sleeperz

For my 2002 Honda Civic DX, it recommends to change the timing belt at 176,000KM or 7 years. The mileage right now is 120,000 so obviously the year takes precedence. Anyone know what month/year the 2002 civic was released? I mean, was it released in 2001 or was it actually released in 2002? Anyone know??

chris_v2

That 170xxxkm is with the 'ideal' driving conditions. (in the south, no salt, no severe temperature changes, no oil/coolant residue, the list goes on..)

There is a severe service mileage set by the manufacter which is actually a lot lower.. which is what you should go by. I'm not sure what mileage that is on an 02 civic though. Regardless, you should do it. I recommend all my customer timing belts to be changed at 100,000km. Better save than sorry..

sleeperz

Actually in my manual it says to use the 100,000KM guide if you drive your car over 43 degrees (we don't see that in Toronto) and under -29 - What, we may have had that twice this year...

On a side note, I changed my timing belt on my 99SI at 142,000KM and there were not any cracks on it or anything...

chris_v2

Belts don't have to have cracks to be worn. The cords internally become weak and fail. A visual inspection can be very mis-leading.

And if you want to change it every 176,000km that's fine. The reason I recommend 100,000km is because I have seen many timing belt failures with not much more than 100,000km. And btw.. our climate is not that far off from what the manual states is 'severe'. Why risk it?

chris_v2

btw the DOB of your car is on your door jam

sleeperz

Really? Timing belt failures around 100,000KM on Honda's? I guess I'm a bit hesitant because I just did one on a 99SI, which cost a pretty penny...

Let me ask you this... My powertrain warrenty expires in 2009. Let's say the timing belt does break, will I be covered? Technically I should be because I'm going by the book, right?

chris_v2

Zeeman's OEM honda belt failed with not even 50,000km on it (I believe) I'm sure he'll make a post tomorrow about that.

Usually, when a honda belt fails, I see it around the 140-160xxx mark, but I have seen some fail prematurely at the low 100,000km mark, but that's pretty rare. On the other hand, i've seen some last 200,000km.. so really its at your discretion.

With regards to warranty, I've seem dealerships snake their ways out of a lot of warranty work with b/s excuses. I would assume if you go by the book then all will be good, but you'll have to end up doing the job anyways, so why not do it sooner than later?

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

agreed, sooner rather than later! i use the 'severe service' guidelines for my service intervals, it refers to trips shorter than 16 kms, or in freezing temps (in my 98 manual).

and no, odds are you wouldn't be covered by warranty if you neglected maintenance, so double check your maintenance interval (i'm pretty sure in mine it specifically says use 'severe service' for all of Canada).

zeeman

iTrader: (1)

ya OEM belt broke after 2 years (less than 50,000kms) and it was installed by a licensed mechanic. So for me, i replace my timing belt (not with an OEM one) every 2 years regardless. I'm so lucky my engine wasn't killed when it broke, i was cruising on the highway at 4000rpms (120km/hr on a b16) when it let go.

seanv98

Zeeman, which brand do you use for your timing belt? As for changing it on the '02 civic, my dad has an '01 and the manual does say after 100K, but not sure the exact #. He has 124K on his and I keep telling him to get it done, he has the parts already and more than enogh time to have it done. If you have the time and the money, get it done close to 100k. It's not worth losing a motor over.

sleeperz

I looked at the stickers there, and I could not find any date of any sort...

sleeperz

Hmmm, well considering that timing belts seem to break at different intervals, and are driven under the same temperatures, I'm going to take a guess here and say it depends on how the car is also driven. I mean, I find it odd that the same belt under the same weather conditions are breaking at different intervals... If the car is driven hard, it is bound to break sooner.

sleeperz

Well, when I found out the DOB of the car and if I don't have to change the belt for another 6-9 months then I would rather wait than spend $500.00 right off the bat... I'll call Honda Canada tomorrow and question the warrenty to see if they would cover it just incase something did ever happen...

chris_v2

it'll say on the top left corner (i think) something like 10/01 or 04/02 (the month and the year). It says it.. trust me.

chris_v2

different start up intervals, where they drive, climate, driving style (like you said), how high they revv it, etc all play a part how long the belt lasts. Also, not every belt is made EXACTLY the same.

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

Honda is aware of that, that's why they set the service interval so it covers a great majority of the cars out there, given the distribution of drivers, conditions, and belts. On my car the interval is 100K kms, and I've never seen a belt fail prior to 100K. If you choose to push your luck, go for it, it's not my car.

Besides, why are you asking this anyways... read your manual.

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

ok i just checked the manual for your car, in canada under severe service, the recommended interval is 176,000 kms.

the build date on the car is in the dr side door jamb.

DrewHaran

where can i find a good mechanic in the Greater Toronto Area?

chris_v2

All you're going to hear is 'affiliates'.

Honestly.. go to any CAA approved shop. For a shop to be CAA approved (its a long process), they will be very competent. Esp. for a honda timing belt which is gravy with a side order of pie