I went through the same process two years ago. Bought an 06 Pilot with only 130,000 miles. No record of it being replaced, and no TB service sticker under the hood. Removed that cover and the belt looked much better than yours and the part number and word HONDA were still visible but barely. Although with low mileage for a 15-year-old car, it might've been replaced once 7 years ago, but I doubt it, and thought it was original. So I replaced it with the Aisin kit. It was a fair bit of work but now that is one less thing to worry about. After two years this old Pilot is one of the best cars I've owned. It's a keeper.
It's interesting that you could read your belt. Mine had similar miles and I needed magnification and great light to see a part of it. Maybe they were using better ink in '06. It is a relief to get this done. They are great cars!
I'm buying a Honda Odyssey today and the guy said he replace the timing belt last month. I'm not skilled enough to check it like you did.. at least you showed me what to look for while I watch the mechanic that I'm hiring to go over the car before I buy it
Absolutely ALWAYS have anything car/boat/engine tech related checked out by an independent mechanic! Even if it's a ride for a mobile tech to come to where it's at and more costly, at the very least you can get an idea of mechanical condition and then some
@@karenkaren7761 you could see if the timing cover bolts have been messed with. They usually have yellow paint on the bolts, if the bolts were never moved, then he didn’t change it. usually they will have some receipt or a sticker, or it will show up in the Carfax.
Thanks for the vid! It helped. But, as I had my cover off, I noticed a peep access hole on the cover about the size of a quarter. It was on my 2012 Odyssey. So, If one is looking at a honda to buy, this may be a way to check the belt more easily.
Great video! I have a 2017 Accord 3.5L V6 36K miles. How many miles should I wait until I get new timing belt? Or should I just change it cause it's been 7 years? Have you ever seen a low mileage high year cars timing belt look bad or break?
This is a 100K plus job. The only consideration in doing the job is miles on the engine. I have never seen or heard of a belt breaking on a low mileage car like yours.
@@TheOriginalMechanic I bought this tool for $20 at O'reilly that is used to wedge the crank pulley. The clerk told me to save the money and just set a breaker bar on the bolt and crank the starter, but something told me not to do that. I'm guessing that is what you did.
@@TheOriginalMechanic The way I did it is I put my breaker bar on the nut and used a ratchet and a cheater bar on the holder. I then put the ratchet and bar against the ground the ground and cranked down on the breaker bar till the nut broke loose. It was an old ratchet that I didn't care if it broke. Luckily everything all held together.
I did not find any record of replacement. I based my conclusion on the nearly worn out label on the belt. I know this isn't highly technical, but certainly it takes a lot of miles to almost completely wear off.
I think that to get to the forward one, a few other things need to be removed. Would be nice had the covers been designed with an inspection portal of some sort to make this job easier, especially given that this is an "interference" engine.
I did the front cover on a 2004 Acura 3.2L and it was a pain but at least I could see what I was after on each bolt. This video of a rear cover with all the other things in the picture was "holy crap" and bottom line on the accessibility is the more things nearby you remove, the easier the access. And I think that working through the wheelwell (while seated hopefully) after removing all the inner fender plastic is preferable to working from the engine bay and telling yourself that your back is really not as sore as you think!
I bought an 06 to convert to minicamper with 140,000 miles on it. Got a quote this week for $900.00. This includes new pullies, tensioner & water pump. My mechanic (for 25 years) recommended oil pump seal & other factory suggested regular maintenance issues that brought price to $1,500 but since I'm planning a retirement road trip later this year and we couldn't find any evidence of recommended maintenance, I'm doing it (since the engine costs about 25-2700 in the box.) The old saying, pay me now or pay me more later.
@@sdnlawrence5640 sounds a lot. But it's parts plus labor. It is expensive but everywhere it's Ike that now especially for a timing belt. If the rest of the vehicle is in good condition then it's worth it. Just imagine buying a brand new one. The cost if it compared to a timing belt.
Here's a video of it. For the Honda I had to take out a few parts, such as the battery, to get to the "S" terminal on the starter. Other engines are easier. ua-cam.com/video/DfM9NQcPDYw/v-deo.html
The degree to which the stamping is worn is an indication of how long the belt has been in use. On this belt it is nearly completely worn off which meant that is wasn't "brand new" as the salesman told me. There is likely to be a date code on the belt also but it needs to be deciphered... and readable to be useful.
@@Davidh741 several things, when he removed the 10 mm bolts they clicked because they have never been removed before and the numbers on the belt and the wear and tear shows that this is the original belt. I’m a mechanical engineers. I’ve seen many timing belts. I can guarantee this one’s original.
@@kevinjohnson-qc6cs yes the original lasts more than 200 K, because it is made from top quality rubber made in Japan and it is hidden from the sunlight , if you get a high-quality timing belt, it should last more than 200 K I have seen it last 400 K on a 2000 Honda accord and 292K on a Honda pilot, I have seen an original BMW timing belt get cut at 650,000 miles on a 1985 bmw 323i 2.5L
Why did you feel the need to bring us into your experience? Rather than just make an informal video about this certain topic. It’s an honest question, not trying to be mean or rude.
Sure theres no visible cracks but by the marking and being that the vehicle is 114k. It was most likely the original belt to the vehicle. Good call to have it changed.
My inspection method is much easier- don't worry about it. Timing belt failures are rare. Most are caused by fluid leaks which get on the belt. If your car isn't leaking oil, don't worry about the belt. If it is leaking oil, still don't worry about the belt. Replacing the belt is a nightmare.
I went through the same process two years ago. Bought an 06 Pilot with only 130,000 miles. No record of it being replaced, and no TB service sticker under the hood. Removed that cover and the belt looked much better than yours and the part number and word HONDA were still visible but barely. Although with low mileage for a 15-year-old car, it might've been replaced once 7 years ago, but I doubt it, and thought it was original. So I replaced it with the Aisin kit. It was a fair bit of work but now that is one less thing to worry about. After two years this old Pilot is one of the best cars I've owned. It's a keeper.
It's interesting that you could read your belt. Mine had similar miles and I needed magnification and great light to see a part of it. Maybe they were using better ink in '06. It is a relief to get this done. They are great cars!
I'm buying a Honda Odyssey today and the guy said he replace the timing belt last month. I'm not skilled enough to check it like you did.. at least you showed me what to look for while I watch the mechanic that I'm hiring to go over the car before I buy it
That's smart to have a mechanic have a look. That's the best thing to do if the seller can produce no record of the job having been done.
Absolutely ALWAYS have anything car/boat/engine tech related checked out by an independent mechanic!
Even if it's a ride for a mobile tech to come to where it's at and more costly, at the very least you can get an idea of mechanical condition and then some
@@karenkaren7761 you could see if the timing cover bolts have been messed with. They usually have yellow paint on the bolts, if the bolts were never moved, then he didn’t change it. usually they will have some receipt or a sticker, or it will show up in the Carfax.
Thanks for the vid! It helped. But, as I had my cover off, I noticed a peep access hole on the cover about the size of a quarter. It was on my 2012 Odyssey. So, If one is looking at a honda to buy, this may be a way to check the belt more easily.
Good tip. thanks!
Thank you!
Great video. I was told that there isn't a way to check if the belt is getting ready to go
IF THE ENGINE STARTS TICKING
In all honestly, sales guy probably thought the Serpentine belt was the Timing belt.
That appears to be the correct assessment of the sales person's knowledge of cars. Assuming that person could actually spell "serpentine" !
Great video! I have a 2017 Accord 3.5L V6 36K miles. How many miles should I wait until I get new timing belt? Or should I just change it cause it's been 7 years? Have you ever seen a low mileage high year cars timing belt look bad or break?
This is a 100K plus job. The only consideration in doing the job is miles on the engine. I have never seen or heard of a belt breaking on a low mileage car like yours.
Great job thanks so much
I pray for God to reward you for sharing o
Looks like a fun job to replace belt and all.
Oh yeah. I did it just over a year ago. Bent a breaker bar removing the crank pulley bolt.
The Original Mechanic jeez
@@TheOriginalMechanic I bought this tool for $20 at O'reilly that is used to wedge the crank pulley. The clerk told me to save the money and just set a breaker bar on the bolt and crank the starter, but something told me not to do that. I'm guessing that is what you did.
@@kennethsouthard6042 No I didn't. I used a Holding tool. I don't like the bump start method and have only used it once when other methods failed.
@@TheOriginalMechanic The way I did it is I put my breaker bar on the nut and used a ratchet and a cheater bar on the holder. I then put the ratchet and bar against the ground the ground and cranked down on the breaker bar till the nut broke loose. It was an old ratchet that I didn't care if it broke. Luckily everything all held together.
Perfect.... Thank you.....
You're welcome
Curious how you came to the conclusion that the belt has a hundred K or whatever on it, did you in fact have a mileage it had been done at?
I did not find any record of replacement. I based my conclusion on the nearly worn out label on the belt. I know this isn't highly technical, but certainly it takes a lot of miles to almost completely wear off.
Man that’s why some sales people suck they are lies
Can you check the timing belt from the front cover instead of taking the back one off?
I think that to get to the forward one, a few other things need to be removed. Would be nice had the covers been designed with an inspection portal of some sort to make this job easier, especially given that this is an "interference" engine.
I did the front cover on a 2004 Acura 3.2L and it was a pain but at least I could see what I was after on each bolt. This video of a rear cover with all the other things in the picture was "holy crap" and bottom line on the accessibility is the more things nearby you remove, the easier the access. And I think that working through the wheelwell (while seated hopefully) after removing all the inner fender plastic is preferable to working from the engine bay and telling yourself that your back is really not as sore as you think!
How much to have a Profeessional replace timing belt?
$750-1200 depending on vehicle and shop.
I bought an 06 to convert to minicamper with 140,000 miles on it. Got a quote this week for $900.00. This includes new pullies, tensioner & water pump. My mechanic (for 25 years) recommended oil pump seal & other factory suggested regular maintenance issues that brought price to $1,500 but since I'm planning a retirement road trip later this year and we couldn't find any evidence of recommended maintenance, I'm doing it (since the engine costs about 25-2700 in the box.) The old saying, pay me now or pay me more later.
@@sdnlawrence5640 sounds a lot. But it's parts plus labor. It is expensive but everywhere it's Ike that now especially for a timing belt. If the rest of the vehicle is in good condition then it's worth it. Just imagine buying a brand new one. The cost if it compared to a timing belt.
It's a lot easier to get the timing belt and pullies and take them right front tire off go through the fender well
Honda needs to quit using timing belts and go with a timing chain, they already have timing chains in their motorcycles
Hope the fact the sales guy said it had a new belt was written into the contract as it looks like they lied and owe you a timing belt job!
Do you have a link on how you installed the cranking switch device?
Here's a video of it. For the Honda I had to take out a few parts, such as the battery, to get to the "S" terminal on the starter. Other engines are easier. ua-cam.com/video/DfM9NQcPDYw/v-deo.html
How can you tell by looking at the stamp how old the belt was? Does it have a date or mileage? I can’t tell from the video
The degree to which the stamping is worn is an indication of how long the belt has been in use. On this belt it is nearly completely worn off which meant that is wasn't "brand new" as the salesman told me. There is likely to be a date code on the belt also but it needs to be deciphered... and readable to be useful.
@@TheOriginalMechanic Thanks for sharing your knowledge, I appreciate it
Helpful video.
These belts last about 200,000 miles, however the belt you have on this Honda pilot is the original he never changed it
How can you tell ?
@@Davidh741 several things, when he removed the 10 mm bolts they clicked because they have never been removed before and the numbers on the belt and the wear and tear shows that this is the original belt. I’m a mechanical engineers. I’ve seen many timing belts. I can guarantee this one’s original.
which belts last 200k the original?
@@kevinjohnson-qc6cs yes the original lasts more than 200 K, because it is made from top quality rubber made in Japan and it is hidden from the sunlight , if you get a high-quality timing belt, it should last more than 200 K I have seen it last 400 K on a 2000 Honda accord and 292K on a Honda pilot, I have seen an original BMW timing belt get cut at 650,000 miles on a 1985 bmw 323i 2.5L
@@Ben-HawyAre you speaking kilometers or miles?
Good info
Why did you feel the need to bring us into your experience? Rather than just make an informal video about this certain topic.
It’s an honest question, not trying to be mean or rude.
I never thought a little back story hurt a video but I guess it did for you.
I disagree respectively. 30 year ASE CERTIFIED MASTER MECHANIC
Sure theres no visible cracks but by the marking and being that the vehicle is 114k. It was most likely the original belt to the vehicle. Good call to have it changed.
Disagree on what exactly?
I’m here searching for what is disagreed and info on how to tell if a belt is READY for replacement.
My inspection method is much easier- don't worry about it.
Timing belt failures are rare.
Most are caused by fluid leaks which get on the belt.
If your car isn't leaking oil, don't worry about the belt.
If it is leaking oil, still don't worry about the belt.
Replacing the belt is a nightmare.
Salesman LoL