Not Good... Not Good At All....

Pedro_mx3 · Post by **Pedro_mx3** » February 4th, 2005, 5:45 pm

So i took my MX down to my friendly local Mazda for its cambelt change an service, one of my cambelt pulleys or wheels... whatever, has been squealing like a b---- for a few weeks so i asked them to check that out too...

The Fun Part...

Got a phonecall a bit later on from the said friendly Mazda with the openning line "Mr Smith you might wanna sit down"

Turns out my bottom Pulley for my cambelt is Seized on and ever so slightly fucked!

So they gotta break my one off and put a new one on which is gonna take a week to order an with labour take the total cost up to 800quid!

so now i got no car and a price tag thats gonna feel like elphant anal when it comes in next week!

So im out for a bit of sympathy guys cause im mighty pissed off right now, only flew back into the country 10pm thursday night an got this first thing friday morning!

(Sorry for the language Jeff... Portrays how i feel)

mazdubber · Post by **mazdubber** » February 4th, 2005, 6:11 pm

They probably meant the tensioner or one of the idler pulleys. I don't see how they could be siezed to the block. A bearing might be siezed, but theres no reason to break anything to remove it.

Pedro_mx3 · Post by **Pedro_mx3** » February 4th, 2005, 6:30 pm

as far as i can understand the bottom pulley has to be taken off to put new belt on an it has siezed to the crankshaft im guessin, dont know that well! they are a good garage so i dont think im being screwed!

i suppose it is possible to get seized on, it was 40000miles ago that belt was done so anything is possible!!

93-Spec-Edn · Post by **93-Spec-Edn** » February 4th, 2005, 6:55 pm

Make sure u ask them to show u. England is notorious for dodgy mechanics. I watched a program called mechanics from hell. £800 is almost $2000cdn. Thats a lot just for a cam belt job.

Pedro_mx3 · Post by **Pedro_mx3** » February 4th, 2005, 7:17 pm

im going to mazda tomorrow to get a courtesy car so ill have a look then. i know that one off the pulleys was fucked already so i was expecting the worst, if u had heard it u would know what i mean, it wasnt just a screeching noise but a rough sound too, imagine sand in bearings, that kinda sound but not THAT rough, it has got worse as of late tho!

WE SHALL SEE!

DavidOS · Post by **DavidOS** » February 4th, 2005, 7:30 pm

dude its not hard to pull off pulleys .... its one nut and just release the tensioner for the belts as well.... really really simple.

800LBs sounds like alot dude.

Bradmx32003 · Post by **Bradmx32003** » February 4th, 2005, 8:16 pm

Can't really add anytihng constructive.. other than it really woulnd't hurt as bad as you think.... elephants are actually quite.... small.. dont ask.

lakersfan1 · Post by **lakersfan1** » February 4th, 2005, 9:15 pm

If I were you and gonna get butt-rammed for that much money, I'd just drop in a KLDE. Hell, if you were in the U.S., people would just give you a free K8 and you could well just replace the whole damned engine for cheaper than what they're reaming you for.

johnnyb · Post by **johnnyb** » February 4th, 2005, 9:45 pm

wow man 800 quid...

did you bring the vasoline did they supply it or didnt you use any. For no reason should a pulley cost $1600+ you may love your car but do you love it that much to spend that much on a pulley?

2fazed · Post by **2fazed** » February 4th, 2005, 11:38 pm

Don't pay that, do an engine swap.

mitmaks · Post by **mitmaks** » February 4th, 2005, 11:50 pm

i was gonna suggest same. do swap

Pedro_mx3 · Post by **Pedro_mx3** » February 5th, 2005, 2:14 am

I hear ya guys believe me! the 800quid isnt just for the pulley!!! i must have come across wrong!!! The tensioners (i think thats right) are £127.90 + VAT here in the good old UK, The service and cambelt change was £510 on its own so the new whatever it is i need is only a couple of hundred £££. This engine has been serviced every 2000-5000 miles since new aswell so its mint, The service manual is full!!

As much as i'd like to do the engine swap, an it definitely is on my list of things to do. i just cant afford the insurance ETC. an i wanna pick up a newer MX soon with a few more mod cons! iwouldnt mind an airbag if ive got a ZE!!

jschrauwen · Post by **jschrauwen** » February 5th, 2005, 1:33 pm

Pedro_mx3 wrote:as far as i can understand the bottom pulley has to be taken off to put new belt on an it has siezed to the crankshaft im guessin, dont know that well! they are a good garage so i dont think im being screwed!

i suppose it is possible to get seized on, it was 40000miles ago that belt was done so anything is possible!!

Ya - I think you're getting screwed. You still got at least 20k miles left before needing another belt. It appears that you've been quite religious in your maintenance habbits so this should not have happened by surprise. I agree with lakersfan,2fazed and mitmaks - dump your Mazda shop and your engine and drop DE or ZE engine in....you were always thinkin' about mods anyway.....this way you're halfway there. A good sourced ZE may only have 30k to 50k kms on it.
I'd like to say that Mazda shops are pretty good, but there are all types. My favourite on the West Coast would always wash my car when it came in...even for an oil change. Others were quite deligent in ensuring that all recall items were addressed. Then theres others like the one in Barrie Ontario, who I found after I got the car home that they snapped a couple cam belt cover bolts, and left a shop rag inside the engine compartment. I brought the vehicle back to have them correct their problems and what I got in return was an engine compartment full of metal shavings from re-tapping the bolts, no appologies and naturally no car wash. Like I said...there's all types out there. Find another shop and another engine. Just my 2 pennies.

Pedro_mx3 · Post by **Pedro_mx3** » February 5th, 2005, 1:54 pm

none of the history is with me so i dont know what happened when it had its last belt change.

I do love your sentiments guys but with a swap comes a new clutch an waterpump blah blah blah... which i cant afford, Im 21 so affording the kinda raping i'd get in insurance wasnt on my agenda in the very near future!

Guess ill just have to wait and see wont i...

johnnyb · Post by **johnnyb** » February 5th, 2005, 3:49 pm

so dont tell your insurance company....

theres tons of people that dont and they never know because the ZE looks identical to the K8 with the exception of the IM. No mechanic would be able to tell