98 Protege Alternator Belt Major Problem

I had a serpentine belt do that twice becuase the width of the original belt was different than the new one so it would slide off sucks huh? Hope thats your problem. Call the dealer see what they say sounds like belt is too wide needs to be thinner to set into groove better

I have been having the same problem with both my 1997 Protege and my sister-in-law's 1997 Protege. Both are 1.5 liter automatics with A/C and P/S. I replaced the water pump on my car when I did the timing belt at 135,000 miles, and I replaced both the belts at that time. About a month after doing the water pump, the problem manifested itself. I noticed that the problem was much worse with any electrical accessories on. I took the belt off, noticed there was a bit of play in the alternator shaft, and thought that maybe I had a bearing problem with the alternator. I replaced it, and all seemed OK for about two months. It started making noise again. I replaced the alternator again, under warranty. The car was OK for a while, then noise again. I bought another water pump (from a different manufacturer), but found the grooves in the crank pulley and water pump pulley full of melted rubber and debris. Instead of replacing the water pump, I cleaned out all the pulleys and put it back together. That lasted three days. Now, my sister-in-law's car is doing the same thing, after a water pump replacement. Both cars have aftermarket Duralast water pumps in them, and I am starting to think there may be a trend. I have tried different makes of belts (including the OE), alternators, setting a straight edge against the edges of the pulleys to make sure they are lined up properly, physically cleaning out the pulley grooves, and adjusting the belt tension. The only thing I have not changed is the water pump itself, and I hate to do it, as the pump is pretty expensive ($100 for the part), and I think I would push the car over a cliff if that didn't fix the problem. If anybody has any other ideas, I'd gladly listen to them.

Doc my mechanic now claims that the battery was the problem he took it to two different places one said the battery was bad the other tested and said it was good he replaced the battery. My mechanic claims the he feels the battery was causing the alternator to spin to fast and that was causing the belts to break. He is keeping the car for a few days to test the theory. I honestly do not feel the problem is the battery and we are just putting more money into this car with no hope in sight my daughter is also ready to take her car off a cliff. Anyone with suggestions as to why these protege's and their belts are squealing and breaking continually?

I have a new battery in my Protege. I had to replace it when the car threw the alternator belt on the expressway. There is no significant difference. Have you had the timing belt and water pump replaced on your car? My problems (with both Proteges) started after water pump and timing belt replacements. I have noticed that there is a difference between the stock pump and most aftermarket pumps I have seen. I do not know if it has any bearing on anything, but the stock pump has a sheetmetal impeller wheel, while the aftermarket units have a cast impeller. I wonder if the inertia of the heavier cast impeller is causing the belt to slip over the water pump pulley. I realize that this is a long shot, and there is no way to prove it besides investing the time and money in a stock-type replacement pump. I have also heard (on a different site) that some people claim to have had better luck with NAPA/Gates belts, but I don't know about the accuracy of that. I have used belts from Mazda, Goodyear, Dayco, and Kelly Springfield, and all have failed to make even a little difference in the noise.

We did not have the timing belt or water pump replaced on the Protege since we have owned the vehicle. However we purchased it used a year ago. This problem however started approximately a month ago. The only thing we have replaced is the alternator and 4 belts. We have also used the models you mentioned with no difference. My mechanic swears there was a difference in the way the alternator was working when he changed the battery although he is not charging us until he sees if this fixes the problem so I am not feeling real confident he is confident the problem is resolved. I also have been to other sites. Many list the same problems we have encountered although noone lists a solution. It seems to start with one belt whether it be for the alternator or the water pump or the a/c then one goes the next and each part associated with that belt. I am truly hoping to avoid all of that cost and aggravation.

The alternator belt on my sister-in-law's car went last night. I have replaced it with a NAPA/Gates belt. It was more expensive than the Goodyear or Kelly belts, and seems a bit thicker and heavier, but I do not see where it will make a big difference. I'm going to keep a close eye on it and see if it corrects the problem.

Day five for the Gates belt in the sister-in-law's car and no complaints yet. My Protege got bad enough that I did the alternator belt again, rather than being left stranded. I only have about 40 miles on the new belt, but so far, so good.

The Gates belt is a loser too. The car did not make 100 miles before the belt started making noise again. I really hate this car. As soon as I can rid myself of this frustrating little nightmare, I'll never even look at another Mazda again.

I too had my belt begin squeeling. I had it replaced with a Gator belt, it didn't make it to the end of the week before it snapped. I had the battery replaced twice before I had even realized it was the belt. :Cry: I don't want to pay for another belt if it's just going to keep breaking. So. Has anyone found a solution to this yet?

Thanks.

Edit: what about the AC pulley? Is the AC belt the same for the alternator? What if the AC pulley were to go bad and lock down. Would that cause the belt to squeel and snap?

I find it very interesting that there have been over 150 looks at these postings and not one person can give us a clue as to what the solution is. I have been to several sights like DocOlds trying to find out what the problem is with the Protege's and while there are many postings and complaints there is never one offer of a solution. Do all Mazda Protege's wind up off the end of a cliff? We have replaced a battery an alternator and 4 alternator belts. I've used Mazda belts, Goodyear Belts and Gator belts. This is my 17 year old daughter's car and the thought that she can get stranded at night alone terrifies me to the point that we are going to get rid of the car. I thought because there were 2 mechanics listed on this sight that someone would be able to offer a solution to this problem. I have checked Mazda's recall's to see what the deal is because there is just no way this many people can be having problems and there can't be something in common wrong but obviously no one cares to fix them they just pass them off to the next person. I agree with Doc time to just be rid of it and I too will never own another Mazda as long as I live.

Ok everyone here seems to be feeling the same way I do with this car. I bout my mazda about 6 months ago and it only cost me about 200 dollars. Heck if the thing ran it was worth 200 dollars, well the guy told me a list of things that was wrong with it and I fixed the majority. As far as the alternator belt goes I was replacing mine every two days. It would make noises and start smelling but sometimes when one broke it wouldnt have anything wrong with the belt it was a clean break. So back to the beginning when I bought the car the gentleman told me the air condenser had a hole in it which in turned locked up the air compressor which is on the same belt as the power steering. Well I had that checked out and nothing was locked up so I put on a power steering belt and I was fine for about 4 months then all of a sudden my alternator belts kept breaking which is on different pullys except for the crank shaft. After replacing this belt several times and because I had to take the power steering belt off and my ac didnt work any way I decided to leave it off cause it was too much hassle trying to put 2 belts back on ever 2 or 3 days. I have not had a problem out of the alternator belt since then. My mechanic tried telling me that my alternator was bad or locking up and I argued with him. I am not at all ignorant to cars and if the dang thing runs while the belt is on it and its pushing out enough power into the battery then its fine. I know this is a little late but to who ever else reads these looking for a way to fix their alternator belt problems try taking off the power steering belt.A little elbow grease wont kill you to turn the car. I still havnt determined if I have bent pullys for my power steering though.

Buy the belt from Mazda. It looks more like an old school belt. The ridges on the belt are wider and sit in the pulley correctly.