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After trying the ‘free’ videos online and even finding an error or mistake or two, and hearing people rave about the timing belt video from here I went ahead and bought it and will be trying to do the job in about the next 72 hours, so i’m creating a thread for ongoing/realtime problems because I live in Minnesota and i’m trying to finish it before the cold snap hits by wednesday. I have a kerosene heater in a pinch but I really hope it’s mostly fixable in this time period (including hangups and asking for help) so if I post pictures of an in progress problem for instance, i’m hoping someone will have rapid feedback. 😛
The vehicle is a 1994 Honda Accord EX that’s past due for a timing belt and water pump but didn’t blow up so the work starts now. FWIW I REALLY need to get her back to running again because this is between college school breaks and the other car I drive is ready to blow up.
I already got the crank bolt off and it’s already on jackstands. I couldn’t finish the work before that just barely got started due to confusion/differing other ‘free’ videos.
I’ll be watching and rewatching the video overnight and hopefully will start fiddling as soon as tomorrow afternoon while taking notes.
I am NOT an expert car guy but I somehow muddled through a clutch job that works to this day years later so please forgive any confusion like not knowing what certain parts are even at times.
The very first question I have starting to watch the video is mentioning ‘leaking cam seals’, I haven’t even been thru the video yet but is this something I need to be on top of/do in the middle of this timing belt job (which I thought was only a timing belt job) to avoid future problems? This one has alot of miles but i’m hoping to drive this one at least another 70,000 miles or so FWIW. (230k on there now, I figured the auto trans probably wont dramatically exceed 300k and I don’t think I want to swap a trans to keep it on the road, hence my guesstimate) How will I know if mine need replacement or not by the time I get to them? And is this a cheap common ‘autozone’ part or something I might have to mail order ASAP (because of a big cost difference – i’m too poor to spend 3x for the parts like some things seem to cost… say alternators and such vs online) holding up my repair?
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[color=red][i]How will I know if mine need replacement or not by the time I get to them?
[/i][/color]Hmm catch22 here.
If the seal is not leaking, that is a good thing.
But considering the age and mileage of the vehicle and the way it has been serviced and operated through out that time, it may hold up another week or a year.
There is no way to tell how long it will last for certain.And is this a cheap common ‘autozone’ part or something I might have to mail order ASAP
Yes it is …. https://www.autozone.com/internal-engine/camshaft-oil-sealThough I would suggest you purchase a name brand high quality seal such as Fel-Pro or Beck Arnley OE replacement.
https://www.autopartswarehouse.com/shop_years/honda-accord-camshaft-seal-1994.html
Considering the time and effort to install it, you don’t want to risk that all on a low quality seal to possibly fail.The better quality seal is still under $20.00
I watched the video twice thru and wanted to comment before starting work (I might also just wait until tomorrow when it will be 10 degrees warmer), still don’t quite feel confident to jump in. First i’ll respond to nightflyr though.
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Okay I will assume that the cam seal should just be replaced outright then, i’m not sure if they were included with my timing belt kit or not (cant conveniently check/where i’m working on it is not right here) but I think I got the Aisin kit at the time which was the more expensive kit including alot of stuff. Though regardless of whether it does I can prefer a FelPro – should they also be in stock at most mechanic places including autozones/orielly types or is it preferably mail ordererable from that place? To be clear yes i’m trying to keep total costs down but a few tens of dollars to get the job done sooner in the warm is okay, I just don’t have hundreds is all.Speaking of that , is there an alternative to that Honda cam seal installer tool which is like $50 and only likely to be used once and i only saw on amazon? Its not rentable or even buyable at my local Autozone and it may well hold up my repair if i’m waiting to do the cam seal until it’s 20-30 degrees colder this week. :-/ If i’m stuck mail ordering I might as well save money and get other things mail ordered though.
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Next comments on watching the video through twice of things i’m not sure about yet:I’m choosing to NOT drain the radiator because I have no way to do a convenient flush right now (it’s subzero, I have no working outdoor spigot, and I was hoping to just do this when we got to spring if the timing belt works fine til then), is this likely to be a problem?
How do I adjust valve lash? It’s mentioned but not in the video.
How important is it I use NGK or Nippondensu spark plugs? I don’t remember which replacements I got but Eric’s video was fairly adamant – I haven’t heard there’s a big deal with plugs though…
Should I replace the wires at 230k if they’re still working fine?
Should I be concerned about the last person who mighta done the timing belt having screwed up anything to watch for? Like in Eric’s video the last person didn’t have something timed right, I assume I should be watching for signs of that anyways once I get the other parts off. Just curious if there’s any other common “someone mighta munged this” sticking points not mentioned in the video.
If I dont have an oil seal retainer where do I get one? (i wont know until I get the timing belt covers off obviously, but if i’m waiting on a cam seal, I dont want to find halfway in that i’m missing that too)
Finally, is there anything else I should be trying to do as general preventative maintenance since i’m this far into anything? Or be looking for/inspecting? Again i’m not a car expert and unless told to look may not know to look. (or what even to look for – i’m hoping to take a few pictures and post them as I get parts off to ask for opinions)
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