Honda CRV timing belt

jftak01

Hi;



I have a 2001 Honda Crv. It is a great car.

now it has about 105k mileage.

Honda has recommended the timing belt change for this mileage. But its cost is too much for me. beside that i drive it about 3K per year. I'm just using it to commute (I'm just a student!).

Is there any way that i can find out that I "MUST" change timing belt???



thanks for your attention.

-jeff

mshugna

your timing belt is 9 years old and due for a change...it could snap any time no matter how many miles you drive. Shop around for a good price...

jayhawkroy

Your timing belt is 9 years old and is at 105K miles, right at the mileage recommendation to change out also. Timing belts can fail due to age or wear. You can't tell the difference.

Best reason to change it is because you have an interference engine and failure can cause severe, expensive damage it the belt breaks. That is the best reason to change it now.

No need to pay dealer prices for this repair. Find a good, independent mechanic and get an estimate from him. Changing out the timing belt, water pump, etc at this point sets you up for 105K additional miles. Failing to get it done soon could cause you a far more expensive bill.

jftak01

thanks for your attention.. team honda gave me a quote to change timing belt and water pump and 2 other belts ( i didn't know what was that!!) for $600. :(
I heard that just timing belt and water pump must be replaced?? is that correct?? if not what are parts should be replaced??

thanks alot

mshugna

to be safe anything under the timing belt cover could be changed...tensioner, pulley, etc...the major cost is labor....600 isn't too bad from dealership.

rockstar07

A timing belt and water pump can be done by any competent mechanic. Shop around and see if you can do better. %600 doesn't actually sound too bad coming from a Honda dealer. Try not to put it off much longer, as others pointed out, pay now, or pay a lot more later.

bobwilson1977

$600 sounds cheap. I changed the timing belt on my brother's 98' Avalon and it was a royal PITA. Took me all day.

Jeffmw05

I agree with the others, $600 isn't bad for going to a dealership. Just be careful as they may try to "lowball" you with the tempting $600 bill and then try to add on extra stuff you don't need (i.e. not in your owner's manual).

Here's what you can expect:
Timing belt itself replaced
Water Pump replaced
Several seals are usually replaced on the engine. Shouldn't cost too much extra $ for that and not a bad idea for a 9 year old car.
Engine accessory belts replaced
Belt tensioner pulleys replaced
Engine coolant changed
Oil Changed most likely

Hope that helps.

bscar

Pay now or pay later. If you pay the $600 now, you'll save yourself from paying $2000 for a new engine or more for a new vehicle later

ok4450

The belt should have been changed about 4 or 5 years ago. It may last another 10 years or it may snap tomorrow. No one knows.

Another annoying little expense that is overlooked, due to a foolish factory recommendation, is the valve lash adjustment. This should have been inspected and adjusted as necessry about 65k miles ago; at a minimum.

kb0001

Do a search for "timing belt" and either Volkswagen or Honda on these forums. You'll see dozen of posts of people in exactly the same situation as you and put off changing their timing belts because of cost.

Saving $600 can very well cost you price of a new engine or completely junking your car.