Timing belt snappage on 99 civic CONTINUED

Hi all,

Posted a few days about my sister's 99 civic n All prices in Canadian $$ $695 for a used motor with 131000kms on it

1200 labour for the install.

VERSUS

$1000 labour for removal of the head and respective components $200 for parts (valves. seals, head gasket and other junk for cylinder 3) $500 to send the head to a shop for machining.

Here are my questions:

  1. How hard would it be to take the head off and replace the valves in Cylinder 3?

  1. Do I have to get all of the seats machined?

  2. Can I inspect the valve seats once the head is removed and make the call then as to whether they need to be machined at all?

I do have the Honda shop manual, it doesn't look that bad.

Feedback please. What am I missing here?

t
Reply to
T L via CarKB.com
Loading thread data ...

Based on some of the research I have done today I see the following as possible courses of action:

  1. Repair the head - hopefully the damage is not that bad, and its only a valve that needs to be replaced.

  1. Replace the head - If I can find a replacement head for the motor, I could just swap them. Are the heads different on different model years between 96 and 00?

  2. Replace the motor- I found a motor for 0 - 800 canadian. Haven't negotiated yet, but this could be viable as well.

What does every>Hi all,

Reply to
T L via CarKB.com

"T L via CarKB.com" wrote in news:580e9e5c5abac@uwe:

Why couldn't you just get a head from a junkyard motor?

Reply to
Jim Yanik

If the rest of the engine is in good condition, e.g., it doesn't burn oil, then just pull the head and replace the bent valves. There's usually no need to replace the head. Note that you will need to lap the new valves in to make sure that they seat well (be exceedingly meticulous about removing all traces of lapping compound afterward). Also note these older engines have a peculiar problem when the head is pulled. That is, they often start burning oil afterwards. It's believed that this is due to the crud in the piston ring grooves drying out and preventing the rings from seating correctly. The best way to avoid this is to put a small amount of ATF in the cylinders to cover the top of the pistons once you remove the head. This will keep things from drying out. Be sure to remove the ATF from the piston tops before the head is reinstalled. You should also consider replacing the valve stem seals when you have the head off. Only use Honda's OEM seals if you want to avoid problems further down the road.

By the way, when you replace the timing belt, it's a good idea to also replace the water pump, timing belt tensioner bearing, and cam & front crank seals. The front seal can be a pain in the ass at best to replace. The best way to do this is to cut out a rectangle from a clean plastic pop bottle and use it as a sleeve wrapped around the seal journal of the crankshaft. Slide the seal over the sleeve (make sure that there's grease on the inner lip) and remove the sleeve. Then get a flat washer that's about the same size as the seal and use it as a seal driver to carefully tap the seal into its bore with a hammer and punch. Tap the washer gently holding the washer against the seal and be sure not to get the seal crooked. Note that if you tap directly against the seal, then you will damage it. This is nearly unavoidable, that's why I always use some type of seal driver. Honda makes seal drivers specifically for this purpose but they're a bit expensive. I've found that a large flat washer (usually called a "machine washer" at the hardware store) will suffice as a substitute. Lastly, the cam seal is less of a pain but you should also use the plastic sleeve. After you get the cam seal into position, it can usually just be pushed into its correct position by hand (for example by carefully using the blunt end of a socket extension bar and there's no need to tap it in with a hammer).

One final thought, a factory service manual for your car can be obtained from

formatting link
It's a great investment especially since youplan to be doing so much work on your vehicle.

Reply to
Eric

my preference

think they're identical. best check.

last resort. if the "interference" between the piston crowns and the valves is sufficient to damage the pistons, replacement may well be a more cost effective solution than rebuilding the damaged motor. but exhaust your other options first.

Reply to
jim beam

Reply to
T L via CarKB.com

Machining all of them would also help equalize the compression and improve smooth idle... it's your call.

Reply to
Burt S.

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.