2014 Honda Pilot 81k miles...wish me luck

[rocky8314]

Going to be changing the timing belt this coming friday...Never done a job this big before...Going in with confidence but a little nervous lol

Don't feel like dropping 1k for someone else to do it...bought the aisin kit and the lisle socket for $220

 

[ctechbob]

I'll repeat my advice here. Break that bolt loose several days before you plan on doing the job. I know you have the socket, and I know it has a good track record, but trust me on this. That bolt can ruin your day and all of a sudden you're out of time and having to do it some other day. Or you've taken other things apart and can't get the bolt off. Do it first, and do it before the planned day of.

Break it loose, and then snug it back up and then when the day comes to do the job it'll come right back off.

 

[RedSpider]

^^^ What he said. That bolt will cause hair loss, wailing and gnashing of teeth, and generally destroy your will to live, if you don't address it first. And that's WITH the socket. Anyone who tries this without the socket should just have a tall bridge or very high cliff standing by to end it all. Been there done that, twice. Once you break it loose, everything else goes pretty smoothly.

 

[Devo242]

Just helped a friend on what I believe is the same process for his 2005 Odyssey's timing and water pump replacement a few weeks ago. He also purchased the AISIN kit and the Lisle crank pulley socket. Some points I recall which might help you:

• We used South Main Auto's Honda timing belt / water pump video as a check for our process and referenced it a few times during the job:
• Have some extra trim clips available for the fender liner and bumper, they end up breaking when removing so nice to grab new ones to reinstall when you're wrapping up and they are cheap to have around anyways.
• The AISIN instructions have torque specs on them for each bolt the kit touches, they are low torque spec so be aware when you reinstall everything.
• There is a metal sleeve / spacer that is inside either the tensioner or idler pulley that when you remove needs to be placed into the new one before reinstalling, be aware of this when you pull it off to not miss it.
• Crank bolt was actually easy, we did the job at his house so did not have access to my air tools but he ended up borrowing a neighbor's Milwaukee Fuel impact (the big one) and it pulled it right off. That said it could have been problematic so others advice to break it before you start makes sense, no point in doing anything else if you can't get that to go.
• Pulling the hydraulic tensioner pin was actually the biggest pain, the finger grab on the pin to pull it was laughably inadequate. You would have pulled your finger clean off before the pin released. Not sure if it was just this tensioner and others are not like this, but having some vice grips or similar pliers that allows leverage on the base of the pin was the key for us. Even with that it fought all the way.

My buddy had bought the van for cheap and it did not come with any service records so no idea how many year and miles the old one had on it, but it had developed a bit of a hesitation and what sounded like a piston slap or rod knock which was progressively getting worse.

The shop up the street from him took a look at it and quoted him a new motor as the solution due to the knock. It turns out the hydraulic tensioner had gone bad and was letting slack into the timing belt, we suspect it was causing the motor to go out of time and cause the hesitation and the knock was the tensioner pulley moving back and forth due to the bad tensioner. Replaced everything and it is now whisper quiet and my buddy could not be happier with a vehicle with new life breathed into it and a lot of money saved by DIY. Hope this helps and good hunting!

 

[Dave Sherman]

Just did this myself for the first time a few weeks ago. One thing I ran into with the Aisin kit: The grenade pin in the tensioner isn't very sturdy. I tried pulling it with my finger; big mistake. Once I got the one end free, the tensioner extended and bent the heck out the pin so it wouldn't come out. Ended up going underneath with the Dremel and very carefully cutting a notch in the wire to break it off. It was recommended to me afterward to yank it out with vise grips, or put the tensioner in a vise and swap the pin for something sturdier, like an allen wrench.

+1 on the Lisle socket. I was worried my 450 ft-lb air impact wasn't going to cut it, but with the Lisle it ended up being the easiest step. A few seconds and it was off.

You do have the crank holding tool to put the bolt back on, yes? You still need that to torque it on properly.

 

[nicholas]

Going to be changing the timing belt this coming friday...Never done a job this big before...Going in with confidence but a little nervous lol

Don't feel like dropping 1k for someone else to do it...bought the aisin kit and the lisle socket for $220

Muzzle that vcm....its a ticking bomb.
Waiting to fry your piston rings with carbon.
At least 4 of the 6 pistons.

 

[2010Civic]

Muzzle that vcm....its a ticking bomb.
Waiting to fry your piston rings with carbon.
At least 4 of the 6 pistons.

+1!!!
Plus destroy your very expensive engine mounts.

 

[nicholas]

+1!!!
Plus destroy your very expensive engine mounts.

**** those mounts are ridiculous expensive.
Vcm should be put In the grave

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Good luck

 

[The Critic]

It is probably the easiest FWD V6 timing belt to do, 2 hours?

Weighted 19mm socket and a GOOD air impact with high flow fittings should remove and reinstall that bolt with no issues. 1/4” cordless ratchet with a 10mm swivel socket for the timing belt covers and water pump.