I know you're supposed to replace your timing belt every 7 years or 105k miles i think right?
Well my car is 7 years old and has 109k miles (Civic DX), and theres a leak from the camshaft onto the belt... so i know that isnt too good for it. But i dont have the money right now to replace it. So i wanted to know if theres anyway to tell how badly it needs to be replaced? Like... for how much longer can i drive it with an overdue timing belt replacement like that? Or do i need to replace it immediately?
Thanks.

 

Take the upper cover off of it and inspect it. Make sure there are no cracks or teeth missing. Look really close because it's not going to be extremely obvious.

 

they usualy recommend every 90k. try and find a good mechanic that can replace it for cheap. were are you located?

 

How cheap could i get it for? Because at my local Honda dealership they quoted me with $650 for the whole timing belt "package"... lol.
I live in Portland Oregon...

 

change it yourself if you have a mechanically-inclined friend or dad.

you can download the Helms Manual that shows you how to do it.

all you would need to do is order the belt (about $40 online), water pump (about $50-$80), optional timing belt tensioner ($40) and optional tensioner spring ($5).

I'm about to change mine tomorrow with my dad's help and his most EXCELLENT tools. lol.

if you're not mechanically inclined, buy the parts online and then pay a mechanic to do it instead of the stealership.

 

I went cheap on all the timing bet replacement parts. Didnt like the look of the cheap belt so ended up buying a honda belt anyway. Everything with the extra belt was $150. Worth the time to try it and save that $500

 

I'm doing my 90,000 mile and 115,000 mile tuneup tomorrow at the same time.

i bought almost $400 worth of OEM parts online. it would have cost me $1,200 - $1,500 to have the acura dealership to do it for me.

 

wow, thats crazy, i paid my mechanic $350 for the labor, and i bought the belt, tensioner and water pump for $110(store discount) so total was $460.

 

wow, ok, didnt even realize i could get all those parts that cheap elsewhere... I'll do that for sure, then see if i can figure out how to do it myself or i'll find a mechanic.
Thanks guys.