How do you know if the timing belt and water pump are replaced on your Honda?

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This article will show you few tricks and trade secrets when it comes
to purchasing a used Honda, and this is the second part of our article
series.

If you are looking for a quality used car then Honda is definitely a
good choice of brand due to its high resale value, as well as the
reliability of a Honda. There are few things you should be aware
before making a purchase, making you an educated buyer so you can
ensure you are getting a quality product. In the last article we
discussed about Honda's body panel VIN etching practice that can
easily showcase if the vehicle body panel has been replaced or not. If
you missed that information please refer to the first part of this
article series. In this article we will be discussing the issues of
timing belt and water pump replacement. Timing belt and water pump on
any vehicle is a standard maintenance issue; it is not related to the
quality or the accident history of the vehicle in any way. The reason
to understand this service schedule is to save you potential headaches
down the road and potentially save you some money on your next service
bill. It shouldn't be the deciding factor when it comes to your Honda,
but just good information to have.

So what is the guide line for changing the water pump and timing belt
you ask? Well in a nut shell any Honda that is older than 1998 should
change its timing belt and water pump around the 100,000 km mark in
Canada according to the owner's manual. If it is newer than 1998
including the 98 models, the timing belt changing interval will be set
to 160,000 km. But there are some models of Hondas such as the 2.4
liter I-VTEC engines used on 2003 Accords and up, as well as 2002 CRVs
and up that is running on a metal timing chain. This will not require
a timing chain replacement because it suppose to last life time of the
vehicle. Some of the V6 engines Honda is using including the 3.0 liter
Single Overhead Cam engine mainly used on Odysseys, Accord V6, and
Pilot will require the timing belt changed at the 160,000 km
interval.

Since the timing belt is internal, there is really no way for you to
tell from the exterior if it has been changed or not. If the job was
performed at a Honda dealer, you will most likely have a sticker close
to the engine cover area that will indicate the job has been done. But
if it was performed by a private mechanic, you may not be able to
tell. If you are unsure if the work has been done or not, I would
recommend you to assume it has not been done. Since to replace an
engine can cost you between $3000 - $5000 timing belt replacements
cost of $400 - $600 is relatively cheap and essential to the engine.

Unless other makes the Honda engine is very well designed with very
little room to spare, due to this high tech precision engineering if
the timing belt snaps the engine cylinders will crash into each other.
This is what we called the "interference" engine design; it is always
safe to make sure all the repairs are done before it's too late.

Thank you for reading this article it is brought to you by Used Honda
Toronto, you can find us online at http://www.usedhondatoronto.ca or
http://www.usedbmwtoronto.ca