Honda Odyssey Timing Belt Job, DIY?

Anyone have first hand experience on this one, or a similar honda? It's a 2002 3.5l v6. Do I dare try it myself, or should I run like hell to a mechanic???

After I had to do the Miata timing belt 3 times over a couple weeks span i've grown pretty confident about timing belts. However helping my dad as a kid on a ford escort and remembering us contemplating sawzalling a hole through the wheel well to get to a bastard bolt, I do understand timing belt difficulty can be very vehicle dependent.;)

The V6 seems to have a decent amount of room on that side so i'm about to buy a cheap ebay kit (w/ GMP water pump) and go to town, but I thought i'd fish for some friendly advice from some of the many honda guys here.

Yes, I did mine back if Feburary. The crank bolt is torqued to 180 lb/ft. I broke a break over and an extension and had to buy a larger torque wrench to put it back together. I would do it again before I would pay a dealership.

It's not too bad, but I found a shop that will do it using oem parts and wp for $400 OTD, former Honda tech.

I did the whole 105,000 mile maintenance schedule. I think I spent about that much on parts from Rock Auto, et. al. Four hundred dollars for parts and labor sounds like a great deal. I have heard of dealership quote of $3000.

^Wow 3 grand? Not really surprising from a dealer$hip. I think I was quoted 400 or 500 labor only from a guy I know.

OZ, you have info on this shop? I already have parts(well I just bought them) so I wonder how much only labor would run me. I really kind of want to tackle the job myself for experience, but if the price was right...

I'll pm you the info when I'm home. If I recall, his package price is labor-heavy, since he buys the parts in bulk. I had also ordered the parts already and ended up sending them back to rockauto, as it only knocked $100 off the guy's price. He I'd great work, in/out same day. Up in the Forest Ln / Jupiter rd area.

As for difficulty, it's one of the easier timing belt jobs out there, much easier than a 4cyl Honda motor, but you will need a special crank pulley holder tool ($15 on amazon) and the clearances to get the timing cover off are pretty maddening. I actually bought a 10mm nut driver, cut it down and welded a t-handle on it to get to the bolts between the strut tower and the cover. Once you have the belt exposed, the job is pretty straightforward. That's why the shop I now use is so reasonable. He told me he'd rather do 10 of the v6 Honda belts than 1or 2 of the 4cyl vetc motors.

I forgot about the crank holder I bought. If you decide to DIY, you can borrow it.

Link

Guess my next van will be a Honda. I can't get to anything on the Mazda MPV. It needed a radiator and that required pulling the whole front bumper and grill. Just looking at changing spark plugs spooks me.

Place is called:
North Dallas Imports
4250 Forest Ln
Garland TX 75042

northdallasimports.com

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Originally Posted by OZMDD

Place is called:
North Dallas Imports
4250 Forest Ln
Garland TX 75042

northdallasimports.com

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Is this a one-man shop or I have ask for a particular guy or secret hand shake? My CRV is going to need that within 12 months.

They have a few guys, but Eddie is the main guy and seems to run the shop side. No secret handshake, just mention that you heard about the deal from another customer (McShane) and saw it on CL. They advertise their prices their at times, but I think its a standard deal.

I've done a couple of Miata timing belts and would do another, if needed.

But I recently paid someone else to do the 105,000 service on my wife's 2003 Odyssey. Timing belt, water pump, new accessory belts, new spark plugs, valve adjustment, plus a trans fluid change and replaced a shot engine mount for less than the dealer quoted me for tb/wp only - something like $1200 total. Quite a bit more than the bargain basement prices quoted above - but I was looking for a fairly large shop with a good reputation near my home and they met my criteria. The Hondew Shop in Richardson.

The Odyssey is the primary kid hauler in our house - I was looking to minimize hassle and vehicle down time more than absolutely minimizing cost - though wasn't willing to pay stealership prices. YMMV.