Hi there, 1997 MPV V6 3.0L. was leaking quite a bit of oil from the timing cover area; I thought it would be a good idea to replace cam and crank seals during replacement of my timing belt. What tool do folks use to hold the camshaft timing gear sprocket while the center bolt is tightened? The Mazda shop manual references 49-H012-010 "box wrench" to fit over the 46mm (measured) casting on the gear; I used a 1-13/16 box wrench which contacted the gear lip and didn't quite fit square, removal went OK but one of the gears fractured (seems to be composite material) during torquing for reinstall. Does anyone have a source for a tool that fits correctly?

Thanks,

- John

 

New gear sprockets on! I ground about 5mm off my 1-13/16 inch wrench ($20 on Amazon) so the wrench would clear the sprocket rim and fit square over the cast fitting. The SAE size was a tad loose so a 46mm wrench might have been a better bet.

Related item: the Felpro seals I bought installed fine on the crankshaft and one cam, but the shaft seal folded over on the driver's side cam. I'm sure I installed it square, a second Felpro did the same thing. Switched to Beck/Arnley seal... success!