The_Honda_Guy

Today I finished up adjusting the valve lash on the 97 DX along with doing some checks on the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor. I was going to install my new painted valve cover but unfortunately it didn't turn out right. No big deal though, only takes a couple minutes to swap a valve cover and at least the valve lash adjustment and such is out of the way. At this time I decided that I would also mod the upper timing cover so it can be removed without removing the valve cover and that I would paint it.

I had noticed for a short time that the engine seemed noisy from the belt side of the motor and that the noise was coming mostly from the timing cover. I didn't figure that the belt could be bad since it supposedly had just been replaced at 95k and the car has 139k on it. The place we bought it from said that the original owner replaced it at that time and the car was in great shape, so we figured that we weren't getting B/S'd. Well, I took a look at the timing belt and the first thing that caught my eye was that it was a Honda OEM belt with the Gates markings on it. Also, when the car is running you can see quite a bit of slack in the belt when you rev it up and down. I figure I might as well replace the thing before it breaks.

I know that the timing belt and water pump should be replaced together as well as the tensioner and the drive belts. The drive belts have already been done about 10k ago by myself, so they're fine. Are there other things that you guys like to replace also? I was thinking of doing the cam and crank seals at this time also. And also, what brands do you guys use? I was thinking of going OEM with the belt kit, but I am going to go with a Gates setup since that's what the OEM is. For the seals they will be OEM for sure but for the pump it's up in the air. What do you guys use?

The_Honda_Guy

Nobody has anything to say on this? Did I make too long of a post?

civic_driver

From what I've heard (never had to do a timing yet) you only change the timing belt and the water pump.

Btw, that upper timing cover is called cam cover.

The_Honda_Guy

Well, I did some searching and a lot of people do the cam and crank seals at the same time. I'll probably just order an OEM water pump and cram and crank seals. For the timing belt kit I'll probably get a Gates set. I priced one out for 50 bucks with belt, tensioner, and spring with my discount through work which is extremely cheap.

What brands did you guys use for your parts?

TravisCadello

ya, you should be good. just change the timing belt for a autozone one and get the timing belt tensioner and water pump from the Honda dealership and thats it. only reason to replace the seals if they were leaking.

mechanix619

Changing the timing belt and water pump go hand in hand; might as well change the pump while everything is off. Install a new tensioner as well, it's a must change part. I don't change the cam seals until they go bad. Changing the cam seals is not like changing the water pump, the seals are super easy to change when they go bad and the only thing that has to come off is the valve cover. I bought my timing belt from Schucks but if you have a Car Quest in your area I would suggest them for parts. Unless you want to pay more money, avoid buying parts from the dealership.

Jackal6042

As mentioned here, replace the timing belt tensioner while you are in there. You can see if it is good by spinning it and if it spins freely it should be replaced. But either way its still a good idea to just replace it while you are in there. Visual inspection of the seals an be done. If they look torn up replace them even if they aren't leaking yet. These seals are cheap and its better to do preventative maintenance than wait for something to go wrong. Be sure to use liquid gasket where the manual specifies (being OEM OCD I always recommend Honda Bond, $12ish at your local dealer). Just give it a nice thin coat and you will be good.

Former User

If the seals aren't leaking oil, then I'd just leave well enough alone. Just my 2 cents.

The bigger issue is the loose timing belt. Tension it immediately if you plan to drive the car. You don't need to remove the crank pulley for the procedure. Loosen the tensioner bolt, rotate the crank 5-6 turns counterclockwise and then retorque the tensioner bolt.

The_Honda_Guy

The reason I figured I'd do the seals is because the car has 138k miles on it and I plan on keeping it for a long time. I figured since I had all the covers off and the timing belt and crank pulley off I might as well change the cam and crank seals before they do start leaking and I have to tear it back apart to change them. I didn't know you could tighten the tensioner on these cars. I figured it was a hydraulic automatic tensioner but I guess not. lol I'll probably tighten it back up then so that the timing belt doesn't start jumping. At least I figured out where all the noise was coming from. Also, I do have the Hondabond HT, two tubes of it in fact. I would have liked to be able to use the Password JDM cam seals but they only fit the B series motors.

So, I've pretty much made up my mind on going OEM with the pump, cam seal, and crank seal and going Gates with the belt, tensioner, and spring. Is there anything else I could possibly replace while in there?

Jackal6042

Yeah as mentioned, for now at least retension the timing belt. There is a little rubber plug on the timing cover, back it out a half turn and use a 19MM to turn the crank. Crank seal is a good idea while you do this job. Cam seal, well might as well. Glad to hear you have the HondaBond, only way to go IMO. Not sure if you have a FACTORY service manual for your car, but download on here http://pdftown.net/1/Civic_manual%20(92-95).rar . As I mentioned, big fan of OE.

The_Honda_Guy

A quick question - is the front crank seal (belt side) fit onto the oil pump or something? I can't seem to find the front crank seal on Majestic and figured it was #17 in this picture:

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...STRAINER+(SOHC)

Anyone know where to find the front crank seal?

Former User

Yeah, #17 here:

The_Honda_Guy

Alright, cool, that's the one I had picked out.

The_Honda_Guy

Just a little side note - have any of you guys used the Gates Racing timing belts? They appear to be of a better construction than even the Greddy, Toda, or HKS belts. I was thinking of picking up one of those instead of the standard Gates belt. Any used it?