RedGemini

I have no clue what brand Honda uses for OEM, but several owners with over 200k miles on the 3.5L V6 (first gen Saturn Vue '04-'07 V6 and tranny were Honda units) used the Gates kit for the 100k belt change with good results overall, same for the Subaru owners.

05RX330AWD

Received the Gates Timing Belt Water Pump Kit today, for the record no way am I promoting this kit, just interested in hearing some Feedback....
I never owned a vehicle with a Timing Belt therefore this is relatively new to me.
The Timing Belt is obviously Gates, Made in USA, Seems extremely well built, doubt there will be any issues there.
The Auto Tensioner is a NTN Indicated Made in Japan on the Box, No info on the part itself.
All the other parts are Branded Gates on the parts themselves, Made in China on the bags but not on the parts.
I posted some photos, the photo of the Gasket has a strange used look to it due to reflections through the plastic.
I also read consumer complaints about some Water Pumps not having a Weep Hole, just wondering if where I placed an Arrow in the Water Pump photo is actually the Weep Hole.
Appreciate all the help towards my learning curve.

Lexuswiz

iTrader: (1)

Interesting to hear, I knew Gates made a lot of things but not timing belts.

The kit is not bad, I'm considering it now.

You'll notice belt engines tend to be quieter and more reliable IMO because you always have to maintain them. When I had a BMW with the M62 engines, timing chains were its achilles heel.

Also, not to sure on the weep hole. Personally I don't care too much about it because that was part of the reason the WP failed on my camry due to bad design of the pump and hole.

05RX330AWD

Price certainly was a factor, since Gates have gone far enough to brand this kit, I doubt they would want to jeopardize their reputation with mediocre products. The kit will be installed on Friday, looking forward to what my mechanic says when he is introduced to the kit.
Of course only time will tell to determine the reliability of the kit, Weep Hole or not. Agreed, no comparison to the 05 Equinox I was driving previously to the Lexus, the RX330 is much quieter, smoother & reliable since I have only a few minor issues to take care of as a new owner.
I can't believe the Cassette Deck actually works perfectly (as the CD Player), perhaps time to go old school & look for some vintage cassettes.

05RX330AWD

Changed the Timing Belt, Water Pumps & other related parts to find the the parts changed were the original parts, about 11 years old with 137,000 miles on them. The original Timing Belt did not look pretty with glazing & it was cracked everywhere, I was extremely fortunate it did not break on me as I purchased the RX330 only about a month ago. The fact the millage was past the recommended millage is one thing, although the fact the Timing Belt was 11 years old showed how it can deteriorate with time also, as the rubber decomposed heavily. Therefore rule of thumb, whichever comes first, No more than 5 years or 90,000 miles the Timing Belt should be changed. The change went smoothly only a couple of bolts needed some convincing to loosen.

Lexuswiz

iTrader: (1)

Good to hear, did you do it yourself or take it into a shop? I'm starting to gather info on doing it when the weather warms up even more then it is now.

05RX330AWD

Your millage is certainly low although I would be concerned if that is the original 11 year old Timing Belt, my original belt looked as if it went on a serious diet, thinner than the new one besides all the cracks.
I do not think I would want to tackle that kind of project, especially on snow & ice.
The $260.00 US for the install including the parts was money well spent for peace of mind.

Lexuswiz

iTrader: (1)

That's a steal. I'm with you, I believe age is eating mine faster then miles, I really don't put too much a year on it. But I'm willing to try it, can't be too hard, I've seen guides for Toyota's all over and a 3MZ-FE is a 3MZ-FE lol

05RX330AWD

The only issue is if the long Bolts which screw into a larger Aluminum Bracket may be seized, my mechanic had to heat them up to get them out. He has lots of experience, still took about 31/2 hours.
Definitely a interesting project to tackle on if you have the space, tools & time.
Who knows, your Timing Belt may be in much better shape than mine was, most likely weather conditions has something to do with it, plus, I had double your millage on the Timing Belt.
Still better safe than sorry.

Lexuswiz

iTrader: (1)

Belt finally changed and all parts associated. Took a while to find OEM parts without the dealer but deed is one and done.

Old belt was in bad shape but nothing ridiculous in my opinion, a number of cracks and just worn rubber:







How does yours compare 05RX330AWD?

05RX330AWD

Well for one your old belt appears as new compared to mine was, the crack you demonstrated was all over the place from edge to edge on mine with much more glazing compared to yours although my auto tensioner looked better than yours, mine still looked as new....
but looks can be deceiving.
Great to hear your mission is accomplished with piece of mind to follow for the next 90,000 miles.

RedGemini

What's the big gasket looking thing in the last picture?

Lexuswiz

iTrader: (1)

Valve Cover gasket, since I did the cam seals, the covers came off with it.

05RX330AWD

Bringing back a dinosaur Laptop PC to life & installing XP 32 Bit to accommodate Techstream although unsure which Techstream adapter/program is best.

Lexuswiz

iTrader: (1)

From my research most of the OBD2 to USB cables are the same unless you get a brand name one, so those you see in the $30-50 range are pretty much the same. Also, with Techstream you want the latest, I think the current is 10 which is what I have, works great on all my Toyotas.

That laptop you see in my pic is ridiculously helpful, most car softwares run on it for some reason (maybe ECU are more trivial then we think), I also work with BMW software and played around with Honda/Acura and Jaguar/Range Rover software. Cool stuff.