Mazda Protege Serpentine Belt

elrjones

Hi-My serpentine belt has just broken for the third time. The car will seem sluggish and squeel quite loudly before the belt breaks. It only happens when it's cold out. Its a 98 Protege and has been a perfect car besides this really annoying problem. All pullys appear to spin smoothly and freely and seem to all be in line with each other. Does anyone have any other advice? Has this happened to anyone else? I can't keep sinking money into this problem, it's frustrating.

pat

Hi, welcome to CarSpace. You might also want to post your question in our Answers section while you're waiting for some input here.

Good luck - hope we can help.

kshanso

I also Have a 1998 mazda protege with the 1.5 liter engine and this will be my second belt i put on within THREE MONTHS other than the belt my car has also been very reliable. I Agree With elrjones it is very frustrating. If anyone has any advice please respond

woodzip87

Oh wow. Well, I guess it sucks, but it's nice to know I'm not the only one. My belt has been squealing for months. I got the belt changed, adjusted, etc. but the sound would not stop. Until last night, that is, as my belt flew off while I was driving down the interstate trying to accelerate. I had to said goodbye to power steering. Fortunately I made it back home as I was only about a mile from my apartment.

Gonna get it replaced tomorrow. I'm assuming there's nothing else I can really do about this?

soccermd

I have a 99 Protege and I have been having this problem now for over 6 months. I have tried replacing the alternator and water pump, but I still have not resolved the problem. At this point I am lost for an explanation.

elrjones

I was driving the car about once per week when it was having the most trouble, and since I don't use it much I let my dad start using it for commuting when gas got expensive (he has a big truck). Ever since he has been driving it daily it has been running great. How often do you drive your car? Also, it has been warm out, so maybe when it gets cold again it will start acting up again. Do the problems with your car seem to be related to the temperature too?

bigmyke

The problem is the replacement belt does not ride deep enough in Madza pulleys. The replacement belt is .080'" whereas you need .100". Dayco makes extra layer belts - part no. 5040350 and the other is 5040390. Double check this before you buy one.

hubly39

I have a 98 Mazda Protege that keeps breaking belts; the alternator belt squeals unless I run it really, really tight. Pulleys are perfect; alignment is perfect; there is not drag and there are no worn bearings on the alternator or the water pump. I think the post about the belts not riding deep enough in Mazda pulleys is the key to this problem. I too noticed that the replacement belt doesn't fill the grooves in the pulleys, so I asked the parts salesman and he said that's the only belt they show for the application. Every replacement belt I've bought is probably too shallow. Thanks for the part numbers. I will try to find that belt.

johnnyz87

The same problem has happened to me and aparently the main pully was bent and it was unbalanced so my belts kept snapping and i cant find the part anywhere

lola01

I have a 2000 Mazda Protege. When I start the engine, it makes the weird sound. My mechanic said it is the Water pump belt. Does it mean also that the water pump needs replacement?

autonomous

I have a 2000 Mazda Protege. When I start the engine, it makes the weird sound. My mechanic said it is the Water pump belt. Does it mean also that the water pump needs replacement?

If you have never replaced the water pump, the answer is likely yes. By the way, the water pump is a part that is buried in the engine compartment, so don't be surprised of the cost of labor to replace it. Also, you may want to consider replacing the timing belt at the same time as it is located close to the water pump and it needs to get replaced every 5 or 6 years.