Hello,

I have a 2001 Honda Accord LX 2.3L L4 SFI OHV with 115,000 miles. It is a five speed manual, vtec I am told.

I just went in to my neighborhood mechanic and had him change the timing belt. In addition to the timing belt he changed the water pump, balance shaft belt, anti-freeze and oil, there is also something on the receipt that looks like SOHL Retainer.

I am not a car guy, but I noticed right away that the car drove differently after the change. The car was louder, the idle seemed higher, and the car seemed sluggish, almost as though the vtec was not "kicking in." I would like to have some more information before I take the car back in. Can anyone help me? Thanks.

 

Your mechanic should check that the timing marks line up properly on the belt. The belt could be off by one tooth.

 

+1 I would say it is likely he has the timing off by 1 tooth

 

Thanks for the advice. I took the car back to the mechanic and told him that it was handling sluggish and that there was a whirring in the engine that wasn't there before. I suggested that maybe the timing belt was off by a tooth. He checked it out and said he couldn't find anything.

That was weeks ago and the car still feels different, it drives slower and there is a lout whirring that was not there before. My family thinks I'm crazy, but they don't drive the car. Should I go to the Honda dealership and have them double check? I'm sure that will cost me an arm and a leg.

Advice?

 

He may not hve put the tension bearing in correctly. TexasHonda wrote about this somewhere. Do a search to find that thread. From what I remember, there is a post for the bearing to pivot that you might not notice to install it properly. Also there is one spot for a bolt on the tensioner to hold it in the loose position. The bolt should be removed to allow the tensioner to work properly. Some people forget to remove that bolt.