I just bought a mint 1990 Accord and was wondering if you guys could help me out. It has 131,000 on it and the previous owner bought it at 100k. She has no idea if the timing belt has been replaced or not. Wouldn't it have broken by now if it wasn't changed?

Maybe I'll attempt changing it myself. Does anyone have the procedure online?

Thanks...

 

i wouldnt recommend doing the timing belt/water pump service yourself. A lot is involved in doing this.

sean

 

you have to jack up part of the engine or something to change the timeing belt

 

all the sh*t is very hard to get to thats why shops charge alot for labor. the parts alone doesnt cost that much. if your mechanically inclined i wouldnt be missing w/ the car's timing... if its vtec your gunna hafta do 2 belts. i had all my belts/seals/water pump/oil changed for almost 5bills

 

No, it wouldn't necessarily have broken by 130,000 miles. If you want to do it yourself, I'd suggest you get a Haynes manual or, better yet, the factory service manual from Helm.

If you've never done a T-belt before, it'd be best to get with someone who's done one or two. If you've done it before, you'll know what you're in for.

Yes, you'll have to jack up your engine when you do it. You'll have to remove the motor mount on the T-belt side of the engine -- same as with most transverse engines -- and you'll have to hold the engine in place with a jack while the motor mount is off.

Also, you'll want to get the special "Honda" tool that holds the crank pulley in place so you can remove the pulley bolt. Otherwise, it's a BI*CH to get that bolt off. The tool's about $60 or so (on the net), but it's WELL worth it!!! Oh, and make sure you have a torque wrench large enough to handle the pulley bolt when you put it back on. Some Honda crank pulley bolts are torqued to 180 ft-lbs!

While you're in there, it'd be crazy NOT to replace the water pump. This would also be a good time to check the cam and crank seals. If they're dry, leave 'em alone.

 

Thanks for the replys guys. If I removed the valve cover and the upper side cover to the T-belt would I be able to tell if it's been changed or not? Does it look like drive belts when they are in need of changing? i.e...cracks in the grooves etc...

Next summer I'll probably need to change the T-belt in my Supra also, maybe that will be easier.

later

 

assume it wasn't changed. Accord t-belts go for around 90,000 miles by factory standards which was when the car was first sold and the lady said she didn't change it either.....

noel

 

I have a 96 ex with 53600 on it. I went to my mechanic and he said that my vtec wasn't kicking in properly. Sometime it does sometime it doesn't. I am thinking that should I get my timing belt changed? And what is the recommened time to get it changed? This is a daily driver but I do race her from time to time. I bought the car at 47301. I wanted to put it off for a little bit till I can get some more money then get i done like around 70,000. Please help.

 

Thanks for the help guys. I just tracked down the original owner and she had it changed at 91,000, so I guess I good until 180,000.

 

my civic has 153K on it and i still dont think the timing belt has been changed...well i just bought it from honda along w/ the water pump and im giong to change it anyhow.