Timing belt Time belt

I am surprised by the Timing belt business, all Honda cars, including Acura, need timing belt replacement near 80,000 miles, I am wondering why the ^%$# manufacturers don't want to make the belt with better material that lasts for life time of the car.

Another puzzle bothers me is that in my younger days with old American made cars, there is no such thing as timing belt, we called timing chain, and the chain lasted for life time of the car. (surely there are few occasions that the timing chain failed, but I am sure there is no maintenance requirement for replacing timing chain every nnnnnn miles).

Reply to
大漢民族
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What's your question?

'Curly'

Reply to
motsco_

why can not fabricate the timing belt with better material that lasts for life time of the car?

Reply to
大漢民族

Read the end of his first paragraph.

Reply to
Larry in AZ

The belts are made with high quality rubber and Kevlar. What material do you think would work better?

Reply to
Gordon McGrew

How about numerous short metal pieces, joined together with flexible links? You could even make the metal pieces with an opening in them, so that a toothed metal wheel of some sort could engage the openings and turn or be turned by a loop or belt made of such joined links.

I'll bet something like that would last longer than ones made of rubber and Kevlar.

Reply to
Dean Dark

Dean Dark wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

You could even give such a contraption a fancy new name, like "chain" for example.

In fact, that's exactly what many of the newest Hondas have...

Reply to
Tegger

Damn. Can't a man even fish in peace these days?

Reply to
Dean Dark

The original Saturns used such a system with disastrous results. Not that it can't be made to work, but as is often the case, the engineering details trump the generalities of the solution.

Reply to
Gordon McGrew

Dean Dark wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I hear dynamite is an effective fishing tool.

Reply to
Tegger

I think that my Acura TSX has a timing chain, not a belt.

"An automatically adjusted silent-type chain drives the cams; it is maintenance free and runs in an oil bath for maximum durability"

Reply to
dearcilla

It must be good stuff. We have 273K miles on our 98 Accord EXV6 and never changed the timing belt. My father has just under 180K on his 00 Acura TL. He went through one tranny already, but ALL of the belts have held up just fine.

I believe these belts are made to last the life of the vehicle. Has anyone else actually had one break?

Reply to
James

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

"Grain of salt" warning. . .

'Curly'

Reply to
motsco_

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Actually, they are made to last the life of the _engine_

Every month somebody tells us how the belt finally failed at _EXACTLY_ the same moment as the engine. There must be some strange metaphysical connection to the wording of the owner's manual.

Here's a link to the HONDA owner's manuals:

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'Curly'

Reply to
motsco_

Our 98 Accord will turn over 300K miles probably before spring arrives in

  1. I use Mobil One synthetic. I've run it in every car we've ever owned. Our last vehicle was a 92 Accord that we traded in for the 98, and it had
204K miles.

Typically speaking, what is the "life of the _engine_" in a Honda product? I've never run one into the ground, but if our finances don't improve, we may run our 98 into the ground...or until the engine quits and the timing belt mysteriously breaks. ;o)

Just curious, but what's the highest mileage anyone has ever put on a honda engine?

james

Reply to
James

What does this mean? Could you elaborate?

james

Reply to
James

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The manual says you'll damage a Honda engine if you don't change the timing belt. You said you don't think it ever needs to be changed.

I say your advice should be taken with a 'grain of salt'...

'Curly'

Reply to
motsco_

"The manual says..." But what do you say based on your experience? If my engine is damaged, how can I tell? It runs just fine.

Can you explain what happens inside an engine that never has had a belt change?

I don't believe the manual, because my vehicle is proof that these belts (and my engine) will last for many miles.

james

Reply to
James

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I know the engineers at Honda / Acura aren't dummies. I've blown timing belts on a couple of Dodge products without damage, but they weren't INTERFERENCE engines. Read through this page to understand the difference:

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'll understand why the engine dies the same day the belt does. It's not called _catastrophic failure_ for no reason. :-( 'Curly'

Reply to
motsco_

I don't believe they are dummies either Curly, that's why I buy Hondas.

My problem is with greed ($$$):

"GREED n. - An excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth"

Are you catching on yet? ;o)

james

Reply to
James

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