Didn't mess with the plugs at all except for troubleshooting afterwards when I pulled plug one to verify it's piston was TDC, and no codes on my reader. Here is a quick video:

 

Plugs are fine, maybe a bit rich, but no damage or stray metal. I was able to look into the front spark plug holes and the pistons looked good as far as I could tell. I am looking for my mirror to check the back pistons.

 

Rear pistons look good too, at least as much as I can see through the spark plug holes.

 

I'm no expert, and the video might be enhancing or obfuscating that noise, but I've heard a similar clatter before from a failed water pump.

If the engine is otherwise fine, is that possibly the case here?

 

Hmmm, water pump was replaced with new one from the timing belt kit, but I guess that doesn't necessarily rule out that it may have been bad.

 

I'm certainly no expert, but that doesn't sound like valves hitting. Were you able to pin point the location of that sound?

If timing was off enough to cause valve/piston strike, I would assume you'd get a code/s.

What all was replaced?

Did you run the engine without the drive belt attached to see if the sound went away?

 

It sounds like it is coming more from the top of the motor around the area of cylinders 2 and 3.
That video was taken with the accessory belt removed.
Replaced all of the timing gear - belt, tensioner and pulley, idler, and water pump
Just checked again and still no codes.

 

I am probably just going to go ahead and pull the valve covers this weekend to check the valve clearance and make sure none are bent. They were a bit noisy before and needed some attention anyways. Hopefully I will notice something out of the ordinary while pulling the plenum and valve covers.

 

Sorry to jump in the middle of the conversation here, but I just have to say thank you to everyone who has posted to this thread over the years. I have been way overdue for this service (I'm at 137K) but my water pump failed a few weeks ago so now's the time. I've been researching, collecting parts, and gathering tools since then. Spent most of last weekend getting everything situated and the basic stuff removed. My power steering pump has been spewing fluid for months so I'm replacing that too. And I'll be replacing the heater valve and hoses as well. Skipping the plugs because they were replaced ahead of time at 100K.

So last Sunday I drained what was left of the coolant (not much), changed the thermostat and rad hoses, and got all the way to the point where I was ready to take the crank bolt off and the darn thing would not budge. I tried a breaker bar with a 4 foot steel pipe cheater and got too much flex in the head of the breaker -- no dice. I tried a 3/4 impact gun with 1000 pounds of reverse torque and no dice. I tried propane heat and then both methods again and no dice. I tried yelling at it and while that made me feel better it didn't solve the problem. I'm sure the neighbors were wondering what the heck was going on. After that I threw in the towel for the weekend and spent the past week obsessing about how to get that damn bolt off.

So tonight, I went and bought a kick-ass craftsman 3/4" 18" long breaker bar and a 7 foot long 1.5" diameter iron pipe to slip over it. And I invited a friend over to get an extra set of hands for more leverage. Got it all set up and it popped loose in about 30 seconds. YES! If anyone is looking for a really strong breaker bar, here's the one to get

So tomorrow I'm onto the rest of the project. Hopefully it will go a bit smoother from this point forward and she'll be back on the road for another 136K!

 

This is what I use.


Does the job perfectly everytime. No complaints. And not everyone has one in their garage.

 

Damn!! Which gun was this? What compressor/hose set up? CFM?

Wonder if the Lisle socket would have helped?

Glad you got it off!! When I did it using the manual method the first time, it took a 6' iron breaker bar over my Craftsman 1/2" socket wrench and all of my 200 lbs on the very end of the bar...

 

Yep, bent valves
I was checking the valve clearances and when I got to cylinder #5, both exhaust valves had about 4.0 mm clearance!
Most of the remaining valves only needed very minor adjustment.
I was able to see most of the top of the #5 piston with it at BDC and did not see any damage, so I am hoping the noise is from the excessive valve clearance.
Looks like either valve job time or reman cylinder heads.

 

Hmmmm. How could you have bent valves if timing was never off?

But then again, how could valves be off by 4mm? How did you even measure 4mm?

 

After thinking back, the only thing that I can remember is that when we were first putting the new belt on, the crank spun a bit due to compression before we released the pin on the tensioner. Still not sure how I missed not pulling the plugs out, although working on his car at 2 am may have had something to do with it.

If you bend something, it effectively shortens the end to end length.
The 4mm is just a guess, but it is visually waaaay too much clearance. The picture in my last post is with #5 cylinder at TDC. When the other cylinders are at TDC, there is no visible gap, but you can move the rockers ever so slightly.

Anyone know a good source for cylinder heads? Auto Zone is the best price that I have found so far at 440.00 ea.

 

HiNever heard of the crank spinning. The rear cam, yes, 1/8 turn either direction. Even if the crank turned, it shouldnt have bent a valve....And I didn't pull my plugs either

 

Yeah, I am at a loss as to how it happened myself. Merely speculating now. I have performed numerous timing chain/belt swaps, just never on an Acura/Honda and can't recall ever having anything like this happen.

I do sincerely appreciate all the input I got from you guys though!

 

That was likely the problem. I only had my 6 gal jobsite compressor. 3/8 hose but not enough volume. It's the harbor freight 3/4 gun. Not the best but typically more than what I need.

Glad it came off too. Made decent progress today, but this is a slow job. Or I'm slow at doing it. My first timing belt change so I'm trying to be pretty methodical.

 

CBP...about your ps pump
https://acurazine.com/forums/problem...-scans-841134/
https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...g-pump-938470/

 

Yeah I thought about doing the overhaul but decided to go with a reman'd one to save a little time and because I was unsure of the status of the metal parts inside. I let it go so long in the state it was in that it was grinding (not just whining).

 

Yeah, that Earthquake is very decent, however, it requires 9 CFM to reach rated specs. There's no way that compressor was even getting close to that.

It's hindsight now (and I don't know what your needs/ setup are/is), but I probably would have purchased the DeWalt DCF899P1 for only $60 more.

Good luck on the TB change. Take your time and when re-assembling, be sure you put the side mount bracket on before you put on the lower tb cover.

oopsie

 

Just dawned on me, I can get this...
I already have 3 batteries and charger for this series...
I wish it was a little stronger but for quick lug nut removal/replace...not too shabby!

 

LOL - I will not forget. Considering how much of a PITA that cover's back bolt was to get off I definitely don't want to be doing it twice.

One question - in the service manual, it says to discard the bolt for the timing idler pulley but the kit I bought does not include a replacement. Is it required to get a new bolt from either acura or elsewhere? And if so, whats the thread pitch for it, and does it have to be a certain strength bolt?

 

I'm gonna say that maybe the early replacements included this bolt...but really, if all you're doing is pulling the pin, you never really need the bolt...which it is recommended to use the battery tie down threaded thingy...

hopefully I understood your question.

 

Hey guys,

This morning I woke to start my car (2004 TL) and the CEL started flashing out of nowhere, so I took it to pep boys so they could do a diagnosis of what was causing it to blink. Turned out coil #3 needed to be replaced and a change of spark plugs. So I did just that and the CEL is still flashing. Did I mess something up? Please help I'm a newbi

 

Your first problem was going to Pep Boys!
Should have swapped coil packs with another cylinder to see if it followed the problem.

Everything else normal? Driving fine?

 

Not exactly. The bolt for the idler pulley itself. Not the tensioner. In the sm on page 6-16 step 16 (for removal of the timing belt) it says "Remove the idler pulley bolt and idler pulley, then remove the timing belt. Discard the idler pulley bolt." I'm curious why only that bolt would need to be discarded and why the kit didn't include a replacement if it really did need to be discarded.

 

I've reused that bolt twice now. No issues.

 

That's kinda what I figured. But I happened to mention this question to my wife and she said something to the effect of if acura says you should replace it, then replace it or you'll be sorry. And the last thing I want is to prove her right because I will never hear the end of it. So I guess I'll be going to pick up a new one tomorrow morning.

I made good progress in the two hours I worked on it today. Got the heater valve and all three hoses back there replaced. That job sucks for someone as short as I am. Basically laying across the top of the engine trying to get enough leverage to get those hoses off and back on.

Hopefully I can get this thing running tomorrow.

 

We now know who wears the pants in your family

 

Happy wife, happy life!

Got my new bolt and putting everything back together now. Pulling that pin was stressful! Belt is on now and tested three times just to be safe.

That rear cam was being a bitch while I was trying to get the belt on. It was off by a few millimetres so I went to adjust it and it dropped off by 30 degrees or so like it was spring loaded. Took me a minute to find the sweet spot so it would stay lined up. There was much cursing. And it wasn't clear how tight to make the idler pulley at first. I made it too loose the first time and the belt was too saggy on that side. Second try I tightened the idler up more snugly (but less than the torque spec) and then the belt went on easy.

 

Update: So after I realized I just let $84 go down the drain. I went past Advance Auto and let the check the light. It came back that all 6 were miss firing so I went home regapped all my spark plugs to .44 and replace coil #3. Went to get it check again and still all 6 are miss firing. Am I missing something here? Plus it has little shake to it when taking off with a little putt coming out the exhaust. I don't think it's the spark plugs because my gears are changing fine and it still takes off like the speed of light when I tested it. Also the guy at Advance Auto reset my CEL and after about 10 seconds and leaving it started flashing again.

 

O2 sensor?

NFN...thoughts on that Makita I posted...considerably cheaper and I'm confirming but I might have 3 lith ion batts to use with it already.

 

Grrr. I got everything installed and buttoned up and was getting ready to drop it off the jack stands to get it started and burped and I noticed a small coolant droplet on the floor. Ruh roh. So it looks like in addition to my water pump spewing coolant, my radiator also has a small leak. Somewhere between the condenser and the radiator. Drip. Drip. Drip. Never saw anything in the driveway so I'm not sure how long it's been going on.

Looks like I will now be spending another weekend dealing with this. It's a good thing this car is awesome to drive or it would be getting traded in right about now.

 

LOL...it'll all be worth it, man!

 

1. What were the original codes (before you replaced the pack)?
2. What was the condition of the pack you replaced? Was it melted or deformed in any way?
3. Regapped plugs? What gap were they at before and why? Are these NGKs? (BTW, spec'd gap is 0.039" - 0.043" and NGK's come pregapped to 0.043")
4. Any mods? Any recent changes? Mileage?


That will be plenty fine for busting lug nuts. My Craftsman with only 200 ft-lbs has no problems, use it all the time when rotating tires.

You sure it's really a leak? Did anything get knocked loose? Did you notice any loss of fluid before?

 

Ouch... that really hurt.

I made sure I had a clear head plus plenty of sleep and spread this job out in 2 days through the last labor day weekend. I even took an extra day off in case I did something wrong and had to rent a car to go to work.

There is no way the crank turned in my opinion, one of the cams turned and if it's cylinder #5 then it's the front cam. I pulled the plugs myself and found it way easier to turn than with the plugs in. I had to change the plugs anyway. I just had them plugged off with paper towels during the belt install.

 

It is definitely a rad leak. It's in a spot where it couldn't be anything else. I can see coolant dripping down the front of the radiator between the rad and the AC condenser on the passenger side. All the hoses and other coolant-containing orifices are on the drivers side except for the water pump and the heater valve and those areas are bone dry now that I replaced everything.

I did not notice any loss of coolant on the driveway before, but honestly it had been awhile since I checked the level so it could have been leaking slowly. I was on a 2500 mile trip a few weeks ago and on my way home, I noticed the temp gauge was going a little wonky when I was stopped in traffic. Then when I got home, it was cold out that evening and I turned the heat on when I went out to dinner and got nothing but cold air. Checked the coolant level then and it was way low. Looked closer and saw sticky nasty smelling burnt coolant all over the side and underside of the engine under the water pump. Thought I had it pegged as the WP, especially once I got the timing cover off and saw the gunk behind it, but I guess I had two problems.

 

Well it's a little late at 11 years and 91k miles, but I finally started my major service on my 2005 6MT this weekend. So far removal of everything went exceptionally well. No galled threads taking out bolts. Though most (if not all) of the upper timing cover bolts did seem to have a slow painful journey being removed. I'm really dreading getting all 17 of those bolts back in.

Additionally I discovered my power steering pump had a leak from the back-side housing seal. For only $12 in o-rings from the local dealer, I figured I would rebuild it while I was in there.

Here is a list of all my parts I've been collecting for over a year now:

- Gates OE Timing belt kit w/ Koyo idlers
- Aisin boxed OE Hydraulic Tensioner
- Mitsubosi OE drive belt
- NGK OE Laser Iridium Plugs
- Honda/Yamada OEM Water Pump (already in)
- Honda OEM Thermostat
- Honda OEM EGR gasket (to check EGR valve for debris)
- Honda OEM Coolant
- Honda OEM Power Steering Pump back-side seals
- Honda OEM Power Steering Fluid

So far the steering pump has been rebuilt. The water pump, idlers, tensioner and timing belt are in. The thermostat is in. I cleaned the battery and re-greased the terminals. I cleaned all the timing covers, block and engine mount brackets. Still quite a bit to do, but it's certainly coming along.

 

BTW: What's the word on the idler shim that comes with the Gates timing belt. Should I be using this thing or not? The vehicle selection shows so many Hondas and Acuras that require it, but when it shows 2004-2006 TL the space where most indicate "All" is just blank. WTH? Also the procedure seems to only apply to engines that make a chirping noise. Mine never made this noise.

 

The TSB (B08-31) is for 05-09 TL (and VIN dependent for some years in that range). But if it's never chirped, I wouldn't mess with it.