Honda K24 Timing Chain Replacement

[michaelluscher]

Timing cover and Oil Pan are ready to go back on. Used Nissan RTV this time (1217H) since there is no coolant contact in this application.

Nissan RTV on a Honda?
Bold strategy

Had to roloc a few burrs caused by the removal process, but I did wash the pan afterwards. Rest of the sealing areas were cleaned using a wire wheel. Hopefully it seals.

But did you use an aluminum oxide pad
And will the bearings leave the chat shortly after this /s

I kid, this all looks like top shelf dedicated work
Few people spend the extra $ for updated components
I aspire to be able to work indoors, and lay down RTV neatly one day

 

[t1snwrbrdr12]

I’m sure you’ll seal fine with any rtv as long as it’s applied correctly. You seem to have that down.

I’ve had no problem with rtv sealing, although I worked on Chrysler / Jeep for awhile, where every pan was pretty much sealed with rtv.

I prefer to go around all my bolt holes, but even when I didn’t, I had no leak issues at all.

On my k24 timing job I used some blue rtv that was pretty old, I’d never used before, but new unwrapped. Worked just fine.

 

[The Critic]

I would have switched to the Vavoline racing 50W Moly fortified. It works wonders quieting cam chain noise. My brothers Tracker started rattling over 20k miles ago. We put in the straight 50 Vavoline and it only makes noise on cold startup. When you start mixing old sprockets with new chains bad things are in the future.

There is zero chance that I will run a 50wt in this engine. The old sprockets were still in good condition. Many timing chain jobs are done under warranty without replacing sprockets.

What would be the dealership cost for this job? I'm guessing over $3k with parts and labor.

Probably around $3K. I would estimate 7-8 hours for both chains and 2 hrs for the water pump. Retail price for all parts is about $1K.

Nissan RTV on a Honda?
Bold strategy

But did you use an aluminum oxide pad
And will the bearings leave the chat shortly after this /s

Nissan uses the same TB 1217H as Hyundai/Kia and Subaru. The stuff is super thick but easy to apply using a mini-caulking gun. It works great for sealing engine oil but is incompatible with coolant.

I did send that oil pan thru a parts washer and performed a 25 mile oil change after the repairs, so I think any aluminum oxide should be gone.

 

[The Critic]

All buttoned up:

I also took this opportunity to rebuild the driver-front CV axle with a new inner joint. There was some vibration during acceleration. The passenger side was done last year and resulted in a significant improvement. Doing the driver-side resolved the issue 100%.

Refilled the cooling system using my vacuum filler. I replaced the water pump since I was in the area, but there was technically no labor overlap with the timing job. Although vacuum filling is not mandatory for this application, these tools are worth their money. I did not bleed the system after filling and even after several days of driving, the coolant level in the reserve tank has not moved.

Last but not least, a quick engine bay wash to remove all of the accumulated oil residue from the repair process:

The engine seems to run somewhat quieter with the new timing components, but it could be the placebo effect.

 

[RooflessVW]

Good job!

Something I do on higher mileage cars is swap the inner CVs left to right. Then you're out of the pits.

 

[The_Eric]

Excellent work as always, good job!

 

[hrv]

That has always been a great Honda engine....

 

[Trav]

Nice Job!

 

[JeffKeryk]

Well done Michael. Gotta love the mighty K24 !

 

[meep]

Stellar work, you are an artist.

 

[gregk24]

Nice! Those are some of Honda's best cars.

 

[redhat]

Well done. Nice job and nice car.

When a was a bit younger and had my 2009 Accord, I drove like hot rod Steve. I put a timing chain in it at 130k, guides, VTC actuator (was probably number 3 at that point). My chain was stretched 3 links. No DTCs or performance hindrance while the old chain was in there.

K24s are some pretty good motors, they take quite the abuse. Mine had no right to still be running as well as it did.

 

[WagonWheel]

Impressive! Makes me wish I had kept my ‘03 K24…just for a moment

 

[Tundragod]

Got the pan out. Boy, that was fun. I think the service manual only contemplates doing the timing cover and oil pan removals as separate procedures.
If you do both items at once and you do not have a engine support bar at home, well, things get interesting.

I was replacing the vtc actuator on my 08 Accord 4exl and drop the chain/creating slack. Thus, chain came off the crank gears so I am taking the cover off. Then, since everything is accessible I might as well replace chain, tensioner, guides, misc.
Well, since am under there, might as well look to re-seal that oil pan. Can you elaborate "thins get interesting".

 

[t1snwrbrdr12]

I was replacing the vtc actuator on my 08 Accord 4exl and drop the chain/creating slack. Thus, chain came off the crank gears so I am taking the cover off. Then, since everything is accessible I might as well replace chain, tensioner, guides, misc.
Well, since am under there, might as well look to re-seal that oil pan. Can you elaborate "thins get interesting".

When you have the front cover off, you have the front engine mount off, so you’re typically supporting the engine by a jack under the oil pan. You can’t remove that jack until you get the front motor mount re-attached, but you want to remove the oil pan to reseal at this time so it just gets interesting in figuring out how to support the engine.

 

[Tundragod]

I see. I don't have anything supporting underneath the engine right now and it'll sits like that until I get the parts this weekend. It must be hanging by other mounts from the right side. The engine didn't drop by much (almost un-noticeable) when I took the left mount off. Hope no harm is done. xfingers.

 

[hrv]

The timing cover and lower oil pan on my wife's 07 Accord K24 is starting to seep in a few spots. It has 155k. I have also heard timing chain rattle on a few occasions.

When I remove the timing cover, my plan is to replace the timing chain and tensioner with dealer parts. Is there any reason to also replace the guides if they are not worn excessively? Although it would be nice to start fresh with all new parts, keep in mind that this job is not particularly difficult or time-consuming to do.

View attachment 80460

#12 and #13 are very inexpensive from the dealer, but the cost of #11 is almost the same cost as the chain itself!

Melling sells #11 for $34.79 and it is from Taiwan. Cloyes is $66.79 and the origin is unknown. Dealer is $150.39 msrp. Any recommendations on which to choose, if at all?

Had 386000 on my 07 Accord with no leaks or rattle...I still say the 2.4 was one of the best Honda engines made...I wish mt 2021 HRV had it...

 

[The Critic]

I was replacing the vtc actuator on my 08 Accord 4exl and drop the chain/creating slack. Thus, chain came off the crank gears so I am taking the cover off. Then, since everything is accessible I might as well replace chain, tensioner, guides, misc.
Well, since am under there, might as well look to re-seal that oil pan. Can you elaborate "thins get interesting".

The 08-12's might be different than the 03-07's, but IIRC, the setup is fairly similar.

On the 03-07's, the lower oil pan doesn't come out because it interferes with the subframe. In order to remove the lower oil pan, you either have to: a) use an engine support hanger to keep the engine/trans level and lower the subframe, b) remove the driver side cv axle and engine/trans mounts, then raise the engine/trans assembly enough to angle the oil pan away from the subframe (but the side motor mount MUST stay connected if you do this).

There is a side engine mount bracket that bolts thru the timing cover and into the block. Once the side mount and bracket are removed, the engine will "hang" to some extent.

If your timing cover is already off and you want to remove the oil pan without using an engine hanger, you can do this:

When it comes time to reinstallation, I personally prefer to reinstall the timing cover first (with a helper) then install the lower oil pan. But I recognize that the FSM prefers you to install the oil pan first.

 

[Tundragod]

Got it done last Saturday. Replaced vtc actuator+bolts, chain, all guides, tensioner, crank seal, re-seal oil pan, and valves clearance check (only 2 exhaust a little loose). I was hesitated on the oil pan re-seal since the original seal looked pristine and it was after I tried to peel/bang the pan off. I had to jack under the transmission up a little to remove/re-install the pan. It was easier to reinstall the pan than re-installing chain cover.