vahn55

Hi I was calling a few mechanics for pricing on the install of my pulley and I decided to go with one shop, however he says I need a damper in order to install the pulley. Is this true?

spinxt

WRONG. Run from that installer...he obviously is not familiar with the TL engine. The engine in the TL is internally balanced. Replacing the crankshaft pulley with an aftermarket one (i.e. Unorthodox Racing) has no ill effect on the engine.

NedShneebly

if you have access to a lift and a 3 foot breaker bar, read the DIY, buy a honda crank pulley tool from the black market and have fun pissing yourself when you crack the bead on that bolt!

seriously, this is one of the very few instances where I would actually take it to a reputable dealer for the work. that, or a honda/acura specialized shop. you don't want somebody digging into this crank with no prior knowledge of how Honda does it.

thisaznboi88

iTrader: (7)

I agree with him. My friend took his car to install it at some random "performance shop" and they F up his alternator. He wasted 600 bucks total in the end just to have to back to stock.

KN_TL

iTrader: (3)

How do you screw up an alternator replacing a crank pulley? Did they have an underdrive pulley with the wrong belt or something?

It's really not that hard to do and you don't need a lift. The pulley is just behind the right front wheel with all kinds of room. The crank pulley tool is a must.

vahn55

Yea id rather not go there now. Are Acura dealerships willing to do this, or does anyone have a recommendation for a shop on long island.

InFaMouSLink

iTrader: (10)

dude its easy. lift the car, get a breakerbar or a long ass pipe, and follow the diy. crank the car no tool needed.

spinxt

I can be an easy job, but it can also be a PITA. If you have access to a lift, go for it, as you can get a long breaker bar on the crankshaft bolt. If you don't have a lift, I wouldn't even attempt it. And whatever you do, don't use the "crank the engine" technique that you will read about on various "how to" threads on A-zine.....this is an extremely risky method and could cost you thousands if you snap a tooth on the starter motor or flywheel...not worth the risk.

I have done this job myself and I am very familiar with the process. Anyone that says this job is "easy" either hasn't attempted it themselves and/or got very lucky and had their bolt come out easily...mine was not that easy. It took two 6 foot 200lb guys leaning on a 4ft. breaker bar to break the bolt loose.

KN_TL

iTrader: (3)

You don't need a lift. Look for the jackstand method. I bought a breaker bar, two extensions and had the job done in less than an hour by myself and I only weigh 150lbs.

Most likely being on the lift, you lose all of your leverage. I just put a lot of pressure and sort of bounced on it until it popped.

KN_TL

iTrader: (3)

Ran out of edit time. Just to be clear, I did have a 4ft pipe on the breaker bar.

NedShneebly

just look for one of the tuner shops that has all the pink and green integra's and Si's parked out front. they'll know what to do.

AckTL05

iTrader: (18)

funny you should say that because there is a shop by me that has a pink civic out front and I went to them since I was referred and they quoted me like 2 hours and 150 to weld a bung into my race pipe for my one wire oxygen sensor for my gauge. Yeah...never going there again. He was saying things like well we have to take the exhaust down, blah blah..more talkey they doey. It was done by my friend who is a mechanic in tops 20 minutes, the longest part was jacking up car. Its amazing what people get just for having the right tools. Its like if your gonna rip me off, dont bullshit me too by saying a story that isn't true, just give it to me straight.

spinxt

All I'm saying is don't be surprised if the job is tougher than portrayed however...it might go without a hitch. It is all dependent on how stubborn the crankshaft bolt is. In my case I couldn't budge the crankshaft bolt with a 700 ft/lb impact wrench or a breaker bar while using the jack stand method. I had to put everything back together and run up to my buddy's house. Luckily I have a good friend with a lift in his garage....20 minutes later it was done....

thisaznboi88

iTrader: (7)

Over tighten the alternator. It cause the pulley to have metal on metal contact just just rubbed the shit out of the pulley and all the metal shard when into the alternator.

tl2slow

iTrader: (5)

i just put my stock one back on and it dosent take more than 1/2 for everything....its takes more time to put a intake in than the pulley...

KN_TL

iTrader: (3)

Huh? There is no need to touch the alternator at all. I don't even know if there is any adjustments. The belt is under tension from a tensioner and idler pulley.

Did someone try putting aftermarket pulleys on the accessories as well? As far as I know, there aren't any for a 3G.

ACE32TL

iTrader: (3)

considering im not very mechanically inclined, i went by the diy and it went well. The bolt was diffricult to remove but the crank method worked like a charm. I dont even think a lift is neccessiary, if you put the car on jacks and remove the passenger tire, you will have more room than neccessiary to do the job.

vahn55

Yea maybe Ill just give it a shot myself next week, I got the pully so cheap that I didnt really mind paying some money for someone to do it. I guess ill just pick up some jack stands and a breaker bar.

tl2slow

iTrader: (5)

where are you located....i will help you out.....

NedShneebly

i was torque-ing my 1/2" drive extension like 10 degrees before I called it quits on jack stands in my driveway (heavy snap-on tools). I have easy access to lifts and I wouldn't do it any other way.

couple of guys that are reputable on this forum warned about the starter method. it sounds risky...

read the DIY's. couple guys got this done at the right shops for less than $100.

KN_TL

iTrader: (3)

My extensions flexed much more than 10 degrees, I'll bet it was close to 30 degrees. But I just kept it there and flexed it on and off 10 additional degrees for a couple minutes and it popped. Sounded like a gunshot.

This is with not so good Craftsman tools. Cost $50 for the breaker bar and two extensions. Already had jackstands and an impact socket.

I'm sure the starter blip works but it wasn't for me.

05AcTL

iTrader: (15)

i paid 110 2 have my pulley n cai put on n that included a new belt

vahn55

I ended up going to a different shop that my family uses. Paid $100 to have it installed, and no problems with it. I definitely like the way the car shifts now a lot better. This pulley was one of the few that me and I know at least one other member got off an eBay seller for 70 shipped.

whyknot1

vahn55 I live in Nassau County and have been looking for a place that would do some mod's. where did you go to have the pulley installed and where did you buy it on ebay.

vahn55

I went to this mechanic in Deer Park and the pulley was sold by some member on ebay for 70 shipped they only had 4 and this was about a month ago.

04accordcpe

iTrader: (3)

^^ YES, i do agree that the installer has no idea what he's talking about, HOWEVER..... he did mention a damper NOT a harmonic balancer. your getting the two mixed up




now regarding the UR pulley,
yes, there is no clear evidence if changing the stock pulley (with damper) for a solid aluminum one (no damper) will do any long term damage or not. im one of the few that thinks it does, hence why i never opted for this mod. the crank produces a good amount of high frequency vibration under certain loads and without any sort of damper in the pulley to help fight if off, where do you think its going to go?? thats right, the main bearings =/

for the little you gain off this mod, it just isnt worth the risks IMHO.

spinxt

I have to respectfully disagree....I still have my very first car (2000 Dodge Neon ACR) from my early twenties....my Neon has had an aftermarket Unorthodox Racing pulley on it for nearly it's entire life....that car is now 10 years old and has 157,000 miles on it.....no long term effects.

In terms of the gains, I'd be willing to bet you get more gains dollar for dollar than just about any other single mod (short of a complete exhaust rebuild).

04accordcpe

iTrader: (3)

OK

but dont be so quick in believing in the thing just because you successfully ran it in a 2000 Dodge Neon for xx years/miles. comparing it to a 07 TL-S is just silly.

i do agree $ to $ you do get the most from it, but your not gaining anything. only freeing up HP by removing (7lbs) off the rotating assembly.

but if your 6spd, a lightweight flywheel will free up ALOT more, roughly (22bs) off the rotating assembly

spinxt

All I'm saying is have you ever heard of any catastrophic engine failure from an aftermarket pulley? I'd be willing to bet even 1G and 2G folks have never had any problems.....the tolerances in a modern engine are so tight that there is very little in the way of resonance....

KN_TL

iTrader: (3)

Probably not catastrophic but over the long run, who knows.

I don't think most people who do these mods are keeping their cars long enough to realize long term damage. Gotta figure the engineers at Honda did this for a reason.

You really can't compare a Dodge Neon to a TL. Two totally different engines.

I'm not saying it's good or bad, I really don't know. But based on hearing this from more than one knowledgeable source, I am going base my decision conservatively.

MichaelBenz

iTrader: (2)

Tend to agree with you...although I did the mod. Fact is...NONE of you will likely own the car long enough to see any long term effects. The Neon story is about the closest you will see...and one doesnt equal all. I think I could argue this one either way!

Xiomaro

iTrader: (5)

do these mechanics just not even bother to read up on the car they work on at all? i know mine didn't first hand, lol

04accordcpe

iTrader: (3)

LOL, i dont think anyone here thinks something catastrophic will happen.

were just questioning its reliability in the long run. there might be some negative effects and there might not, no one will no for sure until we get 2 of the same exact cars/miles, install a ur pulley on one, run both cars for x amount of miles, then crack the engines open and compare.

until then, its all speculation. for me, i have a history of keeping a car for long periods of time, so its a mod ill pass on.

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

There are a few 2nd gen CL/TL members who have over 200,000 miles with the UR pulley on it with no issues. So there have been long term experiences with the J-series motors. I'm not sure if any have cracked open the block to check the bearings but if the pulley were to cause damage something would have been noticed after 200k.

What's the difference between installing a lightweight aluminum flywheel and a lightweight aluminum pulley? They both spin based on the crankshaft. If you don't have an issue with the flywheel why would you have an issue with the pulley? Wouldn't the same vibrations occur? The factory flywheel is a dual mass, not just a solid piece of steel.

And just to be clear, I'm not trying to disprove anyone, I'm just stating my experience and asking your opinion on why you think the flywheel mod would be any better. I understand the mod isn't for everyone although it's a great mod and a great bang for the buck but IMO if you're going to install the flywheel why not just do the pulley? The pulley is easier to access and easier to install. I'm not sure I would do both mods together just for safe measure, although I do have both a LW aluminum flywheel and a UR aluminum pulley on my turbo Accord.

KN_TL

iTrader: (3)

Is the stock flywheel like the crank pulley and constructed with any damping material in it's design?