Drive Belt Tensioner Wobble - 2012 V6 Automatic
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Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Dec 2007
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From: Dallas, TX, US
Drive Belt Tensioner Wobble - 2012 V6 Automatic
83K mile car - well maintained, no major issues with it since purchased brand new in September 2012.
I replaced the original drive belt around 66K miles. Easy peasy. Unfortunately, within 5K miles the tensioner started to make a little noise just on cold starts, but it went right away within seconds.
The other morning, after a true car cold start - I heard some louder than normal chirping noises and popped the hood to see.
It appears I am getting some tensioner pulley wobble and the belt isn't riding in the exact same part of the tensioner pulley, so it also appears to be moving ever so slightly on the tensioner pulley. I checked the tensioner limit marks and it's not beyond spec, so doubly frustrated. Spring itself still seems good, just bad bearings or the like.
The Honda OEM part is ~$377 list (p/n 31170-RV0-A01), which I am not opposed to, but kinda perplexed that it's dying so soon, and why it seems the problems started right after a belt change.
I am looking for the following:
So, it seems the tensioner is different for the J35Z2 and the J35Z3. I believe I have tracked down that my wife's car is the J35Z2 (automatic coupe), but all the aftermarket tensioners say J35Z3.
Anyone had experience changing this out? Did you go with the aftermarket tensioner?
The only one available is the Dayco 89369, which is substantially cheaper, but all the websites I am using to cross reference say J35Z3, even though two local parts houses have told me it says it fits the automatic 3.5 V6.
Kinda lost - want to figure out why it's doing this and if I can avoid an almost $400 tensioner.
For reference, a tensioner on my god-awful expensive Volvo was OES for less than $100, so I am kinda floored by the price and the lack of good OES substitutes for this part.
Thanks in advance!
I replaced the original drive belt around 66K miles. Easy peasy. Unfortunately, within 5K miles the tensioner started to make a little noise just on cold starts, but it went right away within seconds.
The other morning, after a true car cold start - I heard some louder than normal chirping noises and popped the hood to see.
It appears I am getting some tensioner pulley wobble and the belt isn't riding in the exact same part of the tensioner pulley, so it also appears to be moving ever so slightly on the tensioner pulley. I checked the tensioner limit marks and it's not beyond spec, so doubly frustrated. Spring itself still seems good, just bad bearings or the like.
The Honda OEM part is ~$377 list (p/n 31170-RV0-A01), which I am not opposed to, but kinda perplexed that it's dying so soon, and why it seems the problems started right after a belt change.
I am looking for the following:
- Is ANY of this normal>
- Is 83K miles for a belt tensioner reasonable?
- What about aftermarket replacements?
So, it seems the tensioner is different for the J35Z2 and the J35Z3. I believe I have tracked down that my wife's car is the J35Z2 (automatic coupe), but all the aftermarket tensioners say J35Z3.
Anyone had experience changing this out? Did you go with the aftermarket tensioner?
The only one available is the Dayco 89369, which is substantially cheaper, but all the websites I am using to cross reference say J35Z3, even though two local parts houses have told me it says it fits the automatic 3.5 V6.
Kinda lost - want to figure out why it's doing this and if I can avoid an almost $400 tensioner.
For reference, a tensioner on my god-awful expensive Volvo was OES for less than $100, so I am kinda floored by the price and the lack of good OES substitutes for this part.
Thanks in advance!