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Hi folks.
I have a 2004 Acura MDX Touring 3.5L auto w/Nav and I have about 96,2xx miles on it. I bought it from a dealer almost 3 years ago (I’m the second owner) and it had 71,xxx miles on it. Now on to my question….
Since purchasing it I have since changed front and rear rotors and pads, (3 quarts dw1) tranny fluid, rear differential change (vtm4), transfer assembly change(mobil 1 75w90), oil changes (high mileage synth blend) every 4k miles and I bought 6(oem) NGK plugs to change soon.
According to the maintenance journal I need to get the timing belt changed between now and 105k miles (considering the age, maybe sooner than later), what else would you recommend be changed while in there?
I am planning on replacing the a/c compressor belt, tensioner, cam seal, water pump and timing belt so far. Anything else to change as good prevention measure? Does anything not related to the timing belt job fail or need replaced as a common failure (besides stories of the transmission itself). If it helps, I live in central Ohio and the roads get extra salty around here. The vehicle is garaged at work and home, though.
I plan on keeping my MDX until the transmission falls out or the engine blows up. 😉 I love this vehicle.
And since I’m here…. I’ve been considering adding the towing package to my vehicle. I’m definitely going to add a transmission cooler because I don’t think I have one (but I’ve heard to buy one that bypasses the radiator because the oem cooler has had problems and failed destroying transmissions. What is everyone’s thoughts on the oem power steering cooler? Is it really necessary? As far as a towing load I would most likely never exceed 3000 lbs gross weight (trailer and load).
Thank you all in advance.
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Timing belts should be replaced by either time or mileage, whichever comes first. If they go, they usually take the engine with them.
If you’re planning to tow on more than the completely random occasion, it would be a good idea to add an external cooler. Although I’ve never heard of a Honda cooler failing, I think that’s more of a Nissan thing. Just remember, total capacity includes the contents of the vehicle.
[quote=”DaFirnz” post=158129]Timing belts should be replaced by either time or mileage, whichever comes first. If they go, they usually take the engine with them.
If you’re planning to tow on more than the completely random occasion, it would be a good idea to add an external cooler. Although I’ve never heard of a Honda cooler failing, I think that’s more of a Nissan thing. Just remember, total capacity includes the contents of the vehicle.[/quote]
Thanks for the response.I was talking to an Acura parts guy (at the dealer) and he priced OEM parts for me regarding what I listed above. After he gave me a price for an OEM transmission and power steering cooler he recommended to actually buy an after-market transmission cooler that bypasses the radiator because he said the OEM one could kill the transmission down the road. I believe he was referencing to the radiator itself failing and if it did with the transmission cooler attached, then it could mix fluids and kill the transmission. Anyone ever heard of this before? I was just wondering thoughts about this.
And yes, I wouldn’t regularly tow anything, but grabbing a trailer from now and then to move appliances/my motorcycle, etc.. is generally cheaper than renting a truck or having to ask to borrow someone’s truck. With it being very capable to do light towing, I was exploring the options to do so and what was absolutely required.
Thanks DaFirnz.
[quote=”dcspo” post=158138][quote=”DaFirnz” post=158129]Timing belts should be replaced by either time or mileage, whichever comes first. If they go, they usually take the engine with them.
If you’re planning to tow on more than the completely random occasion, it would be a good idea to add an external cooler. Although I’ve never heard of a Honda cooler failing, I think that’s more of a Nissan thing. Just remember, total capacity includes the contents of the vehicle.[/quote]
Thanks for the response.I was talking to an Acura parts guy (at the dealer) and he priced OEM parts for me regarding what I listed above. After he gave me a price for an OEM transmission and power steering cooler he recommended to actually buy an after-market transmission cooler that bypasses the radiator because he said the OEM one could kill the transmission down the road. I believe he was referencing to the radiator itself failing and if it did with the transmission cooler attached, then it could mix fluids and kill the transmission. Anyone ever heard of this before? I was just wondering thoughts about this.
And yes, I wouldn’t regularly tow anything, but grabbing a trailer from now and then to move appliances/my motorcycle, etc.. is generally cheaper than renting a truck or having to ask to borrow someone’s truck. With it being very capable to do light towing, I was exploring the options to do so and what was absolutely required.
Thanks DaFirnz.[/quote]
Any other thoughts regarding other things to change out for the service?Or whether or not a power steering cooler is necessary when towing with an ’04 MDX?
Thanks all.
If you’re getting the timing belt done you should also get
the crank & cam shaft seals done IF they are starting to leak,
any belts that need to be removed for access to the timing belt & water pump assembly (p/s belt, alternator belt)
as well as valve cover gasket and spark plug tube seals if they are worn/leaking/cracked.[quote=”jonsey1886″ post=158329]If you’re getting the timing belt done you should also get
the crank & cam shaft seals done IF they are starting to leak,
any belts that need to be removed for access to the timing belt & water pump assembly (p/s belt, alternator belt)
as well as valve cover gasket and spark plug tube seals if they are worn/leaking/cracked.[/quote]Thanks Jonsey,
I’ll look into those. Your input is exactly what I was looking for when looking into what else should be or “could” be done, if necessary.
I usually like doing the water pump, and timing belt tensioner while doing the timing belt, those auto tensioners are very often leaking, about 99% of the timing belts I do on those engines need the tensioner. the water pump, because its easy to do while there and you won’t have to go back and do it later if it ends up leaking. Also, I recommend the OE water pumps and they use a rubber ‘o’ ring seal and DO NOT need silicone sealant or RTV, they seal fine on their own.
I do not recommend replacing cam or crank seals unless they are leaking on that engine. I’ve seen their replacement cause more issues than they solve. Use as many OE parts as you can. I actually have a VManual on the timing belt replacement on that engine.
I don’t think the transfer assembly takes 80w90. I think it takes Honda transmission fluid. You might want to recheck that.
Those transmissions were some of the problem transmissions. I would proceed with caution if you’re considering doing any towing with the vehicle. Even with a transmission cooler. The transmission design is flawed and will fail eventually. The feed pipes inside begin to leak and when they do, they don’t provide enough pressure to hold the 3rd gear clutch packs and they eventually burn up.
For the most part they are trouble free though. Just change the plugs every 100K and the fluids every 30-60 and you should be fine.
It’s funny because several years ago I shot a video on the major service and timing belt on that vehicle. Unfortunately I never had the time to complete the edit. If I can, I’ll see if I can revisit that at some point.
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=158669]I do not recommend replacing cam or crank seals unless they are leaking on that engine. I’ve seen their replacement cause more issues than they solve. Use as many OE parts as you can. I actually have a VManual on the timing belt replacement on that engine.
I don’t think the transfer assembly takes 80w90. I think it takes Honda transmission fluid. You might want to recheck that.
Those transmissions were some of the problem transmissions. I would proceed with caution if you’re considering doing any towing with the vehicle. Even with a transmission cooler. The transmission design is flawed and will fail eventually. The feed pipes inside begin to leak and when they do, they don’t provide enough pressure to hold the 3rd gear clutch packs and they eventually burn up.
For the most part they are trouble free though. Just change the plugs every 100K and the fluids every 30-60 and you should be fine.
It’s funny because several years ago I shot a video on the major service and timing belt on that vehicle. Unfortunately I never had the time to complete the edit. If I can, I’ll see if I can revisit that at some point.
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.[/quote]
Thanks for the reply Eric. I will leave well enough alone if it could cause a problem if there isn’t one regarding the cam and crank seals.
I called the local Acura dealer where I bought the vehicle and they said they use 75w90 for the transfer assembly. This was my first time changing it and the fluid that came out “felt tacky” and smelled exactly like the mobil 1 75w90 full synthetic that I put in. Assuming that dealership did a service on the transfer case previously (which I’m not aware of) someone used the same or very similar fluid. It definitely wasn’t the red Acura ATF DW1 fluid that came out. I’ll try to do some more research on that subject to confirm.
With your input, I may reconsider trying to tow anything. I knew about some potential transmission problems with my vehicle before I bought it. It had 72k miles on it at 9 years old (when I bought it). I thought that was pretty good.
Do you think it would be beneficial to add a transmission cooler without towing? Do you think it would extend the life of the transmission any?
Also, if or when it does fail and I wanted to not total out the vehicle, would you recommend a remanufactured transmission or get the burnt up one rebuilt?
I’ll get the timing belt, water pump, tensioner and plugs changed ASAP and I’ll keep up on the fluids.
Thanks everyone, your opinions/advice is greatly appreciated.
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