ok first off, i'm new here. i am also a member of ford contour .org i would like to say hello to all.

i have a 97 mazda protege.i guess its a cool little car. now i'm having problems with the timing belt. i had my boss check it out and hes really good with cars. he thinks that the teeth on my belt are worn off. i dunno if this did any damage but i slightly loosened the bolts on the valve cover enough to gain visiblity of the timing belt. it is pretty loose but will not come off. ok so i cranked the motor and the pullies turn slightly then stop, start again and stop. hopefully that didn't hurt anything. he says it won't but obviously its a timing belt problem. also when i put my key in the ignition i do NOT hear the fuel pump activate. i was wondering if anyone with more knowlegde on these cars could shoot me some info on what else i can do, and if anyone else has had these issues. i'm a ford guy so i'm not to that skilled on the facts of these cars. one more thing before all of this, at about 1,500 -2,500 rmp i can hear this noise sounding like a rod knock or valves tapping, mind you there is no power loss or leaks anywhere, i have had the car for about a year now and these are the only problems i've had. any info is greatly appreciated.

thanks,


its a 97 lx with 75k original, and a5spd