Menu
What's new
By:
Advanced search...

Timing chain?

Thank you Brian,
I have read the threads you gave me links to, much appreciated, and humbly I admit I should have searched the forum more thoroughly and found out the scope of the project before embarking on it. But .... then I would never have started! and got this great education! Luckily I am not restrained by time, necessity or budget, so I can approach the job in a relaxed attitude.
Yesterday, being Sunday, and after playing in a tennis tournament, I just washed the car (my project) and day dreamed a little about the day it will run and drive. It's in great shape body-work wise and it's hard to believe the interior is in almost as-new condition, given the 150k mileage.
Thank you to everyone.
Tim M
 
^ no problem, just keep on at it, as said in that thread, no advanced skills are required, just prolonged motivation
 
Thank you to Brian and Nicola for your last comments of support; much appreciated.

Before spending out on new chains etc I thought I should check for valve damage. I thought about how to do this and came up with an ingenious idea of pressure testing the combustion chamber via the injector aperture. (Bear in mind that my crankshaft and camshafts are not necessarily in sync, and anyway I have removed the cam chain, and if any of the valves are bent I will only do more damage by turning the crankshaft ....... that's how I was thinking).
Anyhow, on researching the size of the injector holes I saw what I'm sure must be a problem with one of the arms that compress the tappets. See photos (I hope the link works):
http://s53.photobucket.com/user/tim559011/media/photo%201_zpszktqlfoe.jpg.html?filters[user]=145032402&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=1
http://s53.photobucket.com/user/tim559011/media/photo%202_zps6xuikz4q.jpg.html?filters[user]=145032402&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0
The little linked device that must operate the valve, which my pencil is pointing to, is completely loose, rattling about if I prod it with my pencil. And it doesn't rest on the tapett head like all the others do.

I'm ***uming this means the cylinder head must come off so that I can inspect for damage? Any advice folks?
Thanks!
Tim M
 
Update,
I removed the cam shafts and I can see that all the inlet rockers are smashed (to pieces, bits all over the place including the tiny needles from the bearings). And the two rockers of No 1 cylinder exhaust valves are also broken. Lucky I checked!
Not sure what I'm going to do with the car. Clearly I bought a lemon. But I will get the cylinder head off and see what's happened to the valves and pistons.
Tim M
 
Tim, I've sent you a PM.
Hopefully I've got enough parts to solve your problems.
 
Hi All,
Just to update my story:
I was kindly given a complete engine with a broken oil pump chain by a forum member. I took the cylinder head off my engine, and off the gifted engine, intending to swap them over. But then I discovered the Honda head gasket alone is £170, and oil stem seals £130 for a set, and the machine shop wanted £200 to re-seat the valves and clean the head etc. Plus I still had to buy new camshaft and oil pump chains, tensioners and guides @ about £500.
At this point it looked more sensible to buy a second hand engine. I was helped in this decision by the same honourable fellow on this forum. So I'm picking up an engine tomorrow morning, from a Civic, 84K miles, £500. But I have to collect it.
Deeper and deeper into this project I go!
BWs, Tim
 
Hi All,
Just to say I have picked up the Civc engine. A complete lump. I am praying and ***uming the basic block is the same as my Accord but it is hard to tell as the block is currently buried in the Civic's wiring, ancillaries, turbo, intake equipment etc.
However I have the Accord engine stripped to the bare minimum, still in the engine bay, and I now need to strip down the Civic engine and get myself a hoist.
BWs, Tim M
 
In case anyone needs to know in the future, the blocks are the same.
I put an N22A2 Civic motor in my pre-facelift accord last year.
 
Dear All,
Just to complete my story for the sake of a positive relationship to life:
Recap: I bought a 7th generation ctdi for £200 as a non runner, with timing chain issues. I received a lot of useful advice from this forum, and then got absorbed into fixing the car and didn't finish my story, which is:

The injectors came out easily, after 157K miles in the car, but the timing chain had snapped and nearly all the rocker arms were broken to bits. I couldn't be sure that the valves weren't bent without looking at them, and at this point it looked cheaper to buy a second hand engine than to buy all the new cam chain gear, head gasket, reconditioning of the cylinder head etc. so I bought an '06 Civic ctdi engine with 86,000 for £500 which also had all the ancillaries still on it. I also gratefully received the gift of another non working engine from a very helpful fellow on this forum. So I now had three engines.
I needed to use my original injectors and also the rocker cover on the Civic is different, so it was necessary to remove the Civic injectors. But they would not budge even under extreme pressure. I cut the rocker cover off with a grinder and made a special puller from 1/2" steel plate, but they still would not move and to this day they remain seized in the (removed) head.
So in the end I used the bottom end of the Civic 86K engine and any ancillaries that suited my car, I used the cylinder head (reconditioned) from my gifted engine, bought new cam and oil pump chains and used the tensioners and guide arms from the Civic. In truth it was hard to keep track of which bits came from which engine, but I did okay. (For information, my original valves did not look bent even though they must have been rammed by the pistons).
Take note that a new head gasket from Honda is £186 or thereabouts.
It was actually enjoyable working on the engine once it was out of the car (it was last summer) and although my project had unravelled massively it was what I had wanted ... some recreational mechanic's work, so I was happy doing it, even if it is scary spending lots of money and never knowing whether it's a sensible choice until the key is turned.
So, with everything ***embled, and using the original injectors, I drained a fully charged battery trying to start my cherished creation, but it did purr into action after a few efforts with a recharged battery and hooked up to the battery of my van as well. It sounded great, very quiet and smooth and still does. I am getting about 60mpg on the motorway at 70mph and luckily all the other functions on this 157K mile car work sweetly. (Cruise control is a great novelty). Even the seats seem taught. My guess (or fantasy?) is that a hard working diminutive female executive originally had this car and she put all the miles on it, otherwise I can't understand why it's in such good condition.
A big thank you to everyone on this site, and wishing you well with your cars.
Cheers!
Tim M
 
Well done mate. A snapped timing chain / oil pump chain cost me the best part of 2 grand to sort out so you fixing it from cannibalised parts is a great feat in itself. I did question whether it was worth it or not but it runs great now and it has to be said, the 7th Gen Accords are great motors, especially the comfort factor which people ALWAYS comment on when they sit in the car for the first time.
 
Great to hear that it all ended up as one decent lump in the end Tim.
In terms of car for your buck they're a great sled, and the diesel's are very sweet compared to what else is on the market.
Loved your resourcefulness with the DIY injector puller. Thought that was quite the bit of lateral thinking.
 
Mines currently off the road waiting for the timing chains to be done next week and really missing driving it. Can't wait to get it back and hear how quiet it actually should be !!
 
Thanks Graham, Matt, Motorhate (??), for your replies. I'm loving my car, in London the diesel engine is so much nicer to drive than my sister's petrol Accord, as I have the torque which makes for a smoother ride and fewer gear changes. My car feels like a quality vehicle, the way the doors clunk shut, the interior lights, gear change quality etc. I especially like a number of small features including the left armrest sliding forward so that I can rest both my elbows and hold the wheel. Cruise control is still a nice novelty.
Happy driving everyone!
Tim M
PS, I hope Graham's car is back in operation.
 
Tim559011 said:
Thanks Graham, Matt, Motorhate (??), for your replies. I'm loving my car, in London the diesel engine is so much nicer to drive than my sister's petrol Accord, as I have the torque which makes for a smoother ride and fewer gear changes. My car feels like a quality vehicle, the way the doors clunk shut, the interior lights, gear change quality etc. I especially like a number of small features including the left armrest sliding forward so that I can rest both my elbows and hold the wheel. Cruise control is still a nice novelty.
Happy driving everyone!
Tim M
PS, I hope Graham's car is back in operation.
Click to expand...
Got it back today and much quieter! Very happy! :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top