Saw a 2004 Honda Odyssey with the timing belt still original at 180k miles

Stopped by my buddy's garage in Cleveland last Saturday and he had a gold Odyssey on the lift. The owner had been driving it for 15 years and never changed the timing belt. My buddy showed me the service records and sure enough, original belt from the factory. Honda put a 105k mile interval on those belts but they still snap around 120k if you're lucky. Has anyone else run into owners who just ignore major maintenance like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese_garcia1d ago

180k on a factory timing belt is wild but honestly Ive seen worse. I had a tenant once drive a 2002 Camry for 220k miles on the original timing chain which is different I know but still. Those J35 engines in the Odyssey are actually pretty tough and the belt snapping isnt as common as people think if the car has been driven regularly and not parked in extreme temps. My buddy had a 2005 Odyssey with 195k on the original belt and it finally snapped in his driveway idling. No damage at all because he wasnt revving it. So yeah its risky but some people get lucky.

sandra91623h ago

Wait isn't a timing chain on a Camry a completely different thing than a belt though... I mean chains are supposed to last the life of the engine usually, belts are rubber and dry out way faster. Your buddy's Odyssey snapping at idle with no damage is pretty lucky though, those J35s are interference engines so if it snapped at higher RPMs it would've trashed the valves for sure. I've seen people push Odyssey belts to 150k and think they're fine but 180k is just asking for trouble even if some get away with it.