Honda Car Forum

Is there anyway to check and see if the timing belt has been changed?
Pre-owned car.

Thanks,,

Pam

"Pamela and James Signa" <psignanospamming@cox.net> wrote in message
news:noG5h.38220$Wb2.27701@newsfe22.lga...
> Is there anyway to check and see if the timing belt has been changed?
> Pre-owned car.
>
> Thanks,,
>
> Pam

If the previous owner does not have a receipt for it, you must assume it has
not been changed. If you think over the logic of how you would decide when
to change the belt if you don't do it now, you'll find it gets terrifying in
a hurry.

There is another consideration; facing such a large maintenance expense and
the poor likelihood of recovering the money when selling the car, many
sellers sell the car when the belt is due. Funny how that works out.

Mike

How many miles on your 99 Accord? Like my daughter's 98 Civic, I believe
your belt is supposed to be changed by 105,000 miles or 7 years, which
ever comes first. I replaced the Civic's belt at 99,000 miles and eight
years old. Yes, it looked brand new was still tight. Remember what
happens if that belt breaks! Hardly anyone changes their belts early and
then sells the car.

| > Is there anyway to check and see if the timing belt has been changed?

open the belt cover, see if belt looks new
http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBr...3d800cf706.jsp

"TE Chea" <4ws@gmail.com> wrote in message news:455b1b17_2@news.tm.net.my...
>| > Is there anyway to check and see if the timing belt has been changed?
>
> open the belt cover, see if belt looks new
> http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBr...3d800cf706.jsp
>
>
A belt due for replacement should look like one that was changed a month
ago; dusty and slightly scuffed from the tensioner. If you decide the belt
looks okay, when will you change it? That is why it is mandatory to change
the belt if there is any doubt. You get the security of having the new belt
and you know when to change it next time.

Mike

| A belt due for replacement should look like one that was changed a month
| ago
Impossible, old belts's rubber is harder & has cracks.

| If you decide the belt looks okay, when will you change it?
Chk its appearance every 10k km

| That is why it is mandatory to change
| the belt if there is any doubt. You get the security of having the new belt
| and you know when to change it next time.
Fine if user can pay, either way see
www.aa1car.com/library/2003/us70343.htm para 6
2nd sentence is possible only with manufacturing defects, I think.

"TE Chea" <4ws@gmail.com> wrote in message news:455c4b83_2@news.tm.net.my...
>| A belt due for replacement should look like one that was changed a month
> | ago
> Impossible, old belts's rubber is harder & has cracks.
>
Absolutely not! If you see a belt with cracks it is seriously overdue for
change. There is no reliable visual indicator for the condition of a timing
belt. When I replaced the belt on my daughter's '93 Accord it was the
original with 163K miles on it. There were no cracks or anything to indicate
it had almost twice the mileage limit on it.

> | If you decide the belt looks okay, when will you change it?
> Chk its appearance every 10k km
>
Change it when it breaks? If the condition of the timing belt could be
determined by visual inspection, Honda would tell us to inspect the belt and
change it when it shows cracks. Instead they say to change it on schedule.
The fact is that most timing belts that fail look fine, except the missing
teeth or the place where it snapped.

> | That is why it is mandatory to change
> | the belt if there is any doubt. You get the security of having the new
> belt
> | and you know when to change it next time.
> Fine if user can pay, either way see
> www.aa1car.com/library/2003/us70343.htm para 6
> 2nd sentence is possible only with manufacturing defects, I think.
>
Nope - second sentence applies to normal everyday belts. That's why the
visual inspection method is so dangerous. They just don't look bad before
they fail - after all, it isn't the rubber that holds the belt together. I
guarantee it's cheaper to replace a timing belt than to repair or replace an
interference engine that has suffered a broken timing belt.

Mike

duckbill wrote:
> How many miles on your 99 Accord? Like my daughter's 98 Civic, I believe
> your belt is supposed to be changed by 105,000 miles or 7 years, which
> ever comes first. I replaced the Civic's belt at 99,000 miles and eight
> years old. Yes, it looked brand new was still tight. Remember what
> happens if that belt breaks! Hardly anyone changes their belts early and
> then sells the car.
>
We bought the car used, got a good price, and it has 120,000 miles on
it. THe carlot seller does not know, or so one of them says, who they
obtianed the car from to ask, however, the sales manager told me they
knoew who owned it in a separate converstation about soemthing else. We
will get it changed , just wondering if there was a way to tell.

Pamela and James Signa <psignanospamming@cox.net> wrote in
news:tV77h.2332$rn1.393@newsfe19.lga:

> duckbill wrote:
>> How many miles on your 99 Accord? Like my daughter's 98 Civic, I
>> believe your belt is supposed to be changed by 105,000 miles or 7
>> years, which ever comes first. I replaced the Civic's belt at 99,000
>> miles and eight years old. Yes, it looked brand new was still tight.
>> Remember what happens if that belt breaks! Hardly anyone changes
>> their belts early and then sells the car.
>>
> We bought the car used, got a good price, and it has 120,000 miles on
> it. THe carlot seller does not know, or so one of them says, who they
> obtianed the car from to ask,



Probably got it at auction. One of those cars the new-car dealers didn't
want (bad sign). He knows perfectly well who owned it last, just won't
tell you.



> however, the sales manager told me they
> knoew who owned it in a separate converstation about soemthing else.
> We will get it changed , just wondering if there was a way to tell.
>


There is NO way to tell for sure. If you're unsure, get it replaced. The
possible consequences of not doing it are rather dire.

When I buy a used car that's within belt-change territory, I factor that
price into my bargaining.

--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

"Pamela and James Signa" <psignanospamming@cox.net> wrote in message
news:tV77h.2332$rn1.393@newsfe19.lga...
> duckbill wrote:
>> How many miles on your 99 Accord? Like my daughter's 98 Civic, I believe
>> your belt is supposed to be changed by 105,000 miles or 7 years, which
>> ever comes first. I replaced the Civic's belt at 99,000 miles and eight
>> years old. Yes, it looked brand new was still tight. Remember what
>> happens if that belt breaks! Hardly anyone changes their belts early and
>> then sells the car.
> We bought the car used, got a good price, and it has 120,000 miles on it.
> THe carlot seller does not know, or so one of them says, who they obtianed
> the car from to ask, however, the sales manager told me they knoew who
> owned it in a separate converstation about soemthing else. We will get it
> changed , just wondering if there was a way to tell.

Nope - no way to tell. It really sucks, but I would bet heavily that at 120K
miles the belt hasn't been changed. That's a big chunk of change the seller
isn't likely to recover at sale time. Unless it was formerly owned by Santa
Claus, you need to get it changed. Also change the water pump at the same
time; a little extra now vs essentially the entire labor cost of a timing
belt change if it fails later. And if the water pump fails by seizing, it
will destroy the timing belt and you are back at teh wailing wall.

Mike