How to Replace a Timing Belt on a Honda V6 (step-by-step) 

@donniev8181 ya, he got it done, and it got me through my Accord. The crank bolt was the only bitch in the job on my 2010 J35Z2 timing belt. MF, at least 1kflb

Thanks for watching!

That's how i did mine on my Subaru lol now I'm about to do my girlfriends accord

I certainly did

I know what you mean! No matter how many timing belts I’ve done, there’s always that feeling right before start-up. Good idea on the crank bolt!

Wow I broke a breaker bar yesterday before a neighbor kid brought over his 18V milwaukee impact driver. I cant believe these things can bust frozen bolts better than human arms with breaker bars (I slipped a pipe over it so had it about 2.5ft long) and pulled with all of my might! Definitely buying one of those!

Amazing feedback. Thank you so much.

Same thing happened to me the cam sprocket jump when I try to moved a tooth to fit the belt, now I understand the reason to line up all the mark top center.

All you need is pliers to pull on the pin and twist. It bends because it’smade from cheap ass metal. You can unbolt the old tensioner to remove the tension on the belt and as long as the slack is on the tensioner side of the belt , install the tensioner and pull the pin with pliers. The bigger the pliers the easier. I used big channel lock style pliers. If you do want to use a bolt in the hole Relieve tension on the belt use the boat from the battery tiedown Terminal. It threads right in. My tensioner was partially bad , no leaks or anything but the belt had too much play. I can’t believe the car was running fine and was over the Maintence mileage for t belt and water pump change. The water pump went and when I removed everything I realized the belt had too much slack. Another thing I don’t recommend is rotating the engine with no tension on the belt. You will most likely skip a tooth so triple check tdc markings as you might need to turn the cams slightly to get the belt teeth on all the way. Getting the belt on and routing it while Keeping everything at tdc was the hardest part of the entire job for me. Once the belt is on and you check all markings (I can’t stress this enough ) you don’t want to have to compress the new tensioner If markings are off, it’s a PITA. ONCE You pull the Grenade pin it’s smooth sailing. Also i reccomend using the oem blue coolant which is silica free. That’s what Honda calls for and I see a lot of ppl using the green antifreeze which will still work but using the wrong antifreeze can shorten the engines lifespan.

Exactly my problem 4 years ago. Bought all OEM parts from Honda Dealership. Took me 12hrs as well since i triple checked everything. Then it came to pulling the pin (i literally felt relief when it came to that step.) However, I couldn't get the pin out all the way using my hand, pliers (reg and large size.) had to unbolt the tensioner pulley to get unstuck. Compressed it again using a vise then put back the pin ( had to straighten the pin out.) Redid it and got stuck 2 more times. So I left everything and did research on it. Turned out, the right procedure was using the battery tied down bolt ( 2 long rods to tie down the battery) and threaded through from top to bottom where the end of that long tied down bolt would be pressed on the pulley outer body to relieve the pressure from the hydraulic tensioner pin. Exactly what you described. After that l, the pin went out with no effort. Lol. These mechanics must have dealt with these pins so often that they make it look easy to pull out. 😂😂 As an amateur, I believe the battery long bolt is the easiest route for me. I would not do it any other way in the future.

Thanks for the compliment and thanks for watching!

That’s awesome! Thanks for the feedback.

That’s such a compliment and encouragement to me. Thank you. I’m glad I was able to produce a video that was helpful to you. And that’s definitely a good point about the crank bolt!

Thanks for the feedback! I’m glad you found it helpful.

Thank you. Yeah, this Accord is in really good shape for the miles. It just goes to show that with good maintenance these cars can really last. I spent some time driving it around and it really drives like new even with 200,000 miles.

​@jackhfletcher it's too bad Honda went crazy and changed over to that horrible 1.5L "earth dreams" engine! They're having all kinds of oil dilution issues with that engine. My last car was a Honda Accord but I switched back to Toyota just recently, primarily due to those issues. Plus you cannot go wrong when buying a new Toyota.

​@@donniev8181thank climate change freaks . It's because of fuel regulations.

Wow thank you!

Bad design for sure.

Maintenance doesnt come into play when engineers design this crap! They only think about cost and production. I think maintenance is an afterthought and comes in 3rd place! To their credit though, mine made it to 150K of mostly highway miles and the old timing belt is still in very good condition and no other problems. Honda is legendary for reliability. I honestly think they should extend this particular maintenance interval to at least 150K. Maybe depends on climate, type of driving, etc.

Thank you!

Thank you! I appreciate your comment!

You definitely can do it! Good luck!

Do it before it’s too late

I almost didn’t include that part, but now I’m thankful I did! I’m glad you enjoyed the video!

Doing mine next week after parts come in. I saw another guy mark his belts and you confirmed that so I will as well. I’m having a shop break the crank bolt for me before I drive it a short distance and do my thing. Return and the guy will retighten crank bolt. I’m figuring a full day and a buttload of patience. $150-$175 I’m figuring I’ll have in it. My kit does not include a new tensioner. Best guess is 100k on that tensioner. I’m going to search locally for it while my other parts are in transit though. Leak happened within 2 days of putting antifreeze in it instead of the straight water that I had been running for over a year! I triple checked the radiator fluid (non diluted) yep, all engines. Drained radiator added the full fluid (purple in color?) and topped off with water. It was close to 50/50 and 2 days later…….. Didn’t see anywhere it leaked from! I’m certain I didn’t leak anything, I’m thinking I boiled it out. My life sucks sometimes!

Aisin is great! Can’t go wrong with that.

correct method for tightening water pump. Don't over torque!

If you have a small torque wrench calibrated in inch-pounds you can use that, just multiply by 12 to get foot-lbs. For the water pump, I think it came to something like 104 inch-lbs. I dont trust hand torque on something like that.

@@slipshaft Probably more important is the order and degree you go around snugging it down. Not as important as head bolts, but still. Start at the ones closest to the two guide pins.

Thank you. A tripod would be a good idea though.

I’m happy to help!

Thank you!

It definitely is. It’s in great shape for its age and mileage.

Just be a man and grab it and pull! Their not that bad!

Thank you!

You got this!

I did not drain the coolant. On these, I usually just crack the water pump loose and let it drain. As far as the mount, it sort of depends on your exact year and model. If you can remove the floor jack and the engine stays in place (like the one in this video) then there is no need to leave the jack. However, if the engine starts dropping like crazy when you lower the jack, then I would leave it in place. As far as cam/crank seals, it’s up to you. Some people replace them. Usually if they’re not leaking I just leave them alone. Also, some people decide to remove and re-seal the oil pump housing. There is no harm in doing all that, but you’re just creating extra work for yourself. Bottom line - whatever you feel comfortable tackling is ok.

@@jackhfletcher Appreciate the advice and help, thank you for the detailed response to those questions. You did really well with filming and doing the work so people could see.

I’d say go for it. Raise the front of the car and put it on jack-stands. Unfold a large cardboard box and use it as a mat to lay on. That’s how I used to work in the driveway😅 I replaced the clutch on my F-150 and did a bunch of other stuff that way.

@@jackhfletcher are certain hack stands better than others? Like i see so many “jack stand fail” videos it got me nervous to lay under this thing lol

Don’t watch those videos! Lol. I personally use both Craftsman and Harbor Freight jack stands. Anything you buy from a big box store or auto parts store is going to be fine. Even so, I still keep a small amount of pressure applied with the floor jack just for an extra safety (in addition to using the jack stands). Just make sure to pull the e-brake and chock the rear wheels also.

Thank you.

I can’t remember the last time I saw a 1998-2000 Honda Accord in my shop. Most people who still own those aren’t so inclined to bring their car to a shop. But if I ever get the chance I’d love to make a video.