joey1320

2000 Honda Civic
B16a2 - stock drivetrain and ECU.

Well yesterday I pulled the engine and trans from the car, since I plan on rebuilding the trans and installing a new water pump, t-belt and oil pump (along with seals and such) over the winter on the engine.

So with that in mind I started looking online for an OEM water pump and oil pump but I was surprised to find out that Honda no longer uses Aisin water pumps but instead they use Yamada. Now I have not done any type of engine work on a Honda in years, so I have no clue how long ago this change took place.

Well since I have no clue about Yamada, I started researching it and there's really not much info about them.

So I started looking for other brands to maybe use and came across GMB, which has some really good prices compared to other aftermarket parts.

So then I started researching GMB pumps and engine parts, and it seems that GMB is an OEM provider for Mitsubishi (cool).

So now my question is, do I pay more for a brand I have no clue about - Yamada - since it has met Honda specs, or should I save some $$ for GMB (Mitsubishi supplier) or another aftermarket brand, and use that $$ for other stuff needed?

I don't drive the car much, maybe a few times a month. I don't beat on it. I don't really see myself putting over 5k miles a year on if, so take that into consideration.

So for anyone who has recently done a t-belt and water pump install, what did you go with?

My plan is to use a Gates belt. OEM tensioner spring. And maybe the GMB pump and tensioner.

For the trans I found a NTN bearing/syncro kit, so that's as closed to OEM without buying it from Honda.

As far as oil pumps, I'm still researching that, so that will be for later

What do you guys think?

angrysmileyface

Don't buy the gmb, their pumps leave a lot to be desired. I replaced oem in my 93 civic at 90k with gmb. Pos started leaking just before 150k. Went oem on replacement, now 210k and still holding strong

doson208

No lie I buy the cheapest ebay parts I can find. I usually buy a Gates timing belt, as for the oil and water pump....cheapest I can find. Never had problems on the rebuilds I've done and my daily driver runs off cheap ebay parts with no issues at all. By all means if you have the money buy OEM.

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

The D series Gates water pump is **** now - they went to a different (cheaper to produce) impeller design that is just ****. Their B series pumps, however, are still using the proper impellers. At least, they were as of my order for my build thread. Just get the complete Gates kit and call it a day.

joey1320

I found the Gates b-series wp/t-belt kit for $78 shipped, so that's definitely the front runner. I'm still going to order the oem tensioner spring and front main seal.

Next thing in line is the oil pump. I haven't found the oem supplier listed on any parts' site, so if anybody has info on that please post it.

Thanks!

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

The tensioner spring is included in the gates kit. At least, it should be. For the seals, I'm personally a fan of the Cometic kits. Two kits (one for top end, one for bottom end), and you have literally everything for a complete rebuild.

For the oil pump, you don't really need to replace it. If you're worried about it, just get the Toda oil pump gear, install that, and call it a day.

joey1320

Looking at rockauto's info page for the Gates' kit, it doesn't mention nor shows the spring. So I'm likely going to get a new one just for peace of mind.

As far as seals, I was thinking Timken, which I like a lot. But I may look at the Cometic lower end kit, since I just installed a brand new valve cover gasket kit.

Thanks for the info.
I'll post pics of the process as it goes along.

oneheadlight

you get what you pay for. Cheap out now, pay later. That's how it goes with some parts. Why bother asking us if the cheap stuff is "ok"? It's not. No amount of begging will change anyone's mind. Crap is crap. Save your money and buy the good stuff if you want to do it right.

EDIT: I just looked at Rockauto and the gates kit.. wow is that water pump cheap! The pulley looks like plastic! lol.. I like Gates for hoses and belts, but that pump is a joke! come on now, save your money get something good..

for the rest who want to see the gates kit.. here's the link
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/more...id=453&jpid=13

joey1320

Im actually not cheap'n out on it, I'm asking about good alternatives to OEM, because I have NEVER heard of Yamada, which is the new supplier of water pumps for Honda.

Therefore I was asking about people's experiences with the Yamada pumps. Another thing that you may not know about me is that I work for BMW and I have seen countless of OEM BMW parts - and as a matter of fact MINI water pumps - which are complete and total garbage. So just because it is OEM, doenst mean it is the end all be all of parts.

So what have you used??

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

oneheadlight, this is one of those moments where actually having personal experience is a good thing. As someone with personal experience, the Gates B series kits are actually awesome. The pump is definitely not "a joke".

oneheadlight

good for you, but I'd rather not use a made in china part even if Gates did stick their name on it. That's what Gates is selling at the present time. If someone wants that and thinks Chinese parts are great, more power to them, just not in my car, no thanks.

Caoboy

If you do a little research...

You can find OEM pumps/belts for a decent price on ebay/amazon.

If you google the manufacturer PN for the tension bearing, you can buy a Koyo Seiko bearing for about 1/2 to 1/3 of the price (I can't recall what I paid for it, but it was significantly cheaper since it didn't come in a red honda package)

The OEM tension spring from Honda is a cheap part to replace, from Honda.

I've never used Gates belts, so no experience with that.

tony_2018

Someone reviewed the water pump that the gates kit came with, I suggest OP dig it up. That will help with the quest.

oneheadlight

Ive had experience with Gates belts and hoses.. excellent quality. that's why I was surprised to find out their water pumps were made in china.. sad..

and another pump maker to look at is aisin.. good stuff from them when I've used their water pumps.

joey1320

Was the Gates pump stamped "Made in China"? Or was it in the box? I didn't know they were Chinese.

As far as Aisin, yes those are great pumps and they used to be the Honda OEM supplier bitd. That's why I was surprised to see and a new brand (Yamada), which I have never heard from before.

oneheadlight

yeah I think Honda has been changing up their suppliers lately to save money. another Honda water pump supplier was Keihlin (close to the correct spelling) but they don't use them anymore. Yeah the Gates water pump had the china name on it. If you search you'll also see people were calling gates directly and gates admitted that the pump thrown into the kit was made in china, now that's of 2014-15. Before that might be completely different, but that's then, unfortunately. Reminds me of what Moog is doing lately, removing the good stuff and replacing it with the value line. sad.

I saw honda change suppliers for throw-out bearings on the clutch too. Before it used to be Koyo, now for my car it's NSK brand and Fujikoshi (aka naichi). But I think naichi has been around for awhile with Honda.. but.. Looks like Honda is moving it's supplier base around!

I do agree that the Honda belts would be made to "honda specs" but I've never had problems with the Gates branded belts or hoses. It's the water pump that is suspect! So much crap out there lately, it's becoming an expedition in research just to buy a part!

joey1320

Yes sir. That's the sad part. You think you can trust an OEM vendor but with the **** I have seen at work, I would never.

White_EG1

I've been running gates timing belt/ wp kit for over 10k miles. No leaks or any of that. And my kit came with the tensioner spring.

joey1320

Thank you for the info regarding the spring.

Boosting2014

Another good water pump is NPW its made in japan and if i recall correctly is the supplier for nissan and infinity. I have used one in a gsr for 52k miles and no leaks or issues and another one in a b20 crv also now has 55k miles on the pump also no issues or leaks.

tony_2018

I don't see anything wrong with a yamada part, ordered them quite a few times. Still running. Even if it was still working properly I wouldn't chance it and rather replacement at the intervals that are listed in the owners manual or helms manual.

94EG8

Honda never used Aisin water pumps other than on V6s as far as I can tell, I've bought a fair number of them over the years and I've never seen Honda use Aisin as an OEM supplier other than as I said V6s. Keihin was the original supplier in most cases but Honda has been using Yamada water pumps for many years. The oil pumps were always Yamada.

Yamada makes the best water pump you're going to find for that engine other than possibly a NOS Keihin but even then I think it's debatable.

Buy the OEM pump, you'll thank me later.

If it's made by Transparts stay away. Synchrotech and Gearspeed both sell proper transmission parts and both are significantly cheaper than OEM. Keep in mind that synchros are almost never the cause of shifting issues or grinding in Honda transmissions.