What's up Fitters


One of my female friends owns a '09 Fit with 66,000 miles on it- which has to be some sort of record for a '09 model year Fit- and she wanted to replace the timing chain. I thought that this was a bit overly zealous on her part but I suppose you have to admire a woman who believes so firmly in preventative maintenance. Kind of hot, really

But I digress- here is the procedure for replacing the timing chain on a second-gen Fit:


1) Remove the cylinder head cover:


*diagram courtesy of hondapartsnow.com; all rights reserved


2) Set the No. 1 piston at Top Dead Center (TDC). The ‘‘UP’’ mark on the camshaft sprocket should be at the top, and the TDC grooves on the camshaft sprocket should line up with the top edge of the head.


**Set the No. 1 piston at Top Dead Center (TDC). The ‘‘UP’’ mark (A) on the camshaft sprocket should be at the top, and the TDC grooves (B) on the camshaft sprocket should line up with the top edge of the head**


3) Remove the right front wheel.

4) Remove the splash shield.

5) Loosen the water pump pulley mounting bolts.

6) Remove the drive belt.

7) Remove the water pump pulley.

8) Remove the crankshaft pulley.

9) Remove the drive belt auto-tensioner.

10) Support the engine with a jack and a wood block under the oil pan.

11) Remove the ground cable, then remove the side engine mount/bracket assembly.


**Remove the ground cable (A), then remove the side engine mount/bracket assembly (B)**


12) Remove the cam chain case.


**Shown here: Remove the cam chain case**


13) Measure the cam chain separation. If the distance is less than the service limit of 0.59 inches (15 mm), replace the cam chain and cam chain tensioner.


**Shown here: Measure the cam chain separation**


14) Apply new engine oil to the sliding surface of the cam chain tensioner slider.


**Apply new engine oil to the sliding surface of the cam chain tensioner slider (A); remove the bolt (B), and loosen the bolt (C)**


15) Hold the cam chain tensioner slider with the screwdriver, then remove the bolt, and loosen the bolt.

16) Remove the cam chain tensioner slider.

17) Remove the cam chain tensioner and the cam chain guide.


**Remove the cam chain tensioner (A) and the cam chain guide (B)**


18) Remove the cam chain.


-Installation-


1) Set the crankshaft to top dead center (TDC). Align the TDC mark on the crankshaft sprocket with the pointer on the oil pump.


**Shown here: Align the TDC mark (A) on the crankshaft sprocket with the pointer (B) on the oil pump**


2) Remove the crankshaft sprocket.

3) Set the camshaft to TDC. The ‘‘UP’’ mark on the camshaft sprocket should be at the top, and the TDC grooves on the camshaft sprocket should line up with the top edge of the head.


**Shown here: The ‘‘UP’’ mark (A) on the camshaft sprocket should be at the top, and the TDC grooves (B) on the camshaft sprocket should line up with the top edge of the head**


4) Install the cam chain on the crankshaft sprocket with the colored piece aligned with the TDC mark on the crankshaft sprocket, then install the crankshaft sprocket to the crankshaft.


**Install the cam chain on the crankshaft sprocket with the colored piece (A) aligned with the TDC mark (B) on the crankshaft sprocket, then install the crankshaft sprocket to the crankshaft**


5) Install the cam chain on the camshaft sprocket with the pointers aligned with the three colored pieces as shown.


**Install the cam chain on the camshaft sprocket with the pointers (A) aligned with the three colored pieces (B)**


6) Install the cam chain tensioner and the cam chain guide.

7) Install the cam chain tensioner slider, and loosely tighten the bolt.

8) Apply new engine oil to the sliding surface of the cam chain tensioner slider.

9) Rotate the cam chain tensioner slider clockwise to compress the cam chain tensioner, and install the remaining bolt, then tighten the bolts.

10) Check the chain case oil seal for damage. If the oil seal is damaged, replace the chain case oil seal.

11) Remove the all of the old liquid gasket from the chain case mating surfaces, the bolts, and the bolt holes.

12) Clean and dry the chain case mating surfaces.

13) Apply liquid gasket (P/N 08717-0004, 08718-0003, or 08718-0009) to the cylinder head and the engine block mating surfaces of the cam chain case and to the inside edge of the bolt holes. Install the component within 5 minutes of applying the liquid gasket.


**Apply liquid gasket to the cylinder head and the engine block mating surfaces of the cam chain case and to the inside edge of the bolt holes**


14) Apply liquid gasket (P/N 08717-0004, 08718-0003, or 08718-0009) to the oil pan mating surface of the cam chain case and to the inside edge of the bolt holes. Install the component within 5 minutes of applying the liquid gasket.

15) Set the edge of the chain case to the edge of the oil pan, then install the chain case on the engine block.


**Shown here: Set the edge of the chain case (A) to the edge of the oil pan (B), then install the chain case on the engine block (C)**


Note: When installing the chain case, do not slide the bottom surface onto the oil pan mounting surface. Wait at least 30 minutes before filling the engine with oil. Do not run the engine for at least 3 hours after installing the chain case.

16) Tighten the chain case mounting bolts. Wipe off the excess liquid gasket on the oil pan and the chain case mating area.

17) Install the side engine mount/bracket assembly, then tighten the new side engine mount/bracket assembly mounting bolts.

18) Loosely tighten the new side engine mount/bracket assembly mounting nuts.

19) Install the ground cable.

20) Remove the air cleaner housing assembly.

21) Loosen the transaxle mount bracket mounting bolts and nuts.

22) Raise the vehicle on the lift to full height.

23) Loosen the torque rod mounting bolt and nut.

24) Lower the vehicle on the lift.

25) Tighten the side engine mount/bracket assembly mounting nuts.

26) Tighten the transaxle mount mounting bolts and nuts.

27) Raise the vehicle on the lift to full height.

28) Tighten the torque rod mounting bolt and nut.

29) Lower the vehicle on the lift.

30) Install the air cleaner housing assembly.

31) Install the cylinder head cover.

32) Install the drive belt auto-tensioner.

33) Install the crankshaft pulley.

34) Install the water pump pulley.

35) Install the drive belt.

36) Tighten the water pump pulley mounting bolts.

37) Install the splash shield.

38) Install the right front wheel.

39) Do the Crankshaft Position (CKP) pattern clear/CKP pattern learn procedure.

40) Finally, you're done!

 

Thank you for the detailed information, but never mind "preventative maintenance"... this doesn't even qualify as maintenance! I likewise admire your friend's verve, but this procedure is unnecessary. The chain is designed to last the life of the car - "high miles" or otherwise. Please stop her before she wastes her time and money!

 

^^^ Agreed. That's the whole reason why Honda went to a chain vs. belt.

 

I have replaced only one cam chain on a Honda product and it was a racing motorcycle that had been raced with bad valve guide seals and had run almost dry on oil... I agree that it isn't necessary and costly as well... Even cam belts are good for more miles than what she has on her car.. Come to think of it I had more miles than that on an 82 Accord before the alternator belt wore out... Maybe got it wrong and means that she wants you to replace the serpentine belt which is more likely to being close to time for replacing.

 

even more weird than the last post.

 

Timing chain at 66,000 miles? Am I the only one thinking WTF?

 

Even timing chains on big V8 engines with no tension adjustment shoe and flat tappets are good for well over 150,000 miles when well maintained with high quality oil. Honda hasn't built a vehicle with an in block cam since the early 80s Silverwing V-twins and have built more over head cam engines than any other manufacturer.. Cam chain wear is seldom heard of on any of their products....Weird???

 

Very old thread but I believe my question is on topic and relevant now that these cars are getting older. Is it possible to just replace the tensioner without opening up the front of the engine and taking the belts off? Is there any access through the wheel well?

My car has started to make a rattle while slightly varying the throttle to maintain a constant rpm/speed. Its a 2007 Fit manual trans.

 

How many miles? I'd be more inclined to think that the valves need adjusted versus replacing the cam chain. I can't remember hearing about cam chains wearing out.

 

 

Maybe the dealer didn't do such a good job but did the valve adj fix the cold start stalling? Noisy valves (gap too large) might not be as efficient as properly adjusted but very quiet valves (gap too small) is worse.

If the new noise just started after valve adj then I would say it was the valve adj that caused it versus thinking it was a different component (cam chain) that needs replaced. I think adj valves is an art form. Even if you're dead on TDC there is a "feel" to the resistance you get in the feeler gauge. I do motorcycles more than cars. Sometimes I have to do it twice.

 

 

What did the dealer charge for the valve adjustment (shop hours / $)?

 

 

it took them 1 hour to do valve adjustment? considering the engine has to be cold and needs to be left over night, doesn't sound like they did it properly. It took me 3 hours to do mine and I am a novice at valve adjustments.

 

Maybe a loose heat shield?

Highly unlikely that it's timing chain related. Generally speaking, the only time that you can hear a faulty timing chain tension or chain itself is on a cold start. You'll get a rattle until the tensioner tightens the chain and then sound is gone.

My other thought is a loose spark plug. These motors have a very high rate of spark plug failures at around your mileage. Ours loosens overtime and starts to make a knocking/rattle sound. I then have to tighten the plug.

I'd start by checking heat shields and spark plugs.

As for changing the chain without going in DEEP, nope. It's a fairly time consuming job. Have to pull the balancer, valve cover, front cover, etc. Not something you want to do unless you are positive it will solve the issue.

Edited to add...note that the OP of this thread fled the scene. I don't believe there's been a reported case of needing a new timing chain at ANY mileage. Anything is possible, but it's very unlikely.

 

I would say that the process took more than an hour. In our area they charge +/- $100 / hr,

Any changes in the new noise? Is gas mileage same / better / worse?