I purchased a 1998 civic hatchback SOHC, and the timing belt is visible since the plastic cover is missing. I guess the mechanic I bought it from has been driving with it like that. No problems so far, and I know dirt and dust is getting all over it, but is it safe to do this?

 

I would recommend replacing the cover. Not only can dirt cause excess wear, but if a larger piece of debris finds its way in, you could end up with a very costly repair.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Padawan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I would recommend replacing the cover. Not only can dirt cause excess wear, but if a larger piece of debris finds its way in, you could end up with a very costly repair. </TD></TR></TABLE>

A lot of people like having the exposed belt so they can show off their pretty anodized adjustable camgears (moreso on B-Series motors), but in the end, it's asking for trouble.

when you look at how much grime accumulates on the timing belt cover of a daily driven car, you;ll see that having it all over an exposed belt (allowing grime in between the teeth of the belt on the teeth of the cam gear) iis just not the wisest idea.

 

I thought so... thanks bro

 

Yes, but the cam gear looks OEM, not to mention its a D16Y7, so I dont know why the previous owner would do such a thing.