Honda/Acura J-Series Timing Belt and Oil Pump

Joined
Jun 12, 2004
Messages
4,144
Location
Athens, GA
My 230,000 mile Accord.

I'd been putting it off until it got warmer and I assembled all the parts I needed for the job. This would be my second J-Series timing belt and first oil pump reseal. I must say, it's really not a bad job. People complain left and right about doing timing belts, but as long as you can get your crank bolt off, Honda makes the job as easy as you could hope for. You line up all you marks, and as long as you don't smash into the crank or cams, everything stays where it is supposed to while you're putting the new belt on, provided you're not doing cam seals (I didn't, they weren't leaking at all so I left them alone). The rear pulley has a lip on it to keep the belt on as you're installing it, and if you follow their instructions, it goes right on.

I really just want to give people with these motors some hope, that its not a terrible job, and as long as you have some basic tools and understanding of how things work, it is something you can do.

Unbolt the J-Pipe from the cats and just let the exhaust hang. On my Accord this meant taking off a mount to let the system drop. Impact gun helps here to get the nuts off. If you spin out a stud (I did) you can usually put them back in easily. I slotted the end of mine with a cutoff wheel and spun it back in with a flat head screwdriver and some anti seize.

There are 18 small bolts and 2 (or more) large ones holding that cast pan on(and a ton holding on the plastic covers). Doing it by hand is going to take some time. Try to use air or battery power if you have it.

Don't forget to replace the oil pickup tube o-ring. 3-10mm bolts.

Whatever sealant Honda uses at the factory comes off super easy when you're cleaning things up. Most of it you can peel right off, the rest comes off with a scotchbrite pad in seconds.


Parts List (This should work for most J-Series motors, double check though, you only need 1 of each part)
TKH-002 - Asin Timing belt/pulley/tensioner/waterpump set
15115-P8A-A01 - Oil Pump Seal
91310-PH7-000 - Oil Pickup O-Ring. This looks like a normal O-ring. If you have a big set of them, I have no doubt you could just match it up and go.
91212-5MR-A01 - Crankshaft oil seal
91319-PR3-003 - Sensor O-Ring - See above, looks like a normal O-ring.
15825-P8A-A01 - Spool Valve Gasket/Oil Filter Mount Gasket.
36172-P8A-A01 - Vtech Solenoid Gasket

If you want to be cheap, Mahle makes a set with pretty much all of those gaskets for about a 5th of the price of the Honda ones, but I've not had great luck with non-Honda gaskets* and really didn't want to take the chance of having to do the job all over or have something not fit properly.

Optional
18212-SA7-003 - Exhaust gaskets - You can probably get away with not replacing these, my old ones looked identical to the new ones.

It took me about 6 hours start to finish for the timing related stuff, so the next day I moved on to replacing valve cover gaskets. A note here. I used Fel-Pro on this Accord and Beck Arnley on my TL and they both started leaking in less than a year. Take my advice, use the Honda valve cover gaskets. Tube seals and grommets you can do aftermarket, those seem to work ok, but not the VC gaskets. I actually buy a BA set and throw away the VC gaskets and use the tube seals and grommets. More cost effective that way. Honda is a little too proud of those parts.

I of course went through all the valves while I was in there just to double check my work from a year ago. I'd felt that I left some of them a little on the loose side (I did) so I tightened those up more towards the lower end of their specs. Just makes it a little bit quieter.

12341-RCA-A01 - Valve Cover Gasket (Need 2)
12342-RYE-004 - Spark Plug Tube Seals (Need 6)
90442-P8A-A00 - Bolt Grommets (Need 10) *They want approx $4-5 EA for these things. If you want to spend that, go ahead, if not, get some aftermarket.

12030-RYE-A01 - Valve Cover set that includes a Gasket, 3 Tube Seals, and 5 Grommets (Need 2 if you go this route)

Other things I used:
1 - Tube of Hondabond (Or your favorite sealant)
1.5 Gallons of Zerex Asian Blue
4.5 Qts of Havoline HM 5W30
Partsmaster 51334 Filter
6 - Denso Plugs (IK20TT)

I have also now sworn off anti-seize on spark plugs. I don't know what the deal is with it and these engines but the 3 plugs on the rear came out hard. REALLY hard, to the point I thought there was either going to be a coil of aluminum thread on them when I got them out, or I really thought that I was going to break one, it really was that bad. I was already thinking of how I was going to get the head repaired. But in the end, they came out and the threads were fine. Go figure, but the new ones went in dry.

Digging back through my records, this belt had 128,000 miles on it and the two idler pulleys are the original ones on the car. The first timing belt was done at the local dealer and according to the invoice, they didn't replace the pulleys, but they did replace the 3 seals and the tensioner. I did not replace the cam seals, but I did replace the pulleys. The old pulleys still felt great and the belt 'looked' to be in fine shape

I also swore I was going to take pictures of the process. I took two. One of the inside of the oil pan, and one of all the used parts strewn all over the garage.

Hopefully this helps someone that is thinking about doing this job, especially if you want to save some coin and/or don't have a trusted person like cline, Travis, or Critic (and others) nearby.

[Linked Image]
 
Originally Posted by ctechbob

I have also now sworn off anti-seize on spark plugs. I don't know what the deal is with it and these engines but the 3 plugs on the rear came out hard. REALLY hard, to the point I thought there was either going to be a coil of aluminum thread on them when I got them out, or I really thought that I was going to break one, it really was that bad. I was already thinking of how I was going to get the head repaired. But in the end, they came out and the threads were fine. Go figure, but the new ones went in dry.


If the old ones came out really tight and you were afraid the threads were going to be damaged why did that put you off using anti seize? Sorry I don't get it, I would think just the opposite.
 
Originally Posted by Trav
If the old ones came out really tight and you were afraid the threads were going to be damaged why did that put you off using anti seize? Sorry I don't get it, I would think just the opposite.

I think he's suggesting he put anti-seize on them during a previous plug change. Just imagine how they might have been without any anti-seize though !
 
Originally Posted by Trav
Originally Posted by ctechbob

I have also now sworn off anti-seize on spark plugs. I don't know what the deal is with it and these engines but the 3 plugs on the rear came out hard. REALLY hard, to the point I thought there was either going to be a coil of aluminum thread on them when I got them out, or I really thought that I was going to break one, it really was that bad. I was already thinking of how I was going to get the head repaired. But in the end, they came out and the threads were fine. Go figure, but the new ones went in dry.


If the old ones came out really tight and you were afraid the threads were going to be damaged why did that put you off using anti seize? Sorry I don't get it, I would think just the opposite.


Because at 130,000 miles on my TL the plugs came out much much easier, and they were the original plugs. I was the second owner and the car was fully documented by the previous to the point where he had all the service done at the same dealer.
 
I recently replaced the t-belt and water pump on my J35. It wasn't bad. Somewhat tedious, but not bad. The job on my pickup is somewhat different than the procedure described here.

It's interesting your experience with plugs on the J35, ctechbob. Ridgelines has a tendency to spit plugs out. Different castings than the engines in the cars, and Honda changes the castings on the pickup engines in about...2009? 2011? Anyway, the later ones have less of that tendency. However, the Honda service manual for the Ridgeline specifies the use of anti-seize on plugs. I've had too many old plugs cause thread problems to not use anti-seize on all spark plugs.
 
Originally Posted by bulwnkl
I recently replaced the t-belt and water pump on my J35. It wasn't bad. Somewhat tedious, but not bad. The job on my pickup is somewhat different than the procedure described here.

It's interesting your experience with plugs on the J35, ctechbob. Ridgelines has a tendency to spit plugs out. Different castings than the engines in the cars, and Honda changes the castings on the pickup engines in about...2009? 2011? Anyway, the later ones have less of that tendency. However, the Honda service manual for the Ridgeline specifies the use of anti-seize on plugs. I've had too many old plugs cause thread problems to not use anti-seize on all spark plugs.


Yea, I'm really at a loss why they came out so hard, and it's not the first time with that motor either. I'd have to check my records, but I know this was the 3rsd set in the car and the second set came out hard as well, and those had been done with AS on them. I recall them being hard, but this time really freaked me out, to the point where I backed them out a turn and sprayed PB down the holes. This is a J30A4 BTW, the TL has the J35A8. You wouldn't think there would be a big difference in the spark plug holes, but who knows.

Most tedious thing for me is two small bolts at the back of the rear timing belt guard. Enough room to get your hand in there, but not enough for a ratchet, and even a short ratcheting wrench is a little tricky. It seriously takes me more time to get those two out than it does to get the other 20. Every time I think 'I'm not putting that back in'....and then I do the reverse fight and do it anyways.
 
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Originally Posted by ctechbob
Every time I think 'I'm not putting that back in'....and then I do the reverse fight and do it anyways.


(-: I sympathize!
 
Good job! Glad to hear that the repair went well.

Originally Posted by ctechbob


I have also now sworn off anti-seize on spark plugs. I don't know what the deal is with it and these engines but the 3 plugs on the rear came out hard. REALLY hard, to the point I thought there was either going to be a coil of aluminum thread on them when I got them out, or I really thought that I was going to break one, it really was that bad. I was already thinking of how I was going to get the head repaired. But in the end, they came out and the threads were fine. Go figure, but the new ones went in dry.


Do you recall which brand/type anti-seize was used? Was it aluminum or copper?
 
Just regular Permatex, silver tube. That's all I've ever used/owned. Aluminum I believe. Have to look when I get home today.

But yes, that's not a terrible job, just time consuming. There's really not anything special to it but nuts and bolts.

The funniest part was me taking off the crankshaft pulley, looking at it and thinking 'huh the key came out with it' laying it to the side and then sticking a 19mm on the crankshaft to line up the marks.....err, 'why aren't the cams mov.......@$%^#$%^#$' Luckily I'd only moved the pulley about 5 degrees.

I know better, my brain just wasn't in gear at that moment.

Honda sure wants to make absolutely positive that the cast aluminum oil pan doesn't go anywhere. 18 small bolts and 2 large ones..sheesh, thank god for air tools.
 
Last edited:
Adding a post to this thread since the forum migration completely hosed the formatting and made the parts list almost impossible to read:


Parts List (This should work for most J-Series motors, double check though, you only need 1 of each part)
TKH-002 - Asin Timing belt/pulley/tensioner/waterpump set
15115-P8A-A01 - Oil Pump Seal
91310-PH7-000 - Oil Pickup O-Ring. This looks like a normal O-ring. If you have a big set of them, I have no doubt you could just match it up and go.
91212-5MR-A01 - Crankshaft oil seal
91319-PR3-003 - Sensor O-Ring - See above, looks like a normal O-ring.
15825-P8A-A01 - Spool Valve Gasket/Oil Filter Mount Gasket.
36172-P8A-A01 - Vtech Solenoid Gasket

If you want to be cheap, Mahle makes a set with pretty much all of those gaskets for about a 5th of the price of the Honda ones, but I've not had great luck with non-Honda gaskets* and really didn't want to take the chance of having to do the job all over or have something not fit properly.

Optional 18212-SA7-003 - Exhaust gaskets - You can probably get away with not replacing these, my old ones looked identical to the new ones.

It took me about 6 hours start to finish for the timing related stuff, so the next day I moved on to replacing valve cover gaskets. A note here. I used Fel-Pro on this Accord and Beck Arnley on my TL and they both started leaking in less than a year. Take my advice, use the Honda valve cover gaskets. Tube seals and grommets you can do aftermarket, those seem to work ok, but not the VC gaskets. I actually buy a BA set and throw away the VC gaskets and use the tube seals and grommets. More cost effective that way. Honda is a little too proud of those parts. I of course went through all the valves while I was in there just to double check my work from a year ago. I'd felt that I left some of them a little on the loose side (I did) so I tightened those up more towards the lower end of their specs. Just makes it a little bit quieter.

12341-RCA-A01 - Valve Cover Gasket (Need 2)
12342-RYE-004 - Spark Plug Tube Seals (Need 6)
90442-P8A-A00 - Bolt Grommets (Need 10) *They want approx $4-5 EA for these things. If you want to spend that, go ahead, if not, get some aftermarket.

12030-RYE-A01 - Valve Cover set that includes a Gasket, 3 Tube Seals, and 5 Grommets (Need 2 if you go this route)

The above valve cover components are different on some Pilots/Ridgelines. Double check before ordering.

Other things I used:

1 - Tube of Hondabond (Or your favorite sealant)
1.5 Gallons of Zerex Asian Blue
4.5 Qts of Havoline HM 5W30
Partsmaster 51334 Filter
6 - Denso Plugs (IK20TT)
 
I'd felt that I left some of them a little on the loose side (I did) so I tightened those up more towards the lower end of their specs. Just makes it a little bit quieter.
I've been told by a few dealer techs to leave the slightly loose valves alone (since they never cause driveability issues) and to focus on the tight ones. Supposedly that is their approach at the dealer - unless the valve is excessively loose or the valve adjustment is being done to address a noise complaint, the loose ones do not get touched.
 
I believe the Honda techs would do that. The J-35 seems to like to ‘wear tight’ on some valves, meaning seat recession I expect. That then leads to burned valves or other problems, so leaving them a bit loose seems like a semi-reasonable shortcut.

My current J-35 had a valve or two that was way loose, and at least a couple that were definitely too tight after 90k or so. I’m glad I checked them, though none were causing a major problem yet.
 
I've been told by a few dealer techs to leave the slightly loose valves alone (since they never cause driveability issues) and to focus on the tight ones. Supposedly that is their approach at the dealer - unless the valve is excessively loose or the valve adjustment is being done to address a noise complaint, the loose ones do not get touched.


I think that's a perfectly acceptable way to look at it. I'd just gotten a couple a little too loose and it was making more noise than I cared for, and I was in there anyways, so I tightened them up just a hair. Still plenty within spec, but a lot quieter. They still tend to be a somewhat 'tappy' series of motors even when they're spot on. Between the EGR, Injectors, and valves there's lots going on to listen to.

My brain hates doing the job though. Every time I button the car up a few miles down the road I start thinking 'are you sure you snugged those lock nuts up?' Call it slight OCD, oldtimers, or something else. It takes me a bit of driving to assure myself that something I did isn't going to fly apart. Even knowing good and well I probably triple checked every single one of them.
 
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