Gravymeister

Hi,
I'm new here, and I have a few questions about replacing the 2006 Accord V-6 timing belt.
I am retired Master Technician in Arizona, and I worked here for over 30 years, mostly on German cars, VW, Porsche, Audi, BMW.
I will be doing the work myself.

When replacing timing belts we generally recommended replacing the water pump and idler/tensioner pulleys as well.
We recommended this even if the water pump was not leaking and the pulleys seemed ok, simply because of the labor overlap.

In my case, the labor overlap is not important, but the price of parts IS

At 75,000 miles what parts does Honda recommend replacing when doing the timing belt?

I am not concerned with easily replaced external parts, just the ones inside the timing covers.

Are there any tips or shortcuts?

Thanx

94vtecmn

At 75k, you are not due for another 30k.

There are "kits" out there that have everything under the covers you talk about. Look for the Aisin Kit, that's the one I got, and with shipping, got it for $200.
Belt, Tensioner, Tensioner Pulley, Idler Pulley, and Water Pump.

The hardest part of the job is getting the crank pulley off, all the rest is just tedious and time consuming, but can easily be done in a day. Lots of auto parts stores (Orielly in my case) have the crank pulley tool, they will rent you.

BLKFLSH

Well the car is 7 years old, so according to the maintenance schedule it is due. I think you could wait another year or two, but I would be listening for any noises coming from under the covers. I would use the Aisin kit mentioned above, with the idler and adjuster pulleys included. You need to have some heavy artillery to remove the crank bolt.

Gravymeister

Thanks to 94vtecmn and BLKFLSH.

At the dealer level, we used to recommend timing belt replacement well in advance of the manufacturer because of the high temperatures and very dry air.

When I had the transmission flushed (aka the wallet flush) at 70,000 mi. the Service Advisor recommended timing belt replacement at 60,000 mi.

I'll take your advice and do the Aisin kit, but I will wait until the weather cools a bit. It's 130° in my garage during the day.

I have a 26 gal. compressor and Snap-On impact gun, and a 3/4" T-handle with a 4' cheater if all else fails. O'Reilly and I are old pals.

Thanks again.

BTW. Last year I was getting a MIL code of engine misfire. The service manager at the local dealer told me to adjust the valves, and that fixed it.

DCFIVER

Ditto on the Aisin kit. There may be some cheaper,but Aisin is quality and many times are OE parts suppliers. Do yourself a favor and buy the T-belt itself from Honda. Also in your area (high, dry heat levels) Honda recommends belt replacement at 60k intervals.

Accordman1

I would not go with the Aisin kit because it comes with a Chinese knock off belt rather than OEM. If you do, buy an OEM or Gates timing belt and the rest of the kit is fine. I actually got a Gates kit instead because the whole purpose is to replace the timing belt. Yes, the other parts could be worned too but the Gates kit comes with the same Aisin tensioner, Koyo idler and tensioner pulleys and an AC Delco water pump. As for the crank bolt, it is tighten at 182ft lbs of torque so it is a bit hard to get it loosen. However, spray it with liquid wrench 24-48 hours before you try to turn it, it is a lot easier. Make sure that you put it back with the torque wrench to the same specs. I would open the little plugs on the cam shaft pulley covers to inspect the condition of the belt but high heat in your area could necessitate an early replacement. In most other moderate climates, I'd rarely seen the timing belt fails before 10yr/100K.

BLKFLSH

Well either kit could contain non OEM parts. The only way to be sure, is to get the parts from a Honda dealership. Just because Gates bought Unitta, doesn't mean Gates belts are the same quality. I would rather have the Aisin water pump. What brand is the pump in the Gates kit?

bigballer8526

Just a quick question,

If the crank pulley bolt has already been removed once to change the timing belt and tightened back up. Would loosening it a second time be that much easier? Did Honda just overtorque the bolt from factory?

BLKFLSH

How long ago was this? Did they apply oil to the bolt threads? Did they do the 47ftlbs, plus 60 degrees? Or did they just put an impact on it and tighten it as much as they could? Any bolt will take more torque to loosen, than was applied to tighten it.

94vtecmn

That crank pulley is one heck of a bitch. Just make sure you have the right tool to hold the crank pulley while using a big long breaker bar setup, like 5 feet plus if you can. She'll start to move with that.

BLKFLSH

I started using a giant breaker-bar to loosen my crank bolt, and only mangled the pulley holding tool. IMO, the best way to remove the crank bolt, is with a 3/4" or larger impact gun. An impact will not put a lot of force on the pulley holding tool. You still need the holding tool to install the crank bolt.

Do you have the factory service manual, or equivalent, for all the little details? The Haynes manual may or may not be good enough.

94vtecmn

True, though you need a lot of air, and not many have that. Heck, my 3/4 impact with 195psi behind it wouldn't break mine. Having someone help is a good thing if you are setting up with a breaker bar with extensions and pipes.

Or you can just cheat and pay the ~$1k and have it done!

bigballer8526

honda dealer a long time ago. time for a second t-belt change and was going to do it myself. Everything looks like a piece of cake besides that bolt. Can't beat 150 bucks to change it vs 500 indy mechanic and 1000 dealer

Gravymeister

Thanks to all.
I have most of the tools on hand, my local O'Reilly's rents the VD lock.
I will start when it gets down to 90°.

conker

Just finished this yesterday. As others have said, job is generally not hard, just requires patience for all the tight spaces and tool manipulation. Crank bolt gave me fits though. Split one socket, broke one extension. Eventually an overnight soak with Power Blaster, some hammering with the impact, and a 4-ft cheater broke it loose. Tips, just one. Mark cams and crank with paint, overlapping dots onto the old belt. Once it is off, copy dots to new belt (easier than it sounds). Then line up the dots. Makes the re-install quick and adds an extra layer of confirmation. Parts, I did OEM on belt, tensioner, tensioner and idler pulley, water pump, drive belt. Prorate the cost of parts over 7 years and the difference between OEM and aftermarket becomes pointless. The Helms manual provided the best walkthru from what I could find online. The job should not pose any challenge for one of your experience. A wide array of wrenches and extensions is really the only requirement.

0Steve@Spreen

Nice info Conker...Biggest help, a big dose of patience (and renting/buying the right tools).

BLKFLSH

This is very helpful. Don't know why the service manual doesn't mention doing this. Transferring the marks from the old belt, to the new belt, can be a challenge without someone to help hold the belts for you. Once you do that, and line up all the marks, you know you have everything right. I would still turn the engine over a few revolutions, just to make sure. It would be a really bad feeling, to get the engine all back together, then find out you were one tooth off on the belt.

Scott@SonsHonda

In case anyone is interested - there are some decent assembly drawings on our parts page too. Probably could rebuild from the ground up using these drawings.

2005 Honda Accord EX Timing Belt

Lost Again

- Word. A friend helped me do my first timing belt almost 30 years ago and he told/showed me this. Since then any timing belt job I have done - as long as the old belt was still there - I have done this. Taught my kids the same as well.

Mark across the belt to the "gear" on a few gears (depends on set up). Transfer those marks from the old belt to the new one - count the number of teeth on the belt between the marks - and there is almost no reason to set the engine at TDC.

Gravymeister

Well the weather cooled off so I tackled the T-belt, water pump, pulley job.
The work was straightforward R&R, except the crank pulley bolt.
I used the Aisin Kit. Evidently, so does the assembly plant at Marysville, Ohio.
Here's what you'll need in the way of tools.



JUST KIDDING!

What you really need are two very strong breaker bars. The 1/2" ratchet fits nicely in the hole in the control arm.
I used a 40-year-old Snap-On 1/2" ratchet and a 30 year-old Craftsman 1/2" X 18" breaker bar, a jack stand, a loaner crank pulley holder from O'Reilly's, and a 4' long two-inch pipe. The breaker bar bowed under the torque.


I don't care what they say about water pump gaskets, I smear a layer of Permatex Ultra-Gray on the mating surface.

I used a center punch to mark the cam gears and the heads to make sure the camshafts didn't move. They didn't. The crankshaft keyway is at 12 o'clock when the crankshaft is a TDC.

I removed the belt tensioner, compressed it in a vise, and pinned it. I removed the pin after installation with Vise-Grips.

I used Permatex Red Threadlocker on the Pulley bolts, and liberally on the Crankshaft pulley bolt.

New Gates serpentine belt, new coolant, and a LOF as long as I had the wheel off.

PS. An oven broiler pan caught most of the coolant from the water pump removal.

94vtecmn

NICE, that crank pulley bolt is REALLY on there isn't it??!!!!!

BLKFLSH

You used lock-tight on the crank pulley bolt? I wouldn't want to be the guy who had to take that one off next time. The service manual says to put engine oil on the crank bolt threads, I guess to keep it from seizing up.

DCFIVER

Using thread locker on the crank bolt was a mistake. Using RED thread lock on the crank bolt is simply ridiculous. Red thread locker is meant to be a permanent application and requires heat in order to remove the bolt later.


Gotta love DIY'ers and half assed mechanics....

BLKFLSH

Not sure I like this comment, but yes thread-lock on the crank bolt was crazy wrong ("liberally" was the part I really liked). I think the manual says to put thread-lock on the idler pulley bolt because it turns counterclockwise while the engine is running, and could potentially loosen the bolt if the pulley bearing starts dragging.

DCFIVER

Sorry,for every "good" DIY'er there are 100 horrible ones. I see the craziest **** get towed in almost daily. It is what it is, no offense....(besides half of the "professional" mechanics are just as bad)