Are new Hondas maintenance free?

A chain driving pushrods is fairly short.

If well maintained, most will probably last the life of a car. If
poorly maintained, chains can stretch, jump, or otherwise crap out.
Some of the early Saturns had problems with the oiling pump cover
and how it distributed oil to their timing chains (TSB 97-T-15A).

<http://autorepair.about.com/library/faqs/bl811h.htm>

Chains are often noisier, and GM tried making them less so by using
nylon coated gear teeth. Eventually the nylon would "shed" and plug
up oil filters.

 

Please don't tell the Porsche engineers - they've been racing the flat 6
which first appeared in 1963, when the 911 was first shown, for years.

There are few true givens in racing, e.g., for years there was a saying
"there's no substitute for cubic inches" until Porsche got heavily
involved in racing the 917 with Penske's crew. Their overwhelming
success caused the late Mark Donahue, IIRC, to quip "the only substitute
for cubic inches is cubic money".

 

True, but a chain only needs to be replaced when you rebuild the engine.
A chain that lives in a nice clean oil bath will last much longer than a
timing belt.

Chains break much less frequently than timing belts. They usually give
you some sort of warning in advance, by the noise they make.

Actually it does matter because belts have a shorter life span than a chain.

Not just theory.

 

What manufacturer recommends changing a chain at 60k miles?

 

If you change your oil at proper intervals, a chain will live a long time
with no problem. given a choice, I would take a chain over a belt any
time.

 

Alex,
Which would cause more damage to an engine if it broke while the driver
was driving 60 miles pers hour--a chain or belt?
Jason

 

if both engines are "interference"? theyre both likely screwed regardless.

 

About the same. The main thing to consider is that a chain is less likely
to break.

 

What is all the fuss about.
Why did Honda go for chains on the $ cyl?
Nissan Altima had and continue to have Timing chains.
The 3.5 L V6 is a very good engine and it has a timing chain.
Forget about Nissan.look at these other brands.
Mercedes Benz, BMW, Jag,Rolls, Bentley, Asthon Martin, also all of the top
Italian manufacturers use chains on their vehicles.
Belts are cheaper to manufacture and makes it simpler to work in overhead
cam engines,
Chains have proven themselves over time they are stronger. that is why they
are used on bicycles, motorcycles and CVT trans missions
Chains are used in the transfer cases of most 4 wheel drive systems.as the
most reliable transmission medium.