Building up courage to do the Timing Belt job on my P5

[Maroon]

Are you going to make them fix it????? You should! Scratching the paint is not acceptable!

I wouldn't say $540 is the cheap way out. Probably competitive, but they better give a discount for scratching your paint!

 

[rj1784]

Sorry to hear that but I agree I would be making them pay to fix the scratch. It happen while it was in their care so it is their responsibility.

 

[tweety2300]

If they don't fix it then go to town with brake clean on their car

 

[nailman]

Well, if the seals are your only worries, then you have no worries. Seals are easy, setting the timing is a giant pain in the ass. Having a friend is a good idea unless you determine that buying the special tool is worth it.

I kind of agree with the above poster about leaving the seals alone if they aren't leaking. I replaced my crank seal when I did the belt. It was not leaking before replacement, and ~40,000 miles later it started leaking pretty bad. Now I have that along with the burning oil issue. You think you're being preemptive and responsible, but may just be screwing yourself over. At least get quality seals if you do decide to replace them.

This is my first Mazda. Is this an interference motor? If so, I want to change my belt just for peace of mind. Is there some reason that it needs to be re-timed? On my Hondas, if the belt was still working, you just change it.

 

[Maroon]

This is a non interference engine, but you should still replace your belt if it's due. Don't bother if it's not due.

You don't change the timing, but it's difficult to keep the timing marks lined up when you go to put the belt on. The cam shaft timing marks do not naturally stay line up. The cam lobes and springs force the shafts to turn just off of where you want them. So basically, you have to hold both gears steady while slipping the belt on. I've done it twice on my car, and it took a long time both times. The tool might be worth the purchase, but I don't know the price.

 

[tweety2300]

It's listed non interference but multiple people have bent valves from them breaking.

You're not dealing with a single cam engine, those are simple and as long as it's not fighting compression you don't have to mess with it at all. Dual cams can be a pain in the ass.