the engine blows up, I'm still only out about $5k. Putting the $1K in to the car will not increase its value much and Murphy's law dictates that another part (transmission ?) will fail once I sink the money in and I'll end up scrapping the car with a shiny new timing belt in it !

I'm thinking that I'll drive the car for as long as I can, fixing the minor problems that come along and when the day comes when the engine eats itself, I'll accept the loss and move on to a new car. I don't see any other possibility for my situation.

smartypants

Edward'TLS

Why don't you sell the car now while it still has value ? Once the engine or tranny blow out, the crippled car is worth $0.

smartypants

Hi Ed :

I thought about that but, I bought a Boxster S last year and now use the TL as my winter/rainy day car. I would need to lay out $45K and the 99 is only worth about $5k even with a new belt etc. I'm thinking for $5K it's pretty cheap driving as long as it keeps going.

smartypants

FamusFace

Damn I may need to change mines soon. Here' the problem though; I have a '99 that just touched 150k km as of yesterday but when I do the converssion to miles its only 93k miles.

Does this mean that I can wait until it reaches 105K (in miles) or am I way past the required time? I dont think its the latter. Most people on this site are from the U.S. And they change their belts well beyond 105k miles.

Any insight would be welcome..

newperson

iTrader: (2)

That explains it...'cause I was gonna say why not sell it when it's still moving vs. wait for it to die & get almost nothing. But if you have two cars, it seems you can afford it, I guess.


FamusFace: not that I know anything on the subject, but 105k is just a recommended number; I would assume Acura was being conservative just to cover theirselves. FWIW, I did mine 10k after 105k (miles). And the amount of time is more important than miles, I've heard.

speedemon90

Wow this thread is scaring me, I got my moms 00 tl this last february when she got a new car. The car has about 157,000 miles on it and its a little bit over 8 years old. I think I'm am going to be selling this car soon, so I can get another one before this one starts having lots of problems, A/C has been out for over a couple months now. Do you think the timing belt could last atleast a year. I do not drive it much since I'm in college and I leave my car here, but some people where saying that it has to do more with age than mileage. Also can someone try to explain me which belt is the timing belt under the hood, and if i can visually check it. I do see a couple of belts on the left side of the engine block, are one of those it??

Gfaze

The timing belt is covered with a plastic shield behind the belts you can see. Also, if it's a 2000, it's now 9 years old. That rubber is probably in bad shape, you might think about replacing it if you want to keep the car running for a while.