Checking to see if the timing belt on your Honda Civic has busted and thus causing a no-start condition isn't a difficult thing to do. In this tutorial, I'll show you just how easy it is to check it.
IMPORTANT: Your 2001-2005 1.7L Honda Civic engine is an interference engine.
An interference engine is an engine whose intake and exhaust valves extend further into the combustion chamber than a non interference engine. This is good news when it comes to squeezing more performance out of the engine. The downside to an interference engine is that the valves will hit the pistons, when the timing belt breaks, and get bent/damaged.
Contents of this tutorial:
ES 
You can find this tutorial in Spanish here: Cómo Verificar Si Se Reventó la Correa de Distribución (1.7L Honda Civic) (at: autotecnico-online.com).
APPLIES TO: This tutorial applies to the following vehicles:
- 1.7L Honda Civic: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005.
ENGINE NO-START DIAGNOSTICS:
TEST 1: Checking Rocker Arm Actuation
As you're probably already aware:
- The timing belt turns the camshaft.
- The camshaft in turn actuates the rocker arms.
- The rocker arms in turn open and close the cylinder head valves.
When the timing belt breaks the camshaft will not turn. This in turn will lead to the rocker arms not moving up and down. So very first thing that we'll look at is to see if the rocker arms are being actuated.
This is a very easy test and these are the test steps:
- 1
Remove the oil cap from your Honda Civic's valve cover (see photo above).
NOTE: Your Honda Civic's battery should be fully charged up before starting this test. - 2
Have a helper crank your Civic's engine while you look down (thru' the oil cap hole) and see if the rocker arm (that's in view) moves up and down.
- 3
If the timing belt is NOT broken, you'll see rocker arm move up and down while the engine is cranking.
Let's take a look at your test results:
CASE 1: The rocker arm moved up and down as the engine was cranking. This tells you that the timing belt IS NOT broken.
Whatever is causing your Honda Civic's 'no-start' condition isn't related to the timing belt.
CASE 2: The rocker arm DID NOT move up and down as the engine was cranking. This tells you that the timing belt is broken.
Replacing the timing belt is only the beginning of the repair due to the fact that your Civic's 1.7L engine is an interference engine. More specifically, there's a good chance that the you've got bent valves on your hands (that'll require removing the cylinder head to replace).
TEST 2: Removing The Top Timing Belt Cover
This next test is a bit more involved since it requires that you remove the top timing belt cover to check the rotation of the camshaft gear (while your helper cranks the engine).
To remove your 1.7L Honda Civic's upper timing cover, you'll need to remove the valve cover.
Why go through all this trouble? Because visually checking that the timing belt is on the cam gear and that it's actually turning the camshaft gear (while your helper cranks the engine) is the most accurate way to check the timing belt's condition.
CAUTION: You'll be working around a cranking engine, so take all necessary safety precautions.
- 1
Remove the valve cover and then the top plastic timing belt cover.
NOTE: The timing belt cover is a two piece cover. No need to remove the bottom part, just the top one. - 2
Have your helper crank the engine once the top plastic timing belt cover is removed and the camshaft gear is exposed.
- 3
As the engine is cranking, observe the camshaft gear (from a safe distance).
- 4
You'll see one of two things:
1.) The camshaft gear will turn as the engine cranks or
2.) The camshaft gear will NOT turn as the engine turns over.
OK, now that the testing part is done, let's take a look at what your results mean:
CASE 1: The camshaft gear turned as the engine was cranking. This let's you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your 1.7L Honda Civic's timing belt is not broken. No further testing is required.
CASE 2: The camshaft gear DID NOT turn as the engine was cranking and/or the timing belt is not on the cam gear. This result tells you that your 1.7L Honda Civic's timing belt is broken and needs to be replaced.
Replacing the timing belt is only the beginning of the repair due to the fact that your Civic's 1.7L engine is an interference engine. More specifically, there's a good chance that the you've got bent valves on your hands (that'll require removing the cylinder head to replace).
More 1.7L Honda Civic Tutorials
You can find a complete list of tutorials for your 1.7L Honda Civic car here: 1.7L Honda Civic Index Of Articles.
Here's a small sample of the tutorials you'll find in the index:
- How To Test The Crank Sensor (2001-2005 1.7L Honda Civic).
- Maintenance Required Light Reset (2001-2005 1.7L Honda Civic).
- How To Do A Cylinder Balance Test (2001-2005 1.7L Honda Civic).
- How To Test Trouble Code P0141 (2001-2005 1.7L Honda Civic).
- How To Test The TP Sensor (2001-2005 1.7L Honda Civic).
- How To Test Trouble Code P0135 (2001-2003 1.7L Honda Civic).
If this info saved the day, buy me a beer!
