Late 90's Honda Accord timing belt, how hard could it be???

BretLuter · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 12:03 am

So my sister recently moved back to Raleigh from DC and she was shopping around for someone to do the timing belt on her ~98 Accord 4 cyl. So far the quotes are coming in around $600-650 (!!). I believe the $650 includes water pump, but still- seems high to me, UNLESS it just takes alot of time. Not sure all of the shops she called, though she did mention TAO Auto and even said she called Precision Tune (I will NOT allow her to take her car there!!).

Can any of you Honda guys shed some light on this?? How difficult is it and approx how long should it take??

I'm willing to do it for her if it's not a major PITA, but I don't want to offer to do it then spend 2 days working on it.

Bret

PJ Aspesi · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:15 am

paging Dan Durusky.....

Michael Westerfield · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:20 am

Bret,
The FSM can be found here.
http://hondatech.info/downloads/Auto/Manuals/Accord/

Look for the link for...
"Ab0VE Honda Accord ESM 98-00 CD ISO zip"

Should be able to take a look at what's involved and measure it against your own skill level. I would also recommend changing the tensioner, balance shaft belt, and balance shaft seal while you are in there.

The balance shaft belt and seal are usually the reason the job costs more at your average place than a civic/integra that do not have these parts.

BriceJohnson · **Joined:** Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:33 am **Posts:** 2230

if its anything like it was changing the timing belt on my friends integra, its a pain in the ass. If you need a crank pulley tool though, let me know, I've got one you can borrow. I think the same tool that worked for his car will work for yours, not sure, but if it can be useful for you, you're welcome to use it, it cost me like $40, so I'd love for someone else to get some use out of it.

Matt McGrain · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 12:45 pm

BriceJohnson wrote:

if its anything like it was changing the timing belt on my friends integra, its a pain in the ass. If you need a crank pulley tool though, let me know, I've got one you can borrow. I think the same tool that worked for his car will work for yours, not sure, but if it can be useful for you, you're welcome to use it, it cost me like $40, so I'd love for someone else to get some use out of it.

I might need to borrow it sometime soon if it's cool. My ITR is ten years old now and it has 80,000 miles on the original belt. Additionally, I don't plan on changing my driving style although I probably should. :lol:

I have the nifty $70 Snap On Honda valve adjustment tool if anyone wants to help me justify the expense by borrowing it.

Brice, what was the most difficult part of the process? Was it just the lack of space to work?

-Matt

DanDurusky · **Joined:** Sun Apr 10, 2005 7:31 pm **Posts:** 686

My experience w/ the guys at TOA have been really good, i'd recommend them.

Getting the damn crank pulley off was 75% of the timing belt job i did on my gf's V6 accord. a 6ft steel pipe on a breaker bar and some random pipe fittings later, they rest was fairly straightforward. smooth, but slow, steady progress. Its def a bit tight in there w/ the V6. I even got by w/ a crappy Haynes manual

Quote:

paging Dan Durusky.....

nuh uh. i'm not touching anything of anyone's i can't afford to replace :lol:

BriceJohnson · **Joined:** Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:33 am **Posts:** 2230

yeah, the lack of space is the main problem. The crank pulley is a beOTCH. I had to give up on it eventually, b/c I couldn't get a long enough breaker bar on the crank pulley to get it off (I suppose I could have taken the bumper off, but I had already spent too much time on it), so I have this tool that I bought that I haven't even technically ever used. It needed to be up on a lift to get a long enough breaker bar on it. Just let me know if you need to borrow it, I'd be glad to loan it to ya, I don't even own an integra anymore

.

I know for sure it will fit the ITR, not sure about the accord, although I think its the same size.

BriceJohnson · **Joined:** Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:33 am **Posts:** 2230

I've also got a factory service manual for a 1994-1997 integra in .pdf if you want it, it helps a good deal, the type R shouldn't be THAT different

DanDurusky · **Joined:** Sun Apr 10, 2005 7:31 pm **Posts:** 686

^to get out of the wheel well, i used a 2ft 1/2drive extension.

So i had the home made hex pipe fitting tool braced against the ground holding the pulley and a socket->2' extension-> breakerbar->6ft steel pipeon the pulley bolt.

I even had to put my full weight and bounce on that sucker to get it to break. When it did it sounded like a gunshot. This was after of hours of heat, PB blaster, etc on it.

:shock:

BriceJohnson · **Joined:** Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:33 am **Posts:** 2230

holy crap dude, sounds like quite a rig, I didn't know they made extensions that long, I suppose that would have done it. . .

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:01 pm

BriceJohnson wrote:

holy crap dude, sounds like quite a rig, I didn't know they made extensions that long, I suppose that would have done it. . .

I did the same thing on my Civic. Just stacked two of the long extensions together with blocks on the end to support. It took a combo of breaker bars and impact wrench to break it loose. I keep seeing those 1" mongo impact wrenches with 1400 ft/lbs of torque at Harbor Freight and wonder if I should buy one of those for when I do the belt on the Odyssey.

David Teague · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:48 pm

With My Integra all it took was a good snap on Air wrench and off came the crank pully.

BriceJohnson · **Joined:** Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:33 am **Posts:** 2230

best quote ever though, from when we were doing the timing belt job on my buddies integra. . .

"man, those japanese are strong!"

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Late 90's Honda Accord timing belt, how hard could it be???

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