Proper preventive maintenance will keep your vehicle running much longer then waiting for things to go wrong and trying to fix them after they break. This is especially true when it comes to your car’s timing belt and water pump.
You should follow your manufacturer’s recommendations as to when to perform the replacement of your timing belt but most vehicles are approximately every 80-100,000 miles OR every 5 years. Considering Years along with Miles is important if you do not drive the vehicle that often because over time the belt will degrade.
Because of Belt material formulations Timing belts since 1995 have a “look good until catastrophic fail” appearance so you can not tell by looking at them in the same way you can your alternator or other accessory belts. Miles and Years Count.
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In this howto we will cover most of the steps that are required to replace both the timing belt and water pump on an average 4 and 6 cylinder vehicle. Since every vehicle is different you will need a shop service manual to provide detailed specifications for your engine including torque specs and the order in which steps must be performed.
This job should be considered an advanced (but not a professional only) procedure and you should be well versed in the use of hand and air tools to complete the job correctly. If you have never performed this job before it is important that you review your Manufacturer’s Service Manuals long enough that you can repeat back the steps in your mind knowing exactly how you will do the job before you get started.
If you have never performed this job before you can expect it to take a good 6 to 10 hours depending on your skill level and any additional steps that must be completed, including any unknown repairs you must make. Once you have learned the procedure and feel comfortable it should take 4 to 6 hrs.
The engine that we will be working on is a Honda 1.5 liter single overhead cam engine in a 1990 Honda Civic CRX. Performing this procedure on this engine is neither the most difficult or easiest engine to work on. Since the vehicle is a single overhead cam engine there will be only one timing belt to replace. In Double overhead VTech or other manufacturer’s designs there may be two or even 3 belts to replace depending on how the water pump is is driven.
You will notice the HowTo is covering both the Timing Belt and Water Pump and if your engine’s water pump is driven by your timing belt rather then an external accessory fan type belt it is important to replace both the timing belt and water pump during servicing of either item.
This engine will also have its Tensioner Pulley replaced since the vehicle is over 5 years old and 150,000 miles. Tensioner Pulleys can be ordered separately or with your belt kit.
Other parts will also be replaced including the valve cover gasket and accessory belts for the alternator and air conditioning. You should consider replacing any part that you remove if it is close to its end of life.
Tools
In addition to a good basic tool kit you may need a variety of special tools to complete this job. Specifically on Honda engines you will most likely need a crank pulley stabilizer tool to stop the rotation of the crank so you can remove the bolt with your impact wrench or breaker bar.
Copy of your Manufacturer’s Shop Manual
Floor Jack to raise vehicle and later support the engine.
Jack Stands to support the front end of the car
4 Wheel Chocks to keep the back tires from rolling
A full selection of:
Metric standard 1/2″ 6 point sockets
Metric hand wrenches
Metric 1/2″ Impact Sockets
1/2″ Torque Wrench – Foot Pounds
1/2″ Breaker Bar and Extensions to 3feet
3/4″ Pipe to fit on end of Breaker Bar 4 feet long
1/2″ Impact Wrench rated 500 Ft lbs or better
Air Compressor the bigger the better 5hp minimum
Small Wire Brush, Sandpaper, Scraper
Basic tool kit with a good set of screwdrivers, pliers, etc.
Parts & Supplies
Timing Belt and Tensioner Pulley
Water Pump
Valve Cover Gasket
1 Gallon Antifreeze
Air Conditioning Belt
Alternator Belt
Liquid Wrench / Penetrating Oil
1 can Engine Enamel Spray Paint
Tube of Anti-Seize Compound
Liquid Typewriter Mistake Whiteout
1 Can Spray Oil or Lithium Grease
1 Can Carburetor Cleaner
If you will be replacing any other parts such as an alternator or other belts have them ready before you begin.
Getting Started
Preparations
The day before you perform the work you will want to hit every nut and bolt you can with penetrating oil. This is a special thin oil that will get into tight threads and help break free fasteners that have rust.
You will also want to review your supplies and check your wrenches for fit. You may find that you need to purchase a 6 point socket not included in your basic set and its better to know that before you get started.
Raising The Vehicle
On Honda vehicles it is necessary to remove the motor mount that passes through the Timing Belt this is true for many engines. If you need to remove the motor mount then you will need to support the front of the vehicle evenly on jack stands.
Place a jack stand on both sides of the vehicle under the jacking point on the frame which is usually located just in front of the front door.
Place two wheel chocks on each rear wheel to reduce the chance of the vehicle moving as you work on it. Some of the bolts can be very tight and this will rock the vehicle so it is important to use the emergency brake and wheel chocks.
Once the vehicle is supported you will need to remove the drivers side front wheel and the engine splash guard to get access to the engine and crank bolt.
Loosen Crank and Engine Mount Bolts
Before you get too deep into removing your accessories you must test if you can loosen your Crank Bolt and Engine Mount Bolts they are the tightest ones and may require you to take your vehicle to a service station to get them broke free.
Using a set of 1/2 inch 6 point impact wrench sockets and a large breaker bar loosen and retighten your motor mount bolts. You may need to backup the opposite side with a standard hand wrench.
If the bolt or nut won’t break free then you can try heating the nut with a propane torch (not the bolt) and or adding a 3 foot long pipe to the end of your breaker bar.
Don’t use your regular socket wrench or 3/8ths tools or you will most likely damage the drive or rip the tip of the socket mount off your wrench.
This was the case with the honda crx that is being worked on in this howto. The Crank Bolt had froze so tight that even a large compressor and impact wrench could not remove the bolt. A trip to the dealer on a Saturday morning and $50 got it broke free then re-tightened with a special tool and two guys on a huge breaker bar.
Once you know you can break your bolts free retighten and move on to disassembly of your accessories and belts.
Disassemble Accessories
To get to your water pump and timing belt you will need to remove your accessory belts and most likely remove one or more of your Alternator, Power Steering Pump, Air Conditioning Compressor.
Along with the belts and accessories you will need to remove brackets that mount these items and restrict access to your Timing Belt Cover.
Both the Air Compressor and Alternator Brackets and accessories needed to be removed on our honda and because the bolts were slightly frozen a propane torch was used to heat the cast iron threaded part.
Heat causes the item to expand so don’t heat the bolt heat the part the bolt is inserted into or the nut and the bolt will break free.
Remove The Valve Cover
With your accessories and motor mount removed and after you have tested that you can get your crank bolt off you can be pretty sure that all of the hard work is done. To remove the timing belt cover will require removing the valve cover.
Many mechanics simply remove the bolts and pry the cover up about a half inch so the lip of the timing belt cover can be freed but since one of our spark plug seals is leaking we will remove the valve cover and replace the gasket.
Begin by using masking tape and a sharpy to number your spark plug wires. This is not extremely necessary on a 4cyl but it is good practice and will make sure you don’t cross your wires when you replace them.
Remove your wires and plugs then remove thesix to nuts that hold the valve cover in place.
Ground Wire
As you can see there are two mounting points for the ground wire strap that is attached to the valve cover. One is attached to the valve cover mounting bolt the other is to a side bolt. Remove both then put the side bolt back in the valve cover so you don’t lose it.
Cover it with Plastic Wrap
I can not stress this trick more then any other. When you remove your valve cover you will be exposing some pretty delicate surfaces of your cam and oil return ports that if something fell into them they would be deep inside your engine.
Using Kitchen Plastic Wrap use a few sheets to completely cover the valve and cam area. Take your time and do it right and you won’t go insane when you drop something or a piece of gasket shoots across the garage and into your engine.
If you need to leave the valve cover off overnight this is not a suggestion this is a must… no actually this is just always a must.
Remove The Motor Mount
On vehicles with a 4 cylinder or 6 cyl inverse mount engine design the engine and transmission are both located in the engine compartment. Only one of 4 or more mounts in your engine bay needs to be removed however you will still need to support the engine so it will not sag.
With the front end of your vehicle already supported on jack stands place a wood block on your floor jack and raise the jack until it makes contact with the oil pan or other surface of the block. Make sure that you stay well away from any sensors.
Make sure that you are not lifting the engine with the jack or it will cause trouble when removing the engine mount bolts.
Remove the bolts and the engine mount bracket to gain access to the timing belt cover and allow removal of the timing belt.
Removing the Crank Pulley & Bolt
If you followed the suggestion above you know that the crank bolt is one of the hardest bolts to get off of an engine and you probably spent 20 minutes or longer getting it free then re tightening it.
Aligning Top Dead Center
Before you can set the rotation of your crank to top dead center you will need to find the index marks on your crank pulley. There are most likely 4 notches that are color indexed. You will need to read your manual to find out which mark is the correct one to line up.
By rotating the crank pulley in the direction of normal rotation align this notch with your timing pointer on your timing belt cover.
Alternate Method
Honda engines also have TDC marks and pointers on the cam shaft pulley. In this howto we will use these markings to alingn TDC.
Remove the crankshaft pulley and bolt making sure to not lose the rectangular key pin that keeps the pulley aligned to the crankshaft.
Now you can remove the upper and lower timing belt covers.
Look for the TDC markings on the face of the camshaft pulley. There are 3 separate indicators we are looking for.
Look for the word Up and rotate the crankshaft to turn the camshaft until the UP is in the up position.
There are two horizontal marks that should align to the flat surface of the Head. This may be slightly out of horizontal to the floor of your garage because of the way the engine is mounted in the engine compartment. Align the marks to the Head.
Look for the final TDC indicator that should be located about 7 o’clock on the face of the camshaft pulley. This mark should align to a plastic plate that is mounted to the engine under the camshaft pulley.
Align these marks as close as you can.
MARK THE POSITIONS OF THE CAMSHAFT AND CRANKSHAFT WITH WHITE LIQUID TYPEWRITER CORRECTION FLUID.
Place a mark on the metal part of the camshaft pulley and a corresponding mark on the head.
Place a mark on the Crankshaft sprocket and a corresponding mark on your oil pan.
When making the marks they must be aligned the best you can and thin. This will allow you to line up the camshaft and crankshaft locations later if they move during installation of your timing belt.
Removing The Timing Belt
Only after you have marked the positions of your camshaft and crankshaft can you proceed to remove your timing belt.
A self tensioner pulley is mounted to your engine to help you set the slack in your timing belt. You will notice that it is the only pulley that has no notches to accept the belt teeth.
A bolt in the center of the pulley rides in a elongated hole which allows you to pull the pulley to tension the belt then tighten the bolt to hold it in place. There is also a spring which helps load the pulley.
These pulleys do need to be replaced and a way to check for this is to listen for noise when you roll the bearing. If noise is heard you need to replace it. You should replace the tensioner pulley every other time that you replace the Timing Belt.
If this is the first time you have changed the belt on a vehicle with over 150,000 miles you should change the tensioner pulley.
To remove your Timing Belt loosen the center bolt on the tensioner pulley and using your hand force the pulley into the open position.
Now retighten the bolt and the tensioner will be held in the open position. This should not require a prybar or screwdriver.
Never press a screwdriver or prybar into or on the timing belt or this may cause damage which will shorten its life.
Replacing the Water Pump
If you did not drain the antifreeze fluid from your radiator begin by draining the fluid by opening the petcock screw on the bottom of your radiator. The petcock is a wingnut type drain plug that can be open and closed by hand.
Use a kitty litter pan to catch the fluid.
A good trick is to keep the cap on the radiator and then crack it open to control the rate of flow of the draining liquid. If you take the cap off completely the fluid will rush out however you can control it and reduce splatter by keeping your hand on the cap as the fluid drains.
As soon as you have drained all the fluid replace the Petcock valve so you don’t lose it. If your radiator plug is not removable then close the petcock now so it won’t leak later when refilling.
Removing the Water Pump
Before you remove the pump place a pan under the engine to catch about 1/2 gallon of antifreeze fluid which will escape when you take the pump off.
Your water pump should be held on by 4 or more 10mm bolts. Because the bolts are relatively long they often bind and will require some effort to break them free. Use a six point socket to break the bolts free then remove them one at a time and lay them out in the order which you removed them. This is important because often water pump bolts differ in length. If in doubt place each bolt into the new pump as you remove them.
The water pump should still be affixed to the engine block and will need some slight persuasion to remove it.
A rag should help you get a good grip if not then tap the pump very lightly with the wooden end of a hammer. Once it it cracked free you can use your hand to remove it.
Prepare and install the new pump
A rubber o-ring is used as a gasket on this water pump and as you can see there are notches on the pump to help keep the o-ring in place. If you have an actual gasket apply it to the pump with a small amount of gasket adhesive.
Always remember when placing a gasket if it is necessary to use adhesive only apply the gasket to the part you are removing and not to the engine block. This way the gasket will stay with the part when you remove it and not require scraping of the engine block which could cause damage.
Prep the water pump bolts by wire brushing any corrosion from the threads. Clean them then apply a good amount of anti seize compound. At the very least you must use a general purpose grease to protect the treads from corrosion and freezing.
Cleaning the block surface
If your water pump uses an o-ring your engine block surfaces should be relatively clean. The surface is machined and must not be damaged by aggressive scraping or sandpapers. Use a paper towel and a plastic scraper if necessary to clean the area and remove all deposits before you install the pump.
Install the pump by placing it flush against the block surface. You will notice that there is a lip around the pump which provides a secure mount but the pump will stand out a tiny amount because the O-ring needs to be compressed.
Make sure the pump is evenly in the block and not skewed then begin by inserting your water pump bolts and tightening them finger tight.
Using an X pattern go from opposite side to the other and around the pump tightening the bolts with a torque wrench to about 20-25 foot pounds using the exact spec provided in your shop manual.
Once the pump is installed wash down the front of the engine timing belt area with a wet towel then dry the area completely with compressed air.
Replacing the Timing Belt Tensioner
Since this is at least the third belt which has been installed on this vehicle the timing belt tensioner will also be replaced.
Although this is a simple device you want to take a moment and look closely at how the spring is attached to the tensioner. On our honda the spring has a looped end that mounts on a pin in the engine block about 4 inches to the top left of the tensioner and then a J end that fits through a hole in the tensioner. The important part is to note does the spring J end come through from the back or front. If you mix it up the spring may get bound and not provide the correct tension.
Remove the center bolt from the old tensioner and remove the tensioner with spring.
Lay the two pieces on a flat surface then transfer the spring to the new tensioner.
Apply anti seize compound to the tensioner bolt threads.
Install the new tensioner by first attaching the looped spring end to the engine block pin then inserting the bolt.
Apply downward pressure to push the tensioner into the open position to allow the new belt to slip on easily.
Reinstalling The Timing Belt
Finally after all this work you get to reinstall your new timing belt.
First check the positions of your camshaft and crankshaft marks you made before you removed the belt. They should not have moved if you worked carefully but if they have move them back into position. It is very important that you install the belt exactly how the old one came off and being out of position even one tooth on either the cam or crank will cause timing problems and make your engine run poorly or maybe not at all.
Begin by installing the long length of the belt on the left side of the cam and crank. When the belt teeth line up correctly the belt should be tight on this side.
Continue installing the belt over the water pump and around the back of the tensioner pulley.
Release the center bolt on the tensioner pulley and pull the pulley up to tighten the belt. Now retighten the tensioner belt bolt to hold your belt in place.
At this point the belt should feel tight all around the cam crank water pump and tensioner pulley but your manufacture will have a specific procedure to verify proper tension.
Our honda manual says that the cam shaft pulley should be rotated 3 teeth on the belt with the tensioner loose and then re-tightened while a wrench is keeping pressure on the cam and belt.
After this it is suggested that the engine be rotated 4 times in the normal direction of rotation and then the process of rotating 3 teeth, keeping pressure on the belt with a wrench and pulling up on the tensioner and tightening it is used to take any slack out that may have been caused by the belt not being aligned correctly.
You must read and follow the exact directions found in your manufacturer’s shop manual for proper tensioning.
After following the proper procedure for tensioning your belt rotate the crank back to Top Dead Center TDC and recheck your Timing Marks on your cam and crank pulley.
Important once you have finished the final tensioning you must use a torque wrench to tighten your tensioner bolt. Use your manufacture’s specs of approximately 45 foot pounds. You do not want this bolt overtightened or coming loose.
Checking Your Work
At this point if you have done everything correctly it will be a matter of replacing all of your accessories and covers but before you do so you should check your work and make sure the car’s timing is what you expect … meaning it has not changed.
Reattach your crank pulley and bolt along with the timing belt positioning washer.
Install your motor mount bolts.
If your valve cover and spark plug wires are disconnected mount the cover and wires temporarily remove the plastic wrap if you used it to protect this area.
Start your engine and allow it to run for no more then 10 to 15(max) seconds to make sure that the timing is correct.
Your engine should run smoothly with no out of timing or vibration.
Checking your work at this point is a good idea and will take more then a few minutes to get things back together enough to start the engine but if there is a problem it is best to know now.
Recheck your timing belt tension.
Completing the job
To finish the job now that you have checked everything is working is basically just putting everything back together.
Since you have your timing cover off you should look for signs of seal leaks. A small amount of gummy buildup from your belt breaking down mixed with a small amount of oil is not a big problem as long as it is dry but if you see your crank seal is moist it will probably need replacing sometime in the near future.
Rubber seals especially for your timing belt can be reused without problem but for $15 it is not a bad idea to replace your valve cover gasket or any gasket in a tube or compressed gasket.
When tightening bolts you want to use your torque wrench. All good manuals should have torque specs for every bolt and using these specs along with anti seize compound will assure the job is done right. Bolts that are over tightened can strip or seize and this is not something you will want to deal with later. Bolts that are too loose risk other problems and you want to pay close attention to your tensioner bolt and crank bolt.
In this Howto we inspected every part that was removed and painted any surfaces that were rusted and applied anti seize lubricant to each bolt. It is important that you take time and do the work to the best of your ability and go the extra step that a mechanic may not take when getting paid by the hour.
Other HowTos will cover individual components at a deeper level please refer to them as needed.