does timing belt failures give warning signs?

[Anonymous]

Funny timing belt story: when I was in college I had a car from my parents (it was their car but I drove it).

One day I was working at a summer job and was planning to take the car into service after work. I don't recall there being a pressing reason other than the timed service light went on, which was probably surprising to me. It was one of my first "big girl" moments where I was like "I can get this car serviced for my family by myself!"

I had some errand to run after work but for whatever reason didn't. I just went straight to the dealership.

When I got there they advised to replace the timing belt due to some unexpected failure. The car was 11 miles from the warranty expiring. So it was free. But if I had run my errand or been the one to go pick up lunch for my work friends that day, it would have been thousands.

[Anonymous]

If they “showed” you where belt was nicked, they weren’t showing you the timing belt. You can’t see a timing belt - it’s underneath the front cam covers of the engine. It’s completely enclosed.

If they showed you a belt that you could see, it was the serpentine belt.

That’s important too, though. So get it replaced. If it breaks, you may overheat and if that happens the cylinder heads will probably warp, killing the engine.

Get the timing belt done too. It’s due. If it breaks, your engine is destroyed in the blink of an eye. Valves will slam into the tops of pistons, cam lobes will be ruined, pistons ruined, connecting rods ruined, possibly the crankshaft bent, valve seats bent… all this happens in seconds after the timing belt breaks.

[Anonymous]

There is nor warning light for this. check your manual.

Most Honda engines are interference engines. So if the timing belt breaks, there is a decent chance the engine will be damaged. I always replace mine a little early. It IS usually an expensive task, as that belt can be hard to get to.

[Anonymous]

The first warning sign will be the sounds of parts inside your engine that should never touch each other, violently hammering against each other as your engine commits suicide.

[Anonymous]

I got a quote for $2400 for the timing belt package (timing belt, tensioner belt, water pump) from a honda dealer. Now I know why people trade in their cars at 100000 miles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got a quote for $2400 for the timing belt package (timing belt, tensioner belt, water pump) from a honda dealer. Now I know why people trade in their cars at 100000 miles.

That’s high, but only a little bit. I’d probably quote $2100 on that job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got a quote for $2400 for the timing belt package (timing belt, tensioner belt, water pump) from a honda dealer. Now I know why people trade in their cars at 100000 miles.

You don’t have to do it at the dealership. There are good independent shops that would do the job for $1200-$1500

[Anonymous]

We're a Honda family. Many cars over many years. We've had good experiences using indy shops for timing belts. We've also had two times where an indy shop didnt go the best work. Those cars never ran the same. Timing belt isnt that unique of a repair. Find a good shop and use Honda parts and you should be ok. Yes, get the water pump swapped too.

Going the dealer route isnt a bad idea either. Sometimes the prices are close. Sometimes dealers have timing belt coupons. Chantilly Honda has coupon for Timing Belt for $799. Water pump not included.

[Anonymous]

$799 sounds like a great deal. I doubt they include anything other than the belt for this price so make sure you ask them to add the tensioner

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're a Honda family. Many cars over many years. We've had good experiences using indy shops for timing belts. We've also had two times where an indy shop didnt go the best work. Those cars never ran the same. Timing belt isnt that unique of a repair. Find a good shop and use Honda parts and you should be ok. Yes, get the water pump swapped too.

Going the dealer route isnt a bad idea either. Sometimes the prices are close. Sometimes dealers have timing belt coupons. Chantilly Honda has coupon for Timing Belt for $799. Water pump not included.

I STRONGLY recommend doing the water pump while the timing cover is off the engine, especially if you haven’t changed the coolant and done a cooling system flush in the life of the vehicle.

Honda claims their OEM coolant is good for 60 months/100k miles, but I see obvious galvanic corrosion in every single Honda I work on still running the factory fill coolant at 5 years. So if you haven’t had a coolant flush service and change, your water pump almost certainly has some corrosion and material erosion on the pump vanes. How much? Don’t know. But it’s there, you can count on that. If one of those vanes breaks off, it might block the outflow, or it might cause the pump to seize. If either of those things happens, you’ll overheat the engine and possibly warp the cylinder heads.


When you’re changing the timing belt and tensioners, the water pump is readily accessible right there in front of you. It makes sense to do it then since you already have everything dissembled. Otherwise you’ll be paying the labor again to replace it when it fails, which it likely will before the next timing belt is due at 200k miles. The only Honda I ever saw with the original water pump at 240k miles was a freakshow all-highway miles car from New Mexico that got driven like 250 miles a day and was only 4 years old.


Look I realize everyone here is a lot smarter than me because they all went to Ivys and now they work in private equity or big law, and I’m just a dumb guy with a small business turning wrenches. But you should take my advice on this one. Do the water pump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're a Honda family. Many cars over many years. We've had good experiences using indy shops for timing belts. We've also had two times where an indy shop didnt go the best work. Those cars never ran the same. Timing belt isnt that unique of a repair. Find a good shop and use Honda parts and you should be ok. Yes, get the water pump swapped too.

Going the dealer route isnt a bad idea either. Sometimes the prices are close. Sometimes dealers have timing belt coupons. Chantilly Honda has coupon for Timing Belt for $799. Water pump not included.

I STRONGLY recommend doing the water pump while the timing cover is off the engine, especially if you haven’t changed the coolant and done a cooling system flush in the life of the vehicle.

Honda claims their OEM coolant is good for 60 months/100k miles, but I see obvious galvanic corrosion in every single Honda I work on still running the factory fill coolant at 5 years. So if you haven’t had a coolant flush service and change, your water pump almost certainly has some corrosion and material erosion on the pump vanes. How much? Don’t know. But it’s there, you can count on that. If one of those vanes breaks off, it might block the outflow, or it might cause the pump to seize. If either of those things happens, you’ll overheat the engine and possibly warp the cylinder heads.


When you’re changing the timing belt and tensioners, the water pump is readily accessible right there in front of you. It makes sense to do it then since you already have everything dissembled. Otherwise you’ll be paying the labor again to replace it when it fails, which it likely will before the next timing belt is due at 200k miles. The only Honda I ever saw with the original water pump at 240k miles was a freakshow all-highway miles car from New Mexico that got driven like 250 miles a day and was only 4 years old.


Look I realize everyone here is a lot smarter than me because they all went to Ivys and now they work in private equity or big law, and I’m just a dumb guy with a small business turning wrenches. But you should take my advice on this one. Do the water pump.

Wow. Huge chip on your shoulder there champ. You’re like the 5th person to say replace the water pump. Simmer down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're a Honda family. Many cars over many years. We've had good experiences using indy shops for timing belts. We've also had two times where an indy shop didnt go the best work. Those cars never ran the same. Timing belt isnt that unique of a repair. Find a good shop and use Honda parts and you should be ok. Yes, get the water pump swapped too.

Going the dealer route isnt a bad idea either. Sometimes the prices are close. Sometimes dealers have timing belt coupons. Chantilly Honda has coupon for Timing Belt for $799. Water pump not included.

I STRONGLY recommend doing the water pump while the timing cover is off the engine, especially if you haven’t changed the coolant and done a cooling system flush in the life of the vehicle.

Honda claims their OEM coolant is good for 60 months/100k miles, but I see obvious galvanic corrosion in every single Honda I work on still running the factory fill coolant at 5 years. So if you haven’t had a coolant flush service and change, your water pump almost certainly has some corrosion and material erosion on the pump vanes. How much? Don’t know. But it’s there, you can count on that. If one of those vanes breaks off, it might block the outflow, or it might cause the pump to seize. If either of those things happens, you’ll overheat the engine and possibly warp the cylinder heads.


When you’re changing the timing belt and tensioners, the water pump is readily accessible right there in front of you. It makes sense to do it then since you already have everything dissembled. Otherwise you’ll be paying the labor again to replace it when it fails, which it likely will before the next timing belt is due at 200k miles. The only Honda I ever saw with the original water pump at 240k miles was a freakshow all-highway miles car from New Mexico that got driven like 250 miles a day and was only 4 years old.


Look I realize everyone here is a lot smarter than me because they all went to Ivys and now they work in private equity or big law, and I’m just a dumb guy with a small business turning wrenches. But you should take my advice on this one. Do the water pump.

Wow. Huge chip on your shoulder there champ. You’re like the 5th person to say replace the water pump. Simmer down.

Go write another alumni association check and leave mechanical discussions to people who know what we’re taking about, ok Todd?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're a Honda family. Many cars over many years. We've had good experiences using indy shops for timing belts. We've also had two times where an indy shop didnt go the best work. Those cars never ran the same. Timing belt isnt that unique of a repair. Find a good shop and use Honda parts and you should be ok. Yes, get the water pump swapped too.

Going the dealer route isnt a bad idea either. Sometimes the prices are close. Sometimes dealers have timing belt coupons. Chantilly Honda has coupon for Timing Belt for $799. Water pump not included.

I STRONGLY recommend doing the water pump while the timing cover is off the engine, especially if you haven’t changed the coolant and done a cooling system flush in the life of the vehicle.

Honda claims their OEM coolant is good for 60 months/100k miles, but I see obvious galvanic corrosion in every single Honda I work on still running the factory fill coolant at 5 years. So if you haven’t had a coolant flush service and change, your water pump almost certainly has some corrosion and material erosion on the pump vanes. How much? Don’t know. But it’s there, you can count on that. If one of those vanes breaks off, it might block the outflow, or it might cause the pump to seize. If either of those things happens, you’ll overheat the engine and possibly warp the cylinder heads.


When you’re changing the timing belt and tensioners, the water pump is readily accessible right there in front of you. It makes sense to do it then since you already have everything dissembled. Otherwise you’ll be paying the labor again to replace it when it fails, which it likely will before the next timing belt is due at 200k miles. The only Honda I ever saw with the original water pump at 240k miles was a freakshow all-highway miles car from New Mexico that got driven like 250 miles a day and was only 4 years old.


Look I realize everyone here is a lot smarter than me because they all went to Ivys and now they work in private equity or big law, and I’m just a dumb guy with a small business turning wrenches. But you should take my advice on this one. Do the water pump.

Wow. Huge chip on your shoulder there champ. You’re like the 5th person to say replace the water pump. Simmer down.

Go write another alumni association check and leave mechanical discussions to people who know what we’re taking about, ok Todd?

You seem like a competent professional mechanic. Would you mind posting the name of your shop so we can all benefit from your immense knowledge?

[Anonymous]

I would go to your shop. I only have Hondas. Thanks so much for your informative information! I’m still low on mileage but would definitely follow the above advice. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're a Honda family. Many cars over many years. We've had good experiences using indy shops for timing belts. We've also had two times where an indy shop didnt go the best work. Those cars never ran the same. Timing belt isnt that unique of a repair. Find a good shop and use Honda parts and you should be ok. Yes, get the water pump swapped too.

Going the dealer route isnt a bad idea either. Sometimes the prices are close. Sometimes dealers have timing belt coupons. Chantilly Honda has coupon for Timing Belt for $799. Water pump not included.

I STRONGLY recommend doing the water pump while the timing cover is off the engine, especially if you haven’t changed the coolant and done a cooling system flush in the life of the vehicle.

Honda claims their OEM coolant is good for 60 months/100k miles, but I see obvious galvanic corrosion in every single Honda I work on still running the factory fill coolant at 5 years. So if you haven’t had a coolant flush service and change, your water pump almost certainly has some corrosion and material erosion on the pump vanes. How much? Don’t know. But it’s there, you can count on that. If one of those vanes breaks off, it might block the outflow, or it might cause the pump to seize. If either of those things happens, you’ll overheat the engine and possibly warp the cylinder heads.


When you’re changing the timing belt and tensioners, the water pump is readily accessible right there in front of you. It makes sense to do it then since you already have everything dissembled. Otherwise you’ll be paying the labor again to replace it when it fails, which it likely will before the next timing belt is due at 200k miles. The only Honda I ever saw with the original water pump at 240k miles was a freakshow all-highway miles car from New Mexico that got driven like 250 miles a day and was only 4 years old.


Look I realize everyone here is a lot smarter than me because they all went to Ivys and now they work in private equity or big law, and I’m just a dumb guy with a small business turning wrenches. But you should take my advice on this one. Do the water pump.

Wow. Huge chip on your shoulder there champ. You’re like the 5th person to say replace the water pump. Simmer down.

Go write another alumni association check and leave mechanical discussions to people who know what we’re taking about, ok Todd?

You seem like a competent professional mechanic. Would you mind posting the name of your shop so we can all benefit from your immense knowledge?

I only work on Japanese, Korean and US cars and light trucks.

You’re clearly an Audi owner. But if you DO need a great shop I can refer you to a buddy/mentor of mine in Rockville.