Timing Belt ??

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What automotive engineer ever thought the timing belt was a superior idea and practice over the timing chain?

We on BITOG are all in the habit of careful maintenance so that our vehicles will last a long time, so any of us with timing belt vehicles can expect to have to change them two or three times over the life the car. My Honda Accord V6 timing belt job cost me $900 at the Honda dealer two years ago. If I keep the car another couple of years, I'll be at 200,000 and in need of another $900 timing belt replacement.

Some will say timing chains stretch or break, but those are rare occurrences. I've always believed a chain to be far superior to a belt that has be changed every few years.

Some of you fellows can fill me in on the historical specifics, but I would guess that some automotive engineers 30 or 40 years ago had the idea of a belt that could be accessed easily and changed for $100 at most shops. Very quickly, however, manufacturers began stacking all kinds of parts and components in the way of the timing belt cover and causing the cost of the replacement to go way up. Again, this is my idea of what happened.

What do you gentlemen know about this? Thanks.
 
Get a set of tools and do it yourself in a day on the weekend.

I replaced the one on my 97' Camry, took like 3-4 hours. No big deal. $120 in parts. My 2000 Camry is due in about 9-12 months for one.

And I don't see why people complain about them, why didn't you research whether or not your car has a timing belt in the first place? And ask about the cost of replacing it if you don't feel like doing it yourself?
 
My '03 Accord 2.4 went 210k then skipped a tooth, $2,200.00 engine replacement..My ex had the car 3 months and this happened, maybe the 90k belt is logical if this is a high probability...quieter I'd suspect too.
 
On the Accord forum there's about half a dozen owners with over 200k miles on their Accords with the original timing belts. These are on model years 1998 and up Accords. In 2003 all 4 cyl Accords switch to timing chains but the V6 models still have the timing belts. Never heard of any timing belts breaking on Accords from the 1998 model to present. Not that I recommend going over the recommended interval. I had mine replaced on time.
 
Originally Posted By: dblshock
My '03 Accord 2.4 went 210k then skipped a tooth, $2,200.00 engine replacement..My ex had the car 3 months and this happened, maybe the 90k belt is logical if this is a high probability...quieter I'd suspect too.


That year Accord has a timing chain.
 
Mine is a 2006 V6. The $900 got me a new belt, tensioner, and water pump. Crazy thing is: the belt and water pump that the dealer took out (the original parts) looked BRAND NEW! I think they could have gone another 50,000 easily.

People always talk about doing this job yourself in your carport, but if I tore into a system as vital as the water pump and timing belt, my car would NEVER RUN AGAIN! There is no room for error on getting that timing belt and the other parts back in just right. I wouldn't have a clue on setting the timing or getting the water pump not to leak.
 
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I see both sides of this argument.

Belts are quieter but harder to change and $$$. (See my 2001 Civic with 227k and 3 belts)

Chains....noisier but no replacement. (See my 2005 CR-V with 227k currently, still rolling).

I'm not happy about my upcoming $1000 bill for my 2008 Pilot with a belt...but I'm having EVERYTHING done. The crank and cam seals, the tensioners, WP/belt. It's not for the faint of heart without air tools and a full day open.
 
Originally Posted By: CrackyWainwright
Mine is a 2006 V6. The $900 got me a new belt, tensioner, and water pump. Crazy thing is: the belt and water pump that the dealer took out (the original parts) looked BRAND NEW! I think they could have gone another 50,000 easily.



I drove so much with my Civic that when I replaced the TB and water pump after 2 years, yet 105k, it literally looked like when it came out of the package. I was severely disappointed to spend $900 on that particular "repair."
 
If you don't feel like doing it, but also don't like coughing up the money, why'd you buy all these cars that have timing belts?

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Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
It's not for the faint of heart without air tools and a full day open.


Oh h***, I'd do WAY better to set the car on fire and try to collect the insurance money than to try such a complicated and precise repair as a timing belt and water pump myself.
 
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The $900 timing belt is considerably steep IMHO. Did you shop around? I paid $680 for timing belt/tensioner/water pump on a 2007 Acura MDX with wash/vacuume/loaner at Acura dealer.

The V6 J-series is a very old design(1996) when timing belts were more common. Still an incredibly competitive engine however without major redesign its stuck with a timing belt. I believe its the last Honda engine with timing belt still. The balance(4cylinder) swapped over to timing chains by mid 2000's.

My 2005 Subaru cost $300 for timing belt only parts/labor at 100k at local Subaru indy.
 
Yeah on my Ford Duratec, it has the timing chain and the original water pump, crank cam seals, tensioner, starter and it's over 210k.
 
I've never had any trouble doing timing belts on my own vehicles in the past. I do like that, unlike chains, they do not stretch and change the timing as they get older. It took about 3-4 hours on the 4 cyl Camrys I've done and about 7 hours on my Chrysler 300 with the 3.5L. All of them worked just fine and still run great. Sure, it's a bit of a pain but timing chains aren't invincible either. This summer I'm going to do the timing chain on my truck because I suspect it has stretched and is causing it to not run as well as it should.
 
Last vehicle I bought that had a timing belt -- I knew about it going in, and accounted for that cost in the decision. I knew I'd pay someone else to do it, accepted that fact, and was not surprised when it came due. For me, I was fine with the tradeoff, as the vehicle had other traits desirable to me.

Yes, I'd prefer a no-maintance chain. But if the belt is an easy job then I'm ok with that too. Both types of motors can rack up crazy miles--just as both can be ticking time bombs. Either can be easy to service or a nightmare.

Do your research up front, figure out pro/con for each vehicle, then accept how the cards fall.
 
Originally Posted By: sasilverbullet
According to Porsche back in the 80's, the belts could rev higher. That was the technology of the day, but even Porsche has switched to all chains.


I find this hard to believe. The Japanese motorcycles in the 80's used lots of chains, and many revved to 10,000+ rpm. If a cheap Japanese motorcycle manufacturer could figure it out, I don't see how Porsche could fail at making chains live at high RPM.
 
My 2 Hondas have belts while the Infiniti has a chain. Never noticed a difference in noise between a belt and chain. Chains should make it 200K+ unless the oil's consistently run low or plastic tensioner guides break.
 
Belt are quieter, use less power and don't transfer shock to the valve gear. All sounded great before interference engines and dealers over charging for belt replacement. Ed
 
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