My car is a 2005 Honda Accord V6 with 35,500 miles on it. I have been told by my mechanic at the Honda dealership that the timing belt needs to be changed. He said that Honda recommends this service at either 90,000 miles or 7 years. My question is does it really need to be done at this time or is it something that can wait? I know, at least according to what I read, if the timing belt “breaks” it can do lots of engine damage. When the mileage is so low on my car what happens to the timing belt with time (dries up, falls off???) Thank you for any info you can give me…
It dries up. And then breaks and falls off.
And then, when your valves suddenly go out of proper synchronization with the pistons, the pistons bash into the valves as the engine shuts down. Typically, you’ll be driving down the highway at that time and the pistons will still be connected to the rear wheels (via the crankshaft etc.) so all of the inertia of the vehicle plus the inertia of the flywheel will keep pushing the pistons up and down as they pound the valves. Valvestems will bend, some may break. Dings and damage may happen.
Of course, you may be idling in a parking lot when it breaks and the damge will be almost nothing. But in that case you’d be a far luckier individual than I am.
Yup, you should get the belt changed.
You can only assume Honda engineers know what they are doing, better than us or yourself second-guessing them. 7 years might be conservative but why would you want to risk engine damage?
Seven years is seven years.
Now’s The Time (to change it)
Heres mine at 8 years
http://community.cartalk.com/discussion/2288313/timing-belt-cracks/p1
Do you feel lucky? BTW, Honda dealers usually give the best deals for this service.
Your car was probably manufactured in 2004 so it’s quite likely going on 9 years old; or 8.5 anyway.
With an interference fit engine I would say 6 at a maximum because temperature extremes, any oil or coolant weepage, etc can shorten belt life.
Some good friends of mine found out this truth when the belt broke on their 59k miles, roughly 4 year old Honda and left them in the boondocks with the top end of the engine trashed.
The Honda timing belt change interval is based on experience and research. The interval is designed to have a belt replaced with virtually no chance it will fail. When you go past the interval there is a chance the belt will fail. The more years and miles you go the greater the chance and risk of belt failure.
In the case of your engine when the belt breaks the parts inside the engine collide at high speed and with great force. The engine locks up suddenly and about 1/2 of the valves are bent and a couple of pistons get holes in them. Usually the head is severely damaged and sometimes a cylinder wall or two is scored. In effect the engine is damaged beyond repair.
The job is pretty routine for a good Honda mechanic, and Honda dealerships do a very good job with reasonable prices on this particular job. You can save a few bucks and live in the danger zone if you wish; its your car, your money, and your choice.
you can pay me now or pay me more later its up to you . ask yourshelf do you feal luckey?
GMJ wrote:
I have been told by my mechanic at the Honda dealership that the timing belt needs to be changed.
Your approach to maintenance concerns me. You’re supposed to use your owner’s manual to determine what service is due and go to your shop to have that service done. If you let the shop decide what maintenance is due, you run the risk of skipping required maintenance or paying for unnecessary maintenance.
As for your original question, you’re gambling with an engine repair or replacement that’s probably at least $3,000. If you want to try to get away with it, it’s your money.
“Your approach to maintenance concerns me. You’re supposed to use your owner’s manual to determine what service is due and go to your shop to have that service done. If you let the shop decide what maintenance is due, you run the risk of skipping required maintenance or paying for unnecessary maintenance.”
This same issue has always puzzled me.
Nobody needs to be an automotive engineer in order to be able to read and comprehend the maintenance schedule that was placed in their glove compartment for their use. The information is intentionally written on the 8th grade reading level, so that almost all adults can understand it. But, it appears that many people never even bother to look at the information.
Instead, many people defer to the judgment of someone who may or may not have good motives, and, in the process may wind up skipping vital services and/or paying for useless procedures. In either case, money is wasted that could otherwise have been spent more wisely.
It’s actually 7 years or 105,000 miles; whichever comes first. Your car is about 8 years old. Now is a good time to do it. And the engine will be destroyed if the belt fails. Shop around for the best deal. Last fall I had the timing belt, water pump, coolant, and serpentine belt replaced for $800 at my local dealer. It rurned out to be the best price. BTW, I have a 2005 Accord EX V6, now with 111,000 miles. Great car, isn’t it?
time to check out your owners manual to see what it says when not sure. is it a 6 or 4 cylinder’s engine. I have a 2005 and the book say yes to a 6 and no to a 4. good luck
The later 4 cylinder Honda engines use timing chains. So there is no recommended interval change. Typically they last at least 250k miles. The 6-cylinder still has a timing belt. I assume that since this is the dealer they would know which engine has the timing belt and which has the timing chain.
I’ve been looking to buy a used honda and can’t find a useful maintenance schedule online–I keep seeing something called Maintenance Minder that shows you how to get your vehicle to tell you if maintenance is due, and what the standard maintenance lists are, but no numbers (time and mileage) are shown. Can anyone link me to a source for a schedule with actual numbers in it?
@tik, he said it’s a V6.