timing belt

[andiiso]

hey guys, ive bought my car for bout 8months now or so and right at start i noticed my timing belt was too tight (along with the power steering belt aswell which already snapped my pulley bolt thing and ive had that replaced and belt replaced too) and i know its too tight cos of the "wurrr" like high pitch-ness noise it makes when i rev a lil etc ..

a few people have told me when the timing belt is too tight it wont harm anything but it will wear out faster then it should (correct if wrong please)

and since i dun got service records etc ill assume the timing belt was changed at 100,000km and ive now done 174xxxkm .. and since they say it wear out faster should i change asap now or it should be safe till bout 180xxxkm ? (could help out by telling me what the wear status is when a timing belt is too tight like how much more wear does it cause ie. how many kms does it reduce off the "average" of 100xxxkm) because i know for sure i aint gonna wait till 200xxxkm because i know a timing belt always different on different car etc, some may need replacing as soon as 80xxx-90xxx km, some last till 100xxx-110xxx even though not recommended. and in my case i dont think itll be the one to last past 100xxx since its on too tight.

and this is for a 96 ek4

thanks for help guys or any discussion on this topic will be appreciated.
andiiso

[EuroDude]

Having it too tight puts excessive stress on the belt and increase the chance of snapping. I would get a mech to re-adjust it asap. If the belt looks frayed or cracked or worn, you should replace it.

All civic engines are of "interference" type, so if it snaps, u can blow the pistons requiring an expensive engine rebuild.

[CRXer]

Some mechanics actually put them on too tight to begin with cos they loosen up over time,but if yours is still too tight after 74,000ks Id def have it inspected at the least.

[ECU-MAN]

change your timing belt, have it set right then you can have peice of mind.

All civic engines are of "interference" type, so if it snaps, u can blow the pistons requiring an expensive engine rebuild.

some civics are free running

[andiiso]

yer cos instead of me worrying bout the snapping in the next 10xxxkms i may aswell just change it so i dun b so worried and better safe then sorry. There goes my 2-3weeks of money haha but is there any wrong things in what i said in my first post ? like wears out faster etc

[ECU-MAN]

it shouldnt be expensive, all depends where you take it.

[16CTEG]

i was 60,000km late for my timing belt n she was still strong! didnt look like breaking. honda timing belts will last 180,000 kms but 100,000 is a precausion thing

[panda[cRx]]

yer cos instead of me worrying bout the snapping in the next 10xxxkms i may aswell just change it so i dun b so worried and better safe then sorry. There goes my 2-3weeks of money haha but is there any wrong things in what i said in my first post ? like wears out faster etc

shouldn't cost u any more than $300-$340 depending on the workshops labour rate.

if you'e in SE melb pm me for a quote

[andiiso]

no, but in changing timing belt i may aswell change my water pump and A/C belt as there is a MINOR very minor leak in my water pump .. but thought may aswell save up money n do it all at once.

cheers for offer panda, will pm u when i work everything else out

[ECU-MAN]

i was 60,000km late for my timing belt n she was still strong! didnt look like breaking. honda timing belts will last 180,000 kms but 100,000 is a precausion thing

I sort of dont agree, Iv worked in the industry long enough to see them snap when people dont change them. most times it 30000km over where is snaps. age of the belt plays a big factor on how long over it will last. aslo the condition of the seals. if you got 180k out of a belt good luck to you, that really is impressive, but unsafe in my book.

[16CTEG]

I sort of dont agree, Iv worked in the industry long enough to see them snap when people dont change them. most times it 30000km over where is snaps. age of the belt plays a big factor on how long over it will last. aslo the condition of the seals. if you got 180k out of a belt good luck to you, that really is impressive, but unsafe in my book.

like i said my belt personally was 60,000 kms overdue! and she didnt have any signs of stress on it when i replaced it! not that no stress marks mean that it cant go anytime soon! i also did work at honda! was a mechanic for a while, not to try to cut you down to size!

[ECU-MAN]

its cool, Im not implying anything either. Just saying your lucky. BTW Iv served my time with honda as well for many many years