Hi there.. I have a 2000 Honda Accord LX 4 door 4 cylinder. I have 103k miles so I had my mechanic(certified) change the timing belt, balancer belt, power steering belt and alternator belt. As soon as I got the car back I had a lot of vibration at 2000 rpms. Also made noise like the muffler wasn't attached all the way. I took it back to him the next day and he drove it and noticed a difference also. He worked on it and said that he adjusted the balancer belt to I think 30 degrees or something like that. I took out a lot of vibration in the engine but it's still 75 percent to the way it should ride. He used an aftermarket belt and he said that he would try the Honda belt which has markings on it that will help adjust some degrees.

Is he barking up the right tree? Should I get another opinion? What do you think?

Thanks in advance,
Newbie

 

assuming that he put everything in the right orderly fashion, there's should be tiny break in period which the belt would act bitchy but i seriously doubt that is the cause of the problem in your case.

that is why you only want to get OEM timing belt...

 

Is the OEM for only Honda? I'm still a newbie and don't get the acronym.

 

OEM=Original Equipment Manufacturer.

If you have a Honda, then yes OEM is Honda.

 

Sounds good. That makes sense. I'll have him change the belt with the OEM and start the process over.

Do brake pads make the same difference? Do I have to get them from Honda or it doesn't matter?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bkny2780 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">He worked on it and said that he adjusted the balancer belt to I think 30 degrees or something like that</TD></TR></TABLE>
The balancer shafts have specific marks as to where they should be set and none of them are at 30 degrees.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bkny2780 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">He used an aftermarket belt and he said that he would try the Honda belt which has markings on it that will help adjust some degrees. Is he barking up the right tree?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Not only is he barking up the wrong tree, he's trying to climb it. Honda OEM belts do not have marks to help set the timing.. Tell him that your car's brand name is spelled H-O-N-D-A, not M-A-Z-D-A.

 

I agree he has definetly line up the gear marks wrong and you mention he is certified. certified in what - "BS" (bullshit ??) lol !! you need a new mechanic.....

 

I second that you need a new mechanic. Both balance shafts (there are two of them -one on left and another one on right side in between the crankshaft) have their own marking that one has to align them correctly and to the mark. If one of the shafts is not aligned to the mark, engine will vibrate. I think a certified honda mechanic would use only OEM honda parts but I am not sure what it is with him that he is certified. One time I used aftermarket timing belt and it ran somewhat shaky so I had to replace it with OEM timing belt and it made a difference. A lesson learned that one should try to use OEM parts.

 

Do yourself a BIG favor and go to http://www.helminc.com and buy the Service and Repair manual for your car ($70 bucks or so), buy/borrow some tools, grow some hair on your chest, grunt like a gorilla, dont forget the 6 pack of beer, and tear into that car.

Seriously though, do not be afarid of your car, they are very easy to work on after you become used to tearing **** apart and putting them back together. Didnt you do this when you were a kid?

Anyway, the Helms book is the SAME book that the honda dealers use and it outlines everything STEP by STEP for EVERYTHING you can think of doing to that car. Hell it even tells you how to diagnose problems, and even what tools to use! It isnt the piece of crap book you get at the autoparts store.

It is pretty rough to get that crank shaft bolt undone but there are tools for that. And you would save yourself a crapload of money.

 

Thanks for the advise guys!!!