So I originally planned to do this a year ago. Hurt my back. It's still hurt now but since my other 'new' car is showing totally unplanned problems I guess I have no choice but to go back and fix this one.

Have a timing belt and water pump (completely disintegrated gasket) to do. Bought the Eric the Car Guy video but didn't felt it showed me 100% of everything, although a few free youtube videos fill in the holes, sorta. Am going to TRY to do it this coming weekend - if it gets dragged out cuz I can't get the last few tools I need in time it will take longer. Really trying to do before the snow flies making it all a nightmare.

#1 how do I adjust the valve lash since i'm taking the valve cover off anyway?

#2 if my car doesnt have the oil seal retainer, can I just get one from a honda dealership or how does it work? i think it was a recall part but I dont know if the last timing belt was done by a dealer and wont know if it's on there until i'm halfway into it on a weekend.

#3 do I need the cam seal installer tool? do any places 'rent/borrow' those like they tend to the crank pulley bolts or is this something i have to just buy? Eric's video also suggests a 32mm deep well socket to install a second seal... unless people have alternate suggestions.

#4 if i find that the previous timing belt mechanic screwed up the... the... what is it called... i dont have the video right in front of me. The timing on the engine isn't just lining up a single rotation, like I think something rotates three times and another rotates twice... i'm sure when I rewatch the video i'll remember what it was. I guess I mean how do I verify everything is properly timed to what it should be, not just in a "running but wrong" state? Because it's about lining up 720 or 1080 degrees of rotation, not just 360, and I dont know what the last person did to it. I'd like to know either "yes this is just how it should be" or "here is how to correct it if not" instead of just putting a new belt in the same position of the old belt.


I'll ask more intelligent questions when I have my hands covered in grease and all the parts apart. The problem is... it will be too late to order parts to finish the job because i'm hoping to work on it friday and saturday, and drive back sunday, as this job is being done out of town. So this is to try and head off problems ahead of time.

 

1. Valve lash
Have you adjusted valves on any kind of engine before? Always the same basic idea - measure a gap with feeler gauges then there's some means to adjust it. Your rocker arms have a screw/nut adjustment over each valve stem.

4. Timing
Since you're changing the timing belts, the important thing is to get the NEW ones lined up correctly. Regardless if the old ones are correct or not. Does Eric's video refer back to the old belt's alignment? Or does it show how to do it right? You might want to get a download of the shop manual which has a good section on that.
The balance-shafts rotate twice for every crank, but they are only responsible for vibration. The rear shaft is funny with a gear drive, so you have to stick a pin (or drill bit?) into a hole to check it.

 

Hmmm not so sure I'd take a "try it and learn" approach on something like a timing belt. Even if you do everything and get it back together only to have it run like crap it obviously would need to come apart again and would you even know what your looking at to trouble-shoot? If you have it I'd part with the money for a qualified mechanic or even the dealer but that's just me. Had the dealer do mine at around 95,000 didn't do the water pump which was probably dumb of me but they said it looked fine. Ready to turn 147,000 miles and haven't skipped a beat yet. Yeah I know when/if the pump goes it all comes apart again guess I had a brain fart at the time trying to save a couple hundred bucks.

 

Replacing a timing belt requires removing a bunch of stuff, but it is definitely doable. Just take your time,

The first thing you need to remove is the crank pulley bolt, because this is the most difficult part of the job IMHO.


#1 how do I adjust the valve lash since i'm taking the valve cover off anyway?
This is easy to screw up. Measure the gap between the top of the valve and rocker arm using feeler gauges. Let us know if any are out of range. The exhaust gap and intake gap should be on a sticker under your hood.

#2 if my car doesnt have the oil seal retainer, can I just get one from a honda dealership or how does it work? i think it was a recall part but I dont know if the last timing belt was done by a dealer and wont know if it's on there until i'm halfway into it on a weekend.

The seal retainer is just a bracket that bolts to the block. If the seal backs out, the retainer keeps it in place, so you don't lose all of your oil.

#3 do I need the cam seal installer tool? do any places 'rent/borrow' those like they tend to the crank pulley bolts or is this something i have to just buy? Eric's video also suggests a 32mm deep well socket to install a second seal... unless people have alternate suggestions.

The proper sized socket will work. Just follow his instructions on how to get the depth correct. Getting the seal started straight helps. Also do not gouge the metal when removing the old seal.

#4 if i find that the previous timing belt mechanic screwed up the... the... what is it called... i dont have the video right in front of me. The timing on the engine isn't just lining up a single rotation, like I think something rotates three times and another rotates twice... i'm sure when I rewatch the video i'll remember what it was. I guess I mean how do I verify everything is properly timed to what it should be, not just in a "running but wrong" state? Because it's about lining up 720 or 1080 degrees of rotation, not just 360, and I dont know what the last person did to it. I'd like to know either "yes this is just how it should be" or "here is how to correct it if not" instead of just putting a new belt in the same position of the old belt.

The cam shaft sprocket turns 1 time per cycle. The 3/9 o'clock marks will line up with the cylinder head. The spoke of the camshaft pulley will have an up arrow stamped and should point up. Then you check the crank pulley is lined up to it's TDC mark. The crank turns 2 times per cycle.

 

I'll second on getting the crank bolt out being the hardest part of the job. My first experience with it was my wife's car, in that I broke two 6 inch extensions trying to get that bolt loose. I ended up breaking out the torch to heat it up. Someone before me used loctite on it... grrr. You also need the Honda crank pulley tool to hold the crank in place while trying to get that bolt loose. I bought mine from O'Reilly's (rented it for my son's Civic, and kept it, and have used it several more times since). After I get that bolt loose, I pull the left tire off for more room to work in. You'll also need most of the plastic inner wheel well removed, so you can access stuff.
Where did you get your belts from? Myself I got the belt and pump kit from Rock Auto, along with the retainer clip (cheapest place for the Dorman part everyone sells). That kit has everything you need, along with a very good set of instructions. Plan on spending 5 to 6 hours doing the timing belts and water pump alone. Everything I have says you need a 6mm bolt, screw, or pin that's 200mm long, but the last time I used a 7/32 long handled allen wrench. You use it to lock the rear balance shaft, as it's the main one for timing the balance shafts. Getting the cap/cover bolt out is a royal PIA, due to the limited access to it. The retaining clip goes on the front shaft, and I add the clip on every engine I do belts on, unless it already has one. It's cheap insurance, and 5 bucks thru Rock Auto. It's easy to do, as you remove 1 little bolt, slip it in place, and re-install the bolt. Best done with the covers off.
Pull the plug wires and plugs out, then bring the engine up to it's timing marks. Start with removing the belts, then replace the water pump, then finish the belt swap, and adjust the tensioners, and read the instructions carefully. Double check and even triple check your work. The first time I did the belts, I was nervous, but I needed to replace a leaking water pump. The instruction sheet said 4 hours to do the job, and it took me 5, so I didn't feel too bad. It was my first time doing timing belts on a Honda, and my first time ever messing with a balance shaft belt. On my 99 Accord, I got that time down to 3.5 hours, but I didn't change the water pump. I still have the new pump, but the old one is still going so I'll change it when it acts up. I do have a spare car to use too.
Good luck with it, take you time, make sure you have several 10mm sockets, some 17mm sockets (shallow and deep, along with 1/2" drive), a 19mm socket (for the crank bolt), a 5/8th plug socket, some 12mm wrenches and 6 point sockets. I use my 1/4 drive set for most of it, but also my 1/2 drive stuff too. Shop air is handy as well, and a torch is a good rust buster. A breaker bar and 3 foot cheater pipe come in handy for getting the crank bolt loose too.

 

I just did a tb on my 1997 accord..i also have Eric's video..i dont even use my crank holding tool..i just shove some vacuum hose down a cylinder just like eric did. I used a little screw driver to lock balance shaft...i guess the hardest part for me was the lower tb cover..

 

Another way to deal with the crankshaft pulley is have a local garage break it loose, then tighten it just enough to drive home. With a powerful-enough air impact driver it can come off in a few seconds.

 

The thing is Honda says to oil the threads, then tighten it to 150 ft lbs. On my 99 Accord, that bolt came loose, the crank key walked out of the gear, and moved the timing enough where it barely ran. That bolt holds it all in place. My wife's 00 Accord had that bolt loctited instead of oiled.
You'd think so, but my Ingersol didn't want to budge it. A 3 foot piece of pipe on my 1/2" breaker bar cracked it loose though.

 

Absolutely not. Hence why i'm not sure. But if all it is is shoving those thin strips in there that doesn't sound too hard - if someone wants to shoot me a recommended video (since youtube is full of bad videos too - i'm going to post a review of the timing belt videos I watched, including some with bad advice, in the preparation for this job for others) i'm all ears.

Well the oil pump apparently turns 1080 degrees with one rotation of the crank. Plus like you said balance shafts are 720 degrees. So there are three possible 'positions' for the pump and two for teh balance shafts they can be rotated in. Obviously I dont care if the current way was timed wrong, but it's the reason I may not want to just replace the belt EXACTLY the way the previous one was - the previous one might have been done wrong, or a tooth off, i'd love a way to know for sure if I could whats right. This car had some other neglected maintenance, and I dont know if it ever had fully competent maintenance.

I didn't rewatch the video, but I still had this question typed out after I last watched the video last year - so i'm assuming he didn't answer it to my satisfaction. I know I liked the way other people on youtube marked up cranks and belts to be more sure you have the alignment absolutely right though - which is why when I post a review of videos i'll tell people about that.


Oh and I know all about the crank pulleys - I broke that loose last year with all the drama of a large man jumping on a six foot cheater bar until it finally let loose with a SPROING like out of a movie.

I'm curious how much i'm supposed to retighten it when going back on tho.

 

Dont have a choice. Poverty to the point of "i have no running water in my house for years" and i'm not kidding. I did the same with a clutch job and that turned out flawless. I have multiple other junk cars and the timing belt on this one is LESS problem than any other car I can currently fix.

Yeah I hope so too, as long as i'm slow and methodical like when I did my clutch i'm hoping i'll be okay. Crank pulley is already off from last year.

Right, but if it doesn't even have one, I was curious what my followup was... maybe this never had it installed. I wont know until i'm into the engine, but wanted to know what to do if I find it's missing this part that wasn't added til after a recall it may not have had done. (or may have lost in the last timing belt job)

Okay I picked up a 32mm deep well socket... tho was still wondering on the cam seal installer tool...


#4 if i find that the previous timing belt mechanic screwed up the... the... what is it called...
I rewatched some segments, apparently the oil pump turns 1080 degrees for one rotation of the crank? I'm less worried about the crank/cam alignment, I can see markings on those and can highlight them with marker pen, it's just the oil pump and the balance shafts at this point which could seem to be lined up but actually be 360 degrees out of proper phase/i've heard of them running... although perhaps it would be more obvious if that were the case. (I dont know what an oil pump being out of time would be like either)