Honda Repair: 98 Honda civic LX, castrol gtx, honda civic lx

Question
I just bought I '98 Honda Civic LX with just 63,000 miles on it. Conventional wisdom says to change the timing belt at 60k miles but the manual doesn't call for it till 105K. If it were your car, when would you change it? Also, when I drive, the engine sounds a little knocky above 3000 rpms. I know older cars sometimes need higher octane gas, but this car isn't that old and only has 63k miles. I just had the oil changed and put Castrol GTX 5-30 oil in it. Do I just need to use higher octane gas, or could there be a bigger problem?

Answer
Eric,
Good questions.
You are right about what the manual says about changing the timing belt. I believe that 60k is too early to replace the belt. If I were you I would plan on doing it around 90k. You will have no problems if you do that. Mark my word.
As far as the engine noise, it's hard to say without hearing the noise. Could be a valve tap, or a rod knock. Have someone who knows what they are doing check it out for you. Keep in mind that those civics were always a little noisy in my opinion. One thing to check is the tightness of the power steering belt. A tight belt WILL make the engine louder. It puts a lot of stress on the crank and will cause a knock.
Gas will do nothing unless you are hearing an ignition ping, which I doubt is your noise.
Good luck and thanks for the question.
Gene