Rep Power: 0

We just had our 2003 Civic with a 1.7 L in for a timing belt replacement. All the instructions I have seen or read say that you need to remove the valve cover. It appears that our valve cover was not removed due to lumps of old oil still on a couple of valve cover bolts, indicating to me that a socket had not touched the bolts Also, the location where the valve cover and head meet looks to have old dry oil that appears to have not been separated. There was no itemized charge for a valve cover gasket. Is it possible to replace the timing belt and water pump without removing the valve cover?

 
Rep Power: 518

You read instructions?



Sorry, had to do it.


If you were to actually do the job a few hundred times, you might figure out a few certain steps really do or don't have to happen to accomplish a given task.

It's a lot of extra work to completely remove that valve cover when you don't really need to.


Yep. I do it all the time.I leave all the accumulated oil and dirt in place. Nobody is paying me to clean it.
If you really cared that they were dirty, you would have cleaned them a long time ago.

I spin all the bolts free, then only lift as far as absolutely necessary to slip the upper timing cover out from under the lip of the valve cover.
So for me, loosen: yes, remove: no.

I don't know how someone can do the job and not break anything without at least loosening the valve cover.

Half the time I don't even pull the coils off. Don't really need to.

Valve cover gasket is not included in the price of the timing belt job in the shop I work for. They normally seal again just fine (kinda depends on age and mileage sometimes though).

HTH