Rep Power: 0

Civic Experts,

I'm replacing the timing belt on my 2003 Civic LX. I have the new belt on. Instructions say to manually turn the engine over twice. I'm doing this and watching the belt.

Here's what happens: The tensioner moves, the spring stretches a lot. I assume it's the compression stroke, where there is more pressure on the belt, it seems the tensioner, the spring doesn't keep the belt tight.

Question: Is this what is supposed to happen? Is the spring the only thing keeping the tensioner tight?

Or could I have missed something, while putting the tensioner back on? There's only one bolt, in the center, holding the tensioner on, right? and a spring, supposedly pulling on the tensioner, to keep it tight?

Is that right, or do you think I'm missing something?

Note: I didn't understand the reference to "grenade pin" or "allen wrench," so I didn't use those. I did get it taken apart and put back together.

Thank you,
Kevin

 
Rep Power: 518

You are spinning the crank the wrong direction. Crank turns counterclockwise.

 
Rep Power: 0

OK, thank you for that information. Now I've really messed it up. I've stripped the threads. I've stripped the threads where the bolt goes in, in the engine block. This is the bolt holding the tensioner in. The manual says to tighten it to 36 ft/lbs, but that's too much and stripped it.

Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this, make this bolt work? There are some threads left, it will tighten some.

thank you,
Kevin

 
Rep Power: 518

Hard to say.
I never loosen or remove the tensioner to change the timing belt unless I am replacing it. I remove the spring and let the pulley roll, replace the belt, reinstall spring.

Other people have said a replacement tensioner bolt is longer, but I can't confirm that.

Heli-Coil? Time-sert?
Did you cross-thread it and booger a few threads? Maybe something like this would straighten the threads up http://www.nes.co.il/158905/Nes-21-5-16-7-16-8-11-mm

 
Rep Power: 518

Check out the videos from that website, looks like it could be handy. First video is that tool.
http://www.nes.co.il/158905/Videos

 
Rep Power: 313

At this point.. Try that tool. If it does not work take it somewhere and get it profesionally fixed. The last thing you want to do is to make it worse than it already is. Tensioner is not something to toy with. Good luck getting the tool in there BTW.