2004 Civic - Timing Belt or Chain?

[ericevanz]

Hey guys, I can't seem to get a straight answer from my local dealers on whether or not my car has a timing belt or timing chain. 2004 Civic EX Auto, Vtec Engine, 113,000 miles I called one dealer and they said it had a chain. I emailed another dealer and the maintenance dept. head replied back that it had a belt, then I called to make an appt. and they guy insisted it had a chain. He was very patient though as I asked him a half dozen times if he was sure. I checked the manual, and it's vague, it just says change your belt according to your maintenance schedule. I just don't want to screw up my motor when and if my belt snaps, if anybody is 100% sure please respond. Thanks

[golden_em2]

what dealers are you calling? It's a belt, not a chain. I'm 100% sure as I've replaced many.

[ericevanz]

Thanks. I called my Honda Dealer in Torrington CT, U.S.A and the one in the next town over, Hoffman Honda in Avon, CT.

It's a little frustrating, I could of had this done by now.

[xRiCeBoYx]

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...FT-TIMING+BELT

Verified to be a belt

[ericevanz]

Thanks, you guys are the best. Now, just gotta convince my dealer to take me in...

[popee]

em2 are on belts,, i think the 06+ are on chains

[gearbox]

01-05 civic uses belt, 100% sure. 06+ civic uses chain. tell service guy hes a douchebag

[SITNLOW97]

If you have to convince that dealer that it has a belt, thats the last place id take it to get it replaced..lol..I cant believe someone at a dealership would say that, i guess thats what kinda dumbass's that they hire...

[sl33pyriceboi]

Originally Posted by gearbox

01-05 civic uses belt, 100% sure. 06+ civic uses chain. tell service guy hes a douchebag

X2 HAHAHAHHA!!!!!

[MIVtec]

What prices are you looking at? I just hit 101,000 mi and I have been dreading the fact that I may have to pay $400ish....

[gearbox]

400ish is normal for timing belt and water pump change (and new oil and coolant). you may also want to throw in a new crank pulley, the rubber damper inside gets worn out over time and can cause engine imbalance.

[DieMaster]

not to thread jack but could that what u said gearbox beaa cause of a rough idle?

[ericevanz]

One dealer said it'd be almost $900 US to do the belt and water pump. Then I called my local dealer again and this time the guy on the phone didn't give me any guff about it having a chain and said they're having a special, Belt, Water Pump, Tensioner, A/C Belt, and some other Belt for $700. Got him to throw in an oil change too... I'd rather put that money towards stereo upgrades, but what are you going to do, I bought the car from a commuter.

Taking it in Tonight.

[gearbox]

thats not too bad, esp with them supplying the parts. worn crank pulley prolly would not cause idle issues, its not something you can feel but it will mess the engine over time.

[WannaBFast]

its a belt... unless you got a k-series under the hood.. teh 06up are chains too
700 seems a bit much i think..

[sl33pyriceboi]

jsut check ur local craigslist for mech in ur area. i got new:

timing belt
water pump
tensioner
power steering belt
alternator belt

for 400 w/ tax. not to bad.

but if i bought my own stuff (which the stuff doesnt cost much at all) the labor would have 150 to do.

[SITNLOW97]

I just got mine done includes...
Timing Belt
Water pump
Accessory belts
Valve cover Gasket
Adjusting the valves
Tranny drain and refill
And replaced a broken motoer mount
All for about 550 totla so i think i did pretty good..

[turboflyer]

Originally Posted by ericevanz

Thanks, you guys are the best. Now, just gotta convince my dealer to take me in...

Good idea, and when you get the bill for the timing chain what then? Seriously maybe some one who knew what the car had.






;

[sdaidoji]

dude... Last post was 2008...
worse of, they had already answered the question...

[NCCivicNoob]

Hey, I recently bought a 2004 Honda Civic Ex with 98k miles on it and i was wondering how long should i wait until i change the "belt/chain"? And what else i would need to change with it?

[Aetoc]

I didn't change mine until about 200,000kms, or about 125k miles. You'll definitely wanna have your water pump replaced while the belt is off, which would also mean new coolant, and the belt tensioner is usually part of the job, but make sure that is replaced as well, and depending on the condition of them, the valve cover seal, spark plug seals, cam seal etc are probably good to have replaced as well, just to keep you from having to crack the valve cover off more than is needed.

[TRIPLE_D_BREEZY]

its definately a belt. im about to replace mine and i hate calling dealerships that have no clue what they are talking about. thats the last place i would take my car as previously stated.

[sl33pyriceboi]

you need to replace at the same time:

timing belt
power steering belt
AC compressor belt
water pump + waterpump seal
tensioner

[youradrenalinef]

Hi,

I was just wanting to post a question here since it's an active topic and has been viewed by Honda techs

I just want to confirm what I have seen in disassembly of an 04 Civic 1.7:

I presume there is NO lock down on the tensioner? The bolt stays tight and the tensioner pivots and is ONLY tensioning the belt via the spring??

What is the Cam Sprocket torque?

Where did the crank Timing mark go?? (Is it to the left on the oil pump with a flat on the reluctor wheel pointing at it?? ~~~ If not I bet it will do because I have both notches on the cam gear parallel with the head surface but the only crank timing mark (besides pulley / cover marks) is the mark I just described.

Is this TRULY an interference engine? (I always turn them by hand before starting... I was just wondering)

I'm mostly concerned about the tensioner... It's only via spring and NO locking it down??

Any help on this will certainly be appreciated and I thank you all very much (in advance)

[kerrymm]

The answers posted above seem to be for an EX and 1.7 L .... what about a 2004 SI VTEC 2.0 L?

when I called my mechanic about this, he said the 1.7 have belts but there's no belt listed for the 2.0 so that will be a chain. what do you all say?

thanks!!

[Toaster]

Nice that an 2008 thread is still alive.

I say chain.
14401-PNA-004 008 001 CHAIN (170L) (BORG WARNER)

[E®ik]

Seriously? Why is this still a debate? The 2001-2005 civics have a timing BELT I know this because I pulled off my old one when I replaced it. It most definately was black, cracked, and NOT a chain.

If you guys want to go out and buy a timing chain for your D17's, then make sure you keep your receipts and have fare for a cab, because you will calling a cab to take you back to Honda to switch your chain for a belt.

http://www.hondapartscheap.com/index...0TIMING%20BELT

[MindBomber]

D17a1 and d17a2 found in em2/es2/es1 has a timing belt.
K20a3 found in ep3 has a chain.