Qballtx

Hey all....got a NOOB question here.

First of all, this is a great site for info on a great car. I'm a spirited driver and the pro is a fun car to drive, especially since I live on a winding lake road. So, back to my question... I read in other posts that the timing belt should be changed after only 60K. Was that for an earlier model pro than the '03? I drive the '03 DX m/t, and my manual's maintainance sched. states that at 60K I should just inspect, but replace after 105K.

From what I've read in other threads, I'd quicker believe someone who knows this car inside and out. I'm at 71K (mostly highway miles)...am I on borrowed time here?

Roddimus Prime

There's two schools of thought on this subject. I'll lay out both and you can make your own call.


1. Do it at 60K regardless. Regular belts get changed at 30K a timing belt is more critical and shouldn't go more than twice as long as regular belts. Also, if for some reason you have to replace the water pump the belt should be replaced regardless of miles. ( I did my belt at 20K)

2. We have non-interference engines. If the timing belt breaks nothing bad will happen but the car will die leaving you stranded. You can then have it towed and replaced. This is kinda the "roll the dice" option for people on a limited budget.


Glad you like the site. Hope this helps


Matty

Qballtx

Thanks Matty, that did clear it up.

I broke a timing belt in my last car (a sucky '99 Contour a/t) when it reached 115k, and it was just as described...the towing and costly replacement. I better get to ordering the parts necessary for this.

Another question, though: a trusted mechanic told me that if he were to do it, he would replace the rear main seal, camshaft seal, idler and tensioner along with the obvious water pump and other belts. He said that they would go out before I needed to replace the timing belt next. And of course it's very important to not leak oil on the timing belt. Is he being over-cautious at my expense? I plan to do the work myself, anyways, so I want to order the right parts without going overboard. Especially since the tensioner alone costs $135 or so.

I'd at least like to replace the crappy motor mounts while I'm working in that area, but if there's one thing I hate, it's wasting my time (and money) on something that didn't need to be done. I really appreciate the help, Matty.

Oh, by the way, I'm seeing two different makers of the timing belts for same price (Yunitta, and Tsubakimoto)...any diff?

Roddimus Prime

whoa...your mechanic is trying to bleed you dry. Just look up your 60K service requirements and adhere to that. The OEM list is overly cautious as it is.


The motor mounts SUCK in these cars so any chance you get to replace them do so.

I would call your local dealer parts department and ask them the name of the belt manufacturer THEY use. I doubt there's any difference in them.

Phantom Cruiser

Sounds like a Miata owner.


Yes, we did all these things when we did the timing belt [on the Miata].

Roddimus Prime

seems excessive on a 70K mile protege that will not see any track duty or FI.

obviously you can replace every little thing on the engine but is it worth it? I highly doubt it.

Qballtx

Thanks for confirming my suspicions. He owns a shop to work on mostly german and european cars. I'll rather get my mechanical advice from here from now on, looks like I was gettin some of this:

For now, though, I'm looking to improve the car and at least give it more longevity. So I'll just stick to the water pump, belts, gaskets for those, and throw away the "super crappy" motor mounts. Someday, when I save up the money, I'd love to get this W.O.M.P. supercharger I've read about that Matty's workin on. By then, I should be pushin 100k, and that would be a good time perhaps to go through the engine with a fine-toothed comb replacing things that "could" fail.

This would be a good time to install a crank underdrive pulley, too, but are those really worth the nearly $200? I realize that the u. pulley will throw off the calculations for which pulley to use for the charger, but in case I decide to not go F/I is why I ask.

Roddimus Prime

my "professional" advice is to take good care of the car. Use quality parts. Change your fluids and filters on time and keep up on your service schedule.

When you get ready to start modding lay out a guideline first of what you want your finished product to be and then devise a way to get there.

I wouldn't waste my time on a crank pulley only. I would tend to believe that you'd be better served by investing in a good oil pan like the AWR one I am running a GB on. Proteges have a lot of problems with spinning bearings dry when oil sloshes away from the pick up. A good oil pan fixes that AND offers higher capacity which puts less strain on the oil and actually prolongs oil life (if that matters).


Between the oil pan and the VICS screw problem you shouldn't have much to worry about with the car. Just enjoy them and save up some cash because I'm going to start posting a lot of new SC info soon (crossing fingers).

Qballtx

Cool.

Thanks for the info, I'll check out the oil pan soon. Oil is the blood of an engine...very important. I switched to Schaeffer's Synthetic with Moly and noticed an immediate difference in the engine's vibration at higher RPM's. The engine runs soooo much smoother with no vibrations at all as soon as I turned the key. It's more expensive and hard to find, but it's worth it not only because it outperforms any synth. oil on the market, but I've been going 10k+ miles on it. So it evens out.

Anyways...I'm a little off-topic here...in my own thread even..

Roddimus Prime

10K miles on one oil change?? now THAT is risky.

Phantom Cruiser

Where?

kargoboy

have you been?

https://www.mazda3club.com/showthrea...9&page=1&pp=15

Roddimus Prime

d'oh, Karen's a noob

Qballtx

I know, I know...it sounds so wrong, doesn't it. Well, that's what 2 different Schaeffer's reps said. I've emailed the company to confirm.

Roddimus Prime

I wouldn't go 10K miles on Royal Purple and I think it's arguably the best oil in the world. NASCAR swears by it as do top fuel cars.

Royal Purple only suggests 5-7K TOPS

I wish I could see the oil on your dipstick. I'd also like to see what happens if you drained your oil onto a magnet when you did your change....see how much metal shavings are in it.

I use magentic oil plugs so I can see if I'm having any troubles before they become big problems.