Timing belt replacement, Honda 3.5L

[Scratch]

I'm hoping there are some mechanics here that know their way around timing belts:

I have a 2009 Honda Pilot with a 3.5L engine. The timing belt had been replaced at 105K, but now we're at 230K.

The other day, driving home, it started to make some engine noise. Almost home though, so we just drove it home, it drove fine... just noisy.

After using a stethoscope, we determined that the noise was coming from the timing belt area. I pulled the top front cover off and the belt looked tight, but when I started the engine, I could see the belt wiggling like crazy. All diagnosis leads to a bad TB tensioner, so I ordered a whole kit:
Timing belt
Tensioner
Tensioner pulley
Idler pulley
Water pump.


The parts came in and I started to pull bolts.

When I got the crankshaft pulley off, then pulled the lower TB cover off, small metal parts fell out also.... that's not good...

The front TB Idler pulley had the ball bearings falling out and was completely shot... No problem, I have that part to replace. At least I know exactly what the problem is.


New problem:
When I turned the crankshaft to line up the timing marks, the front cam mark was off about one tooth, and the rear cam was off by about 3 teeth. I think the cam pulleys slipped a few teeth when the idler pulley let go. I'm not sure how it could still run that far out of time, but it was. (maybe that's not as far out of time as I think...?)

Can I just remove the TB, manually turn the cams the little bit needed to line up, then reinstall all the pulleys and belt again?

[Whitetrash]

Originally Posted by Scratch

I'm hoping there are some mechanics here that know their way around timing belts:

I have a 2009 Honda Pilot with a 3.5L engine. The timing belt had been replaced at 105K, but now we're at 230K.

The other day, driving home, it started to make some engine noise. Almost home though, so we just drove it home, it drove fine... just noisy.

After using a stethoscope, we determined that the noise was coming from the timing belt area. I pulled the top front cover off and the belt looked tight, but when I started the engine, I could see the belt wiggling like crazy. All diagnosis leads to a bad TB tensioner, so I ordered a whole kit:
Timing belt
Tensioner
Tensioner pulley
Idler pulley
Water pump.


The parts came in and I started to pull bolts.

When I got the crankshaft pulley off, then pulled the lower TB cover off, small metal parts fell out also.... that's not good...

The front TB Idler pulley had the ball bearings falling out and was completely shot... No problem, I have that part to replace. At least I know exactly what the problem is.


New problem:
When I turned the crankshaft to line up the timing marks, the front cam mark was off about one tooth, and the rear cam was off by about 4-5 teeth. I think the cam pulleys slipped a few teeth when the idler pulley let go. I'm not sure how it could still run that far out of time, but it was. (maybe that's not as far out of time as I think...?)

Can I just remove the TB, manually turn the cams the little bit needed to line up, then reinstall all the pulleys and belt again?

I don't know how Honda valvetrains are setup. On my Nissan Xterra I was able to loosen up my rocker shafts till the valves and cam didn't touch. Most all Japanese engines are interference engines so the valves will contact the pistons if you just start twisting the cams back into sync. I would say consult Youtube before you just start. Honda's surely have multiple videos from Ricer Fans to steer you the right direction.

[greywynd]

Can’t help you much with your particular issue, but I have seen a timing belt used instead of a strap in a strap wrench to turn camshafts a couple times.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mccutter]

Originally Posted by Scratch

Can I just remove the TB, manually turn the cams the little bit needed to line up, then reinstall all the pulleys and belt again?

Probably. As mentioned, gootoob is your friend. I'm not familiar with this engine but it sounds like you are on the right track. There are probably ways to lock the tensioner(s) "loose" so you can slide the belt over the pulley. There may be a "tool" that holds the cam pulleys? There may be a little finagling and taking up the slack involved to get the belt on correctly with marks aligned. Again, look at a couple/few videos and don't be afraid to skip to another, better video if the one you start watching is lame...

[Scratch]

Thanks all, I finally got a call back from a mechanic friend that has done this many times before and he said yes, that is what I need to do. The crankshaft pulley is the only one that I have to worry about as it can be on the mark but still be 180 degrees off. The camshaft pulleys aren't like that. If they are on the mark, their good. He also said it would need to be off much more than a few teeth to cause problems. It may not run as perfect as it should, but it would still run so I think I'm good.