Just want to give a big thank you to those in this community that have helped me since my timing belt snapped a month or so ago.

My car is finally put back together, and I really dodged a bullet. No valve noises, no compression issues, no misfires, etc. Running smoother than ever.

Also want to give a PSA on how easy it actually is to change your timing belt/water pump/tensioner/pulleys yourself, assuming you have a good set of tools and a weekend you can go without your car. I replaced various other parts while I was at it - Side motor mount was easy as well.

Thanks again!

 

Wahoo!!!! I knew you could do it!

 

A bigger PSA to not ever use any timing belt kit labeled a genuine Honda from Ebay. When it's too good to be true, it is.

Somebody at odyclub.com just blew up an 2007 Odyssey J35 engine using about the same kit. He wasn't as lucky as you.

https://www.odyclub.com/threads/timi...l-125k.361102/

 

YES 100%. Lesson learned. No ebay. I went rockauto Aisin kit this time. And it is cringeworthy for me to look back on my older threads asking about the timing belt job BEFORE I did it. Multiple people in comments said only buy off rockauto. I thought I was smart for choosing certain parts a-la-carte off ebay thinking they were truly OEM and saving a buck in the process. Ugh. Still amazed it didn't go worse for me. I feel bad for the person with the odyssey.

 

well done, glad everything works well now. happy driving! and FWIW i got my aisin tkh-002 kit from amazon and its been working perfectly (~3k miles, 3mo) but have heard many horror stories about jank amazon/ebay parts

 

Aisin in the OEM manufacturer for Honda.

 

Look at this guy doin it all himself makin me feel like a jabroni

 

Hahah, I only did it myself because I literally had no other choice. Desperation is the mother of all invention, or something like that. Idk how the saying goes.

If it makes you feel any better, I sure felt like a jabroni after all this was over, because 30k miles ago, I had the fake kit put on, and I paid my acura dealership to do it. Whereas now, I figured it out for myself, and was like, wow, I can't believe i paid them all that money to do something that I just did in my garage with mostly hand tools.

 

This is awesome, very humble thread and valuable information to document for the next guy. Thank you for the post.

 

Nice job! What are your biggest tips and tricks for doing it yourself? I paid a shop for the first time but curious if I should give it a go second time

 

Hey, so off the top of my head, these are the things that made this job easy for me:

• Two jackstands and a floor jack. The front of the car was raised the entirety of the job, with the front passenger wheel off.
• Lisle 19mm weighted deep socket for the crank bolt. I got this socket for like 20 bucks off amazon and was at my house in under 24 hours, it got the crank bolt off with ease. This is assuming you have a impact. If you are using a big breaker bar instead, there exists a crank bolt removal tool (see the vid below).
• A breaker bar with a foot, even 2 feet of extensions. This is for moving the crankshaft and the camshafts by hand once the belt is back on. You don't exactly NEED this, but moving the pully into place to line up with the timing marks is easier when you have leverage, as well as when you're turning the engine over by hand a few times to make sure the timing belt is properly in place.
• An air or battery powered ratchet helps with removing all of the 10mm screws on the timing covers. There isn't much clearance on that side of the engine, but again, you could easily do this with just hand tools and a standard socket.
• I didn't drain my radiator, so about a gallon of coolant came out when I removed the water pump. Just maybe have a big bucket that can catch as much as you can so it doesn't end up everywhere.
• Lastly, just labeling all your parts you take off and putting them in ziplock bags. I had one bag for my motor mount stuff, one bag for all the timing cover screws, one for the PS pump bolts, etc. Just trying to stay organized. And having a bottle of PS fluid and a gallon of new coolant to add back when you complete the job.

If you're also doing spark plugs, those extensions along with a spark plug socket are necessary, and I'd recommend one of those magnets on a stick (idk what they're called) to fish the plugs out.

Ultimately, this video helped me more than anything, Ericthecarguy is amazing. Ironically, I'm pretty sure he put fake parts on the car, but he talks about how not everything he received was even necessary to replace. I watched the entire video before ordering or attempting anything, just so I had a frame of reference.

 

My brother had this happen to him last Friday. Also a “genuine” Honda kit from eBay. Anyways got a new Gates belt from oreillys. Slapped it on there and she works great. Not even a check engine light. I was really surprised. Was expecting a lot worse lol

 

Would Gates purchased from a none EBay source be fine?