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Thanks for the assist.
Thanks for the feedback.
cherostar
timing belt (cam and front crank seals optional)
spark plugs (use OEM platinum plugs)
spark plug leads (wires)
fuel filter
engine coolant (including radiator flush) - use only orange Mazda type coolant.
In addition recommend fuel injector cleaning and EGR valve circuit cleaning, as well as EGR valve inspection and cleaning. Also, have all brake pads checked for wear.
BTW Mazda cars are not very fuel efficient. My 92 Protege LX with 1.8 liter DOHC 4 cylinder and 5 speed manual would only deliver 26 MPG on mid grade fuel in combined driving with A/C on. The 99 626 ES V6 with a 2.5 liter DOHC V6 and 5 speed manual is worse - I get only 23-24 MPG on premium fuel (combined MPG with A/C on). Both cars are geared really low and they both tach about 4000 RPM at 80 MPH in 5th gear. Redline is 7000 RPM in both. Low gearing is what kills the fuel economy. My 98 Nissan Maxima with 3.0 liter DOHC V6 and 5 speed manual gets 27-28 MPG in combined driving with A/C on on premium fuel. At 80 MPH the RPMs are 3200 in 5 th gear. And performance is much better than that of a 626 Mazda V6.
sound coming from right side of car, like if tire rubbing against a mudflap. Problem is i don't have a mudflap. Any answers/fixes?
I replaced the belt, all three idler pulleys, the tensioner, the crankshaft and camshaft oil seals,
the waterpump, and the valve cover gaskets.
The cost of Mazda parts is outrageous. Each idler pulley for the belt is $ 160 from Mazda, the tensioner is $ 190, the belt about $ 90. The valve cover gaskets are $ 30 a piece, plus you need 18 bolt sealing washers at $ 6 a piece. Even though I get parts at a substantial discount from the local Mazda dealership, I found a timing belt kit at Autozone for about $ 100, which contains the belt and all three idler pulleys. Mazda sells these parts idividually for a total of about $570! I still had to buy the tensioner from Mazda because apparently nobody else sells it.
Two of the three idler pulley bearings were really shot after 101 K miles, so they needed replacing. Valve cover gaskets were seeping oil a little, so I replaced them. In order to get to the rear head valve cover, you need to remove the intake manifold. This means replacing another two gaskets, unbolting the fuel lines, vacuum lines and harness connectors. The intake manifold and the injector fuel rail are removed as a unit.
Some tips on replacing the belt:
Use an impact wrench to loosen the crankshaft pulley bolt, then a puller to remove the pulley. Do not use a gear type puller on this one because you can damage the crankshaft sensor teeth on the back of the pulley.
You need to remove the oil dipstick tube to be able to remove the crankshaft position sensor. It is a good idea to replace the dipstick tube sealing O-ring ($ 3.50 from Mazda).
You need to remove the front engine mount to remove and install the timing belt. You need to support the engine by placing a piece of 2X4 on a jack saddle and jacking under the flat portion of the oil pan. One of the engine mount bolts goes through the waterpump housing.
To remove one of the timing covers, you must first remove the power steering pump pulley.
I you reuse the timing belt tensioner, you must compress the piston in in a vise or with a hydraulic press and insert a thin hardwire pin to hold the piston compressed (You pull out the pin to release the piston after the new belt is on).
There is no room to use an impact wrench on one of the camshaft sprocket bolts, so to break the bolt loose I held the cam in place by slipping an adjustable wrench over the hex portion of the cam (with valve cover removed of course). You hold the cams the same way to torque the camshaft sprocket bolts to about 100 ft-lbs.
When replacing cam sprocket and crank seals, take care not to damage the rotating surfaces or the aluminum seal housing. The best way to do this is to drill a small hole in the middle of the seal body, screw in a small sheet metal screw and use a small sliding hammer to pull the seal out.
When replacing the intake manifold gaskets, make sure the convex side of the gasket is facing toward the manifold.
Replace the copper sealing wahers on the fuel rail banjo fitting when reinstalling the intake manifold. I could not find these washers anywhere except at Mazda dealer and they had to order them.
Use a torque extension with an impact wrench to torque the crankshaft pulley bolt to spec (in this case 120 ft-lbs). (Note: NAPA sells torque extensions individually and you can also buy a set. They work only with an impact wrench).
I also found that both engine drive belt (alternator, water pump, A/C compressor, P/S belts) tensioner pulley bearings were marginal and needed replacing. Of course, nobody except Mazda sells these pulleys. Mazda offers replacement bearings for the pulleys which will do the trick. They are available for about $ 18 a piece, but must be pressed in with a hydraulic press.
I have changed a number of timing chains and timing belts before, but this one was the most difficult by far. If you decide to do this yourself, have fun.
The pulley bearing replacement procedure is as follows:
1. Jack up the front of the car and remove the passenger side front wheel (I always use two small 2 ton jacks, one under each front fender crease, plus jackstands for safety reasons)
2. Remove the splash panel
3. Break loose the center bolt on each tensioner pulley with a 17 mm box end wrench. This is best done from under the car for the upper pulley. Turn the tensioner screws with a 10 mm wrench or nutdriver counterclockwise to loosen the belts. Remove the tensioner pulleys by removing the center bolt.
4. Use a 7/8 inch socket to press out the old bearings. Use a 30 mm socket to press in new ones until they are fully seated. These bearings are an interference fit and greasing the side of the bearing helps ease the installation. Note: These sockets happened to be about the right size for the job. I used a 20 ton hydraulic shop press for the job.
5. Installation of the upper pulley is difficult, because there is so little room to work. You may have to remove the collant overflow tank to gain better access. Each pulley has a special thick washer on the backside, which centers the pulley on the tensioner bracket. Make sure you do not forget to reinstall these, and in proper orientation to the pulley (flat side of the washer goes against the pulley mount bracket).
If you have a Mazda dealer do this work, you will not have the option of using aftermarket belt idler pulleys if you need them, so you will have to pay them additional $ 480 for a set of three. And if you replace the water pump, you must also replace the engine antifreeze mix.
As I mentioned before, Autozone sells a timing belt kit for Mazda 626 V6. It is a good quality kit, made in the USA by Goodyear company (part # GTK0214). This kit contains a timing belt and all three idler pulleys (but no tensioner, which is Mazda exclusive and retails for $ 190).
What is unusual about the 626 V6 timing belt is that there is a dip and an idler between two cam sprockets. This makes the belt reinstallation much more difficult because you have to pull the belt tight over both cam sprockets, and bolt the no 1 idler pulley on while pushing down on the belt. Starting the bolt in the block is hard and there is danger in crossthreading it. On the plus side, the cams stayed in their positions after the old belt was removed, unlike my Protege, in which case I had to line up the cam sprockets with the timing marks and hold each with a wrench against the valve spring tension while installing the belt.
Well, at least I did install the belt and waterpump correctly. The car started immediately and idled as smoothly as before. No oil leaks or coolant leaks. the waterpump on this engine uses a moulded O-ring for a gasket. You must be very careful not to pinch this O-ring while installing the pump, or you will get a massive coolant leak when you start the car and will have to redo the entire timing belt job again.
A friend of mine had his engine destroyed on a Mazda 323 when somebody overtorqued the crankshaft pulley bolt with an impact wrench. The end of the crankshaft split, causing massive oil leak and seizing of the engine. This is why I recommend the use of a torque extension with an impact wrench or a special tool which enables one to hold the crankshaft pulley stationary while torquing the bolt. (I still have such tool for Mazda Protege, but it will not fit the 626 V6 engine.)
In another local case, a man took his Toyota Tacoma pickup to Pep Boys for timing belt replacement. They apparently installed the belt incorrectly and tried to compensate by altering the ignition timing. His truck is still messed up and now it will not start.
I definitely do not recommend doing this job by yourself if you do not have the proper tools and mechanical knowledge. And if you have somebody else do it, please take it to a reputable mechanic. I trust our local Mazda dealership mechanics, even if they charge high rates for labor.
The most agravating factor for this job on this car is lack of space and access. You have only few inches of room to work with. Removing the intake manfold involves unplugging just about every electrical harness connector and vacuum line in the engine compartment, so you need to label these for proper reinstallation. And of course, they use a manifold support bracket in the rear of monifold where you cannot see it, so there is always one more line to detach, or one more bolt to remove. Also recommend bagging the bolts and screws, as there will be a lot of them.
Also how do they handle? I know the 929 is RWD and the 626 is FWD does that create a very noticeable differance.. because most likly i will be trying to cut the apex on that corner in the mountain...
Thanks.
navy_dude
It was an ES-V6 with a five speed. Very smooth, very comfortable, very fast. Every now and then I call the guy who bought it and ask how it's doing, and I regret it even more as he has done nothing to it yet! Seller's remorse... If you have one of these hold on to it!
Now I seriously believe that this car is greatly unappreciated by potential used car buyers - a 4 cylinder beat up Honda Accord with twice the mileage sells for more than a mint condition 626 ES V6.
Now I do not mind driving this car because I have had no problems for a long time. And the seats are very comfortable.
Can I ask how much did you sell yours for?
In December of 2003 I advertised something along these lines:
"1998 626 ES-V6 rare 5-speed, 100k, all power, maint, roof, ABS, trac, exc cond $6,000 obo"
I only got one phone call, a man and his college-bound son. They came straight out and were on the test drive for 20 minutes. When they came back they didn't even get out of the car, he rolled down the window and said it was geared very low. He asked if they could get it out on the interstate (about 5 miles away) to see how it drove, as his son was going to be on the highway alot; so I said "fine." They were back in about 45 more minutes and as soon as he got out he said "I guess we need to talk money."
I let it go for $5700. If I could go back, I'd give myself $1,000 not to sell it! What an idiot.
I'm even thinking about replacing the engine with a rebuilt engine. It will cost me around $2000 to replace it, but I don't think I can buy a car that trustworthy for that kind of money. Besides, once I fall in love, I don't fall out of love (know what I mean!). I'm keeping mine until the car falls apart. This summer, I'm planning to do a cross country from East coast to West coast. That will prove to all you doubters to place your faith to where it belongs. Keep posted. By the way, anybody have any solution to the high rpm problem? Thanks.
navy_dude
If it is the front, it could be front sway bar links, ball joints, or struts.
I would be pretty easy for a trusted mechanic to put it up on a lift & check these things out.
Dave
I have 99 626 lx v6, check engine light, EGR MALFUNCTION, not sure if I need to pay $349 for replacement or just try to clean it. Need help.
Good luck!
Some say that it is a good idea to spray CV boots with silicone periodically to make them pliable and keep them from cracking and subsequent splitting.
I have the exact same problem on my 99 ES V6. Did any one give you a good answer on cleaning it? I am getting replacement costs all over the place. One repair shop quoted me 900.00 for the part and 225.00 for labor!
Cleaning it is quite simple, providing that you have the right tools. It's best you use some compressed air, some TB cleaner and some safety goggles. First off, you want to take off the thottle body by removing the 4 bolts that hold it down and disconnect the various cables, connectors and hoses that hold it down.
Now disconnect the the EGR hose and the EGR position sensor connector wire. Before removing the unit, make sure that you do a vaccum check to assure that it's holding a vaccum('98 and newer models don't have to worry about that, being that it's electronicly controlled) Once that's done, unbolt the two 10mm bolts that hold it down and don't worry about replacing the gasket, it's metal and is reusable for life.
With the EGR off and in your hands, very slowly spray some TB cleaner into the EGR valve with the holes pointing up and let it sit like that for the time being while you are doing other work (I'll get to that in a second). Letting the throttle body cleaner sit and soak will break up any carbon that might have built up within the valve and cause it to slightly stick open and cause the eratic idling.
Now, back under the hood. Sometimes, the EGR passages get caked up with carbon, especially the V6 models and especially the Millenia 2.5L engine. Take your TB cleaner and spray into the hole on the IM. Spray until you see something coming out of the EGR passage where it bolts up at. The TB cleaner should be soaking within the carbon deposits and loosening it up.
Now that you have sprayed passage down, take an air chuck and blow into that passage within the IM and hold your hand over the plenum hole so it don't blow back on you. If there's pressure, it's clogged pretty bad. But if now, you'll hear it come out of the EGR passage.
When the hole is unclogged, put everything back together (make sure you empty out the TB cleaner from the EGR valve and reinstall it) and disconnect the battery negative and hold down on the brake for about 10 to 15 seconds to reset the computer (if you have a factory radio, make sure you have the code ready before doing). Now crank it up and you should be ready to go.
Good luck
My Mazda OD light started blinking yesterday and the car bucked for about 100 miles. I took it up to Canada, hoping I can find a cheaper way to replace the tranny, since I'm sure that's the problem (and knew this car has that guaranteed problem). Any suggestions for the best way to go in Vancouver, CA? What to avoid? I've heard that they never work well after you replace them (even though it's never been great as is).
The light stopped blinking after the border crossing, but I'm not assuming it got fixed, but just that I'll be able to get it at least to a repair job instead of a tow.
thanks!!
Rondi
what is the problem i've read alot of horror stories on line.
Improperly instlaled timing belt will cause low compression because some vavles may be partially open when they need to be closed.
The check engine light always come on and I don't really know why. Maybe some of you guys can tell me what could be the cause or what kind of problems can i be looking for in my car.
Also there is a sound that i here in the transmission box when i press the brakes.
I backed up against a rock after sliding off the road and snapped the sway bar links.
Looked simple enough to replace so I got the parts. Now I've spent the last 2 hours trying to remove the old sets. I got one upper off but the other three are frozen.
the other upper i can turn with a visegrip -- but can't get the allen/vise combination to loosen.
the lowers I can't seem to get steady enough leverage because the bar itself wants to move.
:mad:
I've had the bolts wd40'd for 2 hours now. I've tap, tap, tapped until my ears hurt and wire brushed the threads to clean them. Still no luck.
Anybody have any suggestions? Is there a dremel attachement that'll cut nuts and bolts?
thank you all