I have a '97 EX with the VTEC 2.2L engine. Is it possible to change the timing belt in my buddy's garage? He's got every tool in the book including a cherry picker thing or whatever.

Dealer wanted $300 to do it at the 105k checkup. I'm now at 158k mile--and of course i didn't pay the dealer to do it back then.

So is it doable. Anything to watch out for. Any tricks or shotcuts to leave more time for beer drinking?

 

its doable, but its a major pain. if youve never done it before, prepare to spend a whole day on it.

i bought a new belt (timing and balancing) water pump, cam gear, and pullies. i had my mechanic install all of it for $150.

 

when they install the belt, it's more than just swapping parts. the dealer uses a laser to calibrate the engine timing.

 

Woah...no ghetto talk. Much better.
Okay, I'm done giving you sh*t about that...I'll shut up now.
It's just so much easier to read...

 

i have the same laser. its called a timing light

 

:doh:

 

Oh man, you beat me to it. I wanted to say it first, but you kind of deserved the privilege

 

if you install the timing belt and line up your timiming marks(which you should do before removal) set the tension correctly (carefull) you dont need a timing light

 

yeah, ma pops did it to an older Ac Legend. He said something about "it can't be done wrong". I dunno. Are there some grooves in the belt or something that have to be lined up in order for the new belt to fit back on.

Oh, do you get any better performace (of any sort) with a new timing belt. Or more specifically, have I lost performance by letting the old timing belt stay on so long?

 

how often does the timing belt need to be changed?

and in the Accord is it an actual belt or a chain?