Timing belt change interval
 

The service schedule calls for every 105,000 miles, regardless of time or driving environment; changing it at 200,000 miles would effectively be changing it 10,000 miles early. FYI, the odds on bet is Honda is being very conservative with the belt change recommendations, so even if you did "push" to say 220,000 or more miles, you're still pretty much good to go.

Wow, you put almost as many miles on your 4G as me. I bought mine with 56K and have 155K after a year and a half.

I believe Honda over-engineers timing belts to be exceptionally strong and dependable. The vast majority of belts that you hear snapping don't have 105K on them or something like that. It's usually somewhere around 150K-250K miles; well after the recommended change interval. I highly doubt you'd have any trouble if you pushed it another 15K miles. Keep in mind - Auto manufacturers indicate service like that very conservatively. Geeking out a bit, I'd bet the engineers did a series of tests to see when the timing belt would snap at what mileage. I'd guess they saw mileage ranging from 80K to 300K then plotted the data on histogram where they looked at the 2.5 to 3 sigma mark and set the interval there (which happened to be about 105K). 2.5 sigma would be around 1.1% with 3 sigma at about 0.25%. 3 sigma is the ideal standard with non-critical items when it comes to measured quality although it's often dependent on cost. Non-critical meaning non-life threatening anyways. 6 sigma or better is the standard with things like healthcare and airlines. That's 3.4 defects for every 1,000,000 events. But I doubt our timing belts are that good. They'd have to be make of Kevlar or inobtanium or something :tongue:

I changed mine for the first time at 128K and I probably won't touch it again until 250K or so. I changed mine myself and it really wasn't as bad of a job as I thought, so maybe I'll do it sooner. But I really don't see a reason why. Especially if it's only been 2 years in your case. The belt degrades from both age and use. In your case, use is a factor but age isn't. With the belt only having one factor working against it, and being over-engineered at the same time, I'd guess you have about a 2% chance or less of it failing (if I had to put a number on it).

I'd keep an eye on it being that you didn't change the tensioner. If it slips a notch, you'll notice the engine running poor - bad mileage and decreased power, and likely more noise. It's then that you'll want to take care of it ASAP. But the tensioner seems pretty stalwart as well. I'd be more worried about the pulley bearings seizing than the tensioner going bad. If there's no noise from the pulley, then you're probably fine.

Seems silly not to change it now, most likely you're only going to change it this last time before you part with the car.

For the record, I changed mine (DIY) at around 100k and the hydraulic tensioner was leaking. I would not delay the maintenance.

Thing is, you're not delaying it as meowmeows said. You're just not doing it early. The tensioner isn't a component that commonly fails. And if it does, it's not usually immediate. The B4 service includes the following:

• Replace spark plugs
• Replace timing belt and inspect water pump
  If you drive regularly in very high temperatures (over 110°F, 43°C), or in very low temperatures (under -20°F, -29°C), replace every 60,000 miles (U.S.)/ 100,000 km (Canada).
• Inspect valve clearance
• Independent of the Maintenance Minder information, replace the brake fluid every 3 years.
• Inspect idle speed every 160,000 miles (256,000 km).
• Adjust the valves during servics A, B, 1, 2, or 3 if they are noisy.

Although it's obviously good practice to replace the water pump, tensioner, tensioner pulley and idler pulley, it's often not done at dealerships. I did it simply because the additional parts are relatively easy to install and aren't that expensive. Insist on it next time you have the service done. But the dealers often just examine them and if they're not showing obvious signs of failure, they just leave them alone.

I'm all about doing maintenance early that benefits the car. I change my oil every 5K-7K miles even though it could probably easily go to 10-15K with Mobil 1 Extended Performance. And I do a drain and refill of the ATF every 10K miles or so along with a brake fluid flush annually. But I really don't see a need to change timing belt components early.

Yeah, if you want to go another 6 years (which is also my goal), changing fluids would be way more value added than doing a timing belt service early. I don't need to tell you that as Mobile dealer though :thumbsup:

With the recent news of Acura offering a Type-S with their next TLX, my goal is to push the 4G to 14 years old and around 300K miles. Then picking up a TLX Type-S. That's assuming they're any good. If not, 2nd runner up will be an IS 350 F Sport (or a GS F if I could find one in my price range :wish:)

So here's another spin on the change interval - time instead of mileage. 2012 TL SH-AWD. The wife puts few miles on her TL, and at the 6 year mark it's at 49K miles. The service menu states that the timing belt should be changed at 105k miles OR 7 years. A year from now, she won't be anywhere near 105K, but the time will be up. Anyone seen issues with a belt showing age issues at 7 years if the mileage is about 1/2 of the recommended interval? Should I start saving up now for the change in a year? Trying to do some homework on this one.

thx - andy

Where does the "service menu" state 105,000 miles or 7 years? I ask because my 2001 V6 Accord had the 7-year proviso, but I don't believe I've seen a single J-Series engine carry the time limit since roughly 2004. If you have a manual which states otherwise I would love it if you could post a scan of the page.

Here's a link from my dealer's web site... https://di-uploads-pod4.s3.amazonaws...12-2014-TL.pdf

I have the same question. Car is 8 years old with a little over 50K miles.

On my '92 Legend, which had similarly low mileage, I replaced the belt at about 10 years, still under the mileage indicator.

I understand it's about heat cycles, and the last thing I want to do is pay for a total R&R on the cylinder heads.

Subscribed. I was also made aware about the 105K or 7 year interval. Want to hear experts's opinion.

Very interesting, thanks for the link. Interesting why? I find it curious the dealership's service department lists a 7-year requirement and yet the Owner's Manual for the 2012 TL does not.

The Owner's Manual for my 2006 does not show such a requirement either; I wonder if there is a way to figure out Sunny Side Acura's link for my car to see if they also show the 7-year lifespan of the belt.

Very interesting indeed. I too am wondering about this 7 year requirement since that would mean I should change my 2012 sometime next year.

I can't help but wonder if this sunny side acura threw it out there so that more people will have it done prematurely and thusly make them more money.

Question: Is it normal to say how much things cost when talking about required maintenance? (see below)

"Replace timing belt and spark plugs. Inspect condition of drive belt (add $44.00 to replace drive belt). Inspect water pump for leakage (add $294.95 to replace water pump and perform coolant service). Inspect timing belt auto tensioner (add $150.00 to replace timing belt auto tensioner). Note: Valve clearance adjustment is needed at this time only when excessively noisy (add $589.95 to adjust valve clearance and replace valve cover gaskets). "

I've gotten to the habit of replacing sparkplugs ever 70k miles for all my family cars (so far 5 inc my TL). Very very easy to do, and is fairly quick and super cheap. Did not know about the belt change, will do that soon for my car. Ordered an OEM belt from Del Ray and will change in a week or two. Also gonna do the engine coolant change as well! First time doing that, it'll be fun!

This particular dealer (Sunnyside in Nashua NH) has been around since the late 80's and has a pretty decent reputation. And even though we've had 9 Acuras over the last nearly 30 years, this is the first we've had for this length of time (typically leases or 4-year ownerships). This issue came up when I talked to them (without seeing this schedule) about the coolant replacement, since that's typically time-based as well. That's when the service manager said they typically do the coolant when they do the timing belt, water pump and tensioner - all at the same time. Given that they're the ones that do all work on the wife's TL - and the one that goes to bat on her extended warranty for coverage, I'll probably go with their recommendation. So far it's been a great relationship...

andy

I place my hands on the engine and let it tell me if he or she is ready for a new timing belt. It keeps saying if you do change it, I want a racing Gates Timing Belt. She never answers why.

This may sound like a nit-pick, but the linked page says "Each 7 years and 105,000 miles". Note that it says "AND" rather than "OR". In my opinion, "AND" suggests that the service is only necessary after satisfying both conditions. Of course, that interpretation may seem wrong for someone who puts 105,000 miles on their car in 3 years -- that person may not want to wait another 4 years.

Also, the owner's manual for my 2014 TL does not mention anything about 7 years (or any other time period). I seems like the dealer may have added that part.

FWIW, the Owner's Manual for my 2001 V6 Accord, an engine which uses the exact same timing belt assembly as our TLs, says to replace the Timing Belt every 105,000 miles or 84 months, "whichever comes first".

Well - let's just put it this way. The TL is my wife's "baby", and whenever the dealer asks if she wants to sell it, she uses the phrase "try to pry it from my cold, dead fingers", or something like that :-) So if the dealer says 7 years, and I convince her otherwise, I'll be living in another house altogether if somehow the belt gives way and she tanks the engine in her car after 7 years. No negotiating that point :-)

At timing belt replacement of 7 years or 105000 miles should the spark plugs and alternator belt also be replaced ?

I do not believe there is any such time requirement; just mileage.

About the transmission fluid, Pickering Acura my dealer did a 3x3 last year and I can't begin to tell you the difference it makes. Very rarely I can tell the shift over second to third. So smooth and silk without any slack.
I also see the new spark plugs created an improvement. My RL seems as if nothing can hold it back from flying the edge of the planet.

Pickering Acura did a wonderful job as usual on 2011 RL Advance 85000 miles, performing the timing belt job.
I had the drive belt and spark plugs replaced also.
Tech indicated that replaced component's wear and tear was according to the age of my RL and I did the correct thing following Acura's maintenance, could have gotten another year of service but will still have to get this job done. The new plugs do add to the performance of my RL.

I've also been contemplating this on my 2011, it has 30K miles and I've had since new so I know how it's been maintained.. I checked the manual and it is very vague, it says to change it when the number "4" appears on the Sub Menu in the Maintenance Minder or @ 60K if the car is driven in extreme conditions, which it's not.. It makes no other mention of miles or time.

I do know Acura used to recommend a 7 yr/105K interval which I believe they changed a long time (2005??) ago . I checked with my service advisor a while back and he said no to do it yet. He said since I have so little mileage and it is well maintained with regular oil changes (usually ahead of schedule) all should be good..He said wait for the "4" to appear in the Maintenance Minder. I've know him 10 years and have a personal relationship with him so trust what he is telling me.

Regardless, just for peace of mind I think I may change it in the next year or so..

I just recently bought a 2011 SH-AWD in February and it had 92k on it at the time. I did new tires brakes and rotors all around and your basic oil change when I first got it. I had 0 issues and changed oil regularly( full synthetic of course ). In July I passed 100k and I got an A14 code popping up and as I investigated it was a few simple things like Oil Change and Tire rotation for the A and 1 codes but the 4 code was for the timing belt replacement, water pump, new plugs and valve adjustment. Acura wanted 2000$ to do it. I brought it to my local guy (very reputable) and he did the whole job for 650$. After a little fuel injector cleaner and a full tank of 93 I think the car is running better than when I bought it at 92k. I'm now at 104k, if you can swing the $$$ to get it done and you feel the car just doesnt feel as it once did get it done. If not I'm sure like mentioned earlier you can push it for sometime. But I guarantee you will feel the difference once the job is done.

Thanks for posting this. I just hit 105k but I'm going to wait until 110k to change the timing belt, water pump etc. I'm a little less worried now.

Changed mine at 95k so I can get it off the back of my mind!

When you guys did this b4 maintaince, what trans oil did you guys purchase? I've always bought penzoil platinum ultimate or however the top line one is called. Never done a trans change on my own before the dealer did a 1x change during the torque converter flash 2 years ago but nothing since.

The valve adjustment perked up the car quite a bit for me as well. The engine seemed to run better and pick up a few ponies after the timing belt job, but it may have been placebo. It might be due to the ever-so slight stretching of the belt over time, which may just slightly change the timing of the valves. Oddly enough though, I've never noticed any difference when changing plugs. Probably because the NGK Iridiums seem to go forever. So when they're changed, the old ones are probably still working as good as the new ones. :tongue:

This has been discussed a bit. The Honda DW-1 is the recommended fluid. It's the same as Acura DW-1 by the way, just less expensive since they mark up anything with an "Acura" label. It's good stuff. Full synthetic I believe. You definitely can't go wrong with it. You can often find deals online or sometimes at your local dealer if you purchase a case. The Honda dealer here sells a case of 12 for about $74 which makes a 3.5qt drain and refill only cost around $20.

Even if you get a deal, the DW-1 is going to be more expensive than just about everything else short of Motul or Redline. And I'd be very careful about using something other than the DW-1. If you do, make sure you do a good amount of research to see if others have used whatever fluid you're interested in, and had good results. I switched to Valvoline Maxlife about 20K miles ago and so far it's working great. I looked up about a dozen people on bobistheoilguy who have used it specifically with Honda transmissions and all of them have had good results. Some of them even had transmission problems prior to using it which it helped clear up. I've noticed no difference in transmission operation personally but mine has been working fine since I bought the car at 56K miles. I have almost 170K miles now. I plan on sticking with the Maxlife for now.

Edit: Also, the trans fluid change is super easy on these. About the same as the oil. There's a drain plug under the transmission which can be loosened with a 1/2" ratchet. Let it drain for a while. Then put the plug back and refill with fluid through the dipstick, or the "proper" way by removing the 17mm bolt on top of the transmission behind the throttle body. I just do mine through the dipstick, though you need to be careful if you do that. If you pour it in too quickly the transmission will "burp", causing a bunch of fluid to gush out which makes for a nice mess :ugh: I believe best practice is to first pour the old fluid into an old oil jug which has the qt graduations on the side, then add the same amount of fluid back when refilling. It's kind of important to keep the fluid between the cold and hot marks on the dipstick and that assures you're replacing the same amount of fluid as you're removing.

Timing belt food for thought; I have a '11 TL base w 55,600 that went into service 3-11. Don't drive much anymore so annual mileage is < 4k. Attached insulated garage that is usually 20 degrees warmer in winter and 15 degrees cooler in summer, time is a factor for timing belt degradation but environment is too. Can't decide if I want to keep the car (getting in and out harder as I age). That being said, thinking about pushing the timing belt replacement, if I do it to Mar-Apr 2019. Always a concern if dealer will do all work they charge for and if they find other things when doing the belt. Know a guy who had belt done, went to pick up car and they told him radiator needed replacing for another $1,000

Look at used TLs online and check out the carfax reports, many willl be beyond 7/105 without any record of timing belt replacement. J engine is resistance so if belt snaps, it will be expensive.

Thoughts on changing antifreeze - how often and can one simply drain the old stuff and fill up radiator with new Acura/Honda fluid?

Keep in mind, Honda dropped the 7-year time interval back in the early 2000s; my 2001 V6 Accord has a 7-year/105,000-mile timing belt change recommendation from the factory, my 2006 Acura TL only has the 105,000-mile recommendation. For your car the recommendation is to wait until the service indicator says it's time to change the belt.

Thanks. Looked at the owners manual and maintenance schedule and for the life of me I thought it was 105k or 7 years but to your point, the maintenance minder will tell me when it is due.

Interference, not resistance.

Did mine at 96k so I could unclinch my butt checks

Had my timing belt, tensioner, water pump, plugs, serpentine belt etc done as I wasn't going to get the time to tackle all that this Fall.
Mileage on 2010 TL FWD was about 87K (and 8 years from original in service date) as of today. Was one month out of the extended warranty on the TSB -033 for torque converter "judder"; but the dealer did the SW update anyway.
I had felt a slight shudder (assuming that is the same as a "judder") a couple of times over the past week of driving so I asked for them to do the flash.
And also the transmission fluid change out...

All in all good service experience with Crown Acura here in sunny Cleveland; and they provided a loaner TLX so made it convenient.

What I do have to make time for is the rear rotors/pads, painting the calipers and finding that missing engine "garnish"...

Other than that car was running smooth as glass and shifting nicely on way back from dealer.

I just posted the following in the "4G TL Problems & Fixes", then came across this thread: