No matter how well you maintain your riding lawn tractor, there are times when the timing belt needs to be changed. If the timing belt is worn or breaks, it can cause major problems with the engine. You can change the timing belt yourself with the right tools and by referring to the Honda HT3813 users’ manual for a diagram of the engine and information about the location of various parts.
Honda Lawn Tractor Change the Timing Belt Instructions
Remove the adapter in front of the flywheel by unscrewing the three bolts that hold it in place. Unscrew the flywheel bolt with a 15/16 socket attached to an electric pneumatic drill. Remove the magnito on the left upper side of the flywheel. Carefully take it off with your hand.
Remove the flywheel with a flywheel puller. Place two 2x4s on either side of the flywheel and insert the flywheel puller in the center of the flywheel. Position it as straight as possible and use the 2x4s to hold it in place. Position a screwdriver behind the flywheel and tap it with a hammer to loosen the flywheel. Lift the flywheel off with your hands.
Remove the stater coils that are behind the flywheel by lifting them off. Loosen and remove the three bolts holding the water pump in place. The water pump looks like a wheel that is positioned above where the flywheel was. Remove the additional bolt behind the water pump housing with a flat key. Tap the water pump gently with a hammer to loosen it. Remove the bolts holding the old timing belt in place. Lift off the timing belt with your hands.
Set the timing marks for the two pulleys on the top left and bottom right. Look for a “T” on the camshaft pulley to the top left. Align the T with the triangle. Do the same with the crankshaft pulley on the bottom right. Put the new timing belt on the same way the old one was positioned. The belt goes around three wheels, the camshaft pulley, water pump and crankshaft pulley. Adjust the belt tension to 5mm of deflection. Hold a ruler against the belt; the grooves in the belt should be 5mm apart. Tighten the belt by turning the water pump with your hand until you have the required deflection. Replace all the parts you removed in reverse order.
[via ehow.com]
