I need a little help and im hoping someone on here will be able to assist me. I have a 1990 Mazda MPV that just stopped running on me one day while i was driving. My brother is not a mechanic by trade but he knows a little about cars and he checked it out for me. We discovered that my timing belt had popped. He told me that the van has an INTERFERING MOTOR and that if the timing belt had popped then the engine was gone. My question is....IS THIS TRUE??? Like I said, he knows a little but not everything so im hoping to have someone shed light on this dim situation for me. I would hate to lose my van...i love it so much. Thanks in advance for all your help.

 

No,It is not true. It is a non-interference engine. I have replaced many broken timing belts onthose engines without a single bent valve. You will however want to inspect the idler bearings and tensioer for wear as well as replace the 2 cam seals and crank seals while you are in there,as well as inspect the waterpump for seepage which added up can be a chunk of change.