Just purchased the 1999 civic for 1k. Car has 200k miles and last changed 122k. I rather not do it if it doesn't look like it needs to be. Truth is I already got the crank bolt off and have all the parts needed to replace. But if the belt looks good I prefer not to do the work. This would be my first time doing a timing belt job.
Pictures - https://imgur.com/a/B05gmSI

 

Do the smart thing. Replace the belt.

 

belts can LOOK great and fail. can be worn on the gear side, etc. that one looks worn.

 

Yes look's like i'll finish the job tomorrow. Probably gonna do a valve adjustment also.

 

Replace the water pump, belt tensioner, and cam seal while the belt is off. Seriously consider replacing valve cover gasket, oil pump, O-ring, crank seal, oil screen gasket, and oil pan gasket as well. If so, get some HondaBond.

 

 

if you drive a civic, 90% of folks toss that out and just replace when things fail.

 

Unless solid documentation exists to prove otherwise, it's prudent to assume that the timing belt and other critical parts have never been replaced when you purchase a used car. Sellers commonly lie. And in addition, the belt in the picture looks totally trashed. My timing belts look new after 100K miles.

 

I have to replace my EM1's timing belt, too. It was last changed at 100,00 kms, and the car's now at 162,000 kms, which is around just 48,000 miles since the last change. However, it's been like 11 years since it was changed. I think the recommended change period is 86k miles or whatever, or, 7 years, whichever comes first. I hope mine will hold on for a bit longer, though, as I might not be able to change it until next summer.

I have all the parts to do it (and all the seals in the engine), but I'm not mentally prepared to do it at this time. Plus, it's cold outside now, lol.

 

I got a great deal on this tool when a 20% promo code appeared on eBay:

Milwaukee 2767-20 M18 FUEL 1/2" Impact Kit w/ Friction Ring & BATTERY & CHARGER

This amazing cordless impact wrench literally takes less than 2 seconds to remove the crank pulley bolt.

Now timing belt jobs are just a walk in the park.

 

I got the makita brushless 1/2" impact, literally takes less than 2 seconds to remove the crank pulley bolt.

 

That's a good one too. I generally found that the Milwaukee could be had for a lower price.

 

So I replaced the waterpump and belt today, and one of the waterpump bolts was crossed threaded. I'm not sure if it was caused by the previous owner or myself. I'm not seeing any leaks so far, hopefully it holds up.

 

One of the water pump bolts is shorter than the others. This causes so many problems. Overall, Honda makes good cars, but that one short bolt was an exception to otherwise solid Honda engineering.

Good luck.

If you decide to repair the bolt hole and/or the bolt, AutoZone and O'Reilly offer a free rental on a thread restoring kit.

https://www.autozone.com/loan-a-tool...kit/391372_0_0

 

 

Good to know about the loaner, the upside is that 1 bad bolt was the one on the OUTSIDE of the timing belt cover, so maybe less of a pain.

 

 

It is one of the bolts holding the pump, the timing belt covers all but 1 pump bolt.