I do not like the Honda FSM.

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by Xist

Do you think I can replace the head gasket on my Civic in one day?!

Don't worry. It took my Pa and I three days to extricate a rounded off bolt for my alternator tensioner. Sometimes these things take an unreasonable amount of time; fact of life.

[Xist]

I think that I spent longer than three days removing a nut connecting exhaust pipes on my Civic four years ago. The exhaust shield prevented me from accessing it with locking pliers and other tools that should have made short work of it, but that was before I learned of bolt extractors.

I saw one whole client today, picked up the seal, which looked just like the one that I ruined pulling off my engine and the one that I ruined attempting to install on my engine. The packaging says Mahle, but the seal itself says NOK, just like the other two.

I installed the seal and the timing belt. I want to count how many times it says to temporarily install the crankshaft as well as loosening the adjusting bolt 2/3 - 1 turn, do some thing, then retighten it. The YouTube mechanics say to remove the 10mm bolt from the adjuster arm to the timing belt tension arm. The FSM says to use a bolt from the timing belt cover. I do not know why I removed the 14mm nut from the tensioner, except that I replaced the tensioner.

Somehow I thought it meant the 10mm bolt I put on the tension arm, not the nut on the tensioner. I wish that I had realized that since I needed the camshaft removal tool to remove the camshaft, I also needed it to replace it (multiple times).

It was hours before I was able to rent one from AutoZone.

I did things wrong, then needed to do them right, but the timing belt is on, lined up properly, and as tense as it seems it is going to get. Crank it counter-clockwise 5 - 6 times to make sure the belt is seated, remove the crankshaft pulley, adjust the adjusting bolt, reinstall the crankshaft pulley, move it three teeth counterclockwise to tension it, remove the pulley, and adjust the bolt.

Fun.

The tensioner belt is on.

Remaining steps:

1. Replace the seal on the lower timing belt cover.
2. Replace the lower timing belt cover.
3. Replace the crankshaft.
4. Replace the dipstick and gasket.
5. Replace the alternator bracket, alternator, and belt.
6. Replace the power steering pump and belt.
7. Replace the battery.

I am also replacing the spark plugs and wires, changing the oil, and rotating the tires.

I should probably replace the coolant before I start the engine. Why isn't that in the instructions?!

[California98Civic]

I am sure you meant "replace the crankshaft pulley," not "replace the crankshaft." But if you are replacing the crankshaft, I recommend the pulley too.

Hang in there!

[Xist]

It has been nine days and I am not much further than my last update. I thought I could use Permatex to replace the timing belt cover gasket and I probably could have, as long as I let it dry first, but I tried to reinstall it, and it smeared all over. Everyone sells covers with the seal for $50 - 100. Advanced Auto is the only any aftermarket replacement I could find by itself, but I would need to order it, it is not carried in stores, and they charge as much as Honda does.

Where is the advantage of using aftermarket parts?

I just thought to check Pep Boys, although they do not have a parts store anywhere near here. Allegedly they have the seal for $6, but Amazon says it does not fit.

For six dollars I would risk it, but not if I need to order it.

Rockauto has an Aisin seal kit with the other seals that I replaced and this one for $21, but I would probably need to wait longer for spare parts.

Monday was my brother's birthday. Mother was not planning on doing much because none of us had much money, although I still had some savings, but a maxed out credit card. I am not arguing that taking my brother to a water park with the last of my resources was the prudent decision, but I was paid a couple of days later.

My sister moved from Oregon the same day, so we were able to see them as soon as they were in-town, for the first time since October, but my sister was not able to take over my brother's birthday party, like she did two years ago.

Is it too difficult to ask that someone's birthday be about them?

For my birthday my sister bought my brother-in-law's favorite cake, served my nephew first, and chose the movie we watched.

I was able to get the seal, but it seemed like a $3, not a $30 part. I also made it to Sully's Barbershop in Mesa before 8am, where they cut my hair and trimmed my beard for $11. I thought the guy did a good job, he just did not do the job I wanted.

Summers in Show Low are in the 80s and a hundred thousand people drive up here for holidays, but it was too dry for fireworks, which was disappointing, because we have a great view from the driveway.

I double-checked the timing belt, it was off a tooth, so I took it off, but it started raining before I could reinstall it. I did not get very far the next day before it started raining. I installed the timing belt correctly, the balancer belt, lower cover, and crankshaft pulley.

Today I realized that I should have ordered a valve cover gasket, so I picked up a Fel-Pro kit. I kept finding people saying the spark plug gaskets just popped out, but K.K reviewed it on Amazon and wrote "After 15 years and 220K miles the old gasket got cooked into the groove, hardened, and refused to come off. Please be careful and don't pry it with sharpened tools. You need the valve cover edge to be smooth to contain the oil in the crank case. I used carburetor cleaner to soften the hardened rubber."

Carburetor cleaner helped, but you still need a plastic pry tool. You are supposed to use a small flathead screwdriver to stretch the grommets over the ends of the bolts, but my old grommets would not go quietly into the night, and I did not have an easy time with the new ones. I used wire clippers to remove the old ones and a hammer and deep socket to install the new ones, but that tried to roll the grommets inside-out, and possibly damaged the inside. I do not know what difference it makes when installed, but I used Honda Bond, and next time I will use the small screwdriver.

I installed new spark plugs and wires and realized that one of the spark plug gaskets got pinched in the hole. I loosened it, worked the gasket into place, and wondered if I made things worse or what.

I need to watch that area, I may have one or more leaks.

I installed the new hoses, but did not fasten one of the clamps. I worked for a while under a picnic umbrella in a thunderstorm.

It was just a difficult day to turn wrenches.

If I cannot finish by the time I see my clients Monday at 10 I will be on my fourth week replacing my timing belt.

I hope that everyone is doing well!

[Xist]

This guy also cuts off the old grommets and uses a hammer and socket to force in the new ones, but he lubricates it, and uses a larger socket than I did:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S8L7IJPZCc

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Xist

This guy also cuts off the old grommets and uses a hammer and socket to force in the new ones, but he lubricates it, and uses a larger socket than I did:

That's pretty good. I just pushed the new gasket on with my thumbs, I think. And I lubed it with a little used engine oil from the engine. I would recommend hitting the socket, not the bolt head, personally. I did my process on a softer surface too. No need to beat up these very visible valve cover bolt heads.

[Xist]

I finally finished replacing my timing belt Monday afternoon. I had about half an hour before my one client and then I spent about eight hours finishing everything. I also changed the oil and rotated the wheels. I pulled the OBD-II connector loose and I am not sure how to fix that. There are two-foot extension cables on Amazon for ten or eleven dollars, but I would want to mount it, and I did not see anything like that, but people have been mounting cables for decades. There must be a solution.

The seals that I replaced should only reduce oil leaks, which has not seemed like a problem, although I cleaned a great deal of sludge from the top of the engine bay. I kind of want to clean it from the bottom, although I am not sure what that would accomplish. Perhaps oil is seeping out, but getting dirty enough to never drip? Cleaning it would help me track that as long as I check soon enough.

There is not any reason to believe that my engine would burn less oil or that an acid wash would keep a CEL away for more than 5,000 miles--if that long, but I still feel that I should. Every Honda dealership that I checked ten and a half months ago is charging at least $100 more now and some ask several hundred more.

They must not expect much business.

I will probably purchase an aftermarket cat once I wash mine and the CEL returns.

I am trying to think of what else I want to do with my Accord, although the dented roof continues to bother me, I just do not know how to properly fix it. Also, I managed to back into a fence post the other day, now I have a nice scrape in the rear bumper.

I am not sure that anything on the Accord is as important as replacing the head gasket on my Civic.

I have wanted to report back, but I needed to write progress reports on Tuesday, an incident report on Wednesday and make changes on some progress reports, saw six clients on Thursday and drove down to the valley to dog sit.

Apparently my sister has a landscaper. They let out the three dogs and it took a while to chase them down. My sister had quite a number of critical things to say like "You knew the landscapers were coming! Why did you let out the dogs!"

No part of that statement was correct.

Then my phone died and my sister freaked out because I obviously blocked her as she tried to have me hide dead bodies or whatever because the landlord was coming.

It was a crazy day. Then my sister and her husband drove the second and final moving truck from Oregon and my niece and nephews returned from wherever. Everybody got on devices but the dogs.

The dogs looked very bored.

Then I ran to Kohl's and bought an XXXL slim fit shirt, $80 pants, and the rest of the clothing that I needed for a date. I left my date clothes in Show Low.

The cashier refused to stop trying to get me to sign up for different Kohl's "services."

Just think how much money I could save by signing up for everything!

Think of how much more money I will instead save by not purchasing things I do not need.

Summary: I replaced my timing belt on Monday and my very part-time job kept me unusually busy. The landscapers let out the dogs, my sister is mean, I left my date clothes back home and never intend to return to Kohl's.

My dinner date went well, though. I will drive 170 miles each way August fourth to see her again.

[California98Civic]

Congrats on the completed work. It might mean you can make that 170 mile each way dinner date!

Question... why do you think cleaning the CAT will result in the return of the CEL within 5000 miles or less? If the engine is running normally, I would expect quite a lot better longevity than that.

[Xist]

Before I pulled out the plug the CEL turned on every 50 - 100 miles. I always checked and cleared it immediately so that I knew if any other problems arose.

[Xist]

I replaced my timing belt, valve cover seals, and various other components 13.5 months ago and today I had multiple misfires. I had noticed an occasional misfire for at least a day or two, but I did not have a check engine light, and I was just worried about driving to and from my two jobs, and seemingly sleeping twice as much as until a week and a half ago.
I was driving from the school to my clients' house and the misfires got worse. I just wanted to make it to their house, but kind of think the goal was to make it back home afterward. However, they continued getting worse, and I pulled over and asked to reschedule when I got a CEL.
I plugged in my dongle, started Torque Pro, and drove straight to the only mechanic that I trust, and he told me to check the spark plugs on the cylinders having trouble. I do not have a shop fan, so I plugged in a battery tender, switched on my AC, and turned the key--without starting the engine. Once the engine was cool I pulled the plugs and those two were covered with oil.
I checked #3 just to be safe and it looked great.
That was with my bluetooth dongle and Torque Pro, but I also used my code reader from Harbor Freight. It also had four errors, but it showed misfires on 1, 2, and 4, and gave a code for random misfires.
#4 is also covered with oil.
Oddly, the #3 tube seal is clearly damaged, but seems to be holding.
I cannot imagine fixing this before I need to be at work tomorrow and I need to get to two jobs!