I just bought a 1997 Honda Civic, done about 85k. There is no record of the timing belt having ever been changed so I want to get this done as a priority. My usual mechanic can't do it for a month due to other commitments so I have been ringing round for quotes, and generally these have all been to change the belt quot;plus the kit- which makes sense, change the lot while you are in there.Surprisingly, the cheapest quote I have had was from my local Honda dealer, however, they have said this is for the belt only as they don't change the tensioner/water pump on this model. Are they full of it? I'm not sure whether to take this as expertise from the car's manufacturer or total BS from some chancer trying to make money from us having to come back when other things go wrong!
Dealers are notorious for just replacing exactly what needs replacing. They will replace the belt, then six months later the water pump will go out, or the tensioner will start making noise, and neither will be covered under warranty of the original repair. Change all wearing items when you change the belt, and you won't have any problems in that area for years.
We have owned Honda's for years, including three 90's Civics. We have had the timing belts changed by the dealer also - also the cheapest price - and they have always recommended changing the tensioner and the water pump while in there. The timing belt is such a critical piece of equipment that is should be changed on schedule. The new belts go much longer than the old belts. But it's only a hundred more at most to have the water pump replaced at the same time so make them do it. If you water pump goes out in another 20000 miles, the labor charge to get to it will be 400 or 500 bucks. Most dealerships will do the water pump for parts cost markup if they are also doing your timing belt. You can also negotiate your price with a dealership. Try it. If they won't budge, find a new dealer.
This is a hot topic even among Honda enthusiasts and professionals. The whole deal about changing the water pump, as you probably know, is that the labor to do that is small once the timing belt is out of the way. However - and this is the big issue - most original Honda water pumps last a very long time, even more than 200K miles. Do you feel lucky? One big issue enters here: what sort of antifreeze has been used in it? If it still has Honda antifreeze (dark green in your 1997, as I recall) the pump is probably still good for another 100K miles even if the coolant has not been changed on schedule. If it has conventional (bright) green or some other coolant that is not known to be silicate free I strongly recommend replacing the pump with an OEM pump. See the first source for the reason. In any case, I recommend replacing the water pump with the next timing belt change if you don't do it this time. 300K miles is a lot to ask of a pump seal. I also strongly recommend not going with an aftermarket pump - OEM only. I make a habit of always replacing the pump and tensioner(s). EDIT - Shane A has a good point. If the water pump fails next year the price of a new pump and tensioner will seem trivial. The pain of higher cost is temporary, the peace of mind is lasting.
