Hi folks , im hoping some one or some ppl may be able to help me in my quest to find out the truth on my snapped cam belt which happened last week while i was doin about 20 mph slowing down at a junction , the guy that came to tow me away told me straight up my car and engine was feked completly and it was deffo gonna cost about £900 to fix , as there would be damage to my pistons etc etc , . . now i posted on other sites my query as ive read about the mx5 engine being a “safe” engine . . and there would be no damage , and have been told this by other mx5 owners from other sites , and all that would be needed was a new belt and all the bits to go with it
now today ive spent hours on the phone tryin to get a garage to do the work and all of them have turned me down and said they would not just change the belt cos my engine will be feked , and it would be a waste of there time and mine cos it wouldnt sort the problem , i told them about it possibly being a “safe” engine were as the pistons and vavles etc dont come in contact and they said that was rubbish and was not the case , ( as it said so in there little books ) . .
so i then rang my local mazda dealer and he went away and came back and said NO it is not a safe engine on the 89 - 93 mx5s , and i would definatley need the engine block or what ever taking apart first to see what damage has been done ( and that would cost me £300 !!! ) . . . then what ever cost to sort it from there which would possibly run into the high hundreds . . .
now im really confused cos im getting one sort of info from ppl on here and other sites , but conflicting info from garages and dealers ??? and i dont know who to belive . . ( id prob side with ppl that actually own one and have had the same problems . . . rather than ppl who just want my money . . lol
plz help ppl . . . ( i miss my mx5 being off road so badly ) and im goin out of my head with worry about what to do . . . . . .
cheers for the reply pal . yeah im led to belive the same thing but every single garage has said there are not according to “there little books” . . .
and also the mazda dealer near me said the very same thing . . . so i really dont know what to belive or do ??
i just do not wanna get ripped off cos i know what most garages are like . . . . lol cos i know if i take it to a garage there just deffo gonna say nah its broke mate needs this this and this and will take this long and come to some stupid amount . . .
the following is taken from a mazda dealer service guide manual…
The Miata engine is a non-interference engine, meaning that the pistons will not crash into the valves. However, if you neglect this major service, you risk being stranded due to a belt break.
dont be fooled by the obviously ill trained mechanics.
What harco said. Deffo is a non interference engine, it’s extremely rare for a cam belt break to cause any internal damage, so simply replacing the belt (with the right timing settings etc etc) will get you back on the road. Most peeps on here long ago shunned the official dealers, as they are mostly mouth breathing Dick Turpins praying on easily persuaded drivers who are not expert mechanics - which is, lets face it, the majority of 5 owners.
So - recommendation - as I don’t know anyone in your neck of the woods at all, check out Nutz.com - most of those guys are as sound as a pound and will either point you to a capable and knowledgeable mechanic somewhere close to you, or even offer to help you themselves. It is, after all, not open heart surgery.
It’s a non intereference engine, so piston / valve damage should not be there, but having a broken belt whipping around inside the casing could have damaged your water pump - regular wisdom is that if you are ripping the front off the engine to swap the belt, you may as well do a precautionary water pump change at the same time. Adds around 20 mins to the process, and about £30 (guess).
The sudden change from working engine to poorly lump may have also knocked out a few settings here and there, but nothing major.
I personally never trust a mechanic who knows for sure that your looking at a job priced at whatever - before he’s even lifted the bonnet. No-one is that good.
Edit to add…
He he … swear filter reckons that the traditional englih shortening of Richard as a forename to D I C K is swearing. Over zealous or what??? Turn again Whittington??? Not if you want to call him Dick…
To be fair to the mechanics you phoned, they are all working from duff information.
I’m not sure what “the book” is that they all use, but we’ve heard it so often that “the book” says MX-5’s have interference engines that it can’t be a coincidence.
It’s simply not true though (except for MK.3’s and they have timing chains, not belts). Mk.1 and 2 MX-5s definitely have non-interference engines. “The book” is wrong.
It’s kind of reassuring to know that the Mk.1 won’t go up in a ball of flames if the cam belt snaps, and that the 5 has a ‘non-interference’ engine’. But this has made me want to ask the question, why would anyone ever make an engine that wasn’t ‘non-interference’ if it wrecks the engine due to a snapped belt?
Hope you get the cam belt sorted though Ben, and let us know how you get on.
Higher compression designs are more efficient. But high compression inevitably means the combustion chamber in the head is smaller, so there’s less room for the valves to open without intruding into the space swept by the piston. Diesels need about double the compression of petrol engines (up around 20:1) and I think they’re all interference designs.
I have the little book and it says the engine is a free wheeling engine there is a low risk of piston to valve contact.
it is quit easy to sort out get the garage to retime the engine fit a new belt and do a compression test if the compressions are ok then will be no engine damage.
firstly thank you all for your info help / advice etc . . . but ive now got the problem under control !!!
Good news !!! so thought id let you all know . . . .
ive found someone to do it , ( a garage in rochdale , one of my mates , friends ) was in fact the same guy i used to get all my brakes and dicscs changed a year ago
he knew straight away it could be done . . and the best bit . . . .
£130 ( cash ) to fit a new belt and all pulleys etc etc and check all timing once it done . . . that includes ALL parts !!!
im well happy to say the least !!! my baby will be back on the road sooner than i thought !! wooo hooo !!!
) and im goin out of my head with worry about what to do . . . . . .
