Timing belt change for my 1996 Accord

I finally changed the timing belt for my 1996 Accord LX this past
weekend. With Honda manual, I still made a small mistake. Had to redo
it to realign balance shaft belt. Learned a few lessons/tips, I would
like to share with first time timing belt DIY.

My car has 67K miles, both belts showed no signs of wears. I should
have waited till 90k. Head cover gasket definitely needs to be
replaced. With the special pulley tool and a 5 feet long steel pipe,
removing crank pulley bolt is very easy. Taking off the lower cover
even if all bolts are removed is hardest part of the job, making one
to curse Honda engineering #$@%&.

I would like to share the pictures of how to removing crank pulley if
anyone is interested.

 

It is said by pros and amateurs alike that a worn timing
belt will not at all necessarily reveal itself through
eyeball inspection.

You did right to replace it using the time interval.

How much did you pay for the tool?

 

I paid $35 for the pully tool. I am going to list it on ebay.

 

I love to ask post those pictures but it sounds like a hard job and I
don't want to get tempted

 

Is picture posting allowed on this board?

 

If this were the alt.autos.studebaker, we'd be jumpin' with joy as that
group is in the top fifty for photos even though it isn't a binary
group.

That said, probably not a good idea on this group.

I would suspect that with a good manual, a minimal mechanical ability
level and perseverance, it would not be that great of a challenge. Of
course, I suspect that this task is easier for my '83 Civic.

Congrats on getting the job done. You save yourself a nifty piece of
change that you might want to spend foolishly on something else...

JT

 

This is not a binary group. I can post the pics for you on the Unofficial
FAQ. Email me.

 

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Ten years is plenty old for a TB.

If I understand it correctly, the secret to getting the lower cover off
is to have BOTH front wheels hanging down. It moves some of the
suspension out of the way. Jack stands should be used anyway.

'Curly'

 

I installed balance belt incorrectly on Saturday. The was more nosier
on Sunday. So I had to took everything apart and reinstall balance belt
on Monday.

I made mistake in align rear balance pulley because there are two
positions that I can insert the lock pin (I used an a 6 mm allen
wrench). Honda manual did not mention the mark on the rear balance
pulley. I was perplexed for a while on Monday. I examined the rear
balance pulley very thoroughly and found the notch on the pulley. I
also found the mark on the block. I then aligned the notch and the mark
and was able to insert the lock pin. Then I reinstalled the balance belt.

I just want share my experience so others doing it first time will not
make the same mistake.

83 Civic does not have balance belt, so it should be easier than 96
Accord. I also uesd correction fluid and made extra marks to help me
align the timing belt.

 

I thought so before I removed the belt. However, I can not find a
finest hair line crack even if I bent/fold the belt in any direction.
All tooth are perfect.