ok so i have a 93 civic ex that was bought in 95 with 41,000- on it had the timing belt and water pump changed at around 110k now i'm sittin at around 175k and it broke on the freeway doing about 65mph--had it towed guy says around 1000 or more--i would say that for the most part putting on another belt would not scare me away provided with detailed instruction (i've done both axles--and have done a frame up resto on an old jeep cj5)--should i take the head off and check the valves first--or should i re-time and put the belt on and see what happens--i don't think i want to put over a grand in the car on the other hand it has always been a very good car with no major problems--and ran great--i always changed fluids and what not regularly--just trying to way my options now that what is not suppose to happen has happened---thanks for any help or suggestions

joe

 

I would check the valves out before you go through the effort of putting a new belt on. That would save you the hassle of taking the timing belt off after you find out the valves are bent (more than before).

 

Definitely check the valves, timing belts aren't that cheap, and you don't want to cause further damage to the head. You could probably get a used head for $100-$200. That would be cheaper than getting yours rebuilt if there is damage.

 

I'm about to do my timing belt, tensioner/spring/bolt, head gasket, and intake gasket. I'd been contemplating doing a DIY so I just might have to...

 

thank you for the quick responses--keep them coming!

shmoo--how can I check to see if the valves are bad?--don't I need to take the head off to see the bottom ends of the valves to see if any damage has occured?---or can i see something up top by pulling the valve cover off--let me know

Wilsel--so is it fairly common to find a good head in the ball park figure 100-200 bucks? this is not a bad idea--were abouts are you talking--junk yards?


thanks

joe

 

You can get the whole engine, tranny, axles, and ecu for about $400-$500 from boards. Check on honda-tech.com, d-series.org. Someone is bound to be selling a D16Z6 swap or head (which is what you have).

Here is a link for a head for $300, but you can find better deals than that buying from someone.

http://www.sohfast.com/store/used/civic.asp

Here is a whole engine for $350, I'm sure he's nego.

http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1124153

 

Not really a good way to test it with the timing belt off aside from removing the head. All that head removal adds to a timing belt is an hour, a new set of head bolts, and a new gasket.

An EX has an interference motor, so technically, if you were traveling at a high rate of speed and it broke while your car is in gear, they're probably bent. Just cranking your starter if the timing belt is broken will usually result in bent valves.

 

so what are my options?

any ideas?

is it junk?

or should i look for another head?

joe