Honda Car Forum

Your Civic has an interference engine. Surf www.gates.com
for info. There is a time and miles limit for timing belts,
so if possible, find what year the timing belt was changed
as well.

Belt inspection will not reveal belt age. You need to know
miles and years on the belt.

"jim L" <jtl57@bellsouth.net> wrote
>I just bought this car - runs great - 177K miles, and the
>timing belt was supposedly changed at 144K. Aside from
>some creature comfort issues and what sounds like a noisy
>rear strut bushing everything seems sound mechanically. I
>plan on pulling top timing cover to check belt for wear,
>but would rather be safe than sorry if this is an
>interference engine. How do i find out?

jim L wrote:
>> regarding interference engine, yes it is. i'm not sure exactly why people
>> regard this as a huge deal on cars - every diesel you'll ever see on the
>> road is interference, and nobody complains there.
>
> Hi Jim - the reason interference matters is because if belt breaks on one
> while engine is running valves contact pistons causing bent valves, damage
> to guides and sometimes even piston damage. a lot more expense and
> trouble.
> If the belt breaks on a non int. engine, you just get it towed & change the
> belt and go.
> Jim.
>
>

er, i was aware of that. my point was, people come to these groups
bleating about gasoline engines and interference, yet diesels, which are
interference by definition, are never criticized. it makes no sense.

jim beam wrote:
> jim L wrote:
> >> regarding interference engine, yes it is. i'm not sure exactly why people
> >> regard this as a huge deal on cars - every diesel you'll ever see on the
> >> road is interference, and nobody complains there.
> >
> > Hi Jim - the reason interference matters is because if belt breaks on one
> > while engine is running valves contact pistons causing bent valves, damage
> > to guides and sometimes even piston damage. a lot more expense and
> > trouble.
> > If the belt breaks on a non int. engine, you just get it towed & change the
> > belt and go.
> > Jim.
> >
> >
>
> er, i was aware of that. my point was, people come to these groups
> bleating about gasoline engines and interference, yet diesels, which are
> interference by definition, are never criticized. it makes no sense.

Like it was posted before in doubt change it, no matter what the
mileage or previous owner said, could be BS , its jus good to swap it
for a new one. It'll keep your honda running good for thousands of
miles more. When you go to do it a few other parts also gets replaced
during the process. Such as a new water pump and timing belt
tensioner, jus a few more expenses to think about when you do the job.

"jim L" <jtl57@bellsouth.net> wrote in
news:36kik.955$BX5.881@bignews6.bellsouth.net:

>>
>> regarding interference engine, yes it is. i'm not sure exactly why
>> people regard this as a huge deal on cars - every diesel you'll ever
>> see on the road is interference, and nobody complains there.
>
> Hi Jim - the reason interference matters is because if belt breaks
> on one while engine is running valves contact pistons causing bent
> valves, damage to guides and sometimes even piston damage. a lot
> more expense and trouble.
> If the belt breaks on a non int. engine, you just get it towed &
> change the belt and go.
> Jim.
>
>


It's not a given that valve damage will occur with an interference engine.
It's just that there is an increased chance of valve damage. I've seen a
number of people with Hondas that have had a belt break, sometimes at
highway speeds, with no valve damage.

There are engines out there that are "officially" non-interference, but
become interference once some carbon builds up on the piston tops. The
Toyota 5E-FE is one of those.

--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

Jim, since you are a month ahead of everyone else, I would say you have a
good grasp on the future.

"jim L" <jtl57@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:wudik.6680$US3.1333@bignews2.bellsouth.net...
> I just bought this car - runs great - 177K miles, and the timing belt
> was supposedly changed at 144K. Aside from some creature comfort issues
> and what sounds like a noisy rear strut bushing everything seems sound
> mechanically. I plan on pulling top timing cover to check belt for wear,
> but would rather be safe than sorry if this is an interference engine. How
> do i find out?
>
> Jim
>

"Justbob30" <NoThank@you.com> wrote in message
news:36ednYdAc__Y_BbVnZ2dnUVZ_vzinZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> Jim, since you are a month ahead of everyone else, I would say you have a
> good grasp on the future.


Sometimes it helps to look back & see where i screwed up so I don't do it .
Either that - or I used adjust date/time as a calendar, & hit ok instead
of cancel

I just bought this car - runs great - 177K miles, and the timing belt was
supposedly changed at 144K. Aside from some creature comfort issues and
what sounds like a noisy rear strut bushing everything seems sound
mechanically. I plan on pulling top timing cover to check belt for wear,
but would rather be safe than sorry if this is an interference engine. How
do i find out?

Jim

>
> regarding interference engine, yes it is. i'm not sure exactly why people
> regard this as a huge deal on cars - every diesel you'll ever see on the
> road is interference, and nobody complains there.

Hi Jim - the reason interference matters is because if belt breaks on one
while engine is running valves contact pistons causing bent valves, damage
to guides and sometimes even piston damage. a lot more expense and
trouble.
If the belt breaks on a non int. engine, you just get it towed & change the
belt and go.
Jim.