Caroline wrote:
> The Chilton's manual says to use "the red timing mark" for all 89 Civics.
>
> Not sure what you mean about the "UP" text.

There's an "UP" text stamped on the cam gear. When the cam gear is
aligned so that this text is pointing up, the two marks on the gear are
aligned with the top of the cyl. head and the third one is pointing to
the vee notch on the belt cover.

> Do you have a vee notch and pointer
> on your timing belt cover?

Yes.

> A good description (with great photos) of the
> procedure for a 1990 Civic CRX appears at
> http://www.norcalcrx.org/ht.html#ignition . Not that it will necessarily help
> you see the marks, but it couldn't hurt. See especially Fig. 6.
>
> I checked my 1991 Civic LX's timing yesterday. On the crankshaft pulley I could
> just barely see the white mark (top dead center?) and the three marks (red mark
> in the middle) after it. I could just barely make out the white and red colors.
> Being 100% sure the red mark was dead-on lined up with the pointer in the vee
> seems difficult, given the limits of the human eye (or maybe the red mark being
> covered with grease and grime).

Thank you very much for your advices!

- Jouko L.