So I have a 1995 EJ2 Civic, but it has the heart of a JDM Integra LS, so I'll post this here.

I bought the car about a year ago, post-swap. Theres a lovely "B18B" stamp on the block. Recently I've been noticing noise coming from under the timing cover. Naturally, I imagined the horror that would be valve introduced to piston, so I ordered a Gates timing belt kit w/water pump.

I changed the timing belt today. As I disassembled the timing cover, I noticed the belt had literally worn holes in the cover. I'm no mechanic, but I'm a fast learner and mechanically inclined. I do all my own work with the aid of guides. So, I asked one of the employees at the hobby shop I do my work at what causes that. He said it was likely a bad bearing. Fair enough, right?

...Wrong. There was no play in the tensioner pulley or the water pump. Although confused, I convinced myself the new parts had solved the problem, so I got everything put back together, new parts installed, only to find my brand new belt was rubbing the cover as well.
GREAT.

Some googling ensued soon after, and I found that I was missing a part, and considering it was nowhere to be found in my work area, it was never there.
So now I'm trying to track down this elusive part. None of the big 3 parts stores can even find it in their system.
Again I refer to my mistress, Google.
13622-PR3-000 ..that's the part number for the TIMING BELT GUIDE PLATE, which some numbskull decided wasn't necessary to put on the crank pulley when he swapped it.

Acurapartswarehouse.com to the rescue.

So now I wait for this elusive part to come in, and until then I'm still stuck dailying this car, and angrily mumbling as my brand new belt squeaks against the timing cover, and cursing the fool that didn't put it on originally.

This has been my rant and forewarning to any other rookies out there. Make sure the damn plate is there. I just hope the one on the engine side of the crank pulley is there or I'm going to have to tear a lot of **** apart all over again for a glorified washer.

Here's hoping, right?

 

People leave those guide "washers" out because they forgot they removed it. They are there for a reason. Did you happen to replace the front main seal (oil pump seal)? Might as well do so since you're there.

 

Post a picture of the holes in the timing cover, I've seen the timing covers warp enough over time to touch the belt and get holes in them so you might just need a new timing cover.