Protege5 - How many miles have you gone before changing the timing belt?

[hotcracker69]

So how long do they last then? Mazda wants alot for these pulleys, but on rock auto you can get a gates kit for $130 with belt and pulleys. Are the gates pulleys inferior to the OEM? If people aren't replacing stock pulleys would it be a problem to change to the gates pulleys just to be on the safe side? It should last at least 100k right?

i went cheap on the pulley and got a kit from ebay..... ended up paying the ultimate price. the pulley failed and the belt destroyed the cover. ended up buying everything oem to be save. lesson learned.... since the labor was the same and it will last me another 150k before changing i rather spend the extra 150 buck for all oem parts.

 

[dieselcamp]

My owners manual says 96,000 km

 

[Rusty]

Yeah but if you haven't gotten there in 8 or 9 years, it's time to do it anyway. You can't look at one and tell if it's weakening either. broken belts look perfectly good... except for the broken part.

 

[DeadAir]

I'm at 133K, and have the original... will probably replace it this year.

@Rusty-- '69 Chevelle SS 396 Turbo400, Royal Blue w/white rally stripes on hood & trunk. WANT!!!

 

[TonUpTriton]

I am at 128k on our 03 and still driving nervously, need to get it done asap as money allows...

 

[Rusty]

Best thing you can do until then is keep your oil changed and don't be redlining it too much. Luckily our engines are non-interference so if it does break, it'll only strand you and won't damage any engine internals. Are you going to let a shop do it? If so, stress to them you want a BRAND NEW water pump, and replace the tensioner pulley, tensioner spring, and idler pulley. The front crank seal and cam seals are a good idea to replace too.

 

[Red Demon]

I have 123K on mine and will be doing the timing belt this year as well. Thankfully, I almost never drive it, my wife does. That means it almost never sees over 3K RPM's.... My truck, that I drive every day, doesn't either, but it's a diesel and redlines at 3300 anyway!

 

[SoonP5ismine]

121k

Well i did my timing belt and some other work yesterday morning. 121k and i gotta say by the looks of it it probably would have went for another 20 - 30k maybe even more. but I was worried so i changed it. The water pump on the other hand was starting to rust and that rust was showing in the coolant so i guess it was a good idea to change it.

Actual repair facts LOL:
mileage: 121407 miles

parts list (part name, brand, origin, (store, price)):

timing belt Dayco Italy (advance auto parts $33.99)
tensioner and tensioner pulley Duralast Japan (auto zone $89.99)
water pump Duralast USA (Autozone $61.99)
water pump gasket Fel-Pro USA (autozone $5.99)
upper and lower radiator hose Gates USA (associated auto parts $19.99)
thermostat Duralast Israel (autozone $10.99)
both belts on left side of engine (had these as spare when previous attempt to adjust tension failed)
valve cover gasket Fel-Pro USA (advance auto parts $38.99)

total $: $261.93
total $ + 7% NJ tax: $280.27
work time: 7:30am - 1:30Pm = 6 hours

below are some pics i took (you must be logged in to see attached pics):

old + new waterpump
View attachment 186736
new + old timing belt
View attachment 186737
old + new tensioner
View attachment 186738
new + old timing belt
View attachment 186739
new valve cover gasket

 

[placedesjardins]

Inspect at 60,000 miles (96,000 KM)
Replace at 105,000 miles (168,000 KM)

For whatever reason, I replaced mine at 64,000 miles. I had bought it used with 56,000 miles. Now it's at 130,000 miles.
I replaced my spark plugs around 126,000. That was a big boo-boo. The tips were literally worn down.

 

[bazooka joe]

i went to 155k before doing mine, just kept putting it off...the last 2 yrs i just drove it in the winter and was hoping to get by...i finally changed it this past fall and the belt was very worn...wouldn't have lasted too much longer. i did the water pump as

well..didn't think about the crank and cam seals though?

 

[cutchemist]

My car is a 2003 at 158,000 kms. I intend to do the belt, water pump, and valve gasket this summer. Just wondering, is it necessary to do cam seals?

 

[CheeseHelmet]

My car is a 2003 at 158,000 kms. I intend to do the belt, water pump, and valve gasket this summer. Just wondering, is it necessary to do cam seals?

You can probably get away with not doing them (unless one is already leaking), but you're already in there so why not?

 

[SoonP5ismine]

My car is a 2003 at 158,000 kms. I intend to do the belt, water pump, and valve gasket this summer. Just wondering, is it necessary to do cam seals?

When i did mine in august my cam seals were good and i don't think i removed them during my work on the timing belt. I did change the tensioner too. you should also cuz if that goes you wont drive for more than a minute after that (depending on your speed lol)

I just checked and your 158,000 km is only 98,176 miles. you could wait till next summer and do it and save money. most everyone i talked to and in this thread said their belt was in very good condition. I did mine and 121,000 miles and thats 194,730 km and my belt also looked good. also my tensioner was spinning fine but i did it as i was going on a long trip and didnt want to have problems with getting a mechanic somewhere far from where i lived so i purely did it to save money incase it did break during my trip. look a few posts above for pics of my old and new parts.

 

[Rusty]

I'm at 133K, and have the original... will probably replace it this year.

@Rusty-- '69 Chevelle SS 396 Turbo400, Royal Blue w/white rally stripes on hood & trunk. WANT!!!

Spoken like a true Detroit guy.

Well i did my timing belt and some other work yesterday morning. 121k and i gotta say by the looks of it it probably would have went for another 20 - 30k maybe even more. but I was worried so i changed it. The water pump on the other hand was starting to rust and that rust was showing in the coolant so i guess it was a good idea to change it.

Actual repair facts LOL:
mileage: 121407 miles

parts list (part name, brand, origin, (store, price)):

timing belt Dayco Italy (advance auto parts $33.99)
tensioner and tensioner pulley Duralast Japan (auto zone $89.99)
water pump Duralast USA (Autozone $61.99)
water pump gasket Fel-Pro USA (autozone $5.99)
upper and lower radiator hose Gates USA (associated auto parts $19.99)
thermostat Duralast Israel (autozone $10.99)
both belts on left side of engine (had these as spare when previous attempt to adjust tension failed)
valve cover gasket Fel-Pro USA (advance auto parts $38.99)

total $: $261.93
total $ + 7% NJ tax: $280.27
work time: 7:30am - 1:30Pm = 6 hours

Damn, it took me 3 days before I tightened the last bolt. That's about what my kit cost, plus other supplies. We save some good money DIYing.

You can probably get away with not doing them (unless one is already leaking), but you're already in there so why not?

I agree, referring to the cam seals. Mine were not leaking and I didn't replace them, but now I wish I had. Nothing worse than oil on the timing belt.The crank seal was too simple to skip.

Good luck everyone who has plans to do the job. Do not put it off too long. You can not look at a timing belt and know if it's on the verge of breaking or not. Time wears on the belt as badly as mileage. And don't forget to put a pretty paint job on your valve cover!

Rusty

 

[stjohans]

Also where you live has an effect on how long your belt will last, it will wear faster in northern climates where the temp can be anywhere from -40C in the middle of winter to +35C in the summer, both of those extreme temps take a toll on all belts.

 

[SoonP5ismine]

Makes sense as rubber behaves differently at different temperatures.

 

[maxchao]

I am replacing my at 125k. I wonder if we have seen anyone actually has the belt break? Will it really ever break?

 

[bazooka joe]

yes and yes....mine was miles from breaking (i had 155k)...very cracked!

 

[maxchao]

So it does crack. Mine looks alright. OK now I just want to see if people actually break their timing belt and what happens to their car. Not that I want to see it just curious.

and wow bazooka joe is still on the forum! (I haven't been around for awhile)

 

[tweety2300]

I had 152kon mine when I replaced it and it was ok but went ahead and did it. There was a guy who had his break and bent a valve