Yes, age is as important as mileage, and I believe you’re overdue. The elastomeric component of the belt materials dries out with time, especially when subjected to the heat of the engine compartment.
For a more definitive answer, check your Owner’s manual maintenance schedule. That will say “X miles OR X months”.
I think the interval for my civic is like 4~6 years or 90k miles.
Change it now and stop worrying about it . . or change it next Summer and worry about it all year. If the belt breaks on an interference engine such as this one . . . you’ll need a new engine or end up ditching the car. The parts are cheap and the job is simple for a mechanic who works on a lot of Honda motors (they all need timing belts and there are wa lot of Honda cars on the road). I’d say less than $500 in my region.
Yep, take your pick, new belt or new engine. Also replace the water pump at the same time since siezed pump means broken belt and toasted engine. I also just had them replace all of the drive belts too at the same time. Same labor and hard to get to otherwise.
Is there any way to tell if a timing belt has been changed (when you’re looking at a used car)?
The posts are correct to tell you get it fixed. We got lucky when ours broke as it didnt damage the engine but we were told that those with interfernce engines can have major problems (ours is not interferce) and cost alot to fix.
We were told 80,000 so we would just get it fixed before you have more problems or get stuck where you dont want to be.
I am the OP. First, I am humbled by and grateful for the Car Talk community’s response to my question. Second, I repented of my shameful doubt of my friendly Honda dealer and of my ignorance. At this very moment, my Honda is safely parked in my garage with a new set of timing belts and the old belts are sitting harmlessly on the floor by my feet. The teeth appear whole, but the rubber seems incompressible to a finger nail’s pressure. Perhaps this is what a couple of respondents suggested would the resulting loss of rubber elasticity due to the aging process — just like myself. I am thankful for the measure of grace that is built into the obsolescence of these belts. A positive word about the Grand Rapids, Michigan, Fox Honda dealer — the changes of timing belts, two new lower ball joints, and a timely flushing of the brake fluid cost me less than $1,000. Evey penny was worth the cost. My engine is running with wheels attached, safely stopping, and I’m reading the car owner manual.
There is a time/mileage limit on maintenance for many reasons. Age alone deteriorates components, certainly. But also, when driven on short trips in heavy traffic with many miles accumulated in lower gears the engine is accumulating wear that is not indicated on the odometer. How many revolutions does an engine turn per mile in OD? How many revolutions does an engine turn in 1st gear/low range?
And some timing chains are more prone to fail than timing belts. Metal timing gears are the most bullet proof system but even they can fail.
Do it now. I have an 02 Accord with 85k miles on it and my timing belt just broke. The estimates of a couple thousand dollars to fix the damage are very accurate. I had planned on having my belt changed closer to 90k–still well within the recommended 105k limits. Read the fine print though…the “severe driving conditions” which say to change the timing belt at 60k miles apply to more people than you would think.
ask your son if you should change it.
You are going to need to change the timing belt. The question is to do at 87K or at 105K miles. If not done in time (before breaks), you will pay a lot to have work done on your engine (2-3K). So why not bite the bullet and change it? Anyway, six months or a year from now when you have 105K miles, the cost of replacement will have also gone up. THis way, you will have a peace of mind and a new belt that would last for another 5-7 years and 100K. Good Luck…