J35 timing belt question

I'm getting ready to do a timing belt on a 3.5 saturn vue. I was thinking about changing the crank and cam seals while I was in there but everything I read says to leave them if they aren't leaking because they last a long time and aren't prone to leaking. Are they worth changing if they aren't leaking and is it a tough job to keep everything timed while replacing the seals? 

One other question. The car has 145k on it and the spark plugs are original. Is there any reason to believe they will be hard to remove since they have been in the car for so long. The vue is a 2005. 

I wouldn't recommend changing the cam or crank seals if they aren't leaking.   I would do the tensioner pulleys and waterpump with OE parts.  Go ahead and do the plugs - check for oil or debris and clean/vacuum out the plug wells first if necessary for a little extra mechanical sympathy.

Thanks for the response. I was planning to order the aisin atk-002. I think that was the part number. I'm going off memory. 

The crank seals never leak, but the oil pump O ring leaks pretty soon if not already.  That requires removing the oil pan in addition to the timing belt, as you cannot remove the pump without dropping the pan.

At least the motor mount you have to take off does nothing to support the drivetrain, so you aren't trying to support the engine by the oil pan.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

The passenger side motor mount can be removed without supporting the engine? Everything I have read says to support the engine.

What can go wrong if the oil pump gasket is leaking and isn't fixed? I assume loss of oil pressure?

In reply to Blunder :

It does nothing to support the engine.  Engine is held up by the two transmission mounts on either side of the bellhousing.  I do many J30/32/35/37 services and the engine never moves after unbolting that mount.

If you don't replace the O ring, the engine starts to leak oil.  Many people let it go, does not seem to hurt anything.  The oil trickles back behind the oil filter rather than into the timing belt, which is nice.

I've used the Aisin TKH002 kit a few times with good results.  I'd only order one from a major retailer like Rock Auto, Summit Racing, etc.  There have been a lot of issues around counterfeit Honda parts on eBay and 3rd party sellers on Amazon, so I'd stick with a real dealer or someone like RA from a sourcing perspective.  Definitely replace the timing belt tensioner and the water pump while you're in there.  I typically replace the timing belt pulleys and their associated hardware with OEM parts, as well.

I always support my oil pan with a block of wood and a jack, when I remove the side mount, but it's probably not necessary.

The crank bolt can be a pain, I use a Milwaukee 2767-20 1/2" M18 Impact and a high mass 19mm socket to take it off.  To torque things back on (47 ft-lbs + 90 degrees, IIRC), I use a 4' long 3/4" breaker bar with two 10" extensions that I support on a HF 6 ton jack stand, and the crank holder tool.  That gets the breaker bar out of the wheel well so you can really crank on it to get it to the correct spec.

In reply to dj06482 (Forum Supporter) :

I was going to get the timing belt kit through Summit Racing. I believe it comes with the idler pulleys as well as the tensioner and water pump. I ordered a high mass 19mm socket and the crank pulley holding tool. I plan to try and remove the crank bolt with an impact gun but will use a torque wrench and breaker bar to install it. 

The Summit link has a list of what's included: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/asn-tkh-002

I want to say there are some single-use bolts that I always get through the Honda dealer. I buy the tensioner bolts and I think it's the pulley bolts through the dealer. I'll try to check an old order.

In reply to dj06482 (Forum Supporter) :

I actually completed the timing belt replacement yesterday with the Aisin kit from Summit Racing. I did not replace the pulley bolts. This vue has been in the family since new and this is its first replacement belt so the bolts had only been removed this one  time if that makes a difference. Should I be real concerned with not replacing them? I torqued everything to the proper specs and used a small amount of medium loctite.

In reply to Blunder :

My current J35 is on it's 3rd belt, never replaced bolts.  MY2010 with 215k and climbing.

My previous J35 also had 3 belts, never replaced bolts. MY2003 with 255k at trade-in.

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks. That makes me feel better about not changing them. All of your engines had more miles than mine. 

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) : 

Did you ever do a valve adjustment on any of your engines? I've been thinking about checking them on mine since it's never been done but I'm not sure if it's really that important. 

Blunder said:

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) : 

Did you ever do a valve adjustment on any of your engines? I've been thinking about checking them on mine since it's never been done but I'm not sure if it's really that important. 

Funny thing: I don't think I ever adjusted them on the 2003. On the 2010 I had the dealer adjust them when they put rings in it due to the VCM fouling the plugs, around 160k iirc. It definitely ran better but I can't say how much of that might have been new rings on 4 out of 6 cylinders or new plugs on all 6. Either way, that one's at about 215k now and still running great.

The valves typically need adjustment due to hanging open, usually starts around 200k miles and up.  The symptoms are a weird misfire at idle that changes with engine temperature.