Replacing Timing Belt
 

Need some advice on whether I should replace my timing belt or pay to have it done. I'm experienced and I understand the procedure but have a few questions. Btw, Its a 1996 civic with 81k miles.

1. Do I need a torque wrench? The fly wheel pulley is the only part that might need it for.

2. Should I replace the belt tensioner and spring? btw, I know to replace the water pump while I'm in there.

3. How much would a mechanic charge? If its around $100 labor I'd be inclined to save myself the hassle. It will cost me $100 for the parts.

The hardest part of the job I'd think would be getting the fly wheel off. I read I need to purchase $25 tool to hold the fly wheel pulley while using a breaker bar.

well its not the flywheel its the crank pulley bolt. if you have a GOOD air compressor and air impact gun it shouldnt be a problem but if its not that good or you dont have at least 150PSI then definatly buy the tool to lock the pulley inplace and then use a 1/2inch socket and extension and a break bar with a pipe and a jack stand and youll be able to crank that sucker right off.... nothing a longer pipe cannt bust free when ya put your back into it ;)

and while your at it IMO replace everything. belt/ water pump/ tensioner/ even crank and cam oil seals. just easy maintance while the motors face is ripped off.

thx for the reply.

I called a couple of shops yesterday and they wanted almost $700 just to replace the timing belt. Two things happened: 1) my jaw dropped and 2) I decided to Do It Myself. I placed an order for the tensioner, belt, water pump, pulley puller tool and a breaker bar (because I don't have air).

I'm not sure about doing the seals. Do I need any special tools for that?

For more details about timing belt replacement, read information at this website:

http://www.civicforums.com/forums/7-...t-96-00-a.html

I agree with Addiction's comments, although replacement of the cam and crank seals may not be necessary if they are not leaking oil.

Consider replacing the spark plug tube seals and bolt seals and gasket of the valve cover.

You might also check the valve clearances while the valve cover and upper timing belt cover are off.

o ya the valve cover seal. i forgot about that.... and put a dab of sealer on the cam lobes before the seal since those are problem areas for oil leaks. new seal or not its just cheap insurance to keep your motor clean...
the oil seals are not a big deal at all.... if your running regular oil in your motor and the seals are not oily looking then just leave them alone... but if there is oil around either of the seals replace that seal as leaking oil around the belt is definatly not a good thing!

+1 ^ Any place there is a "bend" or corner on your valve cover put some sealer there. those crank pully bolts can suck sometimes. I have a nice air system and impact so it's not a problem but i've done a few with the holding tool and a breaker bar b-4 and it was rough.

RonJ: thx for the detailed instructions. I should get the parts in some time next week. I'll let you all know how it goes.

The parts came in the mail today. I was reading the directions on the water pump box and it says coat gasket with sealer. Although the pump came with a rubber o-ring gasket it didn't come with a sealer. What type of sealer should I buy?

any kind of silicone should be fine. i used HondaBond when i did mine. just be carefull with those water pump bolts. they snap easily.LOL be sure your torquing down in inch lbs instead of foot lbs. ;) woops.....

1) Yes. you dont want parts coming off while your driving due to the nuts and bolts being either over-tightened or too loose.

2) no you dont have to

3) probably like $300 but that is really bad estimate

for a water pump i dont think i'd use a sillacone sealer. Honda reccomends a type of anarobic sealer for any coolant related metal to metal seals.

I'm having trouble getting the crank shaft pulley nut off. I'm turning it counter clockwise (left) and its not budging. In fact my 1/2" drive extension just snapped. It wasn't a name brand but I'm worried at the amount of torque I'm applying and want to make sure I'm turning it in the correct direction, because if I snap the pulley bolt I'm super screwed.
http://i35.tinypic.com/2lxug55.jpg

Counter-clockwise is the correct direction for removal. That bolt is a bitch.

1) Soak that bolt with a good penetrating oil before attempting removal.

2) Replace the 1/2" extension with a 17-mm 1/2" deep socket.

3) Use a 24" breaker bar and extend it further with 3-4' of galvanized pipe that fits snuggly at the end of the breaker. This will give you the necessary torque. A bit of bouncing motion with your body weight may be needed to produce the bolt-breaking force.

thx,
I sprayed W-d 40 last night with no effect. I went out and bought a Craftsman 10" impact extension (every time I try to save money with a cheap tool I get burned). I'm already using a deep impact socket because I had a feeling it was going take a lot of torque. There's no room between the frame and pulley so I'm using the extensions to work from outside the wheel well (the extensions seem to be the weakest link).

Still no luck but I'm starting to understand whats going on. The engine is flexing on the motor mounts which is absorbing the torque when I apply force. I might have to find someone with air to break it free.

http://i37.tinypic.com/256aip3.jpg

you extension was just cheap metal! been there done that bought some craftsman or snapon extensions and never had them snap again. more money YES. but can replace about 5+cheapies if they keep breaking.LOL

When I replaced the timing belt on my 97 Civic DX, there was enough room to work without an extension. I used a deep socket attached directly to the 24" breaker bar. I think the extension is reducing your torque force. Try raising the front end higher to create more room and eliminate the need for the extension.

Success at last! I repositioned the breaker bar holding the pulley. I wedged it into the front axle and pulled up instead of down on the other breaker bar. This prevented the engine from flexing on the mounts, directing the torque to turning the bolt instead of lifting the engine.

I think there was a redesign in 1997. The pulley holder tool is too wide to allow a breaker bar in between.
http://i37.tinypic.com/2v1qkoh.jpg

Congrats on sweet success! Looks identical to my 97 Civic. I positioned the hex tool 90-degrees counter-clockwise from what is shown in the picture.

hmm, thread jacking real quick...
i need to change my timing belt real soon.
do you think i can break it free with an impact wrench and a big compressor or am i gonna have to buy the pulley tool?

An impact wrench seems to make the job much easier, but you need a very good compressor. Others may be able to tell you minimum specs for this component.

It's a craftsman 6hp max/2hp running, 33 gallons, 150PSI max, single cylinder compressor

sound good enough?

Bump for Trust.

There's a youtube video that shows a timing belt removal. Its good as an overview but it glosses over many of the details and difficulty to get at and remove a lot of the parts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIzcttirhts

LOL:
"hey honey, you come to pick up your car? well you're gonna be on youtube now"
"no, you better not"
"UH-OH!"

I love how he throws the old parts on the ground and says "you piece of crap". Sounds like a Canadian accent.

Anyways, I'm happy to report I successfully finished the job. It was a lot more work than I anticipated, largely due to it being my first timing belt replacement. It was really scary starting the car and praying I didn't ruin my engine. My body is pretty sore from squatting and bending.

I only made two mistakes; dropping/losing the timing sensor bolt into the engine compartment and over tightening/snapping one of the water pump bolts. I was using a torque wrench but I didn't recognize the click. When its set to low torque its hard to feel the click. No leak so far so I think I adverted disaster.

Dang, I too broke off one of the water pump bolts. I should have remembered to warn you about that. I had to jack the engine up and drill the broken bolt out.

I think you did warn me. Like I said it was my inexperience with a torque wrench. The problem is that those wrenches are so long they have the ability to apply too much torque. I just didn't feel the click and turned it too far. I probably should have used 1/4" ratchet, the short handle would have prevented me from over torquing the bolt.