Hi folks-

I have a friend with a 2000 Accord LX 4 cyl ULEV auto trans. I believe the car has around 80k+ miles on it. He commutes about 30 mi/day round trip in stop and go traffic, and occasionally does long road trips.

My friend is not very mechanically inclined and I'm concerned that his mechanic is trying to snow him with a timing belt replacement screw up.

Recently he noticed that he was at the recommended interval to replace the timing belt. His mechanic he's been going to for ~10 years said it was nothing to worry about, but I explained to him the nature of his interference engine and why timing belts are so critical on cars like Hondas and Porsches. He did a little internet research, confirmed this, and bit the bullet and had this mechanic replace the timing belt about a month ago.

Yesterday leaving work he got a lot of noise from the engine compartment, pulled over, and said he saw a bunch of black rubber bits around the engine. He had the car towed to the mechanic.

Today they called him and said there was a problem with how they installed the timing belt and they would replace it again free of charge. I told him to be very careful because engine damage (valve-piston collision) could have occurred if the engine got far enough out of time/sync between the cam and the crank. When he asked his mechanic about potential engine damage resulting from this, they said there can't be any problem, his friend (me) didn't know what he's talking about, he has 20 yrs. experience as a mechanic, yada yada. Needless to say this sent some red flags.

My friend is picking up the car now. I recommended that he at least make sure they give him another receipt/work order showing that they replaced the timing belt again so he can document their error. I suggested that he get the mechanic to state in writing that he confirms no engine damage occurred as a result of the timing belt error if he was so sure nothing could possibly happen. I told my friend to be very aware of any changes in sound, power, or fuel mileage with his car when he drives it. I also suggested he get a 2nd opinion/evaluation of the engine (e.g. compression test) to confirm nothing bad happened.

I am not that familiar with Hondas and have never owned one, so I'm wondering:

1. Do I have my facts right about the F23(?) engine being an interference design and the possible catastrophic consequences of a timing belt failure?

2. What do you think happened to the timing belt based on 'noise like I ran something over' and 'black rubber bits all over the engine'?

3. Is it possible that the timing belt can get chewed up like this and the engine still be fine?

4. Assuming I'm right about the engine design, what's your feel on a mechanic who installs a timing belt wrong and then tries to bully a customer with their 20 yrs. of experience?

5. Any further precautions or advice or opinions you can give as enthusiasts on this car? Please tell me if I'm way off base here too.

I hope this car is okay-- it's really a fantastic vehicle, has never let this guy down, and he was going to drive it another dozen years at least.

Thanks for reading any response you can give!

 

Did the engine quit running or not? If not then it's probably the balance shaft belt that broke, not the timing belt.

 

OK that sounds plausible judging by the sound he said it made. The engine did keep running. My friend said it did not lose power, and the two truck guy even drove it onto the truck's ramp (!).

Thanks!

 

You are correct about the timing belt and an interference engine. If the timing belt skipped more than a few teeth, then engine damage could have occurred.

Your friend should try to get an explanation of what happened by his mechanic.

Have your friend listen for strange noises that were not there before.

 

I spent the few extra dollars and had my Honda dealership do my belt. I have a trusted mechanic but I don't trust him that much. I let Honda do it. They do it all day long everyday. It was done in 8 hours

 

Still needs a timing belt. The broken balancer belt would have thrown around a lot of rubber; some of the pieces probably got between the timing belt and gears and stressed/stretched the belt. But since the engine ran then there's little chance that a valve hit a piston.

 

If the timing belt jumped a couple teeth, there would be a noticable loss in power. It would have to jump a lot of teeth before the pistons hit the valves, for example if a couple teeth broke off the belt, then it would get more out-of-synch each revolution of the engine.

 

The timing belt is inside a cover. Unless the cover got busted up, I don't think you would see bits of rubber in the engine compartment. Maybe it was the power steering, alternator and A/C compressor belts that got chewed up?

 

Bingo. Turns out it was the alternator belt according to the mech. I think my friend got mixed up when the mechanic called him-- they didn't say it was the timing belt that was messed up, but another belt, and my friend just went with timing belt. Like I said he's not too mechanically inclined, so couldn't tell the difference when looking in the engine compartment. I was hoping that 'seeing bits of rubber' meant also that it was one of the exterior belts.

That said, and again I've never owned a Honda, how could a mis-install of the alt belt chew it up? And not right away, but a few weeks later?

Is this one serpentine belt for all accessories? Is it typically replaced with the timing belt since you have to take it off anyhow?

 

There are several ways this could have gone bad.....all bolts were tight but the belt tension wasn't.....so at some point it jumps off. Or one of the adjusting bolts wasn't tight and over time it got loose and then jumped.

If my memory isn't failing - suspect - there are two serp belts. A PS belt, then an alt/ac belt on this gen 4 cyl...so either one could have come loose. Yes, it would be a good idea to replace these belts when doing the timing belt.....they have to come off to change the TB so the only "added" cost should be the cost of the new belt(s), no labor added.