Rep Power: 0

I just replaced my timing belt on a 2003 civic LX following the DIY on this website. I followed every step very carefully, timing marks are aligned, all sensors plugged in, etc. I also did a valve adjustment at the same time.

Now my car is having lots of trouble starting up. It takes about 2-5 seconds of cranking to start up the car. Sometimes it cranks but won't even startup at all. I also have a "check engine light" on my dash now after replacing the belt. Once it starts up, it runs like normal but once in a while I get a "studder/jerk" when I'm accelerating hard.

What am I missing?

Again, thanks for all the support over the years.

 
Rep Power: 511

Check the CEL code. Chances are it doesn't rev past 3000 either?

Symptoms remind me of when I messed up my CKP (crank position) sensor when I first did my timing belt. It's a touchy sensor, easy to damage.

 
Rep Power: 0

Ok, I'll get that CEL checked today. And yeah, my car won't rev past 3500 rpm. Thanks for the quick reply!

 
Rep Power: 0

Ok, so I took the vehicle to my mechanic today for a free diagnostic and he said I was off by 1 or 2 tooth on my timing but he didn't mention anything about the crank position sensor. He also didn't check my CEL code because he was very confident about what he told me.

Does my symptoms match what he's describing? He's going to charge me 1.5-2 hours of labour ($100-150) to re-align the belt. Sound like a good deal if he's on the right track and gets my car running again for that price because I don't feel like spending another 8 hours to take everything apart.

Any thoughts?

 
Rep Power: 511

Being off by 1-2 teeth won't necessarily throw a cel... I was off by 2-3 and all it did was give me a rough idle and shitty gas mileage. The cel is there to give you direction towards diagnosis (most times) instead of a mechanic swearing by his left nut

I'd rather check the code first, THEN diagnose. Otherwise, it'll be $150 for the timing, find out you still have the same symptoms, then spend another 200 or so. Oh, btw, autozone checks CEL codes for free.

Edit: if it is indeed the CKP sensor, can you ask if you can deliver a swift kick to that mechanic's groin?

 
Rep Power: 0

Ok thanks for the heads up. I'm going to get my steel toes boot ready!

 
Rep Power: 0

Update: Apparently, I was off by a tooth and there was some slack in the belt. Car's running fine now. Got it all done for 200 buckaroos. I still saved a couple hundred bucks overall and a good lesson learned.

Now to focus on warped rotors/pads, bad wheel bearings, SRS and windshield wiper lights on dashboard. Sigh.

 
Rep Power: 511

What was the CEL?

 
Rep Power: 0

He never told me what the CEL was. All he said was the timing belt was loose and off by a tooth so the CEL light went on. Seems a bit sketchy. I hope he didn't charge me 200 bucks for a loose connection from the sensors or something and claimed it was an alignment problem...