I have a stock 1990 Honda Civic LX 4 dr, 1493 CC engine. I need to have the timing belt & water pump changed, I have about 90,000 miles on the existing belt & pump,
My questions are. What have you guys found are the best brands of belts?
Is it a good idea to change the tensioner & spring?
Is there anything else that is need while having this done.
I'm going to have a shop do this for me & I want to made sure I can get another 90,000 miles out of the new belt & pump.
Thanks

 

All the threads on you guys changing belts someone must have some knowledge on what they find to be the best belts & if the tensioner should be changed.
PLEASE

 

Since you not doing it yourself, have them change the belt, tensioner, waterpump, front seal if it show sign of leak.. then you should be good for another 100k

Not sure who make the 'best' product, but most auto part material are much better than years ago. You should be good.

 

By that logic you should have been able to find your answer in "all the threads".

Anyway, yes you need to change the tensioner. And any belt from the auto parts store should be fine.

 

Thanks for the info. I never have seen a thread referring to belt brand as being better. I just wasn't sure about the tensioner. I learned from asking about a front seal to have check.
Since I seldom ever did much work on Foreign vehicles since back in the early 70s things have changed.
Somewhere along the way I like to be an informed consumer that knows the right questions to ask. This & other forums help this old man stay informed.
Thanks

 

Thanks for your info. I never thought of the front seal check. I knew about the water pump.
I'm hoping for 300,000+ miles out of this Honda. My mom bought it new in 1990. I'm an in my 60s hate buying cars. would rather pay to have them fixed. We have close to 170,000 miles on it now. It runs great. We are leaving this afternoon for a 1200 mile road trip.

 

Good luck with the timing belt and have a good trip!

 

Thanks. The shop that does most of my work has a former Honda Dealership Mechanic that works for them. So now I can talk with some intelligence about this timing belt preventive maintenance job. The Honda made it in good order half of its road trip. I set a new mileage record with it. Two towns 92 miles apart between Reno & Las Vegas I got 41.55mpg old record 38mpg. But overall it gets between 29-36 mpg. avg about 32mpg.

 

I'm a firm believer in buying genuine Honda parts. Auto manufacturers, and any large corporation actually, have engineers that spend copious amounts of time/effort qualifying parts suppliers to ensure that nothing substandard is put into their marque that could tarnish the name. That said, even Japanese suppliers can have problems, and even though I am angry with Honda over a poor headgasket design, which I ultimately had to resolve myself, I still purchase genuine Honda OEM parts. My time is worth too much to spend it replacing 'lifetime warranty' sub-assemblies from the Auto Parts stores, repeatedly, and before they should have worn out. Couple that with being potentially stranded, or, in your case paying shop rates to have the parts removed/installed, it just seems to make sense to use the best available.

Majestic Honda has an online parts store from which they sell genuine Honda parts at, or very near, wholesale prices. A quick Google search will get you there. The shipping is reasonable and the service is quick.

As has been already said, I find standard replacements during a timing belt change to be:
Timing belt
Tensioner/idler pulley assy
Cam seal(s)
Cranks seal
Water pump
In addition, if your valve cover must be displaced to get the upper timing chain cover off (I don't know your particular engine) I would replace that gasket as well. They are not that expensive

Also, just as an added maintenance/visual verification, I like to keep my engine compartment clean and free of accumulated dirt/oil that can hide potential small problems, i.e., small oil leaks, white deposits from a pinhole in radiator/hose, brake fluid at the master/clutch, etc. I check under my hood at every fill up for a quick look. (What else to do while waiting for the pump?). Anyway, cleaning up your engine compartment before submitting it to your mechanic is not only respectful, but also advantageous for him/her to spot check components and seals while making repairs. Just a thought.

Hope this helps, offered as only suggestions.

Ed Fisher
Dallas, Tx

 

Ed has a good point. I would also use genuine Honda parts for timing belt maintenance. However, generic auto parts store brands should suffice.