All,

I recently had my motor swapped out of my '96 Acura TL back in June. Two days ago I was driving and my car slipped out of gear and it wouldn't turn back over. I took it to a dealership and they said my timing belt broke and I needed a new motor. I informed the dealership I had it replaced 2 months. They asked did the shop who put it in change the timing belt. Is changing the timing belt required when changing out the engine? Any information provided will be appreciated.

 

it depends on how old the timing belt it and how many miles are on the engine.

 

The car is a '96 and the old motor had 256K on it before I put another motor in.

 

i will guarentee you that the shop did not change the belt and since that engine was sitting for a long time without use, the t-belt should have been changed. pre 98 honda require t-belt change at 90K or 7 years. T-belts installed since 1998 are rated for 105K or 7 years.

 

another q, are the two motors the same? if so, you might be able to get away with a head swap from the old to new motor