bassy

I know what Honda recommends and I am capable of doing this task myself. I completed the task on my daughters 2004 SI. What I am interested in knowing is data on people who extend the frequency without problems. I can do the belt now it is at 150,000 kilometers or almost 100,000 miles. I would rather not spend the money though. The car is driven very easily but I do live in Southern Canada so this winter there will be some days at 0F. I took the top cover off and inspected the complete belt with a strong light and a mirror, all the cogs looked fine and I did not see any edge fraying. I bet someone has data here.

ccasey

Bassy,

Unfortunately, I don't have an answer on whether your belt needs to be changed, but I am curious about how you were able to see the belt. My mechanic said the only way to check the timing belt (my '99 Civic is at 150K, and was told by the previous owner, but shown no proof, that the belt was changed at 100K) is to go in and expensively remove certain parts in order to get a view of the belt. By going that far, it then only makes sense, he said, to change out the belt. I'm wondering what "top cover" you took off in order to see your belt. Is it simply a housing that can be easily removed? I'd appreciate any info you can provide on this topic.

Thanks, and good luck in the Canadian winter!

bassy

I took the top head cover, valve cover, and then the top timing belt cover off. Its easy to do and if you are careful you wont need a new gasket. Then I put a small dab of "white out" on the belt so I could tell when I had seen the complete belt. I took a small mirror and a very strong light and someone bumped the starter and I checked the complete belt with the mirror and light. I looked for wear on the cogs or cracks and general belt appearance. At this point the belt is ok and I will recheck everytime I change the oil until I replace the belt. The whole thing takes less than an hour.