They are very durable.. I have 160k on my 2002, and have had zero engine problems.. original timing chain and original water pump.. I've changed the timing chain tensioner though.

 

When you go full retard and let the engine run low on oil for an extended period of time.

 

K series are very durable, Honda/Acura are pretty forgiving engines. I have 120k on my RSX with original timing chain and water pump but I've heard of people replacing them around 150k for personal preference

 

I have a 2003 Type S, picked it up fall 2013 with about 210k miles on it. I replaced the radiator as it was cracked a few weeks after obtaining the car. I have since replaced the front struts, rear brakes and put new 18" wheels on it with a new alignment etc. It ran great; it was fantastic up till about 213k this fall. At which point, I was shorted oil by a cheap shop, unfortunately; combine this with the original tensioner and boom. I threw code P0341 and after a tiresome effort resolved my timing chain needed replacing. Hardly drove it at all for a month while diagnosing it; then took it to a reputable shop as I don't have the skills, tools, knowhow etc to perform this kind of repair and feel good about it.

I had the chain, tensioner, guides, and serpentine belt all replaced at once. They also checked valve lash and water pump; corrected the lash and found the water pump to be fully operational.

All in all, I've definitely put over 2k work/parts into the car, but I don't have a car payment? So, that is where I'm at. The K20 has been a beastly motor for me thus far, knock on wood. I drive it fairly hard, sometimes vtec-ing and pushing 100+ mph with ease; however, there has been noticeable improvements in performance since the timing was done. It almost feels as though the chain is being broken in; it honestly feels like a car fresh off the truck on a car lot. Just keep up on all the fluids and inspect the moving parts every other fill up. You'll be good for quite aways buddy.

The carfax is all good with regular maintenance and pretty much all high way miles by the history of the vehicle. I will be performing a compression test and if results come back decently high and even across the board, I'm going to put the Megan exhaust setup on and the injen cai with Hondata flash coming in the fall hopefully, maybe christmas present to myself. All this aaafter I do a tranny/coolant flush.

Other than that, the interior exterior have 200k on them, but...that is all i've ever driven in my life so. This is by far the cleanest vehicle i've owned; I love it. I'd go against all my financial training and lease an RSX if Acura ever re-released them lol. Been in love with this car since I had the xmod radio control model of the rsx haha.

 

06 type s here, 135k with a couple bolt ons and KTuner. I beat my car to death every single day with an 8800 rev limit, I maintain the oil tediously tho. Stock chain, tensioner every thing, my car has never had a cover off of it.

 

I have 128K on 05 type S, drive it hard every day and race for a few hrs twice a week. Never pulled my valvecover.

 

180k on mine here, I still VTEC occasionally (bro do u even VTEC?) and it's fine. Also, I've driven this thing from Seattle to Florida and back, Seattle to Vegas, Seattle to LA, etc. These are all trips where I literally drive 12 hours a day at 3500RPM constantly, and I've never had any trouble.

I've also worried about the timing chain but never had it replaced, no need to yet as far as I can tell.

 

Bottom line is, at 180k you should just replace it and all the surrounding parts if it is feasible.

The chains do stretch ever so slightly depending on driving style, oil pressure, etc. It will eventually go if you have low oil because of the weak tensioner.

Better to replace it before you did what I did. Could've easily resulted in valve damage.

The peace of mind having a new chain in there is priceless. Knowing my motor can go another 100+k with ease. :vtec:

 

Bought my 02 type s about a year ago and it has 215,000 miles. Not sure if i should put a timing chain + tensioner or just wait for the engine to crap out and swap in a K20a. It had a new clutch put in right before i bought it and its amazing how smoothly the tranny still shifts (an older guy in his 60s owned the car before me and took great care of it)

 

Eh, The tensioner is notorious for failing. Mine went literally at about the mileage you're at. Jus sayin...

 

When it breaks

 

Lol , when it breaks.....
Better have $$$$ and find u self a used long block.

 

Toda makes a stronger tensioner.

 

I had mine replaced oem and kept the same block. If you throw code P0341 stop driving. Even if everything seems normal. It's 90% your tensioner. I just performed a compression test and there's a 5.5 lb/in standard deviation in all the cylinders. The car runs perfectly. New chain, tensioner, guides, etc. Ordering bolt ons this week!

 

Don't wait until it skips a tooth check to see if there is any slack. they will stretch out over time forget how much play is ok but you don't want slack I know that. Oh, go oem tensioner if you do a lot of failure with other brands.

 

This.

He is right. I didn't know and mine went and I was lucky enough to not damage my motor, but even after replacement the car is fantastic, oem tensioner btw. CAI and full exhaust going in this week haha. its a wonderful vehicle.

 

I changed my chain and tensioner out last week as well as all the guides. 163k. Chain was original and exactly the same size as my new one, no evidence of stretch. The guides were all in excellent shape as well. The tensioner, not so much. Glad I did it all, but now that it's finished, I probably could have changed the tensioner and called it a day. Peace of mind though...

 

Bought this one a while ago...gonna slap it in once I get back home

http://www.ipgparts.com/store/Inline-Pro-K20-K24-Timing-Chain-Tensioner.html

 

234k mi on my 05

 

Yo, did you have to pull the engine out in order to change the chain? I am looking to replacing my guides and chain. Thanks