Replacing Civic Timing Belt Help Needed

Replacing the timing belt on a 2000 Civic LX (D sereies engine, non-VTEC). Line up the camshaft and crank belt pulleys with the appropriate marks per the factory service manual and install the belt. When I install the lower cover and do the visual check (sight on lower cover to the timimg marks on the power steering/ac belt drive pulley) the timing appears off by 2-3 degrees. I have now tried this installation several times with the same result. Anyone with experience have any ideas as to what I am doing wrong? I don't want to fire it up and bend valves or have run bad Thanks.

John

Its hard to be off by 2-3 degrees. 10-20 degrees is much easier, due to being a tooth off on one of the timing gears. If it's really only 2-3, I'd attribute that to belt stretch, the head having been shaved, or some other inconsequential factor. Make sure you are tightening the tensioner according to instructions, as a slack belt could easily account for 2-3 degrees of error. The tensioner is supposed to be tightened while the pulling side (looking at the pulleys, the side to the left) has tension on it.

Also, make sure you are using the appropriate marks on the cam gear. I don't know about a 2000 model, but earlier ones, they used the same gear on multiple engines, with a different reference mark for each engine.

Regardless, it's a good idea to pull the plugs and turn it over by hand a couple of times before you crank it, just to make sure all feels right.

In reply to DILYSI Dave:

Doh! I didn't think about the head resurfacing effecting the timing. Had the head surfaced (overheated and blew the hg) but it was ony 1-2 thou. Was confused because as you stated 2-3 degrees isn't enough to be off a full tooth. Initial tensioning has already been done per the FSM procedure (loosen the tensioner, allow speing to pull it into place, torque tensioner bolt). I am checking this before buttoning everything up and doing the final tensioning through the lower cover. Doesn't this engine turn counterclockwise, which would make the pulling side on the left of the pulleys? Aren't tensioners always on the slack side, which is why there is tension to be taken up? Any suggestions on how to tension the belt?

Obviously haven't done this before. Thanks for the help.

John

John_R wrote: In reply to DILYSI Dave: Doh! I didn't think about the head resurfacing effecting the timing. Had the head surfaced (overheated and blew the hg) but it was ony 1-2 thou. Was confused because as you stated 2-3 degrees isn't enough to be off a full tooth. Initial tensioning has already been done per the FSM procedure (loosen the tensioner, allow speing to pull it into place, torque tensioner bolt). I am checking this before buttoning everything up and doing the final tensioning through the lower cover. Doesn't this engine turn counterclockwise, which would make the pulling side on the left of the pulleys? Aren't tensioners always on the slack side, which is why there is tension to be taken up? Any suggestions on how to tension the belt? Obviously haven't done this before. Thanks for the help. John

Wow. I'm a retard. Yes - the pulley pulls on the left. How I was thinking left and typing right, I have no idea.

The tensioner spring doesn't just pull it into place. You need to be rotating the crank counter clockwise to pull all of the slack out of the pulling side so that the spring can pull the right tension on the slack side. If you've got slack on the drive side, the spring won't compensate for it.