Timing belt durability?
06-05-2012, 11:01 PM
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Timing belt durability?
What's the longest anyone has ever gone without changing the timing belt? and also, has it actually ever broken on anyone here before? (personal experiences only please, no hearsay)
06-06-2012, 03:41 AM
#2
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I broke the timing belt on an '86 integra a long time ago. That was a DOHC engine, 5MT. Back then the belts were rated for 60K mi, mine broke at about 62K. The car was 5 years old. Luckily, there was no damage to the engine. I stepped on the accelerator, and the engine died. It happened on a back road, and I remember having to walk a bit to use a phone.
06-07-2012, 01:18 AM
#4
Suzuka Master
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Some people around me says 3G might go till 140,000 like 2G TL.
I wonder if your driving style effects it like if you drive soft, it doesn't harm the belts mayyyybe.
Because one I experienced was with Corvette.
When I was at back home Istanbul for the summer. Friends and I stopped on the highway and was going to do 0 to 300. Corvette vs 911. The second Corvette tried the pull off...it riped the belt.
It probably depends on how you drive it but some people says that you can't even check the condition of the belt. Well, can't understand it from visual.
I am at 101K and planing to get it done around next week. Before the light comes on or 107
I wonder if your driving style effects it like if you drive soft, it doesn't harm the belts mayyyybe.
Because one I experienced was with Corvette.
When I was at back home Istanbul for the summer. Friends and I stopped on the highway and was going to do 0 to 300. Corvette vs 911. The second Corvette tried the pull off...it riped the belt.
It probably depends on how you drive it but some people says that you can't even check the condition of the belt. Well, can't understand it from visual.
I am at 101K and planing to get it done around next week. Before the light comes on or 107
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jimmriley (02-20-2024)
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06-07-2012, 08:56 AM
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I pushed a 6th gen Accord to 180K on the original timing belt. In hindsight I now realize how stupid that was. But it was kind of a beater and I was a poor college student. I examined the belt every 10k miles or so and it looked brand new. I know that's not a good indicator of timing belt wear (now anyways) but at the time I figured - if it didn't look like it needed changing, I'm not chaning it!
Wouldn't do that with my TL. Gonna get it changed right on time
Wouldn't do that with my TL. Gonna get it changed right on time
06-07-2012, 09:46 AM
#9
Keep Right Except to Pass
I replaced my 2004 TL's timing belt in 2011 when the odometer was reading 72,000 because I was having the water pump replaced under the extended warranty and so it made more sense just to have the timing belt done then when the whole thing was already taken apart. Otherwise, though, the timing belt is one thing with which I wouldn't mess around. Sure, there are always going to be plenty of stories about people who waited a longer time to do it and who had no problems, and I have no doubt that most of those stories are probably true, but that would be small consolation to me if I rolled the dice and lost, you know?
06-07-2012, 11:15 AM
#11
the overexplainer
at about 145k the belt in my '93 integra broke leaving my dad stranded. shop threw a new belt on without issues (B series) and we went about living our lives. Assuming the 60k interval of that generation it was by simple math 25k over the recommended mileage.
The J32 in our cars though may not be as tolerant (there are 2 more cylinders and 8? more valves to worry about).
edit: wow, it's too early.
The J32 in our cars though may not be as tolerant (there are 2 more cylinders and 8? more valves to worry about).
edit: wow, it's too early.
Last edited by ez12a; 06-07-2012 at 11:18 AM.
06-07-2012, 01:58 PM
#12
06-07-2012, 03:02 PM
#14
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If you have an extended warranty that says it covers timing belts, is there a reason to change it? Can the dealer write up that the belt looks bad and needs to be changed and charge it to the warranty?
06-07-2012, 03:16 PM
#15
^Yes, they could. However, dealerships are normally very hesitant to take on warranty service because they make less money on it and they have less of an opportunity to up-sell the customer.
If the timing belt breaks before your warranty expires, you have to prove that the timing belt was regularly inspected by the dealer.
If the timing belt breaks before your warranty expires, you have to prove that the timing belt was regularly inspected by the dealer.
06-07-2012, 06:32 PM
#16
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06-07-2012, 07:53 PM
#17
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It's hard to tell with timing belts. They can snap before 105K or when the MID says to replace it or after. The chances that it will happen before is very low. After the recommended interval there is no way to predict how long it will last.
I have never had one snap on me. I had 3 cars with chains, sold 3 before it needed to be done and I changed the one in my TL in January.
I have never had one snap on me. I had 3 cars with chains, sold 3 before it needed to be done and I changed the one in my TL in January.
That's what I meant. OP will definitely get the code for it, so i didn't mention it.
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4drturbo (02-14-2017)
06-08-2012, 12:48 PM
#21
Team Owner
I actually don't mind timing belts because chains eventually need replacement but there's usually no real interval so they're driven until they break or get so noisy the owner finally takes it in. When I did my original 220,000 mile timing chain, it had several inches of slack, the tensioner wear pad was laying in the oil pan, and several of the nylon cam gear teeth were broken off and laying in the pan.
My TL is at 108,000. Haven't done the belt yet. I have the belt, seals, tensioner, water pump, etc sitting in my closet and they have been for a couple years. I've been lazy. Now the timing belt is at least 2 years old and it hasn't been installed yet. I kind of screwed myself.
Luckily 75,000 of those miles were accumulated going down the freeway at 2,000rpm for hours on end in 5th gear. My engine has probably turned less revolutions at 108k than many city driven cars do at 50k miles.
I calculated it once in a thread on here, how many engine revolutions a purely freeway driven car had to spin to hit 105k vs a purely city driven one and it was around a 5-1 ratio. Of course, there's the age and heat factor as well.
02-14-2017, 10:34 AM
#27
Old thread, but would like to see more opinions. Have a 08 TL-S with 77k. Bought all the timing belt goodies.
Have it done soon...like in a month or so? Or wait until Fall? Car has always been a midwest car, from Chicago to Kansas, so lots of humidity. Never really driven hard all the time since the original owner was an older guy that didn't care about speed and driving hard.
I did notice how puny the TL timing belt is compared to say my SRT-4 Neon where the belt was like twice the size in width and thickness.
Have it done soon...like in a month or so? Or wait until Fall? Car has always been a midwest car, from Chicago to Kansas, so lots of humidity. Never really driven hard all the time since the original owner was an older guy that didn't care about speed and driving hard.
I did notice how puny the TL timing belt is compared to say my SRT-4 Neon where the belt was like twice the size in width and thickness.
02-14-2017, 10:38 AM
#28
^that's your decision to make.
as Honda took out the wording "or 7 years" in the owners manual.
so, if you are doing a bunch of work now, and have the timing belt shit....why the eff not???
or you can wait, until when ever you decide to do it.
the owners manual says "at 105k"
if I was in your shoes, i'd perform all of the work...because it is a new to you car...
that way, you wont ever have to worry about it, until 105k miles later ... and you will learn the in's and out's of the TL.
and car would be in tip-top condition.
but again, entirely up to you when you do it.......
as Honda took out the wording "or 7 years" in the owners manual.
so, if you are doing a bunch of work now, and have the timing belt shit....why the eff not???
or you can wait, until when ever you decide to do it.
the owners manual says "at 105k"
if I was in your shoes, i'd perform all of the work...because it is a new to you car...
that way, you wont ever have to worry about it, until 105k miles later ... and you will learn the in's and out's of the TL.
and car would be in tip-top condition.
but again, entirely up to you when you do it.......
Last edited by justnspace; 02-14-2017 at 10:41 AM.
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4drturbo (02-14-2017)
02-14-2017, 11:06 AM
#29
Racer
Old thread, but would like to see more opinions. Have a 08 TL-S with 77k. Bought all the timing belt goodies.
Have it done soon...like in a month or so? Or wait until Fall? Car has always been a midwest car, from Chicago to Kansas, so lots of humidity. Never really driven hard all the time since the original owner was an older guy that didn't care about speed and driving hard.
I did notice how puny the TL timing belt is compared to say my SRT-4 Neon where the belt was like twice the size in width and thickness.
Have it done soon...like in a month or so? Or wait until Fall? Car has always been a midwest car, from Chicago to Kansas, so lots of humidity. Never really driven hard all the time since the original owner was an older guy that didn't care about speed and driving hard.
I did notice how puny the TL timing belt is compared to say my SRT-4 Neon where the belt was like twice the size in width and thickness.
This is one of those questions that it is going to be impossible to give a definitive answer on. If you want the piece of mind that your car will go another ~100k miles with no worry of the belt going, then do it now. I would say if you are at all concerned with the belt then have it done, especially if you have the kit.
I will throw this in... My brothers car shredded its timing belt this summer and that thing hasn't run in 8-9 months now. My dad is currently tearing the car down and replacing the head. The timing belt had shredded several teeth. Situation was a little different from yours though. It's an 05 GTI and the recommended replacement is 70 or 80k I believe and car had 85-90k miles on it. We had the TB kit laying around for over a year. My dad and brothers laziness screwed them in the end.
Which brings me back to my original point, you are probably fine, but if you want to err on the side of caution, have the belt done around 80-85k. The ~$1000-1200 to have the belt done for you is going to be much cheaper than if you were to have the belt break and be looking at a head replacement. As our cars get higher in age, more and more problems are going to start to pop-up. I got my 06 with 100k miles on it. TB and front and side engine mounts were done by dealer before I bought it, so I didn't feel too bad paying a little premium on the car for the piece of mind. However, other issues have surfaced, O2 sensor went a week into owning, battery 10 days in, starter 5k miles in (4 months). I have done some other maintenance on top, such as serpentine belt, tensioner, idler pulley, spark plugs, pressure switches, and 3x3 tranny flush, and most recently coilovers. I have the car in today for the LCA compliance bushings and an alignment. The bushings are the only thing I have paid to have done. The other preventative maintenance and parts I have on order are full tranny filter replacement and the APP sensor. I may need to replaced the rear engine mount and the tranny mounts. I've dumped a lot more in parts than I had anticipated, but if it keeps my tranny from failing and the engine healthy, I would say it's money well invested. The forums have also convinced me to spend money a lot of money because I am super paranoid and quite unlucky with cars breaking on me.
Hopefully this post helps, I know I kind of rambled.
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02-14-2017, 11:22 AM
#30
he has all the stuff, and he has been working on the car since he got it, recently..
I'd suck it up and do all the work at once to make it a super brand new car to him
that way; he KNOWs that he changed the timing belt, oil, tranny fluid, brake fluid, etc...
his car will be maintained by him from that point on...and will be a great starting point
I'd suck it up and do all the work at once to make it a super brand new car to him
that way; he KNOWs that he changed the timing belt, oil, tranny fluid, brake fluid, etc...
his car will be maintained by him from that point on...and will be a great starting point
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4drturbo (02-14-2017)
02-14-2017, 11:29 AM
#31
Suzuka Master
If you live in a sub tropic climate, I wouldn't worry about changing TB until 105k miles UNLESS you drive like 500 miles/ year. Recently I bought a 07 Base TL with 75k miles and I do not intend to replace the TB until 105k miles. I did the TB on my TL-S at 86k miles and the reason behind that is the TB tensioner goes bad and I don't want the tooth to be jumped.
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02-14-2017, 08:46 PM
#32
^that's your decision to make.
as Honda took out the wording "or 7 years" in the owners manual.
so, if you are doing a bunch of work now, and have the timing belt shit....why the eff not???
or you can wait, until when ever you decide to do it.
the owners manual says "at 105k"
if I was in your shoes, i'd perform all of the work...because it is a new to you car...
that way, you wont ever have to worry about it, until 105k miles later ... and you will learn the in's and out's of the TL.
and car would be in tip-top condition.
but again, entirely up to you when you do it.......
as Honda took out the wording "or 7 years" in the owners manual.
so, if you are doing a bunch of work now, and have the timing belt shit....why the eff not???
or you can wait, until when ever you decide to do it.
the owners manual says "at 105k"
if I was in your shoes, i'd perform all of the work...because it is a new to you car...
that way, you wont ever have to worry about it, until 105k miles later ... and you will learn the in's and out's of the TL.
and car would be in tip-top condition.
but again, entirely up to you when you do it.......
Given the conditions your car has been driven in and the assumption you are making about how it was driven, you could probably hold off for awhile.
This is one of those questions that it is going to be impossible to give a definitive answer on. If you want the piece of mind that your car will go another ~100k miles with no worry of the belt going, then do it now. I would say if you are at all concerned with the belt then have it done, especially if you have the kit.
I will throw this in... My brothers car shredded its timing belt this summer and that thing hasn't run in 8-9 months now. My dad is currently tearing the car down and replacing the head. The timing belt had shredded several teeth. Situation was a little different from yours though. It's an 05 GTI and the recommended replacement is 70 or 80k I believe and car had 85-90k miles on it. We had the TB kit laying around for over a year. My dad and brothers laziness screwed them in the end.
Which brings me back to my original point, you are probably fine, but if you want to err on the side of caution, have the belt done around 80-85k. The ~$1000-1200 to have the belt done for you is going to be much cheaper than if you were to have the belt break and be looking at a head replacement. As our cars get higher in age, more and more problems are going to start to pop-up. I got my 06 with 100k miles on it. TB and front and side engine mounts were done by dealer before I bought it, so I didn't feel too bad paying a little premium on the car for the piece of mind. However, other issues have surfaced, O2 sensor went a week into owning, battery 10 days in, starter 5k miles in (4 months). I have done some other maintenance on top, such as serpentine belt, tensioner, idler pulley, spark plugs, pressure switches, and 3x3 tranny flush, and most recently coilovers. I have the car in today for the LCA compliance bushings and an alignment. The bushings are the only thing I have paid to have done. The other preventative maintenance and parts I have on order are full tranny filter replacement and the APP sensor. I may need to replaced the rear engine mount and the tranny mounts. I've dumped a lot more in parts than I had anticipated, but if it keeps my tranny from failing and the engine healthy, I would say it's money well invested. The forums have also convinced me to spend money a lot of money because I am super paranoid and quite unlucky with cars breaking on me.
Hopefully this post helps, I know I kind of rambled.
This is one of those questions that it is going to be impossible to give a definitive answer on. If you want the piece of mind that your car will go another ~100k miles with no worry of the belt going, then do it now. I would say if you are at all concerned with the belt then have it done, especially if you have the kit.
I will throw this in... My brothers car shredded its timing belt this summer and that thing hasn't run in 8-9 months now. My dad is currently tearing the car down and replacing the head. The timing belt had shredded several teeth. Situation was a little different from yours though. It's an 05 GTI and the recommended replacement is 70 or 80k I believe and car had 85-90k miles on it. We had the TB kit laying around for over a year. My dad and brothers laziness screwed them in the end.
Which brings me back to my original point, you are probably fine, but if you want to err on the side of caution, have the belt done around 80-85k. The ~$1000-1200 to have the belt done for you is going to be much cheaper than if you were to have the belt break and be looking at a head replacement. As our cars get higher in age, more and more problems are going to start to pop-up. I got my 06 with 100k miles on it. TB and front and side engine mounts were done by dealer before I bought it, so I didn't feel too bad paying a little premium on the car for the piece of mind. However, other issues have surfaced, O2 sensor went a week into owning, battery 10 days in, starter 5k miles in (4 months). I have done some other maintenance on top, such as serpentine belt, tensioner, idler pulley, spark plugs, pressure switches, and 3x3 tranny flush, and most recently coilovers. I have the car in today for the LCA compliance bushings and an alignment. The bushings are the only thing I have paid to have done. The other preventative maintenance and parts I have on order are full tranny filter replacement and the APP sensor. I may need to replaced the rear engine mount and the tranny mounts. I've dumped a lot more in parts than I had anticipated, but if it keeps my tranny from failing and the engine healthy, I would say it's money well invested. The forums have also convinced me to spend money a lot of money because I am super paranoid and quite unlucky with cars breaking on me.
Hopefully this post helps, I know I kind of rambled.
Do the side and front engine mounts typically go bad? that might be another item to order when I have the tech do the timing belt/water pump etc. job.If you live in a sub tropic climate, I wouldn't worry about changing TB until 105k miles UNLESS you drive like 500 miles/ year. Recently I bought a 07 Base TL with 75k miles and I do not intend to replace the TB until 105k miles. I did the TB on my TL-S at 86k miles and the reason behind that is the TB tensioner goes bad and I don't want the tooth to be jumped.
02-16-2017, 05:01 PM
#33
I did my belt at 10 years and 118K. after Acura dealer told me that it was not an issue.... Car was reasonably driven and well maintained. 2002 CL type S
02-17-2017, 08:05 PM
#34
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I'm at 148.000 and the only thing I've ever replaced are fluids, belts (once), brakes and wipers. I'm about to replace headlights and wheel bearings. Looks great and runs nice. Best car purchase ever.
01-30-2024, 09:02 PM
#36
Lol. Very true. It's pretty hard for a timing chain engine to break a timing belt.
I actually don't mind timing belts because chains eventually need replacement but there's usually no real interval so they're driven until they break or get so noisy the owner finally takes it in. When I did my original 220,000 mile timing chain, it had several inches of slack, the tensioner wear pad was laying in the oil pan, and several of the nylon cam gear teeth were broken off and laying in the pan.
My TL is at 108,000. Haven't done the belt yet. I have the belt, seals, tensioner, water pump, etc sitting in my closet and they have been for a couple years. I've been lazy. Now the timing belt is at least 2 years old and it hasn't been installed yet. I kind of screwed myself.
Luckily 75,000 of those miles were accumulated going down the freeway at 2,000rpm for hours on end in 5th gear. My engine has probably turned less revolutions at 108k than many city driven cars do at 50k miles.
I calculated it once in a thread on here, how many engine revolutions a purely freeway driven car had to spin to hit 105k vs a purely city driven one and it was around a 5-1 ratio. Of course, there's the age and heat factor as well.
I actually don't mind timing belts because chains eventually need replacement but there's usually no real interval so they're driven until they break or get so noisy the owner finally takes it in. When I did my original 220,000 mile timing chain, it had several inches of slack, the tensioner wear pad was laying in the oil pan, and several of the nylon cam gear teeth were broken off and laying in the pan.
My TL is at 108,000. Haven't done the belt yet. I have the belt, seals, tensioner, water pump, etc sitting in my closet and they have been for a couple years. I've been lazy. Now the timing belt is at least 2 years old and it hasn't been installed yet. I kind of screwed myself.
Luckily 75,000 of those miles were accumulated going down the freeway at 2,000rpm for hours on end in 5th gear. My engine has probably turned less revolutions at 108k than many city driven cars do at 50k miles.
I calculated it once in a thread on here, how many engine revolutions a purely freeway driven car had to spin to hit 105k vs a purely city driven one and it was around a 5-1 ratio. Of course, there's the age and heat factor as well.
02-17-2024, 04:54 PM
#37
I took over maintenance on a 2004 TL with 168,000 on it. The transmission fluid was dark, not dark red, but more black. This car was occasionally serviced at an Acura dealer and when I changed the ATF and the barrel filter, I thought no way did the dealer give a darn about regular maintenance. They just wanted to charge for a new rack/pinion steering unit. I'm assuming since the dealer did not service the transmission, they never did the timing belt either. That is my next project. BTW the ATF filter was black and disintegrating. I did three ATF changes at 100 mile intervals.
02-19-2024, 02:33 PM
#38
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...who replies to a 12yo thread? I guess I do...
or just check my math: I'm getting about 9,268engine-revs/mile in 1st and 1,684engine-revs/mile in 5th in the auto*. 10,197revs/mile in 1st and 2,016revs/mile in 6th for the manual.
Both do work out to about 5 times fewer revs between lowest and highest gears.
I got 79.5" circumference for the OE tire size. That should be about 797wheel-revs/mile.
max and mi gear reduction ratios in the auto are 11.629:1 and 2.112:1
in the manual I got 12.919:1 and 2.529:1
*I'm just assuming the torque converter is in lockup to simplify the math
02-20-2024, 11:16 AM
#39
