HELP!

Never mind, the O2 sensor was just one additional problem that hadn't even tripped the check engine light yet.

That Miata has a snapped timing belt, it was replaced about 2 1/2 years ago and has less than 40K on it. Ouch!

Pat

Sorry to hear that, it doesn't sound reasonable for a timing belt to go so fast, is it possible there's something else wrong that caused the early failure? About the only thing I can think of is a camshaft not turning freely or a tensioner not working?????

The engine was operating normally, I will check out the tensioners when I swap the belt. I guess I can skip the water pump this time. It is a modified engine with turbo and it gets run hard at times, but I had hoped to get at least 60K out of the belt.

I am not sure what I was thinking with the O2 sensor, I just saw a burned wire and thought "aha!". It would have obviously tripped a CEL and would not have brought the car to a sudden halt.

I finally realized that the engine was turning over more easily than normal so I popped the cover off and sure enough, snapped belt.

Pat

Non-interference engine ++

In previous cars, I have always had the timing belt replaced at 60k mi. But the manual for my 2000 Miata, here in Calif. says 105k. Is not bogus???? Will still be awhile either way. Should be nearly a year before I hit my first 30K.

California law requires the timing belts to have that interval, it is the exact same belt that they recommend replacing at 60K miles in every other U.S. state.

I have never seen one fail before 80K miles and I figure that it a good time to replace the timing belt and the water pump as well, with 60K being a little early for a water pump replacement.

Part of this "logic" is seeing one miata need a new water pump at 86K miles when it looked excellent at the time the timing belt was replaced with 60K miles, plus I am dealing with a dead miata that has 128K miles on the timing belt, which is intact, but the water pump has failed on that car.

This timing belt failed at 28,726 miles. Something is definitely wrong, I'll find out tomorrow if it was a defective belt or something else.

Pat

You need to drive that car more man, rigamortis might set in ;-)

Chris

We have three cars, and I split the load between them all. Although I only drive two of them, my S10 P/U and the Miata. LOL>My Wife can not drive the stick>>LOL.

I bought the Miata in June of 2000 as a retirement gift to myself. Then the next month, in July it took a big trip to the Grand Canyon, through the Mojave Desert, etc. That was a blast. Now it usually gets fired up once per week, to keep the battery going, or is one of two out of town cars, to the beach cars. A run down to Pismo Beach no less than once per year, a 4 1/2 hr. drive. If I give up driving at 80, like my Dad did, maybe I'll never get to the point of it needing a new timing belt/water pump.(58 this Sunday). Will the water pump last longer, like over 100K mi. if one is excellent about having the cooling system fully power flushed on a regular basis??

Sorry I might have messed up and this may appear twice.

That's lame; couldn't they just legislate that it never fails?

miker

Yeah, just rub it in. ;-)

The miata is a great daily driver for some people, but I am finding that I need more room much more frequently than before.

The only way that I will be able to keep a miata is if I can afford two cars. Otherwise I will have to drive something relatively boring for a while.

As far as the miata water pump, I have seen one fail as early as 86K miles and one that was still going at 150K miles. I have seen people here with low-mileage 1990-1997 miatas asking about the belt and the general feeling seems to be that it should be replaced at about 10 years or so even if it isn't approaching 60K miles.

If it sits in an environment where it doesn't get very hot or cold when not in use, I would be a bit less concerned about it, and maybe just let it go.

As always, YMMV

Pat

That would be cool, especially if the law required the stealership to replace any that fail before then. Not that it would help me here.

Now that my experience has been to have one timing belt fail very prematurely, but to have never had one fail myself on any car, including a Celica with over 150K miles on it, I am tempted to just let the proved belt stay until the damn thing breaks.

Nah, not really...Whatever happened, defective belt, frozen tensioners, etc., this was just bad luck.

Pat