96Miata!

Hello, I am working on a 92 Civic Vx with a b18b1 motor. The motor has been whining and it has come down to the timing belt/tension making noise. I wanted to retension the belt and see if that helps. One problem. The timing belt tension 14mm bolt wont turn. I cant seem to get a good angle on it to loosen it. Its not really rounded just cant break it loose. Any tips on how to loosen it? Do you guys do it from under the hood or under the car with the wheel off? I haven't removed any of the bottom timing belt covers or the dreaded crank pulley because I know how hard those can be to get off at times. Any ideas or is it easy if you remove the crank pulley?

eragon

same issue I got with a b18b1 engine, afraid I will snap the bolt. what a PIA. Hope someone has an answer to this problem

96Miata!

I sprayed mine with pb plaster before I left for work this morning. I doubt it'll help but it was worth a try. I really don't want to take the crank pulley off as they are a pain sometimes but I may have to.

JRCivic1

I always take the crank pulley off and attack the tensioner bolt from below. Remember that the head on this bolt is unusually shallow, so it is EASY to round off if you don't get straight on it. Removing the covers will allow you to "see" what you are doing, and that is even better.

96Miata!

Thanks! I'm going to give it a go tonight and see if I can break it loose

96Miata!

So I was finally able to break it loose. Here is what I did. If you remove all the accessory belts and the remove the power steering pump out of the way you can fit a long 3/8 ratchet in there and break it loose. Make sure to use a 14mm six point socket so it doesn't get rounded. Good luck. I was able to finally fix my over tightened timing belt and stop the whining noise it was creating.