Late '90's CRV owners! When should the Timing Belts be replaced?

[michael.e]

I am looking at a CRV for my daughter, it has 141 on the ticker.

I am researching the cars, but what should I be ready for at this age/mileage?

Thanks!

[sausagefingers]

We had a '99, just sold it a few months ago. Never a problem, great car.

Changed the belt at ~80K. Honda hounds owners about it from the start.

[groovetube]

changing the timing belt is not expensive at all. If the owner cannot tell you when the last time it was changed was, change it. A hundred bucks or maybe two hundred bucks in a shop is WELL WORTH it rather than deal with the consequences of having it break. If it breaks, well, you can be looking at thousands of dollars, if not even needing a new engine.
the timing belt itself is cheap (maybe $75 bucks or so), it might take 1-3 hours of shop time to change it. I cannot get any more specific because I am not a CRV owner and don't have that car's repair info handy.
They seem like good cars, and it should last awhile, as Honda's have a good rep for reliability. My main ride currently is a 2001 Subaru Forester. It is reliable and parts are cheaper than Honda parts. It has AWD, roof racks, and generally kicks ass. You may wanna check those out. They are a lot less expensive to buy (at least in New England) than Toyotas or Hondas.........................I picked my 2001 up with 98,000 miles for $5000, in good condition, new tires, new clutch, no problems whatsoever. A similarly equipped Honda CRV would probably be $2500 more, which I think is a lotta dough.

long answer to a short question, I know. Good luck with whatever you get though!

[bigdaddy]

The timing belt was due @ 90k.

[HerrRentz]

Change it. If that's a no-clearance engine you'll be looking for a new one if it lets go.

Nasty things happen to pistons and valves when there's no physical room for both in the same space.

[sundaypunch]

I'm on my second late 90's CR-V. The factory recommends replacing the belt at 105,000 miles. They will run forever if you keep up with routine maintenance.

[dets1]

Originally Posted by bigdaddy

The timing belt was due @ 90k.

yep. i've got a '97 accord i changed out at 80k. this past saturday we bought a new crv. the salesman suggested every 80k, or 6 years.

[Chuck Snider]

If you can find a used 2002 -up CRV with the i-VTEC engine you don't have to worry about a timing belt. they have a timing chain.
Otherwise 80K on the belt to be safe......