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How old is your timing belt

N

nutonsx

Registered Member
Joined
15 April 2000
Messages
44
Location
rockwall, TX, USA
I have read the FAQ and done some research. But I am still curious if I am the only guy with a 91 with the original timing belt, and just how dangerous this is. The car has 27,000 miles and every other rubber component under the deck and all seals etc are soft and pliable without any signs of cracking. So am taking a great risk?

Do any of you still have the original belt?

I am also concerned that this is a serious teardown of the engine and with my luck one cam will be off a notch. Our I will have other leaks, problems, missing bolts and such. Is this a concern or am I chicken? I hate to think I could degrade the performance in a situation that could be nearly impossible to correct as who would look into the problem if I was unhappy?

What are your thoughts and experience in having this work done?

Bill
 
I have an original Tbelt in my 91 with 30,500 miles, but my comfort level is wearing a little thin. I will probably have it done this winter as this is definitely a situation for "better safe than sorry".
 
As we know, Honda's recommendation is to change it every 6 years or 90,000 miles. While I think the timing belt wears more based on miles than on years, the question becomes how far you want to stretch that six-year-interval. I decided that 50 percent extra was far enough, so I had mine replaced after 9 years, even though I had less than 40K miles.

Based on this logic, I would suggest that all those with '91 and '92 NSX's have their timing belts and water pumps changed if this has never been done before. It's time.

(Those in winter climates who store their cars for the season might wait until spring though.)
 
also,make sure you only get a quote from the service manager!my dealer raised my price three times!final cost was $2400.
 
I pulled mine out after 9 years and 50K miles. There was NO sign of any cracking or any problems whatsoever. BUT nonetheless I think it better to have it changed at the recommended interval.
 
ALL genuine Honda belts i have seen, where at least with 100K Km on (60K Mil), ALL of them where absolutely in perfect condition, no sign of significant wear at all. Keep in mind that we (Europeans) are supposed (by the book) to change the belt at 60K miles (on most vehicles).
I've seen the wear of the belt different on other car-manufacturers.

I'll say, don't worry about the belt, just change it when the book says.

Dutchy
 
The recommended interval (when the book says) is six years (or 90,000 miles), whichever comes first. So if you have a '91-95 that's never been done, the recommended interval is due NOW.
 
Just did my '91 with 40K on it. The job is not that major...Find a reputable dealer...Mine took one day and cost me $1100 for the belt/water pump.
 
Originally posted by nsxtasy:
As we know, Honda's recommendation is to change it every 6 years or 90,000 miles. While I think the timing belt wears more based on miles than on years, the question becomes how far you want to stretch that six-year-interval. I decided that 50 percent extra was far enough, so I had mine replaced after 9 years, even though I had less than 40K miles.

Based on this logic, I would suggest that all those with '91 and '92 NSX's have their timing belts and water pumps changed if this has never been done before. It's time.

(Those in winter climates who store their cars for the season might wait until spring though.)
Click to expand...

I thought I read somewhere in the manual that the clock is stopped when the car is in storage. So my 10 year-old 91 NSX only has 5 years of use so far. It has 43,000 km now and I intent to change the belt two years from now. Noone in my province has done a timing belt yet.
 
I thought I read somewhere in the manual that the clock is stopped when the car is in storage.

It's not in my USDM manual. (Maybe the Canadian manual has different advice, but I rather doubt it.)

So my 10 year-old 91 NSX only has 5 years of use so far. It has 43,000 km now and I intent to change the belt two years from now. Noone in my province has done a timing belt yet.

Well, things change in the conversion north of the border. If the timing belt breaks in the U.S., and you need to replace the engine, you can buy a new one for around $20K, or a used one for $5K, in U.S. dollars. In Canada, that's about 1.5 million Canadian dollars.
biggrin.gif


Seriously, though, you can wait as long as you like. But if it goes, you could be paying a whole lot more money than the $1100 it costs to replace it. If you like taking risks, you can wait 12 years to replace your timing belt, or even 20. As Clint Eastwood said, "Are you feeling lucky today?" That's not a risk I want to take with my NSX.
 
Don't rely on visible wear. I've seen belts with no sign of wear that were dry and ready to go, and some that had broken. I remember one I replaced on my sister's Pinto long ago that didn't even look dry when bent backwards. (But then, it was a Pinto. Hey, at least it had the German Ford engine.)

As for concerns about having it done (I assume you will not attempt it yourself), the most likely problem is oil leaks from the valve covers, but even that is remote if they are competent. If it’s off a tooth there won’t be any doubt about there being something wrong. I agree that you should have someone experienced do it. Although a simple job, there are serious consequences to making a mistake.
 
I've asked this question a while back as well. My car is a '92 with less than 2k miles on it. Do you think I should replace mine as well?

------------------
Richard
NSXTASY
 
Richard lives on an island that's thirty miles from one end to the other.

If it were my NSX, I would do it at the same point (9 years) whether it had 2K miles or 40K miles. Remember, at that point it has nothing to do with mileage.
 
Originally posted by nsxtasy:
Richard lives on an island that's thirty miles from one end to the other.

If it were my NSX, I would do it at the same point (9 years) whether it had 2K miles or 40K miles. Remember, at that point it has nothing to do with mileage.
Click to expand...

I agree, I was just razzing him. What island? Is there even anyplace to stretch it's legs?
 
My 91 had 32K miles on it when I had the timing belt service done back in April. That's 10 years. My NSX tech said he wouldn't go beyond that. It's too risky. Upon checking my belt, it was like new. I asked Kent Shepley at Honda about it and this is what he had to say:

"If nothing else, the peace of mind is worth the replacement cost of the timing belt. Take the old belt and turn it inside out and squeeze the belt in a tight "U" shape, then look right next to the teeth where they connect to the belt. Are there any cracks? That is usually where the belt shows signs of wear. The belt usually does not break, the teeth just strip off. Better safe than sorry."

I posed this question to Pat Goss' radio show. He also appears on Motorweek. He mentioned the following:

"Vytas, it's definitely time to change that timing belt on your NSX. This is where you're going to get into serious serious trouble. I've come across a few NSXs with timing belt failures and you don't want to be there when it happens. Talk about an expensive failure, it defies imagination if a timing belt breaks on an NSX. You thought the national debt was something, what till you fix an NSX engine with a broken timing belt. Mileage is not the enemy as much as time is the enemy on a timing belt. Six years in my book is way way too long. You are courting disaster with this car. You can't tell if a timing belt is good or bad just by looking at it."

Since I track my car often, I wasn't going to wait any longer. I had it done and now I can feel confident flying at 8 grand all day long. If you have a 91-95 NSX on the original belt, I'd change it. You're going to have it done soon anyway, why wait risking a failure?

Vytas

------------------
"The value of life can be measured by how many times your soul has been deeply stirred." - Soichiro Honda
 
Keep in mind timing belts are elastomeric devices. Kind of like a heater hose or a radiator hose only much more critical and highly stressed. The main load carrying fibers are invisible and you just can't tell what shape the belt is in without a destructive test.

Why volunteer your engine for such a test?

Think of it this way... If your NSX could fly like an airplane would you risk it?

-Jim

(Somewhere near the OH-PA border on the way back from an awesome NSXPO)



------------------
1992 NSX Red/Blk 5 spd #0330
1991 NSX Blk/Blk Auto #3070 (Sold)
1974 Vette 454 4 spd Wht/Blk
Looking for 76-79 Honda Accords
 
What island?

Guam.

Mileage is not the enemy as much as time is the enemy on a timing belt.

I find that quote interesting. I wonder why he said that?
 
Originally posted by nsx808:
Actually, is there any way to tell if the timing belt had been done previously aside from maintenance records?
Click to expand...

Good question. I'm pretty sure that there would be no way of telling for sure, even if you looked at the belt. If the belt was just changed (like with only a few hours of engine run time) then the white HONDA printing would still be visable on the belt.

biggrin.gif
BTW, you can do-it-yourself: www.danoland.com/nsxgarage/bent
biggrin.gif


DanO
 

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