Alternator belt for Honda engines

The Alternator belt

The alternator belt on the Honda engine not only drives the alternator itself, but also the water pump.

If it starts to squeel when it's damp or cold then most likely the belt is worn out, or a wrong one is fitted.

The required belt should be for the Honda Civic EP3 TypeR WITHOUT A/C compressor. You can obtain one from the Honda dealer.

Cross-reference part numbers

A less costly option is to buy a generic replacement:

• Goodyear 7PK1287
• GATES 7PK1283

Do not use the GATES 7PK1290. It seems to work, but it will slip on the pulleys as it's just a little too long.

Replacing

Replacing the belt is not hard, but a little fiddly.

The Honda engine uses a spring-loaded belt tensioner, so it is not needed to manually tension the belt using the alternator like on the Rover engine.

Look throuhgh the side intake to see how the belt is routed across the pulleys.

To remove the old belt, put a size 14 spanner on the center bolt of the tensioner wheel and push it clockwise to relieve the tension on the belt. On an S2 with a Honda engine you can also use a swivel joint on a long extention bar and access the tensioner from the side air intake on the right hand side using a socket and ratchet.

Once the belt tension is relieved, slip it off the top idler pulley and carefully release the tensioner.

You can now remove the old belt from the crank pulley and remove it from the car.

Fitting the new belt is the reverse. Thread it in place andmake sure it's aligned properly on the crank pulley.

Push the tensioner clockwise again and work the belt over the top idler pulley edges.

Make sure it's sitting centered on the alternator, idler pulley and crank pulley. Check that it's also centered on the waterpump and tensioner roller/pulley. Gently allow the tensioner to take up the slack in the belt and let it tighten fully.

Once everything looks OK, start the engine and let it run a few minutes to distribute the tension on the belt evenly across it's length.

All done!