Honda Prelude Forum banner

DIY: Official 5th Gen Timing Belt Job Procedure! (by JLUDE 03/11/08)

253K views 180 replies 81 participants last post by  Ombox76 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
First things first: This writeup is intended solely as guidance for those skilled enough to attempt a job of this level themselves. Just because I did it does not mean you can! I'm an engineer and have a lot of experience working on cars otherwise I would never attempt this job myself. That said it is still a medium level job as far as tools required and degree of difficulty. It is a very time consuming job and some parts can be very tedious and having small hands is almost required for certain things!
I don't mean to scare you guys away but just so you are aware...there is a reason that shops charge $350 - $800 just for the labor on this job!

TIPS:
- Have a shop break your crank pulley bolt loose first! Without EagleEyez's shop I would have been in some trouble!
- You'll need at least a full weekend dedicated to this job if you've never done something like this before.
- Make sure you take your time. This is a pretty critical job that if messed up...could spell disaster for your motor!
- Label all parts removed, especially bolts and nuts as to where they go! I use ziplock bags stored in a 5 gallon bucket to keep anything from happening to them! That can be one of the most frustrating things...to loose a 10 cent bolt that prevents you from finishing the job!
- All the info for parts, Helms Manual, Manual tensioner writeup is in this thread:
http://www.preludepower.com/forums/showthread.php?t=279992

1. I removed the bumper cover and headlight to make it easier to work.

- Drain the motor oil into a clean container and save for later reuse.

- Drain the coolant into a clean container and save for later reuse.

- Disconnect the battery negative (-) black terminal.

I also covered the fender with a terry towel to protect it. Then raise the front of the vehicle on jack stands and remove the driver side wheel:




2. You can start by disconnecting the alternator wires and swinging them out of the way:



3. Next we will remove the power steering pump:
*Note: Do NOT remove the metal line that goes into the top of the PS pump! Just leave it attached and the pump will swing out of the way just fine.













4. Next remove the splash shield from the crank pulley end



5. Remove the spark plug wires and valve cover:







6. Remove alternator:



7. Remove Alternator and PS pump brackets:





8. Remove upper timing cover:







9. Loosen the Cam Gears if you plan to replace the cam seals:





10. Remove timing belt from the cam gears:







11. Remove under cam plastic plate and remove old cam seals:



 
See less See more
25
#37 ·
Very nice right up Jlude as always.
One question, or comment I guess, that special holder wrench for the crank pulley would be what the helms manual talks about to hold it all in place while you torque the crank bolt correct? Assuming you were using a conventional torque wrench that is.
 
#38 ·
Very nice right up Jlude as always.
One question, or comment I guess, that special holder wrench for the crank pulley would be what the helms manual talks about to hold it all in place while you torque the crank bolt correct? Assuming you were using a conventional torque wrench that is.
Yea that special tool would help but I use a 24" chain wrench over the old AC drive belt on the crank pulley to hold it from spinning during torquing and breaking loose...works like a charm.
 
#43 ·
Regardless, if your crank bolt is as tight as mine was you will not be able to get it with a breaker bar and the special tool....impact gun at a shop before starting this job at home is your best bet.

- JL
 
#44 ·
I have a 1000 lb/ft impact gun and it won't take out crank pulleys :| (actually it'll get civics...but they're a 14mm thread and they're only torqued to ~130 lb/ft instead of the ~185 lb/ft on the rest of the engines)

I always used the special tool when I worked at the dealership (I own one but it doesn't do much good unless you have a lift.) we had a ~4ft handle on the tool and a 3ft breaker bar...wedge the special tool against the lower control arm and just crank on the breaker bar (or lean against it...or kick :lol: ) it was the only way to do it without buying a 3/4" drive impact :laugh:
 
#45 ·
Quick question, please move or delete if this is the wrong thread but every shop i've gone to about this job has told me that the auto-tensioner will be fine and I dont need to swap it for a manual. I even asked if it would be ok with some aftermarket cams and what not and they said I would be safe. Anyone else in a similar situation?
 
#47 ·
okaay, so since id idn't want to make another thread i had a question. Im almost done my timing belt job but i ran into a small problem. When rotating my crank pully to TDC, the first one lines up vertically and horizontally, the second one though, is off by 1-2 groves and doesn't align horizontally correctly.

It does Align but it has some force behind it when aligning the marks, while the first one has some "free space" when trying to get the pully TDC, while the second one does not. Do i have a huge problem here, my father says we could just adjust the valves or something
 
#49 ·
I assume you are talking about the cam gears?If you're having a hard time getting both cam gears at TDC it helps a lot to loosen all the valves fully. Then once you get the T-belt all set and done then adjust all your valves to spec. By loosening the valves the cam isn't having to compress all the stiff valve springs as you struggle to get them both at TDC. - JL
 
#54 ·
Im gettin ready to tackle this job on. Here in prob 2 wks. Ordering some of the parts today. Now if im gunna take my balance shaft belt off and not put another one on will i need all the balance shaft stuff? I know i wont need the belt.
 
#61 ·
A jack with a piece of 2x4 wood between it and the bottom of the oil pan to support the engine.
 
#66 ·
I didn't touch the rear balance shaft, only the front shaft seal.

1fastlude: You can't remove the balance shaft. I assume you are just not using your balance shaft belt? You still need to replace the seals.
 
#68 ·
Why do people remove the balance shaft? Just to free a couple HP? The purpose of the balance shaft is harmonics to maintain a smooth running motor at all RPMS?
 
#70 ·
It's for "NVH" or Noise, Vibration, and Harshness. Basically meaning that it's for passenger comfort. The Prelude was Honda's higher end sports coupe of the time so you'd imagine they would do all they could to make it drive and ride smoothly. But when you're going for all out performance it's just free hp :) I run without the balancer belt and it just vibrates the pedals a little bit but nothing too bad. My ES motor mount inserts already make my car feel like one of those vibrating massage chairs lol

It's not like the crank pulley which when swapped out for a non-dampened aftermarket pulley will do a number on your bearings
 
#73 ·
Because when using the manual tensioner conversion it's physically impossible to do it in that order without shredding the T-belt on the sharp edges of the cam gears...if you can even get it to go over them.

-JL
 
#72 ·
It's not very hard, just time consuming. I would really suggest using this as a supplement, with a service manual as your main reference. Dont do crazy sh!t like this without a FSM! lol
 
#75 ·
I use one of these chain pipe wrenches and wrap a piece of one of the old drivebelts around the pulley grooves to protect it from damage from the wrench. You want a longer handle than this one (mine is 24" but you get the idea) I think I paid $15 shipped for my wrench off Ebay, works great.



If you can get the crank bolt loose without an impact gun you are Hercules! (Or just very lucky)
 
#76 ·
I just use an impact gun, much easier! lol Air tools FTW, it's a great investment if you do all the work on your car(s) yourself
 
#78 ·
It took 500 ft lbs of impact gun to break my crank bolt loose. Not many home sized air compressors and impact hammers can put that kind of power out. That's Viper GTS V10 kinda torque!
 
#84 ·
whack it with a rubber mallet a few times around the edge and then you just have to pull on it, kinda wiggling it side to side as you pull. Like you put one hand on each side then alternate pulling with each hand. It may take a while if it's never been off before
 
#88 ·
Any bolt that is exactly 6mm in diameter that is over 100mm in length will work. Just make a mark at 100mm and insert it in the hole to the mark.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top