03/09/2026
Have you seen the cambelt Field Note on the site? If you are wondering when the belt is due, or thinking of doing it yourself, have a read.
It covers the belt cars, the 1.6 and 1.8 Mk1, Mk2 and Mk2.5. Mk3 and Mk4 run a chain.
When it is due: the Haynes UK schedule is every 48,000 miles or 4 years, whichever comes first. Mazda's own North American schedule is 60,000 miles. The belt perishes with age as well as miles, so on a low-mileage car the years come first. If you do not know when it was last done, treat it as due.
Then the job as we do it, from our own footage on a 1.8 VVT. What comes out with the belt, the timing marks, why the VVT gear can sit a few degrees off the line and still be right, the tension set by the genuine spring and checked by deflection, and every torque figure checked against the ledger we work to. Including the two T25 screws that strip if you lean on them, and the short crank bolt on early Mk1s that takes 40 Nm less than the usual figure.
If you would rather we did it, there is a booking form at the end. Tell us the car, the mileage and when the belt was last done if you know, and we will come back with a date and a price.
The cambelt job:
https://fojiraceworks.co.uk/field-notes/mx5-cambelt/
Book it in:
https://fojiraceworks.co.uk/contact/?job=cambelt
