hello guys,

I purchased my TL like 3 years ago, bought it at high 141k miles. During 3 years, I have done following maintenance:

* changed transmission oil and pressure switches at 150k (preventive)
* Valve cover gaskets ( 160k )
* 4 new tires.
* two front shocks (only left was making noise, i changed both 160k)
* throttle sensor (it wasnt working properly at 170k miles)
* radio amp (a month ago)

At this time, my car is 186,000 miles and to be honest the only engine light I have seen so far was for throttle sensor, which i changed. car has only one minor problem that it leans towards passenger side, even with new tires. leaning is very steady so i dont care anyway.

on the other hand my CV joint started making knocking noise from last week and my mechanic said that front and back engine mounts are getting bad.
I am making a list of maintenance that i should be doing soon.
i will see how long I can stall this CV joint issue and here is my 200k miles maintenance program:

* timing belt replacement along with water pump and pulley
* Seals around timing belt crank ? (there is some oil leak around that area, suggestion will help)
* front and rear engine mounts
* CV joint replacement ? (or just boots should fix it)
* new tires.
* transmission oil and pressure switches replacement.

anything that i should add in this ? i plan to keep this car for 3-4 years more. Spending 1500-1800$ in maintenance is better than putting 3000$ down payment and then 400$ / month for new car. this car runs perfectly and actually smoked my cousin's new 2014 tc lol.

 

Completely flush and change out the brake fluid ASAP-- it's the only maintenance item in the 3G TL owner's manual that is based on time (every 3 years, as the fluid absorbs water over time) rather than MID codes.

You should get new coolant at the timing belt/water pump change.

 

Oh i forgot to add, I drained and refill coolant a couple of months ago.
I will look into brake fluid flush. searching forums...

 

If your going to do TB and water pump, might as well do the thermostat, spark plugs and serpentine belt. Definitely do the TB tensioner and idler pulley, and take a good look at your serpentine tensioner. And don't bother with the CV boots. To do it correctly, you need to remove the axles from the car anyway. Just install new ones with a lifetime warranty.

 

If you're doing 105k/210k service go ahead and do the cam seals and front main seal. You'll be good on that side of the engine for another 100k miles.

 

cam seals ? that is different from valve cover gasket ?
is it easy to replace serpent belt while doing TB change ?
i will get genuine parts, some help in part numbers will be super handy

 

Cam seals (and crank seal) are found on the timing belt side of the engine and are accessible with the timing belt covers and TB off the car- these are generally not changed at the 105K service (as they have a low incidence of leaking) but if you're approaching the 200,000 mile mark, it may not be a bad idea to get them changed with the TB and water pump. They are available from Honda/ Acura. I assume the TB was done at the 105K service and if so, you actually have some mileage to go before the 2nd TB/ water pump change. I had my TB done recently and in addition to the TB 'kit' that's typically installed which includes:
-TB and tensioner
-water pump
-drive belt (this is the 'serpentine' belt and it needs to come off when doing the TB/ water pump change).

I ordered (on my own from OEMAcuraparts.com) and had the Honda dealer near me install:
-TB idler
-TB adjuster
-drive belt idler/ adjuster assembly
-thermostat

^^ The second grouping of parts isn't essential but since you're in there, it's good measure to change these as bearings of the idler and drive belt adjuster can go bad from lack of lubricant over time.

You may (because of the mileage and since coolant will be drained at the TB / water pump change) want to consider a radiator hose and possibly heater hose change.

You'd be looking at some $$$, maybe $1500-2000 for everything (with the engine mounts and CV joint replacement) but I agree it still cheaper than a down payment and monthly payments on something equivalent.

 

I have minor oil leak from timing belt side of the engine. With your description of cam seals, I think mine are already leaking and need replacement.
If possible , can someone guide me towards full part numbers or item numbers on acura oem part site?

 

It's either the front main seal or the cam seals.

 

updated maintenance list:

* timing belt replacement along with water pump.
* Timing belt tensioner, idler, adjuster, serpentine belt.
* Cam seals
* Thermostat.
* Front and rear engine mounts
* CV joint replacement. (Only passenger side is knocking, should I replace both?)
* New tires.
* Transmission oil and pressure switches replacement.
* Radiator and heater hose.

what else ?

 

If you can wait until tomorrow, I can get the sheet from Acura of Peoria where I bought the accessory parts and give you the part #'s from the shipping invoice (for the thermostat, idler, adjuster, and drive belt adjuster). I have to go to work overnight.

 

that would be awesome !
thanks !

 

Let's get you started:
-For the tranny switches (from DIY A-110 in the 3G garage):
Materials needed:
x1 3rd Gear Pressure Switch (28600-P7Z-003)
x1 4th Gear Pressure Switch (28600-P7W-003)
x2 sealing gasket (90471-PW7-A00)

More to follow when I'm home later today (some down time at work right now).

 

Sorry for the delay:

14550-RCA-A01: Idler, Timing Belt (Koyo Seiko) $38.13

14510-RCA-A01: Adjuster, Timing Belt $86.27

19301-P8E-A10: Thermostat Assy. (Nippon Thermostat) $28.08

04317-RCA-305: Tensioner set (Drive belt) $138.06

 

thank you very much!!
a question about your second last comment - what is this seal gasket?
part list in your last comment has everything i should need except the water pump and the serpentine belt right?

 

Seal gasket is basically a washer that goes in the base of the threads of the pressure switch.

If a dealership is doing the work (Honda or Acura), their kit will include the timing belt (Honda OEM whoever makes it), water pump (Aisin brand generally), and drive belt, and for an extra charge (usually $98) the TB tensioner. When I had my services done, I had them (Hamilton Honda in NJ) supply the TB, TB tensioner, drive belt and water pump. I wanted the other parts (as in the reply above) replaced assuming bearing wear and as long as they had the timing belt aspect of the engine torn down, they may as well change everything (and as long as the coolant was drained, the thermostat was changed as well). I had my pressure switches done ~ 2 years ago. The only things I didn't have done were the radiator hoses (because mine were actually in very good condition), spark plugs (as mine aren't due until 105K miles and I can do those myself), and the valve adjustment (my valve train is pretty quiet, but I may have the valves adjusted at 105K miles). I'm at 95K now, so it's going to take another 18 months or so to get to the 105K mark, so 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.

As for your car with substantially more mileage, you may want to consider the radiator and heater hoses, engine mounts as you indicated, and CV joints (which you indicate need replacement).

As for the cam/ crank seals, you could probably wait until the engine is opened (if a dealership is doing the work) and if there's an oil leak, I'm sure they can change them at that time (and use the OEM parts). I haven't heard of anyone on the board changing them though. If your car doesn't consume oil (by assumed leak), I'd probably not worry too much about it.

It'll cost some money to do all the work you want to have done, but if you plan on keeping the car for the next few years, it's worth the investment (vs. making car payments).

 

I have a my dad's trusty mechanic who will do all that. When i asked him, he said he will take 300$ labor for timing belt change, which I think its reasonable. he also said, he can do it on weekend. In such case, i will have my dad's car handy and i can run to dealer if more parts are needed.
I am not sure how much dealer will charge in labor, I am sure it wouldn't be less than what my mechanic is asking
Drive shaft at acura parts is about 550$ , that's too much! if my cv joint is knocking, cant i replace just the joint assembly? which is about 200$?

 

I had mine done at Honda for $587 including the parts as above and the labor (for the TB service). Since the other parts I provided needed to be removed as well, there was no additional (or maybe a minor charge for labor, I don't recall) to install the parts I provided. The thermostat labor charge for me was $105. I don't know how much it would be to do the axle. As far as the TB job goes, just make sure your dad's mechanic has experience working on Honda/Acura V6 engines.

 

wow, that's reasonable. I will ask my local dealer.
thanks for all the help! i will keep this parts and maintenance list.

 

About your oil leak by the crank pulley...

I was changing my oil on monday and my oil pan had a light coat of oil, came down from the crank pulley side.
I got a closer look and saw the pulley was covered in oil, so I replaced the seal.
Very simple job.

Old leaky seal


Removed seal. I then cleaned the entire area, and also re-sealed that small timing cover (upper left) with Honda Ultraflange.


I cleaned up the pulley, it was caked with oil.

 

More part numbers:
-Upper radiator hose: 19501-RDA-A00
-Lower radiator hose: 19502-RCA-A00

These are definitely cheaper online (say, from OEMAcuraParts.com)

I bought mine from a local dealer, then returned them a day later as mine were really in excellent condition. From what I understand (and the experts may correct me), they deteriorate when the coolant undergoes electrolysis, and essentially becomes like a low voltage battery. Acid formation in the coolant causes the hose deterioration. Coolant should be at a pH of 9.5-10 (mine was using litmus paper), and this was the coolant from the time the car was built. One other avenue of approach is to use silicone hoses (available from eBay- I think the company that makes them is OBX)- they are 'forever' hoses in that they would never require replacement (I'd probably tell you to use them if you were keeping the car indefinitely, but the OEM rubber ones should be fine.