Well here goes

"Scary__goongala!" (corymagee)
08/13/2014 at 21:18 • Filed to: None

About to change the timing belt on my NA. First time changing a timing belt. Hoping it goes smoothly. Also hoping Robbins Williams stand up will keep me cheery.

DISCUSSION (16)

mcseanerson > Scary__goongala!
08/13/2014 at 21:20

Are you pulling the motor?

Scary__goongala! > mcseanerson
08/13/2014 at 21:25

thats not part of the plan as of now. should I? haha

mcseanerson > Scary__goongala!
08/13/2014 at 21:29

I hope you little arms and hands. I have been dying just changing the drive belt on the alternator. Mainly because I had to replace the pivot bolt on the alternator.

707Miata > Scary__goongala!
08/13/2014 at 21:31

You'll be fine, it's an easy car to work on. Might sound a little cliche, but there is no better advice than to take your time. Hope you're doing the associated seals/belts/gaskets/tensionor/idler/water pump as well

Scary__goongala! > 707Miata
08/13/2014 at 21:37

all besides the water pump and seals. they were replaced recently by the last owner. if I was not leaving for school Friday I would.

Life and Times of Magoo: The People's Champ > Scary__goongala!
08/13/2014 at 21:42

Good luck Bro. Hope it goes better then my 4 months and still going header/alternator install LOL

Frank Grimes > Scary__goongala!
08/13/2014 at 21:44

I had it lined up nice and it fired right up first try at this job everyone says its really hard but I dont see how also I did this.

http://www.miata.net/garage/holdcam…

Bad Idea Hat > Frank Grimes
08/13/2014 at 21:46

Now this is something I could marry.

Scary__goongala! > Life and Times of Magoo: The People's Champ
08/13/2014 at 21:49

I pray it does haha

mcseanerson > Life and Times of Magoo: The People's Champ
08/13/2014 at 21:50

I had to replace my alternator bracket so I've been waiting till this past weekend for parts but I worked on it sunday, tuesday and today and only just finished putting my alternator back on. I can only reach with a wrench to the alternator pivot bolt with my left hand and I had to be really hunched over. I am actually in a lot of pain.

Life and Times of Magoo: The People's Champ > mcseanerson
08/13/2014 at 21:54

This is on my Protege5: CAT went bad, read clogged probably by the oil its been burning. Install header after dealing with every rusted bolt and such over span of few weeks. Car sits while I have my wedding/honeymoon and start it up to find alternator has seized. Every frickin bolt on this thing is garbage. Now I can't get power steering bump to tilt to allow me to loosen timing belt to get Alt belt on LOL

#blood.sweat.pain

Scary__goongala! > Frank Grimes
08/13/2014 at 21:57

going off the miata.net write up. they have that pic posted.

Frank Grimes > Scary__goongala!
08/13/2014 at 22:07

there also is a flyin miata tool I wanna get that goes right between the cams and uses the gear teeth to hook em together seem a simple easy quick way of doing it. If I can only muster up the guts to pay the $15 for it.

mcseanerson > Life and Times of Magoo: The People's Champ
08/13/2014 at 22:10

I had to change my alternator belt because it was shredded with less than 90 minutes before I had to get to work. This included 15 minute drive to work and at least 5 minutes to change into work clothes and time to walk back and forth to the parts store, which thankfully is around the block from me. I pulled it off but found my alternator pivot bolt was missing. I tightened what remaining bolts I had and rushed to work and hoped it held. Barely made it on time. I tried to leave for lunch and on the way back my coolant sprayed all over my windshield with the top down.

I assumed my radiator blew because my car had 230k miles and the cap was brown. Well I get back and find all my alternator hardware is gone and my belt was thrown. It took two weeks to find the tensioner hardware and the pivot bolt. I find out my old pivot bolt is still in there and can't get it out because it enters from behind and the intake manifold brace gets in the way. So then I had to remove the intake manifold brace. The bolts were all on pretty tight and I don't have a breaker bar anymore so I'm doing it with a 3/8 ratchet. I get the top two off with a bit of elbow grease and for a bit I think between my hands and my tools I don't have any way to reach the bottom one. Finally I find a way to reach it and to add insult to injury the head has started rounding off. I manage to get a decent enough grip and am able to just barely put enough force on it to snap it loose.

I finally get the intake manifold brace off and get the old bolt out. I feed the new one in through the back and struggle to line it up but get it through the first hole, then the second one, then the third. I get ready for the fourth but on top of lining up the fourth hole with the other three I also have to thread it in. I could not get it lined up for the life of me. Finally I started again today after work and tightened up all the other bolts and put the belt in, the opposite of what everyone says to do, and miraculously got the bolt threaded through the fourth hole. I am terribly sore from hunching over and crushing and scratching my arms trying to reach into depths a man my size was never meant to reach.

#tetnisshot

Life and Times of Magoo: The People's Champ > mcseanerson
08/13/2014 at 22:13

Always fun stuff

mcseanerson > Life and Times of Magoo: The People's Champ
08/13/2014 at 22:20

Yeah, I am super sore but at least it's done. I think I am through paying other people to work on my cars and no matter how big the job is I will just invest in myself and my tools. That way I can make sure it is done right.

I just paid my mechanic $130 labor to replace my head gasket and radiator on my WJ Grand Cherokee which is a steal but I think he damage my transmission cooler because I'm leaking transmission fluid around the transmission cooler and I'm also leaking oil towards the rear of the motor. I'm not mad because he got me back on the road pretty quick and was cheap but I think I will only go back to a mechanic as a last resort now.