Civic timing belt

[Ausfahrt]

Our '02 civic will be due for it's second timing belt change sometime this spring. I elected to roll the dice by not having the water pump replaced the first time around but plan to change it out this time.

So I am thinking about doing it myself, I've never done one before but I am reasonably competent with a wrench and would like to know if there are any "gotcha" areas to look out for. I have a service manual and the process doesn't look too bad other than removing a ton of "stuff" in order to get to the belt itself.

All thoughts, comments, recommendations, and suggestions of serious or sarcastic nature are welcome and encouraged.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Check to see if EricTheCarGuy has a video for your engine on YouTube. I paid the $15 and downloaded his video on the J-series timing belt and I set into the job after watching it all the way through a few times.

The true difficulty was but a fraction of what it's commonly made out to be. There is no magic here: it's a rubber belt that rides on toothed wheels. The timing marks are clear and you'd really have to try to mess it up to get it wrong. I was very surprised at how easy the job was once I got into it, and that's on a V-6 and I changed everything (pump, tensioner, pulleys, etc). I'd think a Civic would be pretty easy to do.

If you lived closer, I'd offer to help!

 

[Drew99GT]

There are plenty of videos and resources online.

Civing Timing Belt Videos

It's honestly a really easy job except for a few fasteners that you'll end up fighting like the crank bolt.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Check to see if EricTheCarGuy has a video for your engine on YouTube. I


I just checked and he doesn't unfortunately. He has one for the F-series though which I'd imagine is similar.

 

[Drew99GT]

David Rock of DavesFarm fame has an in depth vid on Youtube. It has foul language so I won't post the link though...

 

[Ausfahrt]

Thanks Jason, I appreciate the tips and I will definitly look into Eric's youtube videos.

 

[cptbarkey]

1. give yourself a good full weekend to do it.

2. if its your first timing belt job, it will probably take alot longer than usual.

3. make sure the water pump surfaces are clean, use a razor blade to scrape off old gasket materials, then final clean it with brake cleaner and rub off the residual.

4. triple or quadruple check your timing marks before buttoning everything back up.

5. do not tighten things "snug" and think that is good enough. be sure to properly torque bolts to their specifications.

6. enjoy the labor savings, your parts costs are probably $200. your labor would have been $400+

 

[surfstar]

I'll be doing the Tbelt on my Civic this coming spring also.

I did one on my previous Mazda 4cyl DOHC - and that swore me off doing any more, but I think the SOHC will be much easier and worth the DIY along with water pump, tensioners, etc. Parts are cheap too.

My biggest decision will be OEM or not...

 

[EricG]

A crankshaft pulley holder specific for that car will make the job of loosening and torqueing the balancer bolt much easier, if you don't have a really good impact wrench.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: EricG
A crankshaft pulley holder specific for that car will make the job of loosening and torqueing the balancer bolt much easier, if you don't have a really good impact wrench.



Yep. Honda sells the tool. A definite must-have.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I rented the tool for free from O'Reilly, for the crankshaft bolt. Eric correctly states in the J-series video to do this first...tackle the crankshaft bolt first. He said that that bolt is the most difficult part of the whole job, and that if you can't get that off, the job can't be done, so you might as well stop right there.

I highly recommend OEM parts, especially after seeing the condition of the factory parts that came off our Acura. They could likely have gone twice as long as they did. Everything looked like it was new still. Bearings spun straight...not super tight anymore, but with zero wobble. The water pump looked pristine with no signs of external leakage, and the belt itself looked like it just came out of the bag, except for the worn-off lettering. The only part that probably DID need to be replaced was the tensioner...it looked just a hair "wet". But other than that, the OEM parts are very high quality.

Including six new OEM iridium spark plugs, I think I spent $400 on parts from Currie Acura online.

 

[Lead Shoes]

Gates makes the OEM Honda T-belt, I've used 3 gates belts/tensioners on the Honda's I've done, all of them still run 20-60k later. If it makes you feel better to spend 4x as much at the dealership for it go ahead. Everyone also raves to use only the OEM water pump, I just used a premium brand off rock auto every time and all is still well.

The job is much easier then you would think, just allot the right window of time, make sure you have the right tools and just relax and take it at a learning pace.

 

[JC1]

I changed the timing belt on my 97 civic took me two days to do the job. This was the first timing belt job I ever did.

As Stated the biggest issue is the crankshaft bolt removal. The other pain in the next are removing the little bolts around the timing belt cover. I needed to get a gear wrench set to get into the area. Some areas are so tight to access, the bolts will be dropped etc.

You will need an air compressor able to power an air gun with at least 500 ft lbs of torque. You'll also need the pulley holder. Most importantly you'll need lots of patience. Try to get the factory manual or a good video for all steps. It will be worth the money.

Regards, JC.

 

[Quest]

You'll be needing one of this:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3218724/Re:_Stanley:__Rotator_Ratchet_#Post3218724

Stanley rotator ratchet .

Q.

 

[theKman]

I used an Aisin kit on my Impreza, and all of the components were made by the OE manufacturers: Mitsuboshi belt, Aisin pump, Koyo bearings. So I got OE parts for a fraction of the Subaru price. It looks like there is a similar kit for your application. I got mine from Amazon, but Rock Auto has great pricing as well.

 

[kschachn]

Go for the Aisin kit, it is fantastic for the price. Although Gates is one of the OEM suppliers for the belt, the water pump they supply in the Gates kit is from China - and started leaking on my Accord way too soon. Not a lot, but blue slime was oozing from the weep hole and I didn't want to take a chance it would outright fail.

Aisin is not an OEM for the Honda pump but they are for Toyota, and the pump they supply is made in Japan and is of first quality.

I highly recommend the Aisin kit and like was mentioned, Rock Auto has a good price.

 

[Ausfahrt]

Thanks for all the feedback, fellas. I'm gonna go for it and I will post back in a few months when I do.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Brenden
Gates makes the OEM Honda T-belt, I've used 3 gates belts/tensioners on the Honda's I've done, all of them still run 20-60k later. If it makes you feel better to spend 4x as much at the dealership for it go ahead. Everyone also raves to use only the OEM water pump, I just used a premium brand off rock auto every time and all is still well.


I paid about 50% more for OEM parts vs. aftermarket. The Aisin kit is $200 for our car and I paid $300 for the parts at Currie, including the tensioner. I have had aftermarket water pumps fail prematurely before and/or provide poor circulation (and poor cooling). For critical components like these that should be replaced only every 100k miles, the $100 difference seems worth it to get known quality vs. "probably good" quality. Gates is good stuff, but as noted above, some of the stuff they might package in a kit might be of unknown quality.

That said, if aftermarket really was 4x cheaper, then I would think much harder about it.

But it's not. In this case, the Gates kit is $73 and the Aisin kit is $120. I bet OE parts could be had (with online shopping) for $200 all in. Even dealer MSRP won't be $400 for the parts for a Civic.

 

[Hokiefyd]

At Bernardi Honda (online), prices:

Belt: 14400-PMM-A02 ($19.53)
Tensioner: 04145-PLC-315 ($70.04)
Water pump: 19200-PLM-A01 ($61.33)

Add $14.53 for shipping (at least to my NC address) and you have all OEM parts for $165.43.

And Bernardi may not end up being the cheapest. I have found that you can find different prices for parts online and different prices for shipping online, so do shop around if you are interested in buying OEM parts.

 

[surfstar]

Current Rockauto prices (excluding shipping and 5% discount)

Gates: $64.79
Product Features
• OE construction timing belts.
• Water pumps are designed and built for long-lasting, efficient cooling.
• Total solution for any application, including belts, idler(s), tensioners and supporting hardware with detailed installation instructions.
• Hydraulic tensioners included where applicable.

Goodyear $67.79
•Tensioner
Goodyear Tensioners install just like orginal equipment, because they're manufactured by the OE supplier.
•Timing Belt
Every kit features the only belts officially licensed by NASCAR®
•Kits now include water pumps

Aisin $78.79
AISIN kit includes the following components:
•AISIN Water Pump
•Koyo Idler Bearing
•Koyo Tensioner Bearing
•Mitsuboshi Timing Belt
•Water Pump Gaskets & O-Rings

I'll see how prices compare in the spring (can hopefully find this post to re-research). I'll likely go aftermarket for DIY $avings. I'll also be doing accessory belts (already have plugs), so that should cover it. I may be lucky and have enough Honda coolant in the garage.
I LOVE how cheap parts can be for common cars!