[bobertmoto]

First of all greetings all im totally new here as this is my first post!

I just broke 100k on my 2003 accord v6 and i've yet to change the timing belt on it. I've been shopping around for parts and have recieved conflicting information from my dad ( an old school gm mechanic who says "its a honda, just throw a new belt and pump on it) and my local import guy who says put new everything in it.

So im at a loss. What all do i absolutely need?

so far ive come up with as essentials.

timing belt
accessory belt
water pump

then cam/crankshaft seals
tensioner
idler (s) ?
tensioner adjuster

also OEM vs aftermarket? i'm looking at getting most of this stuff from Majestic Honda - The Internet's #1 Honda Automotive Parts Store

Your input is greatly greatly valued, muchos gracias amigos!

 

[wipeout97]

If it were my car I would get:

valve cover gasket set (after market ok)
timing belt set (timing belt, tensioner pulley, idler)(Gates aftermarket ok)
Oil pump seal (oem)
Water Pump (oem only - some aftermarkets leak...)
crankshaft pulley holder (do not impact the crank bolt back in, this is why I recommend this tool. Check a company called powerbuilt)
Accessory Belt(goodyear gatorback v ribbed - moves air while in motion to cool components better)
Radiator Coolant (flush the system with flush before you replace the water pump)

While you are doing this it could also be a great time to pull your oil pan and clean the sludge from the bottom along with a drain and refill on your transmission (Honda ATF only unless you have dexronIII and a high friction modifier supplement).

Goodluck man

 

[Rush2112]

I am right on the money @ 105,000 miles, so i'd like to know too.

The timing belt, accessory belt and water pump are a must, but is it a bad idea to not do the other stuff?

I want this car to run 200k+ but I don't really want a $1,000 maintenance job.

 

[AccordinToHonda]

I am right on the money @ 105,000 miles, so i'd like to know too.

The timing belt, accessory belt and water pump are a must, but is it a bad idea to not do the other stuff?

I want this car to run 200k+ but I don't really want a $1,000 maintenance job.

How's your clutch? If its original you might want to get that replaced too, it'll save you money and time in the long run.

 

[Rush2112]

How's your clutch? If its original you might want to get that replaced too, it'll save you money and time in the long run.

I see you've got the same car, how's your clutch doing and at how many miles? I've been told it's self-adjusting, so it'll feel the same til it's dead. I've also been told that since they're from the Acura CL that had more power, the transmission and clutch are overengineered for the car and should last forever if you treat them right. It's doing fine. Appears like it'll last another 100k.

What's recommended for the 105k timing belt job? I figured just the belt and water pump, and maybe a tensioner. I was gonna get around to the spark plugs and gear oil, but I think im gonna leave the belt job to someone who knows what they're doing

 

[MortsAccord]

Just either download the manual through the stickies, or buy a haynes manual and read over the procedure for a few days until your well versed. Car work is easy. Just allocate time , about 2-3 times what a manual says and you should be good.

 

[AccordinToHonda]

I see you've got the same car, how's your clutch doing and at how many miles? I've been told it's self-adjusting, so it'll feel the same til it's dead. I've also been told that since they're from the Acura CL that had more power, the transmission and clutch are overengineered for the car and should last forever if you treat them right. It's doing fine. Appears like it'll last another 100k.

What's recommended for the 105k timing belt job? I figured just the belt and water pump, and maybe a tensioner. I was gonna get around to the spark plugs and gear oil, but I think im gonna leave the belt job to someone who knows what they're doing

My clutch is doing pretty good at 80k miles. I bought mine used at 35k and I'm pretty sure the person before me didn't know how to drive it cause for a while after I bought it it would vibrate bad anytime the clutch was slipping. The dealer told me it was probably hot spots on the flywheel from abuse. I figure it'll last me another 10-20k miles cause every once in a while I feel it slip more then it should when I take off from a stop.

I think the main things are just the timing belt and the water pump. The tensioner could be replaced just to play it safe.

Will this be your first time changing the transmission fluid? I recently put in some of the new honda stuff and I'm not that impressed with it.

 

[Rush2112]

My clutch is doing pretty good at 80k miles. I bought mine used at 35k and I'm pretty sure the person before me didn't know how to drive it cause for a while after I bought it it would vibrate bad anytime the clutch was slipping. The dealer told me it was probably hot spots on the flywheel from abuse. I figure it'll last me another 10-20k miles cause every once in a while I feel it slip more then it should when I take off from a stop.

I think the main things are just the timing belt and the water pump. The tensioner could be replaced just to play it safe.

Will this be your first time changing the transmission fluid? I recently put in some of the new honda stuff and I'm not that impressed with it.

I bought the car from someone who was an Acura head technician, so i'm not sure if he ever did gear oil. I'm asking him tomorrow on what he's done maintenance wise. The only thing I know of that's been done is all 4 brakes, pads and rotors. Extreme. From other places on this site, i've been hearing that there's a different gear oil that works MUCH better.

As far as playing it safe, with these damn interference engines I just don't want it to ever ever ever snap. This car's gonna be doing several Utah-California trips in the next six years, it's gonna rack miles. I've seen 7th gen's doing fine with 250k miles, but oddly enough not a V6 yet.

 

[AccordinToHonda]

Yea I've heard good things about amsoil mtf. I'm about to try it out in the next few days. Ill let you know how it is. It seems to me like the Honda mtf is way too thin. It pours like water.

 

[Rush2112]

Gotten a chance to use that fluid? I changed my belt, and a faulty pre cat O2 sensor. It's running like a dream right now. The clutch is doing fantastic, I can dump it and it holds up like a new car.

 

[HondatechAV6]

if you wanted the cheapest route replace the timing belt(use a honda belt, it's the timing belt for Gods sake) and auto tensioner and that's it.

i rarely see idler or tensioner pulleys go bad or become noisy. inspect the drive belt for cracking. if it's not cracked or noisy, re-use it for now.

however, if you want the complete setup and don't want to worry about it for another 105,000 miles:
t-belt
water pump
tensioner
tensioner pully
idler pully

since i have yet to see a leaking cam seal or crank seal on stock hondas on the jseries v6, don't worry about them unless you see seepage or leaking.

valve covers aren't removed for the timing belt, so unless they are leaking or seeping oil, or you are doing a valve adjustment don't worry about them.

do the valve adjustment if: valves are noisy on a warmed up engine(or excessively noisy on a cold engine) or if the Map sensor reading(using a scantool) is higher than .94v on a fully warmed up engine. a higher map reading means the valves are slightly tight. (i personally find the intake slightly tight and exhaust slightly loose oddly enough). keep in mind i'm assuming the engine is tuned up and doesn't have any vacuum leaks or problems that would cause a map reading to normally be high.

.88v is an ideal map reading for any engine. not too difficult to achieve on an unabused engine. 1.00v indicates tight valves. higher than 1.10v indicates really tight valves or possibly receeded valves(rare on j series engines)

 

[cotton617]

Where's a good place to get these parts? I'm also doing a timing belt / water pump kit for my 03 EX V6 in the near future.

 

[MortsAccord]

Where's a good place to get these parts? I'm also doing a timing belt / water pump kit for my 03 EX V6 in the near future.

you could have started a new thread instead of tagging onto a old one.

Listed in wher ei would go first to last,.
Rockauto.com
Autozone
Advanced auto parts
O Rileys
Napa
Dealer

 

[cotton617]

How's this look? Genuine/OEM Complete Timing Belt & Water Pump Kit Honda/Acura V6 Factory Parts! | eBay

 

[jsims006]

Some advice about tensioners - Inspect your existing ones. Unless your vehicle calls for mandatory replacement, you probably won't need to replace them.