91 Civic LX, DPFI engine, DX type, not SI.

I have replaced timing belt. when i opened timing belt cover, old belt was very sloppy on the water pump side.

I have installed the new one. Haynes says to loosen tensioner bolt, then turn pulley three camshaft gears counterclockwise, to put tension on the tensioner. tighten tensioner bolt to spec.

so i did. several times.

BELT IS SLOPPY ON THE WATER PUMP SIDE, PERIOD. i am assuming, tensioner should keep belt very snug. at least, what i'm used to.

either Haynes does not know what it's saying, or i am doing something wrong, or that belt is supposed to be that way.

what is it?

 

The instructions are correct. Are you sure you are using the correct timing belt, and you weren't given the wrong one by accident?

 

at 178000 miles, best i can do is to compare to what was inside before. belt that i removed and the new one are same length. both are sloppy.

does this mean that belt has to have no slack in it?

 

I believe that there will be a little more slack on one side of the belt than the other, but it shouldn't be very loose. Perhaps you need a new tensioner, or tensioner spring?

 

This is what I was also thinking.

 

hi guys

i am getting to that tensioner right now. my overnight thought was - spring simply scratched. i have ways of bringing it back to life. hope i won't break it, he-he.

 

silly me. spring stretched, not scratched.

anyway, i have that slack taken care of. i took a 2x4, cut it down to 9 inches, wedged it between the tensioner roller and a stabilizer bar next to control arm. put prybar between the 2x4 and stabilizer bar, put TENSION on the belt, locked the bolt.

no slack now.

 

I don't recommend just being satisfied with that. It's possible that the belt now has too much tension.

 

I must agree with Trust. Jerry-rigging anything to do with the timing belt runs the risk of destroying the engine.

 

well, it's one of those things - darn if you do and darn if you don't. leaving that belt as loose it was, runs the risk of it slipping and destroying the engine either.

it is definitely not the first japanese engine i have worked on, and on some, all i had left inside the engine bay was engine block. so, i have done a thing or two. i have been working on my cars since 1990. I HAVE NEVER EVER SEEN TIMING BELT SO LOOSE. it's just against any common sense.

now, i did not really crank it to the piano string tightness. i can still move it some with my fingers, so it has some slack in it. at least, now, it will not slip gears. but before, it was just flopping on the pump side.

so, worse come to worse, it'll rip in 50K miles. 3-4 yrs down the road. for $300 car that will be used as a commuter for the next year and then disposed off - fine with me. should tensioner decide to go bad - I'll hear it coming, they make a lot of noise before dying. so i'll swap it.

appreciate concern. that belt felt good between my fingers. not too tight, not too loose. no tensioner noises (oh, the mitsubishi tensioners!!). be awright.