That AISIN timing belt kit is amazing and it’s exactly what I have in my car. I run a 6MT 2005 you can definitely trust the AISIN timing belt kit as it is exactly what HONDA uses.
The timing belt is mandatory if you want to keep driving with any confidence. Do the tensioner and water pump too. Transmission fluid, yes. The old Honda ATs are very fussy about old or dirty ATF. A new acc belt while you're in there is a no brainer and the fluids of the rear differential and transfer case are important. Do those and the transmission on a 30K mile schedule.
The valves are supposed to be checked for clearance at 105K miles. If there's no noise you could probably hold off for a while but I wouldn't go beyond 150K. Use OEM quality only for the timing belt parts and spark plugs. Specifiy or supply the Aisin TKH002 timing belt kit and use either Denso or NKG Laser-Iridium plugs. Definitely disable the VCM. It's maybe the best $150 you can spend on a Gen 2 Pilot. Also inspect for the spool valve leak. It can leak oil on older Pilots which drips directly on the alternator shortening its life.
I found a reputable mom and pop shop outside of the OKC, OK metro area who replaced my timing belt for $850. He used a complete Aisin kit, and I had it back in 24 hours!
2012 EX-L with 160k miles. I bought it 3000 miles ago and it had never been replaced. It was very loud at start up. The mechanic said out of the 100 timing belts he’s replaced, my tensioner was one of the loosest. It was barely holding tension. I probably got it replaced just in time.
The aisin kit... worked amazing on my 04 tundra.
I purchased this kit a few days ago for an '01, and have trusted Aisin in my 4Runner without any issues so far (~40k miles).
I used the Aisin kit. Very good quality made in Japan Gates is good too I wouldn't go with anything besides those
I’m literally taking a break from installing the aisin kit in my 2001 right now. Just got everything off and started on installing the new water pump. Kit seems complete and good quality.
The Aisin TKH002 kit is the one, as mentioned by u/EngineeringisPain. It is OEM quality. The tensioner and belt other than OEM Honda or Aisin are potentially subpar.
I just ordered the Aisin kit from RockAuto for my '05 Sequoia. The only thing I didn't like is that it cokes with a Mitsubishi timing belt.
I've bought parts for cars that claimed to be made in Japan only to find made in China stamps on some of the parts included, like gates timing belt kits most of the parts were from Japan except one of the pulleys they switched to China source so I know to not use the Chinese pulley in that kit
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If choosing timing belt kit across many manufacturers, check parts rankings. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare timing belt kit across these categories:
In March 2026 on PartReview, timing belt kit AISIN were overall better than Gates.
In March 2026 on PartReview, timing belt kit AISIN were overall more popular than Gates.
By vote balance, timing belt kit AISIN surpassed Gates:
By number of reviews, timing belt kit AISIN surpassed Gates:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, timing belt kit AISIN led more car-specific ratings than Gates:
AISIN are chosen by owners of cars such as: Subaru Outback, and others.
Timing belt kit Gates have not yet taken leading positions in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding a review and specifying your car.
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