Timing belt replacement on 1.8 (2.0) Proteges

[meGrimlock]

not to threadjack but....
i am lazy, and got a 20% coupon from the dealer, so i took it in and i asked to replace the tensioner, tensioner spring, idler, crankshaft and camshaft seals (esp wanted the seals incase there were any leaks related to my oil consumption).

looking at my receipt, none of those are on there. instead i have 2 new belts--i even told them the belts were not even a year old--water pump, water pump gasket, timing belt, and mazda coolant. i assume the rest was "inspect and replace if necessary."

are these deal breakers? i really don't want to drop off my car for another day, it takes a lot of planning to get a ride to the dealer and back during rush hour, but if those items should have been replaced then should i call them in the morning and raise a concern? the mileage on the car is over 87,000 miles

if this should be a new thread please let me know. thanks.
-meGrimlock

 

[Dermen]

Well I'm stuck on the crank nut. I bent the two M8 bolts I had, but they were a little long. Tomorrow I'll have another go with shorter bolts so they won't bend as easily. If that doesn't work I'll try the starter trick.

When doing the starter trick does everything need to be plugged back in? I unplugged the cam sensor, the PS pump, and the ignition coils. I imagine it doesn't matter but thought maybe the ECU would freak out and not even let me attempt to start it.

 

[Dermen]

I finished the job. The starter trick worked great for undoing the crank bolt. lol I can't believe it has been a week since I started, I've been lazy not finishing it until now. I didn't run the car yet since it is late and I was dirty. Tomorrow will be the moment of truth, although I rotated the engine and checked at least 5 times to make sure the timing belt wasn't off.

My new water pump had a bent fin on the impeller. I'm getting to test out rockauto's return service, so far so good, they emailed me a return shipping label. I went and got one from advanced auto, it looks like better quality and cost the same (I think GMB was the brand).

Update: Everything is running great. Thanks a bunch of the how-to and all the info everybody else provided.

 

[MUSTANG1965]

New member

Many thanks to gozz for his article and photos on the 1.8 timing belt replacement. It is the best i have seen . My car is a 2000 mazda protege, 161,000 miles and still running strong. In cold weather it has an intermittent noise coming from the timing cover area and i suspect the tensioner and or idler may be at fault. Also a while back had a check engine lite issue and fluttering tach with hesitation. A sharp local tech found a small hole in the plastic plenum leading to the throttle body, causing bad readings to the air sensor. Problem fixed with new plenum. A great car with no payments.

 

[MUSTANG1965]

Just completed 1.8 timing belt and tensioner job. Running great. My crank bolt was really tough to get undone. Not having impact tools, I removed the engine oil pan and carefully wedged an oak hammer handle between the crank counterweight and the engine block. Also a good tip for lining up the cam marks is to use a vice grip to hold the front cam. Allow the back(rear) cam mark to point slightly downward.(one degree) As the tensioner spring is attached it will cause a slight counterclockwise rotation to bring the mark horizontal. Also go with a high quality tensioner, preferably Mazda. Thank you to all members for their help. Take your time on the marks, it is critical !!! or the engine will not run right.

 

[Rusty]

I am going to do the timing belt tomorrow. Seals for the crank and cams came with the kit, but since I have never had an oil leak I'm thinking of skipping that part, unless I see some oil seeping out. Any thoughts on that. I have 70k miles on the car, '02 Protege5.

 

[bazooka joe]

you really don't need to do it until 105k...i'm at 153k and will be doing it this summer once the car is off the road...i'm not recommending you wait this long, but 70 is early.

 

[Rusty]

I'm doing the timing belt because it's lived in harsh hot weather conditions for 9 years and the drive belts are cracked very badly. And I drive it like it's stolen.
There are no oil leaks so I'll probably leave the seals alone and just hang on to them.
So far everything was easy except the alternator. I bought a longer 3/8 drive ratchet with a swivel head for good measure. No problem after that. I did find it's easier to get the top alternator bolts loose if I removed the cruise control diaphragm.

 

[Rusty]

There was a little oil under the crank, so I replaced that seal. I had a little trouble with it, so I hope I didn't create a bigger problem. First, I scratched the metal under the old seal. Not much but it is visible. I tried to polish it with some sand paper, but it didn't change much. Then I oiled the new one and when I started to press it in it started crooked. I used a piece of PVC pipe that fit great so I tapped on the other side until it evened up. I couldn't see any deformity at all as it was going in. I put it in flush and it looks fine. I'll be mad if I created a leaker.

The only other problem I created was getting the cams and crank out of timing. I put the belt on so that the crank hits TDC and the marks line up right after the #1 intake valve finishes closing. Number one is the first counting from the left(I hope). If anybody thinks I've got it wrong, please tell me before I put all the covers and drive belts back on.(nervous)

 

[georgecastaneda]

thanks for this useful write up, After 1 day of trying to set up the timing belt right today i just Finnish my car by following this write up.

thanks a lot!!

 

[slavrenz]

That sucks to hear man, but don't let one bad water pump ruin the brand for you. That is the exact water pump I bought (because it was new), and I haven't had any problems in 7+ months.

Cardone usually makes very good products. As for your refund, that's just RockAuto's policy - they only stock parts by quality manufacturers, and so they won't refund your money on the premise that every water pump is crap. They just consider it a fluke, and send you a replacement.

UPDATE: My Cardone Select water pump just crapped out on me as well, so maybe they really are junk? Little ticked at having to redo the timing belt job...

 

[projectmx]

just completed the water pump and timing belt swap... i had to have a guy with an 1100 ft/lb impact gun bust the crank bolt loose for me cause nothing else worked and there was no way i was taking the oil pan off. thanks a lot for the write up!

 

[Tzar177]

UPDATE: My Cardone Select water pump just crapped out on me as well, so maybe they really are junk? Little ticked at having to redo the timing belt job...

How do you determine if the water pump craps out? Car over heats?

 

[Rusty]

just completed the water pump and timing belt swap... i had to have a guy with an 1100 ft/lb impact gun bust the crank bolt loose for me cause nothing else worked and there was no way i was taking the oil pan off. thanks a lot for the write up!

I put the socket on the bolt and a piece of pipe over the end of my 15" breaker bar and bumped the starter for a second. I unscrewed it the rest of the way with my fingers.
I put it back on as tight as I could get it, but didn't have enough room for my torque wrench. I only got it up to 80lb, so I drove it to the Goodyear tire store and asked them to put 120 Lbs on it. No charge, 1 minute's work.

How do you determine if the water pump craps out? Car over heats?

It makes noise and/or leaks.

 

[Pmpkinhead]

Ok here we go. The dealer will be doing the T-Belt/W-Pump next week. Here is the parts list for what they ordered. Let me know if there is any additional parts that should be added to the list! I'm also adding new MAZDA Alt / AC Belts because I can't get my Gates brand belts to stop squealing. The dealer said the Mazda belts will have a better fit and will stop the squeal.

FSY1-12-205 T-Belt, FS01-15-010F W-Pump Kit, FS02-15-116 W-Pump Gasket, FSD7-10-235 Vlv Cvr Gasket, FS01-12-711 Spring. $900.00 inc Loaner Mazda 3.

PS: High quality dealer sales and service! (have been going there since 1989)

 

[Rusty]

Most of us home-mechanics replace the idler pulley and the tensioner pulley. The tensioner pulley can wear out. It's made to have a stiff pivot motion so it can't bounce, even with the spring holding it tight. The idler probably is safe to skip, but I can't see doing one without the other. Tell them if there is any sign of oil to replace the crank and/or the cam seals. They're cheap and quick. You don't want oil getting on the timing belt, and you wouldn't know it until it was too late. Good luck, tell us how it turns out.

 

[Pmpkinhead]

Thanks, I'll relay the info and I'll give a follow-up on Wednesday.

 

[Pmpkinhead]

It took one day and the car is all set. No oil leaks and the pulleys were in good shape per the dealer. $870.00 for 3 belts, 1 water pump, and a couple gaskets. They said they changed all of the coolant too. The loaner car was included. The two Gates Belts (Napa Auto) are available for $5.00 Shipped each (excellent condition). Let me know and I'll ship them pronto.

 

[nraray]

timing belt replacement

Excellent post. The manual only gives so much info. This is quite detailed. Thanks Ray

 

[Rusty]

I'd say, for someone who's in a position to swing it, $870 is well worth the benefits of having a well maintained car, and saving your knuckles and curses.
As for me, I've always enjoyed busted knuckles and cursing. When it comes to cars. For other things, I follow my wifes advice and Just call the Man!