installing timing belt tensioner
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installing timing belt tensioner
i recently finished a job replacing the timing belt on a 98 accord lx sedan.
check out the lower left corner of this pic.. the tensioner assembly.
there are two tensioners that ride on the same bolt. one is for the timing belt, the other is for the balance shaft timing belt. now.. when i took this apart i remember the bolt being very tight. so when i reinstalled it- i made it tight too. what gets to me: when this bolt is tight- the tensioners become clamped down. how do they do their job if they are held in place like that?? also note that i had to apply tension to the tensioners before tightening the bolt down all the way to keep the timing belt tense (not too tight tho, dont worry)
theres is also another bolt that acts as an anchor (E-13 on pic) on a fulcrum (13).. this bolt was also tight- again- locking the fulcrum in place.. wtf!? there are 2 tiny springs in this mechanism that are useless against the force of the bolts.
i hope i was right to tighten these two bolts down. the car starts and runs fine... but im still woried! any advice?
check out the lower left corner of this pic.. the tensioner assembly.
there are two tensioners that ride on the same bolt. one is for the timing belt, the other is for the balance shaft timing belt. now.. when i took this apart i remember the bolt being very tight. so when i reinstalled it- i made it tight too. what gets to me: when this bolt is tight- the tensioners become clamped down. how do they do their job if they are held in place like that?? also note that i had to apply tension to the tensioners before tightening the bolt down all the way to keep the timing belt tense (not too tight tho, dont worry)
theres is also another bolt that acts as an anchor (E-13 on pic) on a fulcrum (13).. this bolt was also tight- again- locking the fulcrum in place.. wtf!? there are 2 tiny springs in this mechanism that are useless against the force of the bolts.
i hope i was right to tighten these two bolts down. the car starts and runs fine... but im still woried! any advice?
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if u dont get any help here, go to V6 Performance.net and go to the 6thgen accord section....
there is TONs and TONs of help there (i use to hav a 6th gen)
there is TONs and TONs of help there (i use to hav a 6th gen)
sorry but my question is kinda off the subject. i was just wondering where everyone was getting the diagrams of the engine compartment. like you have the picture up at the top. thanks
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Re: installing timing belt tensioner
i recently finished a job replacing the timing belt on a 98 accord lx sedan.
check out the lower left corner of this pic.. the tensioner assembly.
there are two tensioners that ride on the same bolt. one is for the timing belt, the other is for the balance shaft timing belt. now.. when i took this apart i remember the bolt being very tight. so when i reinstalled it- i made it tight too. what gets to me: when this bolt is tight- the tensioners become clamped down. how do they do their job if they are held in place like that?? also note that i had to apply tension to the tensioners before tightening the bolt down all the way to keep the timing belt tense (not too tight tho, dont worry)
there is also another bolt that acts as an anchor (E-13 on pic) on a fulcrum (13).. this bolt was also tight- again- locking the fulcrum in place.. wtf!? there are 2 tiny springs in this mechanism that are useless against the force of the bolts.
i hope i was right to tighten these two bolts down. the car starts and runs fine... but im still woried! any advice?
check out the lower left corner of this pic.. the tensioner assembly.
there are two tensioners that ride on the same bolt. one is for the timing belt, the other is for the balance shaft timing belt. now.. when i took this apart i remember the bolt being very tight. so when i reinstalled it- i made it tight too. what gets to me: when this bolt is tight- the tensioners become clamped down. how do they do their job if they are held in place like that?? also note that i had to apply tension to the tensioners before tightening the bolt down all the way to keep the timing belt tense (not too tight tho, dont worry)
there is also another bolt that acts as an anchor (E-13 on pic) on a fulcrum (13).. this bolt was also tight- again- locking the fulcrum in place.. wtf!? there are 2 tiny springs in this mechanism that are useless against the force of the bolts.
i hope i was right to tighten these two bolts down. the car starts and runs fine... but im still woried! any advice?
I just finished replacing my timing belt on my 2001 Honda Accord, LX 2.3L 4 cylinder, automatic transmission. I have 60K miles - today is Oct 24, 2010. Dealer and all docs indicate ~75k miles OR 7 years for timing belt replacement. This is the 10th year so I thought why risk it. BTW, this is the best car I have ever owned. Dealers in Washington DC metro area asked $1100 to perform the timing belts replacement task. In 10 years, only repair have been Honda warranty recalls, oil changes and tires. I have not even had a tune up yet. 10 years and still running wonderfully. And for a 4-cylinder, this car is pretty spiffy.
While trying to follow the directions in the various manuals and videos I found on the web and local library Chilton manuals, I too removed the tensioner bolt while removing the upper and lower timing covers. Once I could see the tensioners and belts inside, the belts were completely loose and I wondered how the belts ever stayed on. Dhaaaa, I soon found out I made the same mistake you did. The bolt is tight for a reason and should NOT be removed until you install the "SPARE" bolt on the inside tensioner. . . . So far for my Internet searching, NO ONE discusses how to adjust the tensioners or even really mentions them at all other than make sure they are installed. Perhaps this is a no brainier but it has me stumped.
Needless to say, I left the bolt holding the inside tensioner in place and after completely reassembling everything, I discovered the oil-tube dip stick bolt was missing. --- After doing additional research on the web, I discovered you are suppose to temporarily use a spare bolt to hold the inside tensioner in-place, should only be used while adjusting the tensioner and belts. Like you, I don't understand how the tensioners keep the belts tight since both tensioners are held really tight by the nut sticking through the engine timing belt covers.
If I removed the bolt holding the tensioners BEFORE removing the timing belt covers, could someone explain how to reassemble these two tensioners and belts correctly?
Did you leave the temporary bolt holding the inside tensioner in place since your post (about 2 years ago) or did you find assistance along the way and removed it?
ANY assistance would be greatly appreciated.[/U]
Tks
Last edited by rbq86; Oct 25, 2010 at 12:47 PM.
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