MSP maintenance

srvntfhim

Member
:
2003.5 MSP
When is it recommended to change our timing belt? And what are the necessary parts/tools in order to do so. Anyone know what Mazda charges? While you're at it, anyone know what Mazda charges for a clutch swap too??
 
the timing belt should be changed at 60,000 miles, some people change the water pump then as well. every 30,000 miles i would change the air filter, spark plugs, flush the trans fluid and replace it, flush the coolant and replace it. this is the service schedule laid out for me by a Mazda Master Technician. we offer maintenance packages for the do-it-yourselfer for all mileage ranges, feel free to drop us a line any time
 
Captain KRM P5 said:
the timing belt should be changed at 60,000 miles, some people change the water pump then as well. every 30,000 miles i would change the air filter, spark plugs, flush the trans fluid and replace it, flush the coolant and replace it. this is the service schedule laid out for me by a Mazda Master Technician. we offer maintenance packages for the do-it-yourselfer for all mileage ranges, feel free to drop us a line any time

hmmm... according to the maintenance schedule, the timing belt should be replaced at 105,000 miles? (sorry for the crappy small screenshot)

mazdamaintenancesched-vi.gif


larger one if you can see it:

mazdamaintenancesched.gif
 
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srvntfhim said:
When is it recommended to change our timing belt? And what are the necessary parts/tools in order to do so. Anyone know what Mazda charges? While you're at it, anyone know what Mazda charges for a clutch swap too??

Watch out! The shadetree mechanic is starting to get serious, lol.
Seriously, I would get the advice of someone who has done it themselves and see what they think. I'd definitely have a garage available too.
 
This is all very interesting....I'm at about 52k miles so it looks like I better get ready for some serious maintenance (ughdance)
So what do I need for a timing belt swap? All the fluid changing is easy, but the timing belt is not I assume. I have a couple of friends who have lots of tools and are very mechanicly savvy (although not on MSPs), but I don't know what I would need. Help me out on that please...
 
105,000 is way out of the norm for the general rule of thumb for one. its like toyota used to say thier engines were good enough that oil changes only needed to be done at 7500 miles. they found themselves replacing engines with more frequency under warranty and began to rethink that recommendation.

a timing belt is a cheap and easy enough job that i would not wait. pretty much any shop, independent or otherwise, will recommend that. its preventive maintenance, and even though we have non interference engines that stand nothing to have harmed if the belt breaks, i'd rather err on the side of caution.

ChopstickHero said:
hmmm... according to the maintenance schedule, the timing belt should be replaced at 105,000 miles? (sorry for the crappy small screenshot)

mazdamaintenancesched-vi.gif


larger one if you can see it:

mazdamaintenancesched.gif
 
Captain KRM P5 said:
105,000 is way out of the norm for the general rule of thumb for one. its like toyota used to say thier engines were good enough that oil changes only needed to be done at 7500 miles. they found themselves replacing engines with more frequency under warranty and began to rethink that recommendation.

a timing belt is a cheap and easy enough job that i would not wait. pretty much any shop, independent or otherwise, will recommend that. its preventive maintenance, and even though we have non interference engines that stand nothing to have harmed if the belt breaks, i'd rather err on the side of caution.


that chart says to inspect/replace if necessary at 60k miles anyway. I think what it means by 105k is that if you are willing to be lazy and really risk it by waiting until 105k, you better change it at 105k!
So if the timing belt is "cheap and easy" why does everyone take their cars to a shop to have it done. Most timing belt repairs cost $300 and upward and that's why I was asking how much the part costs and how difficult it really is to do. I would like to save myself some money but not if it is a terribly difficult and risky job to do. So what do I need to make it happen? Is there a how-to on this??
 
Timing belts are not easy jobs, even mechanics don't like to do them to often. Even though it does pay well there is a lot that can mess up, you can skip or jump a tooth and the whole job has gone to hell and it doesn't sound like you have too much experience working on cars. I'd have someone do it if I were you.
 
Captain KRM P5 said:
105,000 is way out of the norm for the general rule of thumb for one. its like toyota used to say thier engines were good enough that oil changes only needed to be done at 7500 miles. they found themselves replacing engines with more frequency under warranty and began to rethink that recommendation.

a timing belt is a cheap and easy enough job that i would not wait. pretty much any shop, independent or otherwise, will recommend that. its preventive maintenance, and even though we have non interference engines that stand nothing to have harmed if the belt breaks, i'd rather err on the side of caution.

yeah, it doesn't seem like a "cheap and easy" job to me. considering you have to pay somebody else to do it (or attempt to do it yourself) but i just wanted to clarify what was posted on the official Mazda site and what happens in reality. My old protege5 didn't get a timing belt change until 130,000 km. it is supposed to be done around 96,000 km. When the mechanic pulled it, it had the obvious signs of wear, but he said it it could've last for at least another 25,000 km. But again, i do agree with you that it's preventative maintenance.
 
changin a time belt is not as hard as it seems.

i can't remember how many times i've changed a timing belt on the fs engine..

very straight fordward process...also, changing the water pump while at it is a good idea..since if you have to change it later, you'll have to re-do the timing again.
 
Maybe I'll do the fluids now and wait for a while for the timing belt. I'm doing my brakes next week anyway and my clutch will be within the next 10-15k miles too.
 
Read the owners manual more closely, it clearly provides the criteria for the different maintenance schedules based on climate,roads, and driving style. So a highway driven car in Texas should follow a different maintenance schedule than a car driving on the salt road winters of Minnesnowta. Harsher conditions require attention sooner than another that's all the manual is telling you. There is flexibility for a vehicle's maintenance schedule, make a custom one, just get it done within some reasonable time.
However the 105K miles seems very high to me, 85-90K for granny driven highway car in Texas doesn't seem out of hand, but who the **** does that? If you drive rather spirited, which probably accounts for many of us here you should definitely want so get it replaced at 60-70K.
 
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