How to: Timing Belt

The recommended service interval for the timing belt is every 100 000 kms or every 5 years. Since I have owned my car for 5 years (hard to believe) it was time for me to change the timing belt even though I have only put around 70000 kms on it in that time. I also decided to replace the tentioner pulley since it doesn't need much more effort than replacing the belt alone.

The timing belt runs around the crank, oil pump, tentioner pulley and both cam gears. The reason people replace the timing belt before it breaks is because if it does break, the cam gears will stop turning. The pistons however, will not stop moving, and since Honda makes interference engines the pistons will smack into the valves which are no longer moving up and down like they are supposed to. This is bad news.

 

Have a read through the pages from the helms workshop manual below and use them as references as you proceed.

Removing the timing belt

The first step is to loosen the wheel nuts, jack the car up put it on jack stands and remove the front left wheel. Remove the plastic nuts and the splash guard to reveal the crank pulley.

Now loosen the alternator, air conditioning and power steering pumps and remove the belts. The alternator has a large bolt keeping it tight while the power steering and aircon pumps have a 10mm bolt which is pretty easy to loosen.

Remove the three bolts holding the engine mount on and remove the engine mount. Support the engine from underneath to make this easier.

Now remove the ignition wires and the 8 valve cover bolts then remove the valve cover.

Remove the middle plastic timing belt cover by removing the two 10mm bolts.

Removing the crank pulley

This can be very difficult or quite easy depending on whether or not you have the right tools. The problem is the engine will turn over when you turn the bolt, so you need a way of holding the pulley still while you turn the bolt.

The special Honda tool makes it pretty easy, but you cant buy these at any old auto shop and I'm sure they cost far too much. This tool just locks into the crank pulley and holds it still while you stick the socket through the middle. If you don't have one of these you can try one of the other methods.

You can try putting the car in 5th and getting someone to step on the brakes while you swing on the bolt. You'll probably find the brakes will slip with the torque you apply but you can try it anyway.

You can try jamming a spanner or metal bar in the wheel bolts to stop the wheels turning (be careful not to damage the threads). If you do this you'll probably find the clutch starts slipping unless you have a heavy duty clutch.

You can try jamming something in the flywheel but this can be hard to get to, you might have to remove some of the transmission bracket bolts to be able to reach it.

You can also try a rattle gun on it and I have heard some people do this all the time. Our rattle gun wasn't up to it so I had to try improvising.

I made my own tool to hold the crank pulley using an angle grinder and a large nut I found lying around. Once I had ground it down to fit into the crank pulley I just had to use a big crescent to hold it still.

 

After removing the crank pulley, remove the lower timing belt cover. Loosen the tentioner pulley and remove the timing belt. If you are replacing the tentioner pulley, remove the bolt and be careful to hold onto the spring which will still be hooked onto the old pulley. You need to install this spring onto the new pulley and hook it back into place then bolt it back on.

Installing the New Timing Belt

When installing the belt you need to ensure the crank is lined up with the mark on the block (as shown in the manual pictures). This mark is pretty hard to see so I used the key as a marker which should be pointing straight up. The dots on the cam gears should point at each other and line up with the mark on the head. Install the new belt by hooking it around the crank pulley followed by the tentioner, intake cam then the exhaust cam. It takes a bit of wiggling but it will go on.

You need to be careful the belt has not jumped a tooth while you installed it so double check everything lines up before tightening the tentioner pulley. Replace the lower cover then install the crank pulley and torque the 19mm crank pulley bolt to spec. Give the engine a turn or tow to make sure everything is running smoothly and that it hasn't jumped a tooth.

To set the tension, turn the crankshaft pulley counterclockwise 3 teeth then tighten the adjustment bolt.

Replace the middle cover followed by the valve cover and the spark plug wires. Be careful with the valve cover bolts as they are prone to breaking. replace the alternator, power steering and aircon belts and adjust the tension back to where it was.

Replace the splash guard, and the wheels.

 

 

This website has been gradually growing since I started it in early 2002. Originally I was simply documenting modifications and repairs to my car but I decided to publish it when I began to discover others were interested in the information. If you need help or have a how-to relating to Honda B series VTEC engines, or DA or DC2R Integras you can
email me.

While all care is taken to provide correct information, mistakes are occasionally made and I cannot be responsible for any damage that occurs to readers vehicles.