Timing belt replacement on 1.8 (2.0) Proteges

gozz

Member
Hi guys...

First of all, sorry for my bad english and spelling mistakes...(boom07)

Ok, although the belts may look fine, the time and mileage do their part.. the material weakens, micro cracks appear, and more importantly, both the belt idler and the belt tensioner bearings wear out, as well as the water pump bearings and it's shaft gaskets... so after 100 000 Km (60 000 miles) all above mentioned should be replaced... The water pump as well, coz, although not being powered by the timing belt on Proteges, it is prone to failure (bearing failures and/or leaks), but to replace it, the entire timing belt system has to be removed first to gain access to the pump... so that sucks!

I have just changed mine, and, well, you do not need any special tools except you might encounter a problem of not being able do undo the crankshaft pulley bolt, which is difficult to do if you do not have the SST (special service tool). (air tools will not work on this bolt, trust me :) ).

However, by having some average toolbox items, it is quite easy to do it without the SST.

well, I do not have any of my own project pictures, but I will paste some from the net.

So, here it goes:

1. Jack up your front passenger-side wheel and remove it.

2. Remove the splash cover behind the wheel, exposing the crankshaft pulley.

3. Remove the splash guard from below the front of the car, exposing the bottom of the radiator.

4. Unhook the camshaft position sensor, spark plug wires and spark plugs, and remove the valve cover.

This is where you are so far:





5. To remove the two serpentine belts, undo the bolts holding the PS pump, and do the same with the alternator, (it could be tricky to access the alternator form above, so try from underneath the car). Each of them has three bolts: Swivel bolt, jack bolt, and a locking bolt. First, just untighten the swivel bolt, then the locking bolt, and then undo the jack bolt to release the tension on belt.
Here's an example on a P/s pump, and the same principle is on an alternator...


RED COLOR: swivel bolt
GREEN COLOR: Jack bolt
BLUE COLOR: locking bolt

Here's the much better picture and more detailed explanation on this matter ( courtesy of Brcobrem )

http://public.bay.livefilestore.com...1HErlk4HI8IUTvw/power_steering_pump_bolts.jpg


The red insert shows the power steering unit's swivel bolt that you see on top of the engine (this gets loosened first, and tightened last). The blue circle shows the lock bolt loosened but not falling out (this get loosened 2nd and tightened this after tensioning with the jack bolt). The green circle at the top of the pic shows the rear of the jack bolt. The green circle in the green insert shows the front of the jack bolt (this gets loosened thirdly and tightened appropriately for belt tensioning before tightening the lock bolt).


6. Loosen the mentioned above, and remove the two serpentine belts (P/S-A/C-C/S) and (Alternator-C/S-W/P).

7. Now comes the tricky part: Undoing the crankshaft bolt...

Now, if you try to undo it, (I believe 21 mm socket and wrench), you will find that the engine will turn as you try to turn your wrench, so you will need to find a way to block the pulley and stop it from spinning.

There are two threaded holes on the crankshaft pulley (C/S) with M8 (8 mm ) threads... What you need to do is to take two bolts you had lying around your garage or in your tool box (or buy them at your local hardware store), thread them all the way into the pulley, find a peace of metal pipe, a block of wood, a wooden board, a two-by-two, or something, wedge it somehow (I leave it to your own creativity and nventivity) between the bolts and the suspension arm or a floor or somewhere on the chassis, so the pulley won't turn. And with the help of some elbow grease, undo the bolt.

Now a little trick. The crankshaft bolt has to be tightened back to approx. 160 Nm of torque. It could be done by using a big old nasty torque wrench, but, I use a little trick: Before I undo the bolt, I use a magic marker to mark the position of the bolt (on bolt and pulley), so when I put it back on, I tighten it until the marks are aligned, ergo no need for a torque wrench...


8. Undo the bolts holding the plastic timing cover, and remove the cower. It has two pieces and the plastic is very brittle, so PLEASE DO BE CAREFUL. Upper one can be removed, while lower one has to wait for the crankshaft pulley to be removed first (see nr. 11)

Now, you have your timing belt exposed, and you se your cam shaft pulleys and all.

9. In order to remove the belt, you need to take of the engine mount, so first take another jack, put it below the engine oil pan, take a block of wood and put it between the oil pan and the jack, and lift the jack just enough until it BARELY starts to lift the engine! (a couple of millimeters, or 1/8th of an inch). The jack will support the engine when you remove the mount.

10. Unbolt the mount and remove it.

Here's where you are so far:



11. Remove the crankshaft pulley (DO NOT use a puller, coz it will damage the pulley, rather wiggle it out by hand and be patient), and be careful not to lose the position pin.

After the pulley has been removed, you will see the timing pulley behind, with a NOTCH on it (V shaped), that indicates the position.

Now, the notch on the CRANK SHAFT has to FACE UPWARDS, (aligned to a mark on the engine block) while the two notches (lines actually) on the CAMSHAFT pulleys (gears) have to be horizontal, inwards, next to each other. (as it can bee seen on the picture below)



12. Put the crankshaft bolt back into the crankshaft, tighten it BY HAND so you can use a ratchet to turn the engine, and using a wrench slowly turn the crankshaft clockwise until you get the marks aligned (as they should be), so it will be a lot easier once you take the old belt off, to realign the system for the new belt...

13. There is a spring holding the belt tensioner in place. Unhook it, (be careful not to lose it, and remember how it goes back on), and unbolt and remove the tensioner.

14. Unbolt and remove the idler.

15. Remove the belt.

(now, you are a half way through)!

16. Go underneath the radiator, and you will see the coolant drain plug. Drain the coolant. (I guess you know how to do it...)

17. Unbolt the four water pump pulley bolts and remove the pulley.




18. Unbolt the water pump bolts (5 of them), and remove the pump! (some remaining coolant will leak, that is no prob.)

(Sometimes, the pump gasket will hold the pump stuck to the engine block, so tap it with a soft-tip mallet a bit or gently pry it loose, if it is stuck on...)

19. Clean the sealing surfaces, and put the new pump on. Use a torque wrench to tighten the pump bolts (approx 20 Nm of torque)

20. Put the new idler roller on, and tighten it.

21. Put the new tensioner and tighten it. (do not put the tension spring on yet!!!) This type of tensioners used on 1.8 and 2.0 proteges operates by a spring tension and auto-adjustment feature, meaning that even if it is tightened all the way, it will still swivel back and forth, as the spring pushes on it against the belt...

22. Check, recheck and again RECHECK the align marks on the crankshaft and camshafts, and put the new belt on. It will be a bit of a struggle to get it on right, but be persistent. (rotation direction is often marked on the belt, if not, then the direction is the same as the reading direction of the words printed on the belt).

How to put a belt on:

Start by putting it on the crankshaft pulley, then, go over the idler and put it on the exhaust camshaft, then onto intake camshaft, and while opening the tensioner (no spring on it yet), slide it under.


After the belt is on, again check, re check and RE CHECK the marks, and if all ok:

23. Put the tension spring back on.

24. Do 4 turns of the crankshaft with your hands using a hand wrench, and recheck if everything spins ok. Check the belt, markings, belt sideways movement, slack...

25. Now, start putting everything back in reverse order.

26. as you finish the assembly, putting the mount back on, don't forget you still have the jack underneath the engine!!!

27. Replace the new serpentine belts, and tighten them. the general "rule-of-thumb" when tightening serpentine belts (using a jack bolt) is that it is tightened just right when on the middle of the longest belt-straight, you can twist the belt approx. 90 degrees with your fingers.

Do not over tighten the belts, coz you will ruin the bearings!!!

28. Refill the coolant and bleed the system... (I guess you know how it's done).

again, recheck everything and start the engine up.

Let it idle for 10 minutes or so, and then, recheck everything. Wait for the engine to warm up and start the cooling vent.

Check for leaks around the water pump.

And, that's it!!!

And of course, this is just a how-to help, I can not take any liability in any damage caused by this text.

Cheers!
 
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Man, this is a great write-up! This has been long-awaited by many of us who are getting ready to change our timing belts. Mods, sticky this (and maybe post a link to it in the general How-To forum!)!

To the OP, did you have any trouble getting the water pump pulley bolts out? And did you try air tools on the crank pulley bolt before you had to use the prying method?

As for the English, I honestly can't tell. I just noticed in the last sentence that the word "legibility" should be "liability"

Nice work, man.
 
Man, this is a great write-up! This has been long-awaited by many of us who are getting ready to change our timing belts. Mods, sticky this (and maybe post a link to it in the general How-To forum!)!

To the OP, did you have any trouble getting the water pump pulley bolts out? And did you try air tools on the crank pulley bolt before you had to use the prying method?

As for the English, I honestly can't tell. I just noticed in the last sentence that the word "legibility" should be "liability"

Nice work, man.

Hello there... "liability" it is (smoke)

Water pump pulley bolts were a piece of cake... You should crack them loose while the belts are still on, and later, just undo them off completely...

Well, I tried a couple of air tools on the crankshaft pulley bolt, but non of them would even move the darn thing...

I guess the professional size air impact gun would work, but I had none handy...
 
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The reason I asked about the air tools is because I have an electric impact wrench that can torque up to 450 ft-lbs, and I was thinking of giving this a shot when I do my timing belt.

I would also like to change my crankshaft and camshaft oil seals, but I'm a little nervous about removing the pulleys and irreparably messing up the timing (irreparable as in I'd have to tow it to a shop to get fixed).
 
The reason I asked about the air tools is because I have an electric impact wrench that can torque up to 450 ft-lbs, and I was thinking of giving this a shot when I do my timing belt.

I would also like to change my crankshaft and camshaft oil seals, but I'm a little nervous about removing the pulleys and irreparably messing up the timing (irreparable as in I'd have to tow it to a shop to get fixed).


OK, it won't hurt to give it a shot. 350ft-lbs of torque should be able to undo the bolt, but then again, you have to tighten it back to 160 Nm, so you have to use a torque wrench (or my magic marker technique) so this way or the other, you have to block the pulley from spinning.

Well, have no worries about messing up your timing, well here's why:

Crankshaft pulley (both serpentine and timing belt pulley) has an idiot-proof notch that holds a pin that goes into the crankshaft notch. So even if you wanted to, you couldn't mess it up.


The same thing with the cam shafts...

You can not put them back wrong. (just mark which one goes where, and it's orientation... etc) but as far as the timing orientation is concerned, there is no possibility of an error.

Just be careful how you block your camshaft it self while undoing the camshaft pulley bolt, (I don't remember the size, but use a fork wrench or open end wrench however you call it, and put it on the camshaft between two lobes, there should be a "squared" place just for that purpose), if not, just wedge a flat head screwdriver through one of the pulley holes while undoing the bolt...

And be careful when putting the new oil seals, not to put them crooked, or to hit them or scratch them...
 
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OK, it won't hurt to give it a shot. 350ft-lbs of torque should be able to undo the bolt, but then again, you have to tighten it back to 160 Nm, so you have to use a torque wrench (or my magic marker technique) so this way or the other, you have to block the pulley from spinning.

Well, have no worries about messing up your timing, well here's why:

Crankshaft pulley (both serpentine and timing belt pulley) has an idiot-proof notch that holds a pin that goes into the crankshaft notch. So even if you wanted to, you couldn't mess it up.


The same thing with the cam shafts...

You can not put them back wrong. (just mark which one goes where, and it's orientation... etc) but as far as the timing orientation is concerned, there is no possibility of an error.

Just be careful how you block your camshaft it self while undoing the camshaft pulley bolt, (I don't remember the size, but use a fork wrench or open end wrench however you call it, and put it on the camshaft between two lobes, there should be a "squared" place just for that purpose), if not, just wedge a flat head screwdriver through one of the pulley holes while undoing the bolt...

And be careful when putting the new oil seals, not to put them crooked, or to hit them or scratch them...

Thanks for the tips! I'm at 103,000 miles right now, so this is something I will probably be attempting around November.
 
sub for AC belt removal

i just removed the whole a/c system a month ago...i keep on meaning to write a how-to... but never get around to it... i'll definitely try to get one up this week then!


and great how-to on the timing belt here! i'm starting to get a ticking for the first couple of minutes when i start the car...so i think my idler is going bad, i have just over 113k on her and don't think the anything has been changed since i bought it at 56k and i doubt the guy who sold it would've spent money to change it if he was just going to sell it right after...

anywho... i definitely need to get on both of the above!
 
....

easier way to get the crankshaft pulley off is to, put your car into 5th gear if its a 5-speed, and take two screwdrivers and put them into the middle of the rotors on the inside where the air slots are. by doing this it keeps the engine from spinning, its alot easier then using bolts on the crank pulley.



just watch out when you put the timing belt on you MAKE SURE ALL THE ALIGNMENT MARKS ARE LINED UP TOGETHER, IF NOT AND YOU PUT EVERYTHING BACK TOGETHER YOU JUST WASTED YOUR TIME, TRUST ME I KNOW.
 
easier way to get the crankshaft pulley off is to, put your car into 5th gear if its a 5-speed, and take two screwdrivers and put them into the middle of the rotors on the inside where the air slots are. by doing this it keeps the engine from spinning, its alot easier then using bolts on the crank pulley.

...

Well, I wouldn't recommend it... Here's why:

The bolt needs approx 160 Nm or torque to be tightened properly...
That said, it takes way more than 160 Nm of torque to undo the bolt, especially when rusted and seized in after years and years of engine use... So lets guess: 200Nm? (wow) - OK!

Well 200 Nm is A LOT of torque, especially if we know that the 2.0 liter engine can give approx 170 Nm of max. torque.

Where am I going with this???

Well, by blocking the brake rotors, and forcing the bolt counterclockwise (against the transmission's normal direction) with torque greater then the engine's maximum, we put a GREAT deal of strain on:

Clutch, gears in the gearbox, diff, drive axles, CV joints...... Do you get where I am going with this?

Plus, the procedure can only be done om manuals...

just watch out when you put the timing belt on you MAKE SURE ALL THE ALIGNMENT MARKS ARE LINED UP TOGETHER, IF NOT AND YOU PUT EVERYTHING BACK TOGETHER YOU JUST WASTED YOUR TIME, TRUST ME I KNOW. ...

...that's why I mentioned, "check, check again, and recheck the marks"... :)
 
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timing belt

hey Great write-up,

I have a question about correctly timing, and installing the belt, I have the crankshaft pulley aligned with the arrow, the camshaft pulleys are also aligned, with the I and E at the top and the two timing mark lines aligned with the cylinder head, as indicated in the shop manual....

http://www.floptical.net/mazda/service_web/01-10a.PDF

I am having difficulty putting the belt on, and keeping the camshaft gears in place, once i align everything, I try to put the belt on, but one of the camshafts, or crankshaft rotates by a few millimetres,....

I am still working on it, currently i have the belt on, its perfectly aligned, with the tensioner/ider tight, but the tensioner is not pushing up against the belt very tight..... I have heard that even if the tensioner is tight, it will still apply pressure via the tensioner spring,... but not sure if it will all stay inline, or be timed correctly,

I have two questions:

1. What should be the position of the tensioner? all the way to the left, right, or center??

2. Will it make a difference if the crankshaft, or crankshafts are off by a millimetre or three...


Thanks very much
 
I have two questions:

1. What should be the position of the tensioner? all the way to the left, right, or center??

2. Will it make a difference if the crankshaft, or crankshafts are off by a millimetre or three...


Thanks very much

Hello there.

1. Well, it is irrelevant, the tensioner works by a spring loading action, meaning even when tightly bolted on, it will still move as the belt works against the spring. It is like a hinge, the center of the tentioner is hard-bolted to the block not moving at all, while the outer part of the tensioner along with the bearing - pivots around the center which is slightly offset hence the movement back and forth... So as long as it pushes against the belt, do not worry about the position. (for example, winter or summer temps contract or expand the belt in minor increments, hence the tentioner position changes a bit.)

2. Well, if the belt is a brand name (not some cheap Chinese one), and it it is nice and tight, ALL the markings are suppose to be exactly on a spot!

So, it is either you will skip a tooth (in which case you will miss approx. 3-5 mm of the markings) or you will get it on just right. There shouldn't be any difference. (unless you have performance after-sales cam gears w/ adjustable timing...)

Ok, so, if by any chance you miss a tooth, and decide to go with it, it will not ba a good idea, because firstly the valve timing will be interrupted (engine will have trouble breathing) and secondly, the engine takes the signal of the exhaust cam shaft sensor to induce correct timing, so as the cams are missaligned, the timing will be off synchro!
 
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Gozz, thanks very much, i was hoping you would reply,.......

I now have the camgears and the crankshaft all lined-up properly.... the belt does have some slack, about 7mm back and forth between the two camgears at the top....

when i put the tensioner spring on, the belt moves a little and goes out of alignment on the crankshaft by about 3mm... you think this is normal, or should i do it again, ??

thanks
 
Gozz, thanks very much, i was hoping you would reply,.......

I now have the camgears and the crankshaft all lined-up properly.... the belt does have some slack, about 7mm back and forth between the two camgears at the top....

when i put the tensioner spring on, the belt moves a little and goes out of alignment on the crankshaft by about 3mm... you think this is normal, or should i do it again, ??

thanks

Hmmm,

It would be great if you could send me a pic or post it here, so I can see what's going on??

Well, it shouldn't matter how much tension is being put on the belt, coz down the line of : crankshaft ->idler->exhaust cam->intake cam, the line is fixed... So the markings should stay in place...

Hmm, only one possible cause:

Maybe you have left too much slack... on the line described above.

Excuse my MS Paint masterpiece, but on the left picture you do not have any slack on the described line (green), so no matter how much pressure the tensioner applies (black arrow), the markings should be ok.

On the picture on the right, you have left some slack (red lined side) with the markings aligned, so when you apply the tensioner pressure (black arrow) you pick up the slack, hence the misalignment...



And, yes, the belt movement of approx 7 mm (up-down) between the cams
is perfectly normal.
 
Hi, Thanks for the reply, I do have a little slack on the right side, opposite the tensioner, so maybe thats whats causing this slight misalignment, im going to take the belt off, and try it again a few times to get it right, i didnt think that the order of how the belt was put on was a big deal, but i guess it has to be, so im gonna do it again, thanks for ur guidance,
 
Hi, Thanks for the reply, I do have a little slack on the right side, opposite the tensioner, so maybe thats whats causing this slight misalignment, im going to take the belt off, and try it again a few times to get it right, i didnt think that the order of how the belt was put on was a big deal, but i guess it has to be, so im gonna do it again, thanks for ur guidance,

Glad to be of assistance!!!
 
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