Upper Cover Timing Belt--Broken Bolt Housing...& Misc
 

Missing Parts! Important For Finishing Timing Belt Replacement Project???Mod, please move if this doesn't fall under "urgent" sub-forum. I would want to know if I need replacement parts now while I have all timing belt related parts removed and need to get the car running tomorrow.

Model: see signature

Issue #1:
The timing belt front upper cover is usually attached by 2 bolts to the rear/back upper cover [=BUC, which is between the cylinder head and the cam sprocket]. The front part [bolt area towards the radiator side] can no longer be bolted because the plastic sleeve/housing/tab of the BUC broke. The BUC houses the bolt's metal barrel that secures the bolt.

The BUC costs alot for just a stupid plastic back cover plate. Would there be any issue if that left bolt tab area is without a bolt attached in the long term? So, the front upper cover would only be secured with only one bolt [located towards the firewall side] remaining.


Issue #2:
The rubber seal around the tensioner main nut is missing. Would this be a problem?

Illustration Pictures of Parts below:
*Very annoying, new members can't include external link. Also, very frustrating experience here of attaching any image [e.g. size quota, but my attachment was clearly under maximum limits]

Illustration Pictures of Parts:
https://www.hondapartsnow.com/Page_P...-belt&Diagram=
item #3
11820-P0A-000
Cover, Timing Belt (Upper)

item #4 [BUC]
11830-PAA-800
Cover, Timing Belt Back
*the area affected is the bolt hole to the left of #16

item #22
tensioner adjusting nut rubber seal

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In care of...2000 Accord EX 2.3L sedan F23a4

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In care of...2000 Accord EX 2.3L sedan F23a4

???
OT: curious if this is bad for anything if I turn on the engine, while many parts are removed [timing, balancer & accessory drive belts, pulley tensioners, balancer drive & belt pulleys,]. I might have to wait for my brother to get some parts at the dealership and get a couple things done. I might want to heat up the engine and open up the heater core to drain possibly more coolant as well as help drain the oil for an oil filter change.

I can't be sure, but here's my thoughts...

Issue #1
How much flexibility does that leave in the upper covers? Both front and back upper cover? If those covers can vibrate much, then I would worry about fastening them somehow. You might have to get creative. Can you install the metal sleeve and the bolt anyway - fasten the front upper cover even while the back cover is broken?

Issue #2
I think that rubber washer serves 2 things. It keeps dirt out of there to some extent. Do you drive a lot in dusty areas? Gravel roads? Stuff like that? I also think it prevents the middle of that lower cover from vibrating like a drum. Seems like you can install that rubber washer after you get one. The stud (together with the belts) should hold both of the tensioner pulleys in place, so I don't think they'll fall apart if you're careful not to allow crank & cam to spin.

You really shouldn't turn the engine over with the belt off, as engine damage can happen (these are interference engines). While you had the belt off, did you change the water pump?
As for the belt cover screws, think about it a minute, you don't actually pull the covers off except once every 60,000 miles or 7 years (to replace the timing belt and water pump), so they can go back on, and use the correct screws for the cover. The missing rubber seal isn't a big worry, but it does keep the cover from rattling.

Oh, I really missed that part. DON'T try spinning anything with the timing belt removed. It's an interference engine and the pistons will hit the valves.

I skimmed over that statement by thinking about running the engine with the timing COVERS removed.

stealership quoted $95 for the back plate. WHOAAAAAAA! Fortunately, I found a replacement at a Pick N Pull junkyard as well as the rubber seal.

Yes, the rubber seal is installed / removed after the bottom cover is in place. It seems it can be found something similar at a local hardware store.

Upon closer inspection, the front upper cover forward bolt hole could probably be tied to a bolt nearby to minimize vibation/movement.

yes, I replaced alot of things [eg. water pump, TB & balancer belts, crank, balancer & cam seals, both tensioners] and will finish with valve cover gasket/plug seals/bolt grommets and oil filter change.

I ended up not turning the engine over as suggested.

I am almost finished. I might post another thread about a small inconsistency of aligning the marks on the rear balancer sprocket [whereas front balancer sprocket and crank sprocket are aligned] after putting on balancer belt.

Thanks everyone.

The rear balancer drive is confusing. I suspect the marks are only useful when you're first assembling the engine. And then those marks are confusing when you're replacing the belt.

Timing belt R&R procedure calls for putting a dowel or bolt into a hole in the back of the engine, holding the actual shaft in position. The sprocket is geared to the balance shaft, so each revolution of the shaft, the sprocket mark moves to a different position.

Actually the rear balance shaft is easy, in that you remove the cap/bolt, and insert a 7/32 long handle allen wrench into it to hold it in position. The front gear/shaft you look down on it for the line running across the top. The other gears can be a PIA to get exactly where you want, and you've got to get the bracket for the timing belt tensioner (back one) on that short dowel pin or it won't work like it's supposed to. I've done 3 F23a's and 1 F22b, and they're the same set up.

I meant the rear one is confusing in the sense that there's a mark on the sprocket which looks like a timing mark but you're supposed to ignore it and use a pin to hold the shaft in position.

Agreed. It is misleading.
OP, did you add the front balance shaft seal retainer while you were in there? If not, you can add it while the lower cover is off. I only mention it, as my wife's 2000 Accord spit that seal out in the driveway and dumped about 2-3 qts of oil in 30 feet at idle with no warning. I used the Dorman retainer from CarQuest on her's, but on the other 2 Accords I have here I got the retainer from Rock Auto for 1/2 the price (4.95 + shipping), versus 10.95 at CarQuest for the same part. However, I added the retainer in with the timing belt kit and some other bit's (like NGK spark plugs and wires, and other stuff).
Just something to think about.