Greetings- I've been working up the nerve to do mine and read all the comments about that bolt. You say you used a MAAP torch on that nut. If heat directly on the nut, would that have actually caused it to get tighter as it expands into the crank threads from the heat? Heating the crank itself around the nut would expand the crank threads relative to the nut and become looser? Trying to learn as much about this before I start. Thanks for your input.For my son’s 2008 v6 accord I purchased a kit on amazon for $189 which included
AISIN Water Pump
•AISIN Hydraulic Tensioner
•Koyo Idler Bearing
•Koyo Tensioner Bearing
•Mitsuboshi Timing Belt
•Water Pump O-Ring
+ serpentine belt
+ coolant
+ long low profile wrenches
40k miles later, no problems thank God.
Additional notes:
- This was the most involved repair job I ever did. Took more than a few hours, slow and methodical. There’s a few useful YouTube videos.
- I borrowed the 50 mm crank pulley tool from Auto Zone to save a few dollars.
- As others have mentioned, the crank nut is a challenge. I didn’t have any power tools, only breaker bars. I sprayed liquid wrench but it didn’t help. I even bent one of my Dad’s old breaker bars. What worked? I applied a MAPP gas torch for 3-4 minutes on the nut, then used a 18-24 inch breaker bar. There was a loud crack when the nut loosened. I thought “Either the nut is loose or I broke something“. This job takes commitment
. It was interesting to me that the bolt threads and nut were free of any corrosion, I thought that would be the reason it was so difficult to remove.
- Before removing the old timing belt I marked the belt using White-out In three locations. After removing the belt, count the teeth and mark the new belt in exactly the same locations based on teeth count.
- I estimate that I saved my son $300.
Honda timing belts........
- Thread starter dan_erickson
- Start date
Especially since it's your first time....
My suggestion: When you finally decide to start, start working on getting the bolt loose a week in advance. Your day will be much much happier if you don't have to fight with it. Break it loose and then tighten it back up. You'll still be able to get it off a week later. You could even take it to a shop and get them to break it loose for you, although I found that most shops around me didn't have the tools with big enough stones to get it off and I ended up going the starter route. Personally I'm more comfortable with that than heating the bolt with a torch.
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I think I count 4 timing chains--but one is missing from left bank (or is this right bank? for all I know this might be on the backside of the engine!). Yeepers!
[I know this isn't a backside view, but Ford 4.0's and I think VW VR motors have backside timing chains?]
Hi Wilbur,
heating the nut will cause it to expand from the crank bolt.
I’ve only performed this one time so posting for suggestions is smart, collect multiple plans of attack before starting. Any other questions please let me know.
Nope, that's the backside. You have to pull the motor in those cars to do the job. Great way to get a super cheap, really cool car....if you are ballsy enough to do the work yourself.
correct, thank.
Wilbur, I would also suggest a pipe to extend the breaker bar length. I’m reading all the suggestions to hopefully improve next time.
And a really good breaker bar. People break theirs all the time getting these things off.
Another word of advice, the tool that you can buy to hold the pulley..... If you use it, have someone hold it in the pulley. I had one slip once and broke one of the hex sides out of the crank pulley.
Seriously, if you don't have a super beefy impact, the easiest way is the starter bump. Spin the crank around to where the breaker bar rests on the floor with the control arm directly above and blip the starter. Might take more than once but it will go. The bar will fly up and hit the control arm, but shouldn't hurt anything in the process. Its good to disable the ignition (Pull the connectors from the coils), but you don't 100% have to. If you have a model like my TL you have to quickly hit the start and back all the way off or it will continue cranking (Its a '1 touch' start or whatever they call it)
If you choose to heat it, I would go ahead and absolutely replace the crank seal. Don't forget that the oil pump is sitting right there on that end of the crankshaft as well, so don't go crazy with the heat. There shouldn't be anything in the pump that will get too hot...but I'm a little leary of that.
All this is why I suggest you break the bolt loose days before you want to do the job. That bolt can be a right pain in the arse and it can take a lot of your motivation out of you and get you frustrated to where the rest of the job is harder than it needs to be.
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Yeepers. From where I sit it sounds like a job I would not want to tackle. I think my 5S-FE TB is about as much of a job as I want to tackle, and I'm not even sure I want to do that again. Glad I didn't become a mechanic, then again with the proper tools and training maybe I wouldn't think of these jobs as all that big. But it strikes me as beyond typical DIY.
willbur, I have done 5 timing belt replacements on Hondas (three B-series 4 cyls. & two J35 V6's) and I would not recommend heating the crank bolt with a torch. Without a lot of luck, you could accidentally melt the rubber in the harmonic balancer pulley. Cline is correct in that over time, the bolt will tighten to over 1000 ft./lbs. I normally use a 1/2" Ingersoll-Rand Ti impact wrench which is rated for 1000 ft./lbs. of breaking torque which still takes several minutes of hammering to loosen the bolt. However, as several others have indicated, I now use the high mass density socket to take them off in seconds with a battery powered impact rated only at 300 ft/lbs. It is simple physics since the extra mass greatly multiplies the force transferred to the crank bolt. I bought the Lisle Tools socket, but the Chinese-made knock-off should work as well:
Lisle Tool
Mofeez Knock Off
If you don't want to invest ~$20 in these sockets, you can use starter & breaker bar method on the J35 since the crank rotates clockwise. Can't apply this technique on Honda 4 cyl. engines which rotate counterclockwise.
By the way, I find it is easier to replace the timing belt, tensioner and water pump in the V6 Hondas than the I4 Honda motors.
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It's really not. Once that bolt is out the job is really pretty simple. As long as you're not doing seals on the camshafts you don't have to disturb them and they stay exactly where you put them. That was the biggest challenge on my old Miata, those cams would flop all out of place when you pulled the belt off. The Honda is just nuts and bolts for the most part.
Even if you go farther and do what I like to call the '200,000 service' that includes all the oil pump seals along with the TB it's not that bad. Just a bunch more bolts. Nothing that is super tricky or requires any special tooling. I do recommend power tools for it though. There are 16 bolts in those cast aluminum oil pans and it would take forever to spin those out by hand.
That's good to know. Still not crazy about it, but some days I do wonder about getting a Ridgeline, seems like a decent do-all vehicle for me & my needs.
Engine turns counter-clockwise? I wonder if the bolt just tightens on every blip of the throttle. Actually... an engine speed is never quite that constant, it is constantly speeding up on every power stroke, and slowing down on every compression stroke. I wonder if this bolt, despite being small and all, is not responding by slowly tightening up over time. Then again, this same bolt doesn't loosen over time on "conventional" clockwise rotating engines, so I dunno what causes it to be so tight...
FWIW, I just watched a 5S-FE video. If you can do that, you can do a J-Series no sweat. Its probably easier because the one I watched had RTV to clean off the water pump. None of that on a J-Series unless the PO did it (Shouldn't have). It uses an o-ring seal on the waterpump.
Thanks all- much appreciated for the very good suggestions.
Yes, I know its a bolt! I was gonna do the starter method but I got a very powerful electric impact for fathers day and with a Isle socket, it may do the trick. I was even thinking of placing a long breaker bar on the bolt at the crank, placing a hydraulic jack under it, and jacking up the car on the timing belt side. Lets see...a two foot long breaker bar with about 1000 lbs of car to lift would give me about 2000 ft/lbs to break that dang bolt loose. Think that will work? Or maybe even a two foot extension on that breaker bar to give me about 4000 ft/lbs. That's gotta work. LOL
Actually, I'm gonna go with the impact and socket (and lots of cursing, if needed)
Yes, I know its a bolt! I was gonna do the starter method but I got a very powerful electric impact for fathers day and with a Isle socket, it may do the trick. I was even thinking of placing a long breaker bar on the bolt at the crank, placing a hydraulic jack under it, and jacking up the car on the timing belt side. Lets see...a two foot long breaker bar with about 1000 lbs of car to lift would give me about 2000 ft/lbs to break that dang bolt loose. Think that will work? Or maybe even a two foot extension on that breaker bar to give me about 4000 ft/lbs. That's gotta work. LOL
Actually, I'm gonna go with the impact and socket (and lots of cursing, if needed)
That is the rear of an Audi 4.2. To replace the chains the cradle needs to be dropped with the transaxle then separated once its out.
This is also an earlier 4.2 (not my pic, borrowed for example), still DOHC but belt driven. These use a small chain and tensioner to connect the 2 cams in the head and those can also be serviced with the engine in the car.
Once the front of the car is away which is not too bad of a job.
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- Dec 28, 2014
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I would pay the $760 and call it a day. Not exactly a super fun job to do and that’s a half decent price. Actually a very good price.
I dropped the car and the parts off at the mechanic yesterday at 8 AM and by 1:30 I had a voicemail that the car was all set and ready for pickup. I provided an Aisin belt kit, and two gallons of coolant. All together I spent $630 with parts and labor. Not bad
Now just you need to replace the spark plugs and perform the valve adjustment.
Guys I know what it’s like to struggle with these crank bolts. The makita XWT08Z impact is my answer to any of these super stubborn bolts. It truly is one awesome impact. It is however large and heavy. Nowadays you can find the tool only fairly cheap too. Worked out great for me being I already have a makita lineup. 239 bucks and it came with a free 5ah battery. Milwaukee also has one that’s just as or even more powerful. It’s always going back and forth between the 2 on who has the latest most power. Both are quality tools I just think makita is a bit better.
