Timing Belt and Water Pump

[chefmaster21]

? has anyone ever done timing belt and water pump themselves if so..how difficult or easy is it....and is it labor intesive....just curious ????

[ebpda9]

well i haven't done it on my accord yet, but i read about it and it is a *****. i have to loosen 2 motor mounts and lower the engine from the engine bay to be able to do something about it. other than that it's pretty straight forward

[Accord Man]

In an Accord, accessing the belt is very hard.. But on Civics it isnt as bad (especially on the earlier gens..)

If you dont know how its done, I dont suggest playing with it.

[chefmaster21]

i have a civic guys i'm sure their is a difference

[AzCivic]

First get a helms manual. Look through the section that covers changing the timing belt/water pump then decide whether or not its too much for you.

[Dime5150]

I had my timing belt go bad and the water pump was bad as well. I took it in. looking in the manual it would have taken me a long time to get it on and probably not as good as someone certified could.

I'd take it in for this.

[hooohaa2]

I did it myself and it wasn't bad. The only problem I ran into was removing the main crank pulley bolt. The thing would not budge with a breaker bar, so I tried a 1/2" impact wrench, that didn't work either. Well, I decided to break out the sickness, and hit it with my 3/4" impact. I was worried about ripping the head off of the bolt, which, had it happened, would have ruined my day: thank the Lord it didn't. The 3/4" did the trick.

So, if you don't have air tools, I would think twice about doing it (call me lazy).

Another problem I ran into is the size of my hands. I had big problems getting the bolts off of the timing belt lower cover, simply because I could hardly fit my hands in there.

If you have big hands, have a kid around to help you out; it will be good experience for them.

other than that, it was fairly straightforward. How much experience do you have with projects like this? If you run into any problems, just come back to the forums and you will get help. also, follow your manual.

[blind34_1]

^^ what he said. I have a 90 civic, and changing the timing belt wouldn't have caused a problem if it weren't for that damn crank pulley. plus I lost a tensioner in that weird housing thingy, i dont what happened. I ended up taking it to my mechanic, who found the cause of the problem wasnt the timing anyway.

but yeah, unless you have 1) a lot of tools(including air tools) 2) a couple days available for car downtime 3) a knowledgable friend to help, I'd suggest letting a pro do it. If you can, ask to watch so you can learn the process. just stay out of the way and dont bother them.

[chefmaster21]

hey everyone thanks for the info. It looks like i found someone to do it on the side. he's gonna do it for a hundred bucks and put in my cam gear. So im not gonna pass that up and also i dont have any air tools so i'm not going to or i prob would

[ripthesystem]

if your timing belt goes in a Civic (92-95) will you ruin your engine?
I know some cars get rods bent when this happens...

[hooohaa2]

yup

[chefmaster21]

it dosn't matter what kinda car you have. If your timing belt goes. It can do some serious expensive damage. it can crack your head

[AzCivic]

it does matter what car it happens too. alot of cars don't have engines where the valves/pistons occupy the same space(at different times obviously). so when their belt/chain goes its a pain in the ass but shouldnt be detrimental to the engine.

[ripthesystem]

Originally posted by AzCivic
it does matter what car it happens too. alot of cars don't have engines where the valves/pistons occupy the same space(at different times obviously). so when their belt/chain goes its a pain in the ass but shouldnt be detrimental to the engine.




ok .let me be more specific then...
how about with MY car---?

[hooohaa2]

yes, you will seriously damage your engine if your timing belt goes, most of the time. (I have a friend who broke a timing belt in a 95 Civic, and the engine survived)

When in doubt, replace it.

[blind34_1]

should always replace the belt every 60k if not sooner. check for cracks and general wear on the belt.

also, correct if I'm wrong but I have never seen a bent rod. you meant a bent valve, and yes when your belt goes your piston smacks into the valves and usually f*cks all of them.