2011 Honda Pilot - timing belt replacement - PART 4
2011 Honda Pilot - timing belt replacement - PART 4
Secure timing belt tensioner
Remove the 10mm bolt that attaches the power-steering pressure hose bracket to the windshield-side valve cover. You'll have to move the hose out of the way, and secure it with elastic cords, to insert the battery hold-down bolt in the next steps. Also, with the hose relocated, it is easier to see the windshield-side cam and belt marks. Pix:
Lightly coat the threads of one OEM battery hold-down bolt with motor oil, to ease removal (as they can get gunky or have light corrosion on them). The threads should be above the battery hold-down bracket, with a 10mm nut securing it.
Using a 10mm deep socket, remove the nut. Screw the nut into the remaining battery hold-down bolt, a few turns finger tight, to retain it. Remove the oiled-threads battery OEM hold-down bolt. Use a file to make the threaded end be a little chamfered, so it can easily be inserted into the timing belt tensioner.
Once the bolt has been chamfered, screw the modified bolt into the retained nut, to make sure the threads are OK, for screwing the bolt into the tensioner. Then put the nut back onto the remaining OEM battery hold down bolt, again, so you don't lose it.
The "entrance" of where to insert the battery bolt is at the 6 o'clock position, under the the windshield-side cam pulley bolt. I was not able to see the entrance, so had to gently try to get the bolt threads started into the entrance by feel. The entrance has an angle such that the bolt has to be at, roughly, a 10 o'clock angle, going from the upper-left inserting into the lower-right.
The AISIN TKH-002 kit's instructions includes a diagram, that helps visualize how to insert the bolt. The diagram shows that the bolt should be inserted at the same angle as the length of timing belt that is directly above the insertion point. They are the same angle.
NOTE: Once I had the battery bolt "started" I found it easiest to work with my body at the passenger-side headlight, because if I went in from the passenger-side wheel, the rod that holds the hood open, was in the way.
Once you have the battery bolt just inserted and have maybe given the bolt one full turn, (to make sure it's at the correct angle, and not stripping the threads) use a fingertip or Q-Top to put a thin coating of motor oil on the threads above the insertion point, to ease inserting the bolt fully.
After every few turns of the inserted battery bolt, use a drop light and hand mirror to see the progress. STOP once the battery bolt has made contact with the tensioner pivot point FINGER TIGHT ONLY (the block is aluminum, and there are not that many threads. Don't strip the threads! FINGER TIGHT ONLY).
Remove the passenger side engine mount
Support the engine with an engine hoist and/or wood blocks and jack stands against the bottom of the oil pan. There is a "loop" next to where the power steering pump connects to the block, on the windshield side of the power steering pump, to connect the engine hoist to. Pix:
Even when using a hoist, place jackstands under the engine, for safety. I placed mine under where the engine connects to the transmission, with a 2x4", and even had a jack stand, for safety, too. Pix:
The passenger-side engine mount has two pieces. First remove the piece that is connected to the car body. Confirm that the hoist/jackstands are supporting the passenger-side engine. Remove the two 1.5inch long, 14mm bolts at the top of the engine mount. I used a 1/2" breaker bar to loosen them, then 3/8" gear to twist them out. One of the air conditioner metal tubes is in the way, so you have to go in at a slight angle, or use a universal joint. Pix:
(Once I determined the engine was safely being supported by the wood and jackstands under where the engine and transmission are attached, I removed the engine hoist, as it was in the way.)
Then remove the three 17mm bolts that connect the motor mount to the frame. The two bolts closest to the engine are long: 2.5inches, so I had to turn turn turn for a long time to get them out.
The remaining 17mm bolt is under a black plastic electronic box
There is a black plastic triangular container that is in the corner closest to the passenger side wheel. It is connected to the body with three vertical clips. Gently pry the three clip tabs away from the container, and wiggle the container up and off the connector tabs, and relocate it 1cm or 2cm even more into the corner of the engine bay corner, to have more access to the last 17mm engine mount bolt.
Undo three 10mm small bolts that connect the plastic module that is directly above the last 17mm bolt. One 10mm little bolt that attaches to the metal A/C hoses. One 10mm little bolt that attaches to the upper passenger side fender and the top of the black electronic plastic box. One 10mm little bolt that is next to the windshield-side 17mm motor mount bolt. With those three removed, I was able to flex the black plastic box a bit towards the radiator, to access the 17mm motor mount bolt.
I then used a 1/2" drive 17mm socket on a long extension, to loosen that remaining bolt. Then used a "crow's foot" 17mm socket, to fully remove that last bolt. The last 17mm bolt is shorter, about 1" long. (NOTE: And "Oh yes, yet another tool run to buy a metric crow's foot socket set!") Pix:
Remove the ground-wire to motor mount bracket from the motor mount. The bracket is on the radiator-side of the passenger motor mount. Half inch long, 10mm bolt.
Remove the electrical bus support bracket that is on top of the motor mount. Half inch long, 10mm bolt.
Relocate coolant tank, coolant tank bracket, and oil dipstick.
Relocate the coolant overflow tank. It is connected to the metal support bracket with a spring clip. Gently wiggle the tank up off the support bracket, and move it near the radiator center edge of the radiator-side valve cover. The coolant hose between the tank and radiator cap is attached with clips, so removing the hose from the clips to relocate the tank is easy. Then remove the support bracket. 10mm small bolts. Pix:
Remove the oil dipstick (orange handle), and store safely away from the work area. *** The pix shows the dipstick still in place. Make sure to remove it before moving the motor mount out. ***
Remove the now "disconnected half" of the motor mount through the gap created by the relocation of the coolant tank and removal of its support bracket. Do so by gently wiggling and rotating the motor mount clockwise, and at a removal vector of toward the alternator, then up-and-out to get it out of the engine bay.
Plan on purchasing a replacement passenger side motor mount
My Pilot is eleven years old. Has 125k miles on the odometer. The removed motor mount has failed. The elastomer (rubber) has failed. Will be replaced. Pix:
Disconnect the remaining part of the motor mount from the engine block.
The remaining part of the passenger-side motor mount is connected to the block with three 14mm bolts. The top two 14mm bolts are facing the passenger-side motor mount. They are long: about 5" long. The clearance between the top two 14mm bolts and the motor mount is such that my 14mm 6pt 1/2" impact socket was too thick. Had to use a 1/2" 12pt 14mm regular socket and my shortest 18" breaker bar, to loosen them.
The 14mm bolts felt gooey, and resisted being unscrewed. Felt like they had thread-lock compound on them from the factory. Had to use my breaker bar until the bolts were about one quarter turn loosened, before I could use 3/8" gear to get them fully removed.
Also remove the 10mm 1" bolt that attaches an electrical plastic support to the top of the motor mount. Pix of the block-attached piece of the passenger side motor mount:
Now remove the bottom, and last 14mm bolt of the motor mount. The bottom bolt is about 3.5" in length. For me, it was easiest to remove the bottom bolt by accessing it from under the car. Oh, and confirmed: the factory uses threadlock compound, as it is visible on the bottom bolt's threads, in this next pix of the removed block-side motor mount:
...continued on PART 5