I am at 110k miles, i've owned the car for just about 6 months. Looking at getting them changed since it wasn't done yet.

few questions:

- How often do these actually go out on you?

- How do i know when i really need to step up and fix it? (symptoms)

- Do you recommend a particular brand or website to get a good TB and WP? (or just go with OEM?)

- And do you recommend getting this done at the dealership or could i go to a local shop?

Thank You!

 

Only go with oem parts for critical stuff like this. Do a search for the Aisin TKH-001 kit which contains the 5 components necessary, not just the belt and wp. This kit contains all the oem parts and is approx $220 on ebay.

 

thats a heck of a deal on those parts,,dealers here who help us out get 350!
see threads in the black market sponsored sales area,,thats with all belts and things ebay kit may not have

ask around private shops that have acura listed on their ad as a specialty
they are different than hondas in certain ways

find out how many they have done recently
labor runs 4 6 8 hours depending on how they bill

most shops hate you bringing in parts, thats part of their profit on the job

look for local honda speed shops, those guys tear the motors apart every race
and can work on the TL safely

look for ziners near you who can help diy

how to know its time? its past 7 years or 105kmiles whichever first
many report a few years and 10-20kmiles over,,then find cracks in belt,,,scary!

without warning, the belt breaks or a bearing fails and belt snaps!
some exhaust valves are open and pistons hit - bent valves = toss that motor in the garbage!!

 

This is that magical 100k milestone that many dread the ownership costs.

Many cars are over the 7 year time frame, but alot of owners put the service off due to the expenses involved. Apparently, if being the original owner....they are burnt out and it's a good excuse to just dump the car for a newer one.

If the second or third owner, oftentimes they are unsure if the service has ever been performed. For whatever reason, it gets put on the backburner and the current owner is willing to play "Russian roulette". Depending on their luck and how long they keep the car.....the stakes of risk are quite high !

 

while others are aware of the `interference engine` style we have
meaning broken tbelt = bent exhaust valves = expensive head work = may as well get a junkyard motor for $500 and slap a 105 kit on it

dealer quotes $1500 shy many away from the service and towards a trade in
heck you cant get people to install new spark plugs because they are 8 bucks each!

 

As previously recommended to new owners: check Carfax and also register with www.owners.acura.com to help find out your TL's maintenance record and recalls. It's possible that someone may have already done these repairs. The folks that originally bought Acuras were generally pretty articulate with their car's service. But, if the car had several owners along with tranny issues.....alot of them jumped ship. A 10 yr. old /100k car can start to nickle & dime you !

The belt's condition can be inspected for wear, however if uncertain, it's better to be safe than sorry later. The nearly $1000 repair costs can spook some people. If you're sure that you want to keep the car and invest in it's better wellbeing, shop for the necessary parts......then find a local reputable private shop that has experience with Honda/Acura repairs.

 

its not possible to inspect the belt fully until its removed from the engine,
the cracks are on the inside-working edge

Its easy to tell if wrenches ever touched the bolts on covers for the tbelt
meaning it was replaced

 

I just had my 99 done with 100K miles and you couldn't tell the new one from the old. However, all the other belts were cracked plus the water pump was leaking. I had this done as part of a transmission rebuild which made the job, pretty much mandatory but also significantly less expensive.

Before my trans work, I had made the decision to NOT replace the timing belt and was rolling the dice. Even if the engine implodes, the cost of the timing belt represented so much of the resale value, it made sense to just run it.

I ordered my timing kit from Delray Acura for $295 all in.

I would still maintain not to replace the timing belt unless other work makes the replacement more reasonable. I know the "super-maintainers" will universally disagree.

 

I personally don't feel as though having the transmission rebuilt made the "T-belt service" mandatory, as replacing it has very little to do with tranny repairs.

Perhaps there may've been a minor savings because the car just happened to be sitting in the shop at the time. It could've very easily had waited had you chosen to do so !

Apparently you were willing to take the risk as many others inadvertently do the same.
As you mentioned, at over 10 years of age .... a rebuilt tranny along with a replaced t-belt are good selling points for those who prefer peace of mind over rolling the dice.

The drive belts, rad hoses and the T-belt were all overdue for replacement. You also found that the water pump was at it's life's end. Consider yourself a winner of beating the odds for as long as you did, especially if you didn't have "new car fever" in mind !

 

Thanks for the feed back guys, but i was quoted 8xx.00 at a honda dealership last week, i already changed my plugs myself, so they said i can knock off about a 100 bucks, so i'm only looking at around $700-775 for the belt,wp, valve adjustment, coolant flush, ect. on the car. my tranny seems to be good, knock on wood, still original. but when i bought the car i did do a flush since the fluid in it previously was turning brown.

 

they dont flush the coolant,,rare to find a TL rad in bad condition
there is an engine block drain bolt, and removal of the wp takes care of other trapped coolant~

its a slow time of year for shops, you can negotiate,,, keep an eye out for honda dealers that will do our 105 on special

the leaking WP would have killed your engine,,bet you had no idea it was bad --
leaking also means not pumping full pressure,the leak is a `weep hole` meant to alert you to seal prob-shaft failure

you have to flip old tbelt inside out and use a magnifying glass to look for cracks
they are there,,just when will they get bad enough to destroy the engine...?
Had it happen to the Teg,,belt disintegrated while engine running--with only 175kmiles on it!

 

Hey Sharma1492, The price quoted at approx: $700 is not bad for T-belt replacement service at an Acura dealership. Do some researching on the miscellaneous other things to replace or check at the time, as it can save you substantially in labor costs.

Things like the drive mechanisms for the T-belt along with seals, hoses, outer belts, t-stat, fan sensors, etc......etc. (all these items should be only extra for parts).

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3.2TLc

I personally don't feel as though having the transmission rebuilt made the "T-belt service" mandatory, as replacing it has very little to do with tranny repairs.

Would you drop ~$2K on a trans rebuild and then bolt it to an engine with the original T-belt ? I didn't think so....ergo why its a no brainer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3.2TLc

Apparently you were willing to take the risk as many others inadvertently do the same.

Again, when your car is worth ~$2K, putting $1K into a perfectly running vehicle makes no sense. Run it until it stops and then make the call.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3.2TLc

As you mentioned, at over 10 years of age .... a rebuilt tranny along with a replaced t-belt are good selling points for those who prefer peace of mind over rolling the dice.

...and this was one factor why I went ahead with these two jobs. All used car buyers ask the T-belt question and if the answer is no, the car is worth significantly less. With our cars well known for tranny issues, re-built prior to selling is just another positive for a prospcetive buyer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3.2TLc

The drive belts, rad hoses and the T-belt were all overdue for replacement. You also found that the water pump was at it's life's end. Consider yourself a winner of beating the odds for as long as you did, especially if you didn't have "new car fever" in mind !

Well..er...no. I think a Honda should last for more than the 100K miles I have on mine and I certainly don't feel like a "winner". While waiting in an airport, I totalled up all the significant replairs and came up with 20 seperate jobs, all of which are considered typcial and well known to this forum.



smarty

 

This is right from the maintenance schedule.

105,000 mileage maintenance:

- Replace Timing Belt(s)
- Replace Water Pump
- Valve Adjustment
- Replace Engine Coolant
- Replace Spark Plugs (already did that)
- Change Oil

Total: $924.95 Take $100 off since i already did the spark plugs.

 

It's worth considering some other parts (as necessary, if original) which may be the passenger side top motor mount, external drive belts and hoses, cleaning of egr passageways, throttle body cleaning, inspect/replace t-belt auto-tensioner and pulleys, t-stat, check crank & cam seals. The additional labor should only be nominal along with the costs of parts, when having the 105 T-belt service performed.

 

It's worth the money to keep up with the maintenence. I bought an 01 TL from a guy who had the timing belt replaced but skipped out on the water pump. That faulty water pump caused problems, which resulted in a shredded timing belt while I was driving the car. I was extremely fortunate that the engine was not damaged. I bought the parts and did the repairs myself, and while it was way cheaper, it took several days to fix everything and test for any additional damage. Plus, the near heart attack of a shredded timing belt is NOT worth it. The TL has a nice engine. Pay the money and keep it that way. That's my opinion...

 

Excellent advice from David1221 ! Thanks for sharing your testimonial consequences, even though the outcome could've been much more devastating in reality.

It does not pay to "skimp" on what may seem to be not necessary at the time, but down the road the initial costs of those extra parts will pay big dividends in overall troublefree reliability. The main thing to keep in mind, is that it's basically only the added costs of parts. A reputable shop will not attempt to double dip a knowing person with extra labor expense as everythings already torn apart.

So, you gotta ask yourself, do I want to pay now or take the risk of paying more later ?