I have an '03, driven conservatively, with 19,000 miles. Your suggestions regarding the necessity of a timing belt change and the relative influence of the passage of time versus the mileage as factors for changing it. Thanks and Happy New Year!
Timing of timing belt change
- Thread starter FranksNSX
- Start date
This has been discussed before a bunch of times but according to the Wiki and Acura/Honda it should be changed after 6 years "or" 90K miles, whichever comes first.
http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Maintenance/Timing_Belt
A timing belt/water pump service is a lot cheaper than an engine rebuild or new engine.
http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Maintenance/Timing_Belt
A timing belt/water pump service is a lot cheaper than an engine rebuild or new engine.
+1 This is one of the most debated discussions on this site. Use the search function and explore primers response over the years on when to change.
Those are baby miles.:tongue: I would not even worry about it, unless it was driven super agressively for all 19,000.
I think the newer cars are 7 years and 105K. I would assume that this could apply to the older models as well. Not sure the logic in why the change but maybe Honda realized it was being conservative with the 90K, 6years. Correct me if I am wrong.
Aren't most new cars (hondas) 105000 miles or so?
So to clarify it once and for all, is 7 year/105,000 for all years or just later models?
Why anyone would gamble a potentially $10K engine (more in the case of the OP's '03 car) on the longevity of a belt is beyond reason.
Every time I buy a honda or any car with a belt, the first thing I do is either verify 100% that the timing belt was changed or if there is the slightest doubt I change it.
When I bought my car, the owner said it was changed but could not find his record of that so I changed it, after getting in there I could see they had been changed but since there was no proof of how long it had been I felt much bettter knowing, and now I know that 6 years from that time I will do it again (there is no chance I will rack up 60K miles or 100k)
You can take this next story as applicable or not - but it is 100% true and hapened two years ago:
A friend of mine decided he liked my Lexus GS so much that he wanted one, we searched high and low to find one since he had to have black on black - the only one we could find was from a questionable russian dude. My friend decided to buy it although there were issues that we could see that needed fixing. During the sale negotiations the seller was very adamant that the timing belt had been done and while we were under the impression that the 1UZ-FE engine was not an interference engine (i.e. the valves will not hit the pistons if the belt breaks) I very pointedly told my friend in my "expert opinion" change the timing belt asap "I don't care what this guy says"
Well... a few months passes, the car now has just over 60K miles (100K kms) the car is 8 years old BTW - and I have reminded my friend to the point where he says, "fine" change it.
I get a phone call - "uhh, I'm on my way to your shop and the car died" - I am still thinking it's a fuel pump or something, we get the car towed in and - BINGO -
One broken timing belt and 32 bent valves. $4500 engine job.
For the sake of a $500 timing belt job.
Every time I buy a honda or any car with a belt, the first thing I do is either verify 100% that the timing belt was changed or if there is the slightest doubt I change it.
When I bought my car, the owner said it was changed but could not find his record of that so I changed it, after getting in there I could see they had been changed but since there was no proof of how long it had been I felt much bettter knowing, and now I know that 6 years from that time I will do it again (there is no chance I will rack up 60K miles or 100k)
You can take this next story as applicable or not - but it is 100% true and hapened two years ago:
A friend of mine decided he liked my Lexus GS so much that he wanted one, we searched high and low to find one since he had to have black on black - the only one we could find was from a questionable russian dude. My friend decided to buy it although there were issues that we could see that needed fixing. During the sale negotiations the seller was very adamant that the timing belt had been done and while we were under the impression that the 1UZ-FE engine was not an interference engine (i.e. the valves will not hit the pistons if the belt breaks) I very pointedly told my friend in my "expert opinion" change the timing belt asap "I don't care what this guy says"
Well... a few months passes, the car now has just over 60K miles (100K kms) the car is 8 years old BTW - and I have reminded my friend to the point where he says, "fine" change it.
I get a phone call - "uhh, I'm on my way to your shop and the car died" - I am still thinking it's a fuel pump or something, we get the car towed in and - BINGO -
One broken timing belt and 32 bent valves. $4500 engine job.
For the sake of a $500 timing belt job.
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That's bad advice. The belts still dry rot over time regardless of mileage. It's not worth the risk.......
Agreed, time can do just as much damage as miles. First thing I did when I bought my car was the timing belt merely because the car wasnt supplied with maintenance records.
Glad I did, belt was loose and worn out.
Glad I did, belt was loose and worn out.
