Cambelt

[ilchkai]

Hello everyone,

i have a question concerning changing the cambelt in my 1.5 civic lsi (1995).

does anyone have experience with this - is it an easy job to do? ("easy" is relative, i have little experience with mechanical work)
is it advisable to do it DIY, or is it a good idea to go to a proper garage? (i have been quoted between 160-200 pounds, including VAT - is that reasonable?) finally is it worth it going to a honda dealer, rather than an independent?


thanks in advance,

kai

p.s.: i am new to this, not just the forum, but also to driving and my little civic, so please apologise if this is a silly question or has been asked lots of times before (i did a quick search of the forum but was none the wiser)

[Dimplyred]

Hi and welcome to civinfo.

Although this forum is for the new shape civic there are owners who have had previous generation civics, so they may be able to help you.

If you have little experience with mechanical work, if I were you, I'd get the dealer to do it.

[Unknownsoldier]

Try a car manual (haynes or the like) and see what it look likes, it may well be an easy job (simple lossening replace retighten job), and get the parts from GSF or somewhere similar. Haynes are alway handy, especially with an older car, cos' at least you can fault find with them (I found mine invaluable on my last car).

Tom

[Palindrome]

Without checking I'm not exactly sure if your vehicle has a cambelt.

If it has I would recommend having it changed by a garage because replacing the belt involves ensuring the belt tension is correct and more importantly the valve timing has to be exactly set, if not this can cause catastrophic damage to your engine.

The price quoted seems fair,for piece of mind I'd go for it.

Cheers
Chris

[Jeroen1000]

Chris, doesn't every car have a cambelt? Be it a chain or a rubber one. Something has to time the opening and closing of the valves?

Now, more on topic:

I paid about 160 euro's to have mine replaced (civic 1.4 si '96). I do not know how much of this will apply to your Civic but it seems to be straightforward for Civic from this period. Most of the time Honda do not replace everything: The waterpump and the pins and bolt's (sorry don't know how they are called in English) do not always need replacing the first time the belt is replaced (normally at 100 000 km or +- 62000 miles). Future replacements would require the extra work done (which would increase the price).

It is easy to do this yourself but I would strongly recommend against it. If the belt is misplaced more than one or two 'teeth' it will in most cases severely damage your engine! Not to mention you could get into a serious accident...

Have it done by a Honda dealer, where you will get at least a pro and warranty. This is one of the most error prone things to replace. In Belgium other garages refused and sent me to Honda for the reasons stated above.

[ilchkai]

excellent!! thanks a lot for all of your advice guys, much appreciated!!

kai

[Palindrome]

Originally Posted by Jeroen1000

Chris, doesn't every car have a cambelt? Be it a chain or a rubber one. Something has to time the opening and closing of the valves?

Now, more on topic:

I paid about 160 euro's to have mine replaced (civic 1.4 si '96). I do not know how much of this will apply to your Civic but it seems to be straightforward for Civic from this period. Most of the time Honda do not replace everything: The waterpump and the pins and bolt's (sorry don't know how they are called in English) do not always need replacing the first time the belt is replaced (normally at 100 000 km or +- 62000 miles). Future replacements would require the extra work done (which would increase the price).

It is easy to do this yourself but I would strongly recommend against it. If the belt is misplaced more than one or two 'teeth' it will in most cases severely damage your engine! Not to mention you could get into a serious accident...

Have it done by a Honda dealer, where you will get at least a pro and warranty. This is one of the most error prone things to replace. In Belgium other garages refused and sent me to Honda for the reasons stated above.

Hi Jeroen1000
99% of cars have either a cambelt or timing chain, in most cases the chain is fitted for life and does not need to be changed during general maintainence.
But it is essential to replace the timing belt(cam belt) as you have, at the recommended service schedule.
Cheers
Chris