i had my timing belts changed and the guy said there was a 10mm bolt missing and said he put one in then i was talking to someone else and they said that they came from the factory without it in and it was optional does anyone know if its supposed to be there or not?

 

I think I know which bolt you and the tech are referring to, but I'm not positive.

There are two belttensioners - the timing belt tensioner and the balance belt tensioner.These tensioners sit on top of each other, and theTIMING belt tensioner isclosest to the engine block.

I think that the tech hasinstalled the bolt in questionin the threaded hole that isunder the slot in the flat-metal"wing"oftheTIMING belt tensioner. The aqua-coloredarrow (leftmost of the coloredarrows)is pointing to the tensioner's"wing"in the following drawing: (You can see the slot in the wing, as well as the threaded hole underneath it.)


If this is in fact the bolt the technician was referring to, here's what you should do:

1. Ask the tech if he installed the bolt to secure theTIMING belt tensioner.(If he doesn't know the answer to this question, he should not have been doing the job in the first place.) If he did, ask him if he left the bolt in there tight or loose.

2. If he did install the bolt to secure theTIMING belt tensioner, and he left it in there tight, ask the tech to remove the bolt.That's what he should have done after installing the belts and tensioners. With the bolt in there tight, it is unlikely that the belts are tensioned properly.

If he left it in there loose, you run the risk of the bolt falling out and getting caught somewhere in the belts, pulleys or tensioners.

So, whether the bolt is in there loose or tight,the boltreally should come out of there.Again, a tight bolt means improper tension, and a loose bolt may fall out and do damage.

When you ask him to remove the bolt, watch out.It'll take somedisassembly (labor) to get that bolt out of there,so hemight very well "flip out" on you.

3. After the bolt is out, take the car to a place that specializes in Accords and have them properly tension the timing belt.

Please let us know what happens.Reading the "end of the story"ismuch of the fun for membersof the HAF.

(I've edited this post by substituting "TIMING" for "balance" is several places.)

 

Hey thanx for the help, greatly appreciated. I'll take it back then let you know what happens

 

I must correct my own mistake before someone else does.

The timing belt tensioner is the one closest to the engine and the one that has the wing with the slot and probably the bolt in question.

Sorry about that error!I hopethis hasn'tcaused you any trouble with the tech.

 

well the guy wont be able to get to it now but in a couple of days so ill let u know whats up.
is it pretty tough to change the belts and how long does it take?

 

If the belts have already been replaced,only thatbolt needs to be removed (if it is the one I described above).

The problem is getting at the bolt. Take a look at the photos of thetimingbelt jobhere and you'll see what I mean:
https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/m_22119/mpage_2/tm.htm

As you can see, the timing cover is in two parts - upper and lower, and the lower cover covers the two tensioners and the bolt in question.

It just mightbe possible to remove the bolt by prying up and outthe lower cover as is shown in the diagram/procedure on page one of that threadthat shows how to install a front balance shaft seal retainer without removing the lower cover. However, even in that case, atleast the crank pulley must be removed, and,as I said, I'm not sure if one can get access tothe bolt in question by doing that.It may still be too well hidden.I think it would be worth a try, though. (Removing the adjusting nut may allow the cover to pry out a bit more, too.)

Good luck.

 

ok well ill look at it tonight and see if ill just do it my self.

 

It is NOT optional,, definatelly DO NOT install the bolt on the t-belt tensioner ( aqua colored arrow) .
If he installed the bolt have it removed and readust the t-belt tension.. Unfortunatelly , you got to remove the lower t-belt cover to remove that bolt

 

If I were you, I'd let the guy who installed the bolt remove it. Here's why:

Honda probablydesigned these provisions (theslot in the tensioner, as well as the threaded hole in the blockunderneath)into the car because it can be quite difficult to re-assemble the springs, beltsand tensioners without temporarilyinstallingthe bolt to hold the timing tensioner securely in position as the other tensioner and spring is installed.

Ifyou do attempt to remove the bolt yourself, and you decide totry that seal-retainerprocedure I mentioned, if you also remove the adjusting nut to try to get the lower cover to bend out a bitfarther,BE VERY CAREFULAFTER REMOVING THE ADJUSTING NUT.

The adjusting nut holdsboth tensioners and their springs intheir operating positions. So ifyou remove it andthentry to get more accessto the bolt buymoving the timing belt or tensioners "out of the way" a bit, as soon as you start to loosen the bolt in question, everything- springs, tensioners, belts -might very wellgo SPROOOOYNG and become instantaneously"disassembled".If that happens,you're in for a verycondensed crash course in"Accord timing belt replacement 101".

This is why I recommend that you let the tech who did the job remove the bolt.

Good luck.

 

ok thnx. well ill let the tech do it then ill let you guys know how its goin