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Hi guys, my name is Sam, and I'm returning to this forum after a bit of a hiatus.

I originally came on here with an EM2 with the aspirations of doing something with it because I was fed up with how slow it was, but I never could justify spending so much money on an EM2 of all things. I still have it, but it's my daily and will never have anything done to it (not until I have more money than sense, anyway). I just recently picked up a 1995 Civic Hatch for $500 off Kijiji. Pretty rusty around the passenger side wheel arch but the bodywork is something I'm pretty comfortable with. It's currently sanded down because the previous owner wanted to put a hideous body kit on it and then paint, and what he didn't realize at the time is that the wheel arches are pretty much all bondo at this point. Other than the arches, the car is super clean and runs really really well. Has front and back leather seats from an Integra. I'm assuming the back seats are from an Integra because I'm unfamiliar with any civic of that generation with leather seats. The entire interior is black so I think someone went to a great expense getting everything swapped over (pretty close to the $500 I spent, anyway). Stock d15 with unknown mileage due to a cluster swap, 5-speed, just your standard EG Hatch from the '90s. I do have a plan with this car, and this wasn't really a "what should I do?" post (I know how you guys are with that). I'm really just here for the networking portion of it, and to find people who were in a similar situation as me and are willing to help me out when I'm asking the more finicky questions. I'm more than happy to post my hopefully build sheet if anyone is curious.

 
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Welcome! There is definitely much more aftermarket support for those cars compared to the 7th Gen you had before

 
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Definitely. It's gonna have to be tested as a daily as well, it appears. EM2 died on the highway today and it sounds like it totally lost compression. I'm assuming dropped valve, but I'm hoping it's fixable. May be heading to the junkyard later this week... just my luck.

 
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Maybe it jumped time?

 
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That's my fear at the moment. I remember when I got out of the car, all I could smell was gas, so I'm hoping the belt snapped and I'm smelling uncombusted gas. It's a really slim chance, but it could just be a case of needing to swap the timing belt and water pump. The most recent timing belt was (allegedly) done at 220k and it just hit 311k on the way home from school, so it shouldn't have failed already. Gonna see what it is this weekend. If it has any compression, I'll be shocked.

 
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If the belt snapped you will almost certainly have bent valves, not good. If it just jumped time a few teeth you likely won't have any bent valves. There is a DIY on checking timing if you need it.

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...ne-timing.html

 
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All I needed to read were the first few sentences. It definitely has bent valves. It doesn't run so I guess that settles that. Thanks for sending it to me.

 
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Hmm, maybe I should word that differently. You could be off enough teeth to make starting difficult or impossible and not have bent valves, I believe around 3-4 teeth is the limit.

We don't even know if the engine jumped time, that was just a shot in the dark on my part. You will have to start troubleshooting to narrow down the issue. Do you have any fault codes?

-Check for fuel.
-Check for spark.
-Check compression.

 
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I got fault code p1362 for a faulty top dead centre sensor. I'm pretty sure that's the problem, or at least the area in which the problem is occurring. I was doing 60mph on a highway and the engine light came on immediately as the car shut down. I didn't hear any noises, but when I tried turning it over after, it sounded like it had basically no compression. Think doing a compression test on your car with no spark plugs in it. That's exactly the sound it's making.

 
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Definitely check engine timing.

 
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Okay, got the car torn down today and found the belt had birdnested around the lowest pulley. I bought a new timing belt from Napa and threw it on because it was $25 and I thought “what the hell?”. Turned over without any obvious issues and I did a compression test and all came back to ~140. I’m assuming everything is fine but the only way I can see that engine surviving is if the belt snapped at exactly top dead centre.

 
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You should replace that napa belt with an OEM belt before it snaps

 
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What’s wrong with Napa belts? The previous belt was a Napa and it went 160k.

 
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People have reported problems with aftermarket timing belts, like they failed before the next oil change. Either you got lucky or napa actually has a decent belt

 
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I just read to double-check. Napa and Honda both use the same supplier for their timing belts.

I've got it running now and it sounds fine. Have a few parts on order but it should be on the road later in the week.

Now I don't have to daily the EG and can invest some time into researching a swap for it.

 
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Well that's good to know that napa belts are the same supplier

 
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Yeah, I honestly didn't expect it to be any good when you first suggested I go to an OEM. I'm glad I read up on it because I really don't want to replace another timing belt for a while

 
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They are the same supplier but are they made to the same specs???

Suppliers can have quality tiers.

 
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Well, perhaps with smaller companies, but Gates is a big enough manufacturer that I imagine they will all need to be AT LEAST on par with OEM. I know there's a "green stripe" model which is considered the top belt on the market, but I would genuinely be shocked if even the lowest quality Gates belt wasn't on par with OEM.

Keep in mind that I did no research to back my claim, but it wouldn't make any sense for one of the most reputable companies to make a subpar product.

 
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It all comes down to cost. They are a big enough company that they can have many manufacturing lines producing many belts to different specs. Quantity over quality. Is the quality control the same? OEM demands a lower failure rate as it tarnishes their reputation. People will think Honda's suck because my timing belt broke on me, not Gates sucks for making a bad belt.

Why does John Deere now put their name on big box store tractors that are made by another company? Money. They can now reach the masses and sell more tractors, not necessarily better ones (because they aren't like the ones you buy from a dealer). Why did Toyota team up with BMW for the new Supra? Money.

I also don't know for sure how Gates operates and until someone actually buys an OEM gates belt and an auto parts store Gates belt and compares them scientifically I can only assume.

Maybe I am a sucker and over paying for the same product as there are other parts and goods that this is the case for. Is that a personal decision, absolutely and in no way am I judging/bashing your decision.

 
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Well, the numbers on the belts are the same, so I assume they'll be the same materialistically. I can't imagine there not being massive legal implications if they are any different. I understand what you're saying completely, though. A lot of it can come down to a simple cost-demand curve. More demand, the lower the cost, and vice-versa. Manufacturers use retailers (Gates and Napa, for example) to sell more product at a reduced cost because a lot more people know Napa than Gates. But what you're saying is exactly correct; it is all for increased profit. Chances are they are the same product, though.