2011 Honda Pilot - timing belt replacement - PART 5
2011 Honda Pilot - timing belt replacement - PART 5
At this point, all of the stuff that "is in the way" for accessing the actual timing belt, and associated moving parts, should now be removed.
Remove the guide pulley
The guide pulley to remove is the one that is between the crankshaft and the radiator-side camshaft gear. It is 14mm. I used a 14mm 6pt 1/2" impact socket and breaker bar. Found it easiest to access by laying on my back, under the car, and wrenching from below. It felt gooey during removal, so assume there is threadlock applied from the factory. Pix:
After using the breaker bar for about one full rotation of the 14mm bolt, switched to my 1/2"ratchet wrench. After a few full rotations of the bolt, the tension on the belt dropped. Now it is visible that the bolt has a cone-shape wedge. Pix:
Here is a small pix of the removed pulley and wedge-shaped bolt:
Remove the timing belt
Remove and retain the timing belt. For me, I just wiggled/slid the belt away from the crankshaft pulley from below, then full removal from below was easy.
Here is a comparison of the old belt and a new belt. The old belt is on the left. To me, the old one looks to be in good shape, but since they can apparently "just snap" one day, replace we must. Pix:
Remove battery bolt from timing belt tensioner
Unscrew the battery bolt from the timing belt tensioner.
Remove timing belt tensioner
The tensioner is connected to the block with two 1.5" 10mm bolts. Used my 6pt 10mm 3/8" socket and 3/8" breaker bar to remove from below.
Remove timing belt tensioner guide pulley pivot assembly
It is attached to the engine at the pivot, with a 14mm bolt. Used my 6pt 14mm 1/2" impact socket and breaker bar, accessing it from underneath the car.
Here is a pix of the removed tensioner and tensioner pulley assembly:
Prepare engine and work area for removing the water pump
Some of the videos and piloteers website comments indicate that getting the crank sensor wet can cause it to fail, and then means yet another thing to replace.
So, prepare the engine block below the water pump so that when the coolant drains, it does not get the crank or crank position sensor wet.
I used duct tape and plastic, to make a barrier below the water pump, that hopefully will prevent the crank or sensor from getting wet from coolant. Pix of the temporary tape/plastic barrier:
Also put a wide diameter drip pan under the part of the engine where the coolant will most likely spill, when the water pump is removed.
Remove water pump
The water pump is connected to the engine by five 10mm bolts. The five bolts are all the same length, about 1" long. Three are on the windshield side. Two of the bolts are on the radiator side. Loosen all five bolts the same amount, perhaps 1/4 turn, over and over, until all five bolts are loose, perhaps loosened about 1mm or 2mm or so.
Then start to gently wiggle/pry the water pump away from the rest of the engine. The goal is a slow controlled draining of coolant. Hopefully the plastic and drip pan will divert the escaping coolant into the pan, and thereby minimizing mess or risk the crank position sensor did not stay dry.
For me, on the underside of the water pump, on the underside edge closest to the windshield, there is a coin-sized gap, maybe 2cm long by 1mm wide. Only break loose the water pump from that location, as the rest of the water pump has an O-ring seal right next to the outside edge(s) of the pump!
I chose that spot to insert a regular flat blade screwdriver, and gently pry the bottom of the water pump on that side, away from the rest of the engine the 1mm or 2mm that the loosened bolts would allow.
Since all the 10mm bolts are still inserted, with about 2mm of gap, I got what I wanted: a slow controlled release of coolant, at a rate of someone urinating. Adjusted the drip pan to catch the flow. I figure it will take 15min to 30min to drain. (Fine by me, if it keeps the crank position sensor dry!)
NOTE: the water pump has two metal locator pins, one at the top, another at the bottom, so only pull/pry the water pump away from the engine in the direction of the passenger tire. Make sure the pins did not stay in the engine block.
Once all the coolant has finished draining, then the drip pan can be moved out of the way, and the water pump can be fully removed.
NOTE: do not use any screwdriver or such to pry the water pump off the engine. Just grab the rotating plastic/rubber timing belt pulley of the water pump, and gently wiggle it off. Pix of the removed water pump:
...Give yourself kudos, as at this point all the old stuff has been removed!
The next procedure PARTs will be reassembly.
...Continued in PART 6.