And this week's problem is....

[trancebabeuk]

Hi guys... after the fun I had last week with spark plugs and leads... I need to pick your brains again...

Last night, on the way home and turning right around a roundabout, my steering wheel suddenly went heavy and the power steering had obviously stopped working.

No noise... no sparks... but about 5 mins later the temp guage shot up and just as I pulled up outside my house, the MX-3 dumped a load of coolant out through the expansion tank.

It was dark last night so I left it to cool down and poured myself large G + T.

Popped the hood this morning and removed what looked to me like a pretty shredded Power Steering Belt.

Questions for you are:

1) Is this likely to cause above symptoms on it's own or do I have more to look forward to ?

2) What's likely to be the damage for getting the P/S belt fixed ?? ( given that I'm a girl and wouldn't know where to start on this - last week tested my engine knowledge to the max)

Please break it to me gently guys...

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Tyler17rose]

The belt broke, causing the power steering pump to stop pumping fluid which cause your steering to get hard. Then because the belt also drives your water pump you overheated. Basically the problem is an easy fix of replacing the belt. Might want to try and find out what caused it to shred before you slap on a new 30 dollar belt though.

If you are going to replace the belt yourself this is how to do it.

- Jack the car up and remove the passenger side wheel.
- Remove the splash gaurd (This may not be neccesary if you pull it away a bit but since its your first time and dont know where everything is just remove it. Its 6 little bolts.)
- Then look under and you can see the power steering pump/tensioner pully, crank shaft pully and water pump pully all running off one belt. Then the Alternator and ac compressor and running off another belt also off the crank pully.
- From above the engine compartment loosen the tensioner pully itself off the tensioner arm for the alternator belt, then turn the big screw comming out of the pully, this will releive tension on the belt allowing you to remove it.
- Then go back under the car and loosen the oil pump tenioner pully and then loosen the big screw comming off that tensioner arm. Then remove your PS belt (Yours will already be off )
- Then just reverse all the above steps.

Goodluck. If you need some pictures i think the online shop manual is back up. Just check out section N-52

[mitmaks]

most likely belt was just old and snapped, happens on high mileage vehicles

[J-Bird]

I've heard its almost necessary to replace the tensioner when you replace the belt, its not much more $, but a bit more work.

[bmwm3guy]

I dont see why you'd need to do that.

[fry_81]

only replace the tensioner if its broken.

[lakersfan1]

Originally posted by fry_81:
only replace the tensioner if its broken.

Agreed. Just replace the bearing in the tensioner. If you were stateside, I could give you an exact part number. But just take the tensioner pulley off and take it to a auto parts store that sells bearings and have them cross-reference the numbers on the bearing on your tensioner. In the U.S., the bearing assembly is only $5.

[trancebabeuk]

Thanks for all your posts guys...

I am currently looking for a supplier of the belt and I think I will draught someone else in to do the fixing bit.

All your help is very much appreciated and I'm sure that the instructions will make for a speedy recovery.

Thanks again ( and I may regret saying this but...please look out for next week's topic...)

[fieval79]

hey lakersfan.....can I have that exact part number for the bearings? I need one in my lower tensioner pulley.....it is crap..

I assume that the part number is from Mazda....am I correct?

[lakersfan1]

Originally posted by fieval79:
hey lakersfan.....can I have that exact part number for the bearings? I need one in my lower tensioner pulley.....it is crap..

I assume that the part number is from Mazda....am I correct?

Nope. Autozone. They sell Timken bearings. So tel them you want Timken bearing # 203FF. If they try and look it up in the computer, 203FF will show it as a clutch pilot bearing for some old car, but that's what you want for your tensioner, regardless of what the mental midget behind the counter says.

[trancebabeuk]

OK - I am starting to slightly lose my sense of humour over my MX-3 now...

Today's laff a minute tale begins...

P/S belt arrived this morning and had mechanic come to fit it for me. He had loads of problems with the 17mm bolt being stuck solid many cups'a'tea later and the belt was on.

He started the MX-3 and a load of smoke ( ( or so I thought)

I made up a coolant mixture and topped up.. then turned the ignition key ...

... and

SCCRRREEEEEEECCCHHHHHHH !! ...... (approx 2-3 secs) then the engine was idling normally.

Intuition told me that this was not "fine", so I switched off and stuck my head under the bonnet again...

guess what... go on.. have a guess...

spanky new P/S belt had snapped clean through !!!

W.T.F ????

I can't pull it right out because the MX-3 has it in a tight grip at one end.

So - there you go.

Now need to order another belt (* considers buying 2) , and an alternator belt too because that also looked like it's on the way out but any ideas as to why this may have happened ??

Yours despairingly

Trance

[IanL]

It is possible that the tensioner has seized, and will snap any number of belts. Did the mechanic check it was ok before fitting the new belt? If not, he owes you a new belt and free fitting.

[trancebabeuk]

Dunno Mate...

* sucks air though teeth like a true "professional" mechanic

... it was "fine" when (he) left it....

Dammit - I'll have to have a chat with him on Monday

Any ideas on the £damage for that tensioner bit ?

[fieval79]

Originally posted by lakersfan1:

Originally posted by fieval79:
hey lakersfan.....can I have that exact part number for the bearings? I need one in my lower tensioner pulley.....it is crap..

I assume that the part number is from Mazda....am I correct?

Nope. Autozone. They sell Timken bearings. So tel them you want Timken bearing # 203FF. If they try and look it up in the computer, 203FF will show it as a clutch pilot bearing for some old car, but that's what you want for your tensioner, regardless of what the mental midget behind the counter says.

thanks alot man...will help a bunch.....as long as those "mental midgets" LMAO will listen to me. I've argued with them several times over parts (klde,k8) you get the picture....