I have a 95 626, I have only had it for about 5 months. I bought if from a friend. It has 125,000 miles on it. Someone told me I need to have the timing belt changed if it hasn't already been done. I don't know if it has or hasn't been changed. My friend doesn't know either. It there anyway to tell? If I need to get it changed, I don't know who to take it to to change it. I'm a single mom with out the knowledge of where to go or how to proceed. Please help if you have any suggestions.

thank you

You can't really tell. Your best bet is shop around for specials. The dealers usually run cheap timing belt specials.

Cheap timing belt specials? Like my local Mazda dealer asking $ 525 to change belt on my 99 626 V6?

We run specials on them.Depends on what engine but they vary from $159 to 259.You got more than a timing belt or ripped off. The reason for the special is to get steady customers for other work.

My b2600 timing chain has slipped and needs work. The distributor is turned all the way over. It's a 2.6 liter engine...i was quoted $1000.00 to do the job. This was the cheapest i found. Anyone have suggestions? Thanks

The $ 525 quote was for replacing the timing belt, camshaft and front crank seals, and probably checking the valve clearance. the reason for the high quote was a lot of work required to remove the rear valve cover on the V6. The belt by itself retails for around $ 70 and the seals are only about additional $ 20 for all three. The rest is labor. Do you still think I am getting ripped off?

Becuase you said "we run specials" I assume you are a Mazda tech or some Mazda regional rep. If you know of a Mazda dealer in central Florida that will change my timing belt and seals within the range you specified in your message above, let me know.

Never seen a chain slip, but you could do it yourself. The job pays to remove the cyl head but you don't have to.You can remove the oil pan and just reseal the upper timing cover gskt.It is still a pretty big job but you could save a ton of cash if you do it yourself.

I had a loose timing chain jump several teeth on my 70 Chrysler Newport back in 1978. It left me stranded because the car stalled and would not restart.

I'm just a girl too, but I think as long as your car is running alright, no need to change the belt. My water pump just went out in my Mazda 929. If you have that high mileage of a car, do you know if the water pump has gone out. My car only has 54,800 miles and the water pump went out. My mechanic friend had to tear out 1/2 the engine almost to get to the water pump so we went ahead and replaced the timing belt. Just some experience I went through. Keep my email address. I have a good mechanic friend and I know how it is to not trust mechanics. Write me anytime.

Vickie
medlady89849@juno.com

If your water pump fails, you will see coolant leaking past the water pump seal and if you do not catch it in time, the car will overheat. On many cars, including Mazda, it is necessary to remove all accessory driving belts, as well as the timing belt to access the water pump. This makes water pump replacement expensive. When I changed the timing belt on my 92 Protege at 60K miles, I replaced the water pump preventively (old one was not leaking) just for that reason. The new pump from Mazda dealer only cost me $60.

Your statement that the timing belt does not need to be replaced if the car is running right is not correct. Timing belt drives the engine camshaft(s), which operate(s) the valves. On some engines, when the timing belt breaks, the engine pistons will strike the valves and cause expensive engine damage, because when the timing belt breaks, the crankshaft will continue turning and move the pistons, while the valves are not moving. These types of engines are called "interference engines". Many Hondas and Nissans have interference engines. My 95 Ninssan V6 pickup is like that. If the belt breaks, I am looking at at least $ 3,500 worth of repairs to the cylinder head and the pistons.

If a timing belt breaks on a non-interference engine, such as Mazda 626 V6, there will be no engine damage, but the car will stall, will not restart and will have to be towed. I am not positive if Mazda 626 4 cylinder engine is of an interference type, but I would find out for sure before making recommendations that changing the belt is not necessary.

If you buy an older car, especially with high mileage, it is always good to have maintenance records for it. It is possible that the timing belt was changed twice within the 120K miles interval, but who knows? Belts sometimes break unexpectedly and the probability of belt breakage goes up exponentially with age and mileage.

If you do not know if the belt has been changed on a high mileage car, the least you should do is to remove the timing belt cover, and carefully inspect the belt for any signs of dry rot, fraying, cracks, or other damage that could lead to belt failure.

This is my two cents worth on the subject. Good luck.

One thing I would like to add is that imminent timing belt breakage is usually not accompanied by any adverse symptoms. The engine will be running perfect and all of a sudden when the belt breaks, it will stall and if it an interference engine, the heavy damage will have been done in less than a second of time and cannot be prevented.

....at 125K miles...IF? the belt was already changed, as u r wondering, it should have been done in the 60-80K range of miles...so, just plan on doing it soon, if?? it was done then...then would be due again at aprox 120-140K range(obviously ASAP, if? never done). Also, u may want to consider replacing some other hard to get to parts(water pump?, other? belts, anything else i'm not mentioning?) while paying the labor to get to the timing belt. Yes, the dealer is for people who have money to burn or brand new cars(that's why they have brand new cars!)...just find a local, reputable, private 'garage'...that says they are familiar and confident to work on ur specific vehicle, discuss whole job and optional doing other parts as i mentioned $200+ extra parts$ is fair....good luck!

im a mechanic and currantly doing up my wifes MP3 3.0 L V6
i have no idea what milage the motor has done but i am changing the timing belt now as even though the belt looks good, looks van be decieving and the HUGE COST should a timing belt give way is not worth the risk

one cuistomer has a car with 200k on the clock and for 6 months i told her to get a new timing belt due to her high milage without change
200k is a lot for a timing belt most manifactures recomend 80 k changes
when her belt went she expected me to fix it for the original quots of $525
the new engine needed cost just over $3000

like i said its not worth the risk unles you have the extra cash to replace a motor if the belt goes at highway revs