after spending months observing, obsessing, and looking at my timing belt i think there is an important issue overlooked when looking for proper timing belt tension. when following the manual it simply says turn 3 teeth and your done. So most of us do this with the engine cold. What i mean is that you your engine is not hot from running. When i ve done this procedure with the engine cold and then let my engine get hot to the point where the thermostat opens, the freaking timing belt starts to sound like a super charger (its whines because the t-belt is way to tight and sounds like sh11t, the engine has expanded with heat and has put more tension on the timing belt). My advice, let the engine get hot to its idling temperature then readjust (put it to tdc then go three teeth with engine hot.) this allows for the timing belt to be adjusted to proper tension when the engine is hot, heat expands things) and at operating temps. There is def some difference if you adjust timing belt with engine hot vs cold, have not seen much info on this. Just think about it though. your thoughts on this?

 

When I had my Honda Tech (25 years experience, factory trained) do my timing belt and water pump, when I got it back I heard the timing belt whine fairly significantly. When he asked me how it was I told him all I hear is the belt whining away and he was satisfied with that answer.

The whine lasted at most a month, maybe two, of heavy pedal driving and settled in perfectly until I had some interesting challenges and I snapped my belt (about 1.5-2 years later).

Needless to say, the first time I did my timing belt myself, I thought I followed the manual well but I don't think I did a good job maintaining the pressure of the 3 teeth tension and so the belt was okay but probably a touch loose (brand new belt) as it didn't whine hardly at all. A few days later, I redid tension as I wasn't satisfied and this time kept the 3-4 tooth tension with my foot as I tightened the tensioner bolt.

After that I could hear the new belt whining again (not quite as much as when my Tech did it as it was already a few days old) and the whine has since gone away and I know the belt has settled in and is running perfectly without worry of skipping teeth as I hit redline or once in a blue moon, rev limit.

So I disagree, the belt will soften with heat and just like blue jeans, will stretch into place. If you do it hot, it might not be tight enough and as it stretches becomes too loose.

That's my opinion. I say do it cold just like they do at the factory.

 

ahhh the old belt stretch. That is something i considered too when I drove around with my belt whining with no relief. I counter that with what ive read of people saying rubber timing belts do not stretch with accumulated mileage and wear. They are reinforced with strands of fiberglass which makes them virtually unstretchable. I ve also read others say they do stretch. Anyways we are only talking fractions here anyways. when my belt was adjusted cold and whining i feared belt snap. Now, adjusted to hot engine, with the engine cold the belt seems fairly firm. I would not be able to pull it off the cam gear by hand. With it hot it does not make hardly any whine. I ve driven this belt 50k+miles and the tension seems perfect to me.

 

anyone else have input on this?