Timing belt replacement

[Smartidiot]

Hi Guys,

I knwo this is non G35 related topic but since this is the only forum that i go to and you guys have been awfully helpful... i hope you guys dont mind me asking this...

My girlfriend has a 1999 Honda CRV with 87,000Km on it... she hasn't done any maintenance on her car since Dec 2006 and finally i have talked her into do some oil change and brake inspection..

so i called a local carshop this morning and the guy there told me that since her car is 8 years old.. a timing belt replacement and water pump replacement need to be performed and the cost is roughly CAD$550 (including tax)....

since i aint so much an car expert myself.. i haven't never heard of this timing belt thing before in my life either.... so i did some reseach on Wiki and found that timing belt is something that controls the valve movement thats inside the engine..

so my questoins here are..

1. Do I have to change the timing belt for my 2004 G35 sometimes in the future too(my car alraeyd has 87K by now)

2. According to Honda schedule, timing belt needs to be done at 7yrs/160,000km...but given that her CRV is still way below 160,000km, is it absolutely necessary to do the timing now or she can wait for sometimes in the future?

3. Is CAD$550 a reasonable price to do a timing belt/water pump replacement? (according to the guy, it requires 5 to 6 hours of labor. )

4. Say if she doesn't change the timing belt now and it breaks one day.. would it totally trash the engine or the engine will simply stop running until a new timing belt is put on? (This is important because if its the latter one, then she can jst wait till this one is dead then get a new one without running the risk of having to replace a new engine..).

Thanks in advance for yous help guys..


Modified by Smartidiot at 11:29 AM 9/24/2007

[joe603]

Let me try and answer some of your questions...

1. I'm not sure on the specific schedule for the G35...but I would say at 100k mi, you should do it.

2. Might as well do it now...the reason they list years and millage is because the belts wear out over time too.

3. Yes, that sounds very reasonable. Are you sure you need to do the water pump?

4. If they replace the water pump, might as well do the timing belt. If the belt breaks, what happens is your valves will hit your pistons, causing a lot damage to vital engine components. With timing belts, get a shop to do it. If there is a problem, they are responsible for the damage.

[Smartidiot]

Let me try and answer some of your questions...

1. I'm not sure on the specific schedule for the G35...but I would say at 100k mi, you should do it.

2. Might as well do it now...the reason they list years and millage is because the belts wear out over time too.

3. Yes, that sounds very reasonable. Are you sure you need to do the water pump?

4. If they replace the water pump, might as well do the timing belt. If the belt breaks, what happens is your valves will hit your pistons, causing a lot damage to vital engine components. With timing belts, get a shop to do it. If there is a problem, they are responsible for the damage.

Thanks for your instant response Joe..

With regards to changing the timing belt on my G35, someone told me that G35 uses Timing "Chain" rather than Timing Belt and since it is a chain, not a belt.. it'd last longer than the lifetime of the engine.. is that true...!?!?

Also.....do you by any chance know what'd be the consequence of not changing the timing belt on a 99' Honda CRV and say one day the belt breaks?? Will it cause the engine total failure or replacing a new belt by then will fix the problem?!?!

The reason I ask is because my girlfriend doesnt like the idea of spending much money on her own car so she tries to cut down the maintenance expense to minimal...

i know this is not right but its her car not mine... and i dont wanna pick up a fight over a topic like this....

again.. thanks for your info, Joe

much appreicated.

[joe603]

Well, like I said, I'm not familiar with the maintenance schedule for the timing chain/belt replacement for the G35...If it is a chain, then it will certainly last longer.

If you don't change the belt in your CRV and it breaks it will be MUCH more costly. 550 CAD is not that expensive for a timing belt change and a water pump replacement.

Is the CRV leaking coolant? Why does the shop want to replace the pump?

[Smartidiot]

Well, like I said, I'm not familiar with the maintenance schedule for the timing chain/belt replacement for the G35...If it is a chain, then it will certainly last longer.

If you don't change the belt in your CRV and it breaks it will be MUCH more costly. 550 CAD is not that expensive for a timing belt change and a water pump replacement.

Is the CRV leaking coolant? Why does the shop want to replace the pump?

no its not leaking anything.. he jsut said that if we decide to change the timing belt. then we might as well replace the water pump altogether to save some money sinec changing them separately will cost a lot more..

yeah now i think i get the idea what's going on..

thanks a lot....

[SVTCOBRA]

Would want to know if there's a warranty on the waterpump,You probably have to pull it off anyway, so shouldn't cost a lot extra.

[milhan]

Nissan and Infinity use timing chains, not belts. You don't need to touch this unless of course there is a problem. NEVER heard of a timing chain breaking

[telcoman]

Let me try and answer some of your questions...

1. I'm not sure on the specific schedule for the G35...but I would say at 100k mi, you should do it.

2. Might as well do it now...the reason they list years and millage is because the belts wear out over time too.

3. Yes, that sounds very reasonable. Are you sure you need to do the water pump?

4. If they replace the water pump, might as well do the timing belt. If the belt breaks, what happens is your valves will hit your pistons, causing a lot damage to vital engine components. With timing belts, get a shop to do it. If there is a problem, they are responsible for the damage.

I agree with Joe.

If you are going to keep the Honda, replace the timing belt before it breaks. The reason most shops recommend water pump replacement at the same time is because access to it is easy when replacing the timing belt. The water pump is reletively cheap. If the other belts and hoses are original, you may as replace them also? Granted this will up the bill, but you probably don't want your girlfriend breaking down at an inopertune time? The alternative is to buy a brand new car that comes with all new parts and a warranty. Perhaps if you help her pay for all of this she'll treat you to some sort of a happy ending:naughty

Telcoman

[SVTCOBRA]

Oh, we all like happy endings! PICS!

[WhiteyClay]

OK guys there is no timing belt in G35.Its a chain and it will last to at least 250k

[Smartidiot]

I agree with Joe.

If you are going to keep the Honda, replace the timing belt before it breaks. The reason most shops recommend water pump replacement at the same time is because access to it is easy when replacing the timing belt. The water pump is reletively cheap. If the other belts and hoses are original, you may as replace them also? Granted this will up the bill, but you probably don't want your girlfriend breaking down at an inopertune time? The alternative is to buy a brand new car that comes with all new parts and a warranty. Perhaps if you help her pay for all of this she'll treat you to some sort of a happy ending:naughty

Telcoman

good one Telcoman.. or i can just trade my G35 with hers and fix the timing belt thing out of my own pocket...

[xerexabante]

Let me try to answer your question. Hondas have an Interfering Motor. Which means that when the tining belt breaks the Pistons and the Valves will collide. The result valves will get bent and need to be replaced (needing to take out the cylunder head to replace) and in come cases Pistons crack. The reason why it is suggested the water pump need to be replaced is to eliminate the posibility of the pump to leak and to lock-up in the near future. Thus making the belt crack and/or to break. I suggest to get the idler pully inside the timing belt checked out for play. $550 fix or a at least $1200 fix if you are lucky. Get them to inspect the Cam and Crank seals while you are at it.

[Smartidiot]

another question here though..

does anybody know if a 99' Volvo S80 2.9L (non-turbo) comes with Timing belt or Timing chain??

and in case if it uses timing belt, then is it a non-interference engine or interference engine?!

[Q45tech]

Belt and interference.......................

[greg_atlanta]

Nissan and Infinity use timing chains, not belts. You don't need to touch this unless of course there is a problem. NEVER heard of a timing chain breaking

Timing chains are prone to slip on 90-93 Q45s around 100-150K because of plastic timing chain guides. 94+ had metal guides.