Timing belt cahnge
 

My 92 4WD MPV has a timing belt, rihgt? It's the 3.0L 6. Is that an easy repair? Do Chiltons of Haynes manuals cover that procedure? I have over 200k on my ride and want to keep it for as long as possible.

Thanks.

RE: Timing belt cahnge
 

It does have a timing belt and if has not been replaced in 200k then you have an angel on your shoulder that has kept it from breaking!! It is not a difficult belt to replace. Once you get the fan and shroud off there is a ton of room to work. The only difficult areas would be removing the crank pulley bolt as it is on pretty tight and taking the cam pulleys off in order to replace the camshaft oil seals. The pulleys are not metal but area a phenolic resin that is extremely easy to break unless you have the special tool to hold them. The tool from Mazda is basically a 6-point 46mm wrench but try to find that at Sears.;)
If you do decide to replace it yourself then keep in mind that Mazda has somewhat recently come out with a Value Line timing belt kit. The kit for your application is a JF00-12-207-MV and has MSRP of $116.35. The great thing about it is that the kit comes with belt, both idler bearings, and the tensioner bearing. Priced separately those four parts come out to $358.05. The only part Mazda should have added to the kit is the tension bearing pivot spacer which is a JF01-12-754 for $7.45. With that kind of mileage would also seriously consider the hydraulic tensioner as well. They are somewhat prone to failure and if your is not partially or completly collapsed already, it will probably not last long after being compressed during belt replace. It is a JF01-12-770 and retail is $130.50.
Other than that will just be a matter of how complete you want to make the repair. Keep in mind that the water pump, cam and crank oil seals, drive belts, etc also have 200k on them. Belt cover gaskets will also be as hard as stone and extremely brittle and if you have had oil leaking from the front seals then plastic t-belt covers could be deformed to the point of making contact with the pulleys. Not familiar with quality of aftermarket install books but if you have an available fax number would be more than happy to fax you the pages from factory shop manual.

RE: Timing belt cahnge
 

Wow. That is some really good advice. Thank you very much for the offer on the factory pages. my fax number is 916-859-2198. That will be incredibly helpful. BTW, How hard is it to replace those cam bering seals?

RE: Timing belt cahnge
 

Fax not going thru. Giving a tx failure notice.

Tried calling but just got a busy signal instead of that annoying fax garble.

That second number worked just fine. I sent along a few other odds and ends pages that thought might be helpful and also a copy of procedure that I found in an older chiltons manual.
Quick hint that makes getting the new belt on in that application. Before you remove the old belt or loosen it, make sure the belt is lined up ok according to the diagrams. Then use a paint pen/nail polish/whatever wont wash off to mark the the old belt in relation to both cam pulleys and the crank pulley. Transfer those marks onto the new belt and then line up marks onto ones made prior on the pulleys. Trying to get the belt on this one lined up can be a real bugger as the cam marks are extremely hard to see as you are assembling and trying to keep crank pulley lined up at same time.

RE: Timing belt cahnge
 

i'm going to investigate a knocking sound this weekend. i don't know if it's coming out of the rocker covers or if it's the timing belt slapping on the cover. I don't know the level of care the MPV received in the past, 180,000+ miles on it. also have some oil on the front right, i cleaned it all up last weekend so i can see where it's coming from. i've changed all the fuilds, filters, and front shocks it's a good running van and hope to keep it for many years.

i'm sure i'll be back on here looking for help or guidance before i tear too deep into it.