is this serpentine belt/ac belt in bad condition?

[jalikaria24]

hey! on my 2006 mazda 3 with the 2.3l, i have noticed that theres a slight whistling/noise coming from the belt area. i have attached some pics, do they look warn? i felt the texture and they feel slightly rough and slightly brittle. sorry i am not very mechanic like so i cant tell if it needs to be replaced or what. sorry i dont know if the photos are good enough to tell, what else can i do to check?

has 94,000 miles on the engine

let me know thanks!

 

[twouvakind]

Mileage? If you have near 100k, it's cheap insurance to change it it. Go large with a Continental belt, there are several offerings...OEM, better and best.

 

[jalikaria24]

Mileage? If you have near 100k, it's cheap insurance to change it it. Go large with a Continental belt, there are several offerings...OEM, better and best.

94,000 miles thanks! oh so there usually due around 100k?

 

[twouvakind]

They certainly have a life expectancy, think of the duty and the conditions in the life of a belt.

 

[jalikaria24]

They certainly have a life expectancy, think of the duty and the conditions in the life of a belt.

do u by chance know how long labor would be for something like this?

 

[AutoMechanic]

Definitely getting a little worn. You can rent the tool to do it, it’s fairly simple to do.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

You might as well replace it

 

[twouvakind]

Yes, the tool is variable for rent but my car required a motor mount to be loosened (and motor supported temporarily) to slip the belt out. Your mileage may vary.

 

[JimPghPA]

OP, at that millage most people who want reliability will also replace the tensioner assembly ( spring and idler pulley with new bearings ) when they do the serpentine belt. Personally I would also replace the water-pump because new belts and new tensioners produce the maximum correct tension and the old belt and old tensioner may be producing much less tension and the old water-pump may not be able to handle the new tension very long. And if you are going to open the cooling system to do the pump, you might as well do the thermostat and all new antifreeze.

At around100 K miles many vehicles require other items such as cam chain(s) and cam drive gears, and spark-plugs, valve adjustment check, PCV valve, coolant thermostat, radiator fluid change and maybe a few other items. I do not know if your 2006 mazda 3 with the 2.3l would require all of these items but if it does if you are going to do them, the added work of the serpentine belt and tensioner assembly would be something that would not add that much additional work to the job.

BTW, a couple of years ago Gates came out with a small plastic tool to check serpentine belts with that they gave away for free. All you had to do was ask for it online and they sent them to you for free. Now they have a new small plastic tool that is even better and easier to tell if a serpentine belt is good or bad with. However I do not see any place on there site to get one. But there are videos on the internet about it and it is available for less then $10.00 it still might be available for free from Gates or at a much lower price from them. I just found out about the new tool today when I looked for a link for the old tool to see if you could still get one for free. You might send Gates an e-mail or phone them next week.

Also, a good general rule with the much better material they are made of these days is to check the serpentine belt every once in a while after 60 K miles, and do it even if it looks good at 90 K miles.

Back in the early days of serpentine belts like 1990 they were only good for somewhere between 25 K miles or a little more.

 

[JimPghPA]

Yes, the tool is variable for rent but my car required a motor mount to be loosened (and motor supported temporarily) to slip the belt out. Your mileage may vary.

Out is no problem. Just cut it. Now in may require you to do all you are talking about.

 

[hemitom]

Thought this was a car a friend picked up.
Top of the belt doesn't look to bad, what does the inside ribbed part look like all cracked up ?

 

[jalikaria24]

Thought this was a car a friend picked up.
Top of the belt doesn't look to bad, what does the inside ribbed part look like all cracked up ?

ahah yeah it is, i drive a pickup. im so used to writing "mine" lmao

 

[Chris142]

Replace the tensioner and idlers while it is apart. All the major auto part stores sell a kit with all the parts you need

 

[AutoMechanic]

I agree with replacing the tensioner and pulleys too.

 

[jalikaria24]

Sounds like a plan! Is there anyway to check if the old owner replaced them already? Cuz we hear a whining noise kinda so I assume it’s either the belt making that or the idler.

would you recommend Mazda parts depot for these or to get aftermarket?

 

[jalikaria24]

OP, at that millage most people who want reliability will also replace the tensioner assembly ( spring and idler pulley with new bearings ) when they do the serpentine belt. Personally I would also replace the water-pump because new belts and new tensioners produce the maximum correct tension and the old belt and old tensioner may be producing much less tension and the old water-pump may not be able to handle the new tension very long. And if you are going to open the cooling system to do the pump, you might as well do the thermostat and all new antifreeze.

At around100 K miles many vehicles require other items such as cam chain(s) and cam drive gears, and spark-plugs, valve adjustment check, PCV valve, coolant thermostat, radiator fluid change and maybe a few other items. I do not know if your 2006 mazda 3 with the 2.3l would require all of these items but if it does if you are going to do them, the added work of the serpentine belt and tensioner assembly would be something that would not add that much additional work to the job.

BTW, a couple of years ago Gates came out with a small plastic tool to check serpentine belts with that they gave away for free. All you had to do was ask for it online and they sent them to you for free. Now they have a new small plastic tool that is even better and easier to tell if a serpentine belt is good or bad with. However I do not see any place on there site to get one. But there are videos on the internet about it and it is available for less then $10.00 it still might be available for free from Gates or at a much lower price from them. I just found out about the new tool today when I looked for a link for the old tool to see if you could still get one for free. You might send Gates an e-mail or phone them next week.

Also, a good general rule with the much better material they are made of these days is to check the serpentine belt every once in a while after 60 K miles, and do it even if it looks good at 90 K miles.

Back in the early days of serpentine belts like 1990 they were only good for somewhere between 25 K miles or a little more.

thanks a ton! i believe my friend decided he is gonna change the tensioner assembly and the belts this weekend but its getting awfully cold here in alberta so hes planning to do the rest next year when the weather is better since the car seems to be fine now and he wont drive much over winter

 

[AutoMechanic]

Sounds like a plan! Is there anyway to check if the old owner replaced them already? Cuz we hear a whining noise kinda so I assume it’s either the belt making that or the idler.

would you recommend Mazda parts depot for these or to get aftermarket?

Mazda or Aisin kit for the tensioner and a good quality belt like Mazda OEM or Gates.

 

[nwjones18]

I replaced the belts on my mazda 3 fairly recently. The a/c belt is a stretch belt and there is a tool for putting it on properly. I just put it around the crank started it on the a/c compressor and held it on with a few zip ties. Turned the engine over by hand and the belt climbed/stretched its self on to the pulley easily. The other belt you have pictured is easily replaced by just releasing the tensioner. I replaced the tensioner pulley while I was at it.

 

[Lubener]

Your pics do not really show anything alarming. If there are cracks in the belt, change it, otherwise it is good for continued use.

 

[TheBig2003]

100,000 miles, I would change it. I change mine every 100,000km (60,000 miles) whether it needs it or not. I check all belt drive components for play and wear at the same time. Maybe overkill, but that's just the way I was raised.