soo ive been reading about how you need to change your timing belt, water pump, etc at around 100k... my question is.. is there any signs you should look for before i blow my motor..?? ur input will b very MUCH apprechiated!

 

gotta do it around 105k. There are no signs on TBs they actuallly look rather newish even after 5 years. You could take the valve cover off and manually turn the engine and see all of the TB.

 

thanks.. im sitting at 106.. and with money tight i dont know what to do.. do you have to get the water pump at the same time or am i good with just a new timing belt..

 

must replace water pump- its behind the timing belt and a very small amount of the parts total and minor extra labor to reach

There is margin of time and miles built into the parts
Some go 120-150 and no prob -have heard of higher but no guarantees- if you drive stop and go traffic or its hot or cold where you live- thats more wear

wife went 175 on the old integra until the belt shredded and destroyed engine
Doing it soon is good,, but earning money to do it is also important

 

check the Meetings threads in Off Topic
there will be ziner near you who can do the job for much less than shop rates
Still run 300-500 in parts plus whatever labor

DO replace the timing belt tensioner and pully- or they will fail and all the money you spent was for nothing

 

Replacing the water pump is not a must, but the rule of thumb is since the mechanic is in there replacing your timing belt, the labor to do the pump is less. Also, don't expect that pump to last to your next timing belt replacement (if you have the car that long). Like many things, they tend to go out when you least expect or want such a thing to happen.

So yes, while you do not have to replace the water pump, you really should do it.

 

Timing belt or new engine, your choice.........

 

I think you can be ok with going over a bit, but really depends on how you drive and weather conditions as noted above...and like TL-S says, if your belt snaps there is a very high chance your motor is gone.

 

not a HIGH CHANCE of engine destruction- GUARANTEED valve contact with pistons

 

damn thanks guys.. i wasnt expecting this much of a response.. but thank you very much

.... well i live in riverside, ca which is umm i guess near pomona if you guys know where that is, i some what have stop and go traffic and it gets hot but not that bad..

.. another thing is i recently got the ride from a small dealership for 9k at 98k miles, i know thats alot but i fell in love with the car instantly, and at that low of a price i couldnt say no...

after i found this amazing forum i found out about the timing belt, along with the mod bug lol...

..anyway is there something i should look, hear or feel for?

 

you can't hear or feel anything until the belt breaks, when it does you are essentially screwed. Rather than spend 1-2k on the service, you are spending upwards of 4K to have the motor replaced. I can understand that money is tight, right now in the blackmarket section here, I think member "lembowiski" is selling a timing belt for around 30 dollars. You can save some money by buying his new one rather than spend 100 dollars at the dealer for the part. Then you can just have the belt replaced and not do the valve adjustment and water-pump. Then save up and you will need to do the waterpump before it fails.

 

thanks csmeance.. and thanks to the rest of you guys...

... damn i guess i gotta start saving..

 

buying any car with 98K is asking to have some sort of money spent on it in the near future... When you bought the car did the dealer mention anything about it? Go to the dealer and see if maybe the previous owner did it. Also how much did you buy it for? If you bought it close to asking, I'd talk with the manager and tell him that no one made you aware of any of the services this car would need in the near future, and that would have had an impact on your decision to buy the car. See if they can help you out with the costs for the stuff.

 

yeah i know 98 k was alot but i bought it at 9k out the door asking price was 11k... the dealers basically dicking me over... i had a ballast go out the second day off the lot and it took almost a month to replace!!! so having them help me out on costs seem nearly a lost cause... the car was carfax'd though, which gave me a little piece of mind... but now finding out about the timing belt etc makes me soo bum'd


..... im 23, just layed off and starting some bs min wage job ( at least its a job in this eco) and living on my own so moneys tight...

i had a 2000 gsr with 70k that took a crap n me so i had to get a new ride and when i saw that TL Aspec at around my price range i kinda blew my load too early withut research..

... now i qustion if it a real aspec.. i have the lip kit, sterring wheel but i dont know if i have the suspension... any thing i should look for...

agian cs, your help is very much appreichated

 

oh by the way it wasnt cpo from a acura dealer... yeh i know, a mistake, but at the time it was either a 06 camry or 05 accord with a higher price tag..
and hey if i didnt get it i wouldnt discover this bomb ass site or see these beautiful car modd'd atlp spoiler and all ... lol

 

all cars with rubber timing belts need replacement anywhere from 60-100k miles

water pumps are critical to the life of engine--no or low flow means 70% cooling gone--(oil provides cooling too) and WHEN the wp siezes up- it shreds guess what?! the timing belt--- and allows valve to piston contact! = total destruction
How much is the acura/honda brand water pump anyway? 50-100$ max,,,and the labor to reach it with timing belt is a few minutes plus scrape the gasket clean.
Its the last part you can get to without dismantling the entire engine.
Not a job you want to do twice unless its reached another 100!!

Its NOT the salesmans responsibilty to do your research on maitenance needs.
They dont know squat- they sell cars,, and why tell you anything negative to stop the sale? they have mouths at home to feed too.
btw- you're going to spend 2 grand fixing garbage and needed maitenance!! you would walk away from that car!

I bet most TL's with 120 or so at car lots have not gotten the 105,,old owner found out the cost and decided it was time for a new car

Cars require oil changes and a major service~ thats life no matter what your situation.

Money is tight for many of us, looking in the azine Meets section can make you a new friend that works on stuff at home for cheap

If ballast went out: check for moisture behind/inside the headlight lens- that drips down onto the ballast and fries it

csmeance-- I cant believe you would suggest the double labor to replace the timing belt now then water pump later!!~ for a few dollar savings!
whats next~ the tensioners are `always good` and `dont need replacement unless leaking` at 100??

As a tech and TL owner:
Yes the water pump is mandatory!!- we are lucky it makes it that far,,most cars would be 60k miles for this service,,acura has stretched it pretty far IMO to look good on paper for the govt- which wanted cars to `require less maitenance`--so acura stretched intervals and made things- as needed
check the `severe service` section to see if you are part of it
Like the book saying it doesnt `require` a valve adjust at 105- says `check and adjust as needed`- well thats a valve adjustment!!!
and not one car has ever had perfect valve settings at 100k

please people- saving money by not installing needed parts- and the best parts you can find is setting yourself up to start a new thread--My engine mysteriously stopped running after it went clakity clack for 10 miles then stopped

 

It shouldn't cost you more than $300 in parts. Make sure you get the belt tensioner changed out as well!

Timing Belt - $40
Tensioner - $100
Water Pump & seal - $150

Any shop should be able to do the work in an hour or two. I would get price quotes from independent Honda shops. Buy the parts and make sure they give you the old parts. Put a scratch mark on the water pump to verify it was changed. This could also be a weekend job. You'll need two men and a boy on that crank pulley though.. .. search the garage for DIY threads on the job. Bottom line, you should be able to get this done for $500 and not a cent more.

 

give Tim at hondacuraparts a call and he can get you the OEM parts for like $250-300... then find an independent shop to do it and labor should run you about $250-$300... at least that is what i paid... there should be plenty of good shops and i would suggest posting for recommendations in your local Region forums...

i would highly recommend if you are changin out the TB, do the water pump... as already mentioned you do not want to be paying for labor twice if your WP fails in 20k miles after you changed your TB... that would be dumb and i have had that happen to me in the past... i did the TB/WP change on my 1G TL at 113k miles... coming from older Toyotas and Hondas which used to require 60k timing belt service, that was a godsend... but better to have the piece of mind than a $5k bill for a new engine...

if you can't afford it now, just save up your money and do it ASAP... and really do it as soon as possible... if u r like me, i sometimes say i do it ASAP but really put it off until i get around to it... u can do that with an oil change, but not this... after u get closer into a period where you will begin to gamble with your engine, you will basically put yourself into a hole worth more than half the value of your car...

and CPO doesn't mean anything... i think it is b/s unless it actually comes with an extended warranty... i can do my own 150 point inspection if it saves $2k off the price of the car...

 

thankc for the info guys

 

I know how it feels to be tight on money, and the best thing to do at that point is to accomplish what you can before you loose everything! That's why I suggested that, but I figured the pump should last at least until 140K... I forgot about the tensioner! I have had my tensioner replaced at 40K because it was noisy!

:Agree: Independents are a lot cheaper, just be sure to mark your old parts before you send it in with a sharpie or something, and ask for them back.