Re timing belt and non interference engine on 2000 Honda Accord

Maintenance/Repairs
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21

I’ve seen a couple sites list the Honda 3.0 and 3.2 engines as non-interference. In another forum, someone said Honda told him that the 3.0 is non-int.
Then you get people with first hand knowledge of these engines being interference because they had to deal with bent valves.
Here’s what one automotive service company (that used to publish a list of interference [or non] engines on their website), says:

Information resources vary and many opinions conflict on what is and is not an interference engine. We have found no way to compile an accurate list. The safest method is to consider all engines as an interferrence type and replace the timing belt when it is due.

I’d say that’s good advice.

22

Toyota’s 4afe engine is listed as both interference and non-interference, depending on which list you look at. One problem is the word "interference " is ambiguous. It could be between a piston and a valve, or between a valve and another valve. And there’s dimensional differences from one engine to the next, even if it is the same engine design. Even with a truly non-interference engine the parts still come very close together. That’s necessary to get the proper compression.