Timing Belt Advice...

[mcs32jr1968]

hey all, on my 3rd month with my "new" '89 Accord.

bought her with 76k original certified miles on her...now have 78k...

was considering changing the timing belt...the car runs great but I don't want to get caught "with my pants down" when she needs a new one...

previous owner didn't tell me if they did a previous timing belt change...thus the mystery...

so, am I driving a ticking time bomb and should change the timing belt ASAP or wait til I see some performance issues, THEN change it???

are there any tell-tale symptoms or some kind of warning indicating needing a new timing belt??

should I wait or go for the change just for peace of mind?

thanx and peace to all

mike from SoCal...(Hell-Lay)

[Bglad420]

I'd recommend changing it. If it's original that's 20+ year old rubber and seals on things. Make sure you get an OEM belt, and water pump. And while your at it do the front crank seal too, all with OEM Honda parts.

[YK86]

I'd definitely change it. It's an added piece of mind especially if you consider it will destroy your motor if it does fail. Unlike cars with timing chains where it'll tick or make noises when the chains stretch or the guides wear out, there are no signs of a belt going. They just break.

I'd do the cam and crank seal, timing belt and water pump. You will need something to hold the crank pulley (I use a chain strap wrench on these older Honda that don't use the hex tool to hold it), 19mm, 14mm, 12mm and 10mm sockets/wrenches and a 1/2drive breaker bar to get the crank bolt out. You can use an socket extension or pry bar between the hole to hold the water pump pulley and I usually use a pry bar through the cam gear to hold it while I loosen the 12mm bolt. But be careful where you wedge it, you don't want to damage the surface where the valve cover gasket goes. Cam seals are quite easy but the crank seal can be a bit of a pain. I use a big socket (32mm~36mm, can't remember) and a hammer to drive the new seal in but I do place the old seal in between the socket and new seal to prevent damage to the new one.

[Dr_Snooz]

Change it. Also add oil pump seals to the list. As old as yours are, they are probably hard and could fail. If they do, they will reduce oil pressure just enough to burn up your engine but not enough for the oil light to come on. That's how I lost my first engine.

[w261w261]

I'd definitely change it. It's an added piece of mind especially if you consider it will destroy your motor if it does fail. Unlike cars with timing chains where it'll tick or make noises when the chains stretch or the guides wear out, there are no signs of a belt going. They just break.

Well, there's a provocative statement, probably without intending to be. There's been many, many posts about the interference or not aspect of our motors. Gates says they are, most people that have torn them down and experienced breaks say not. So probably if the belt breaks your motor will just stop. But you don't want that to happen either. Change it out.

[YK86]

Hmmm.....sorry if I came across the wrong way. My friend way back when with an 86 stock EFI Lude (BT motor) broke his belt on the freeway and bent most of his valves so I always believed these were interference engines. I guess I made it sound over the top by saying it'll destroy the motor but bending the valves can be a potentially expensive fix.

I've also fixed a few Accords (A20's and F22's) that had broken the timing belt when they are about to drive out of the garage or driveway (low speed) and but didn't suffer any damage so I know there are cases for both sides of the coin.

But like you say, having it break unexpectedly is an inconvenience at the bare minimum, and even paying to tow it can be money that could have gone to a new belt and pump.