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Timing belt question, 99 Honda Accord DX
Hello, I have a 99 Honda Accord DX four door, manual transmission. I
don't drive very much. I bought the car new in Feb. 99, and there are less than 25,000 miles on it. So that's about 2,500 miles per year on average. I'm also a point A to B kind of driver - easy on the brakes, easy on the clutch, smooth acceleration etc. The weather conditions have been pretty benign: 7 years in the Bay Area, 3 years in Portland OR. So the manual says change the timing belt at 105k miles/84 months, whichever comes first. Obviously, I'm past the 84 months by about 2 years, but a long way from 105,000 miles. I also know there are several other things that should be replaced if the timing belt is replaced. I wonder if you experienced mechanics and/or DIYers have an opinion on how necessary this replacement is at this time. I'm sorry if the question is annoying. I know the manual says what it says, and it follows that I'm questioning the recommendations given therein, and I'm basically clueless on this stuff. But sometimes the cognoscenti are in posession of knowledge the manufacturers for one reason or another are reluctant to share. (For example, tire pressure.) Thanks for any input you might have. |
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Timing belt question, 99 Honda Accord DX
All one can deal with here are probabilities. Your belt is
more likely to fail than one changed at seven years; less likely to fail than one driven in extreme weather over the last nine+ years. Also reports are that if a timing belt fails at lower speeds, chances are better that no engine damage will occur. I would at least try to find a good import shop and see how much they want for the job. |
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Timing belt question, 99 Honda Accord DX
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Timing belt question, 99 Honda Accord DX
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Timing belt question, 99 Honda Accord DX
"Elle" > wrote in message ... > Dillon, four folks reporting personal experiences where their broken > timing belt did not damage the engine: > http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2201848 . > > (For newbies, note the thread emphasizes that luck is a factor in not > damaging the engine. If your TB is due, change it now.) 1989 Accord here, single overhead cam. I had the belt break shortly after buying it used, in around 1998 with 140,000 miles on it. No engine damage .... just put on another one. It ended up getting oil on it and broke again a few months ago (200,000 mi.) when my son was getting off of the freeway near the house.(lucky). He cranked it over trying to restart it. I didn't even know what an interference engine was and turned the cam and crankshaft over several times, trying to get things lined up. No damage. I later replaced the head gasket and saw that the valves and pistons were intact. Wonder if Honda is just playing "CYA" in case there is carbon build-up and things make contact. |
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Timing belt question, 99 Honda Accord DX
Thus spake "Elle" > :
>All one can deal with here are probabilities. Your belt is >more likely to fail than one changed at seven years; less >likely to fail than one driven in extreme weather over the >last nine+ years. Also reports are that if a timing belt >fails at lower speeds, chances are better that no engine >damage will occur. Not true. If the cam(s) isn't/aren't spinning but the crank is, you will, in all likelyhood, have a piston be introduced to a valve. It's the mechanics of the engine and has nothing to do with speed. And any belt that old has probably had enough age wear on it. There's a reason they put a mileage and time limit on it. That belt lives in an environment where the temps frequently hit in excess of 150F and there are plenty of contamanents in the air. > >I would at least try to find a good import shop and see how >much they want for the job. > -- - dillon I am not invalid When you wish upon a falling star, your dreams come true. Unless it's really a meteorite hurtling to the Earth which will destroy all life. Then you're pretty much hosed no matter what you wish for. Unless it's death by meteor. |
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Timing belt question, 99 Honda Accord DX
"Elle" > wrote in message ... > "Forrest" > wrote >> 1989 Accord here, single overhead cam. I had the belt break shortly after >> buying it used, in around 1998 with 140,000 miles on it. No engine damage >> ... just put on another one. It ended up getting oil on it and broke >> again a few months ago (200,000 mi.) when my son was getting off of the >> freeway near the house.(lucky). He cranked it over trying to restart it. >> I didn't even know what an interference engine was and turned the cam and >> crankshaft over several times, trying to get things lined up. No damage. >> I later replaced the head gasket and saw that the valves and pistons were >> intact. Wonder if Honda is just playing "CYA" in case there is carbon >> build-up and things make contact. > > Pardon? What do you mean about the carbon build-up tending to promote > valves hitting piston? > > Dillon raises a good point. I do not like my explanation for why sometimes > the engine is not damaged. When driving and the TB breaks, it's true spark > stops pretty instantaneously, but ISTM the tranny will keep the wheels > moving and so the pistons moving for awhile, yet the cam is disconnected > from the crank, so I would expect pistons to hit valves. Unless the valves > can halt a slow((??) moving piston? Pardon? I mean, like I don't think that the valves and pistons CAN hit each other. If anything were to make contact, it would be the carbon build-up ... not "promoting" valves hitting pistons. Talk about putting words into someone's mouth. |
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Timing belt question, 99 Honda Accord DX
"Dillon Pyron" > in his words
"thus spake" > "Elle" > : > >>All one can deal with here are probabilities. Your belt is >>more likely to fail than one changed at seven years; less >>likely to fail than one driven in extreme weather over the >>last nine+ years. Also reports are that if a timing belt >>fails at lower speeds, chances are better that no engine >>damage will occur. > > Not true. If the cam(s) isn't/aren't spinning but the > crank is, you > will, in all likelyhood, have a piston be introduced to a > valve. > It's > the mechanics of the engine and has nothing to do with > speed. I think you are envisioning a literal breaking of the TB apart, whereas I think many TB failures are not that extreme. With the less extreme failures, the cam can may still be moving somewhat in synch. The mechanics of the engine are also such that it comes to a stop sooner when it is under less load. Momentum and all. Regardless, I am going by reports. I could be talked out of the claims made that lower engine speed lowers the probability of engine damage but without knowing more about how TBs fail, I will stick with this. |
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Timing belt question, 99 Honda Accord DX
"Forrest" > wrote
> Someone mentioned changing the tensioner when changing the > belt. Why? What is usually bad with that? Its bearings can fail. Based on advice here, I inspect it at each TB change. Barring any sign of bearing failure, I change it only every other TB change. |
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Timing belt question, 99 Honda Accord DX
Dillon, four folks reporting personal experiences where
their broken timing belt did not damage the engine: http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2201848 . (For newbies, note the thread emphasizes that luck is a factor in not damaging the engine. If your TB is due, change it now.) |
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