DIY cambelt change - cost vs time??
Discussion
Morning all,
I've got a '96 Mk1 1.8 with 83k on the clock and can't find any invoices for a cambelt change.
How easy is this one to DIY? Special skills / tools required? It is the not the most expensive job I've ever been quoted for so I'm just weighing up the options of scuffing my own knuckles for a whole weekend, or just giving it to a specialist to do for me.
Keen to do as much as I can on the car, but being a DIT novice I don't want to bite off more than I can chew and end up with a 'disable' MX5 sitting in the garage and needing a tow to the nearest garage!!
Your thought?
I've got a '96 Mk1 1.8 with 83k on the clock and can't find any invoices for a cambelt change.
How easy is this one to DIY? Special skills / tools required? It is the not the most expensive job I've ever been quoted for so I'm just weighing up the options of scuffing my own knuckles for a whole weekend, or just giving it to a specialist to do for me.
Keen to do as much as I can on the car, but being a DIT novice I don't want to bite off more than I can chew and end up with a 'disable' MX5 sitting in the garage and needing a tow to the nearest garage!!
Your thought?
Matt - it's not too difficult a job with a few tools and some care and attention. If I remember rightly you did a good job on another diy thing you did recently.
Have you the workshop manual? If it's a 1.6 I've got photo's from when I did mine.
You'll need the cambelt (obviously...) but for the cost, unless changed recently, new idler pulleys and a new tension spring are worth channging at the same time. I got mine from MX5Parts. Also a rocker cover gasket is worthwhile if a new one has not been recently installed.
Lastly - get some threadlock. You can do this job without taking the crank pulley right off (just the accessory drive pulley) - and if it's an early 1.6 I wouldn't disturb it if unnecessary, due to the short nosed crank issue. But the thread lock (Loctite 243 I used) is what I used to hold some of the bolts internal to the cambelt cover, previously one of mine had come out, gone AWOL and punched a hole right through the cambelt (amazingly it still held together)
Time wise - well I guess I'd allow 4-6 hours as a first go doing everying really carefully. I expect it could be done sub 2 hours for those familiar with it.
Hope this helps...
Have you the workshop manual? If it's a 1.6 I've got photo's from when I did mine.
You'll need the cambelt (obviously...) but for the cost, unless changed recently, new idler pulleys and a new tension spring are worth channging at the same time. I got mine from MX5Parts. Also a rocker cover gasket is worthwhile if a new one has not been recently installed.
Lastly - get some threadlock. You can do this job without taking the crank pulley right off (just the accessory drive pulley) - and if it's an early 1.6 I wouldn't disturb it if unnecessary, due to the short nosed crank issue. But the thread lock (Loctite 243 I used) is what I used to hold some of the bolts internal to the cambelt cover, previously one of mine had come out, gone AWOL and punched a hole right through the cambelt (amazingly it still held together)
Time wise - well I guess I'd allow 4-6 hours as a first go doing everying really carefully. I expect it could be done sub 2 hours for those familiar with it.
Hope this helps...
Gassing Station | Mazda MX5/Roadster/Miata | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff