Mazda Protege Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement at your home or office.

Our mobile mechanics offer services 7 days a week. Upfront and transparent pricing.

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

(11)

Included for free with this service

Online Booking

Mechanic comes to you

12-month / 12k-mile warranty

Free 50 point safety inspection

Our certified mobile mechanics can come to your home or office 7 days a week between 7 AM and 9 PM.

Customer Ratings

(11)

Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement Service

How much does a Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement cost?

On average, the cost for a Mazda Protege Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement is $173 with $33 for parts and $140 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

CarServiceEstimateShop/Dealer Price
1997 Mazda ProtegeL4-1.8LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$308.02Shop/Dealer Price$349.88 - $467.34
1990 Mazda ProtegeL4-1.8LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$211.85Shop/Dealer Price$230.15 - $280.92
2001 Mazda ProtegeL4-2.0LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$289.11Shop/Dealer Price$326.75 - $435.48
1996 Mazda ProtegeL4-1.5LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$299.01Shop/Dealer Price$339.12 - $455.28
1995 Mazda ProtegeL4-1.8LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$299.01Shop/Dealer Price$340.60 - $457.86
2000 Mazda ProtegeL4-1.8LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$289.11Shop/Dealer Price$326.89 - $435.73
1994 Mazda ProtegeL4-1.8LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$211.85Shop/Dealer Price$230.19 - $280.99
1992 Mazda ProtegeL4-1.8LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$211.85Shop/Dealer Price$230.17 - $280.96
Show example Mazda Protege Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement prices

What is a serpentine belt and how does it work?

A serpentine belt is a relatively long, flat, multi-ribbed belt that is driven by the engine’s crankshaft pulley. The belt drives many, and often all, of the engine accessories such as the alternator, air conditioning compressor, power steering pump, water pump, and air pump. The serpentine belt is tensioned by a hydraulic or spring-loaded automatic tensioner. Some older cars use a serpentine belt to drive most accessories but will also have a shorter v-style belt to drive, for example, the power steering pump.

Belts

When to consider replacing the serpentine belt:

  • Regularly scheduled maintenance. Typically, belt manufacturers recommend belt replacement at 90,000 miles. However, the belt must be inspected for wear or damage at regular intervals prior to this high mileage.
  • Squealing noise, belt slippage, visible belt damage. Should the belt fail or wear out prematurely, you may hear noise or you may see visible signs of deterioration such as missing chunks of rubber, excessive cracking, or a shredded appearance on the edge of the belt.
  • Battery Light. A loose belt, perhaps caused by a defective tensioner, may not drive the alternator at adequate speed and thus the battery may discharge, causing the warning light to illuminate.
  • Engine overheating. Often, the serpentine belt drives the water pump. In those applications, if the belt breaks the engine will overheat in seconds to minutes. If the belt is inadequately tensioned, you may notice higher-than-normal engine operating temperature.

How do mechanics replace the serpentine belt?

  • Prior to removing the belt, the mechanic must run the engine to determine if the idler pulley and the belt tensioner are noise-free. Those rotating components have grease filled bearings and are subject to wear. In addition, the mechanic will ensure that all pulleys and accessories are turning in the same plane. These steps help make sure your new belt will operate trouble-free for its full-service life.
  • The belt’s routing path through the various components is noted. The belt tensioner is released, usually with a wrench or lever, to release the tension from the belt. With the tension off, the belt slides off the pulleys.
  • All rotating components — that is the alternator, air conditioner compressor, etc. — are checked for smooth operation and no noise.
  • If everything checks out, the new belt is slipped over all of the pulleys while holding the tensioner away from the belt. Once the belt is centered on all pulleys, the tensioner is released and the installation is complete. The engine is run to ensure normal operation.

Is it safe to drive with a serpentine belt problem?

No. Should the belt have visible damage, you risk unexpected and sudden breakage that could potentially leave you stranded. Serpentine belt problems that result in the alternator not charging may cause the battery to discharge, which will result in loss of electrical power to the vehicle. Additionally, if a deteriorated belt breaks and that belt drives the water pump, the engine will overheat in a matter of seconds.

When replacing the serpentine belt keep in mind:

  • On many cars, the expected service life of a serpentine belt is around 90,000 miles. Should the belt fail well prior to that, a very careful inspection should be performed to check for out-of-alignment pulleys, a possibly out-of-position crankshaft harmonic balancer on which the drive pulley is mounted, binding pulleys, or a defective belt tensioner.
  • Attention should always be given to serpentine belt routing, since proper routing is critical to proper belt tension, and function of the driven components.
  • Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish serpentine belt related noise from other engine noises. In these cases, a mechanic will determine the origin of the noise by momentarily running the engine without the serpentine belt attached.

Fast and easy service at your home or office

Backed by 12-month, 12.000-mile guarantee


Meet some of our expert Mazda mechanics

Real customer reviews from Mazda owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(11)

Rating Summary
11
0
0
0
0
11
0
0
0
0

Excellent Rating

(11)

Rating Summary
11
0
0
0
0
11
0
0
0
0
Number of Mazda Protege Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement services completed
121+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Mazda MECHANICS
1100+
experts on our platform

Recent articles & questions

How to Buy a Good Quality Heater Blower Motor
The The heater blower motor is part of the air conditioner and heater controls assembly, one of the many features created to make your ride as comfortable as possible. Your heater and air conditioner do the bulk of the work...
What are the Car Pool Rules in Alaska?
Car Car pool lanes are frequently found on Alaska’s freeways, and greatly assist drivers in a number of different ways. While driving in Alaska may be better known for the rural, scenic drives (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/top-10-scenic-drives-in-alaska), it’s the freeway commuting that the...
How to Install a Capacitor
It It can be upsetting to know you just put a bunch of your hard-earned money into a new car stereo (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/4-essential-things-to-know-about-your-car-s-stereo-and-speakers), only to realize it sounds terrible. You changed the head unit, added more speakers (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-to-replace-your-car-speakers), and better yet,...

car studders when it revs high

If the engine is revving high, but not picking up speed especially in higher gears this is an indication of a transmission issue (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/the-10-transmission-problems-to-never-ignore). The hard starting would not be attributed to the transmission, so another issue could be present,...

How to start the car again?

When you try to start the vehicle, a small amount of fuel is injected into the cylinders to promote fast starting. Sometimes what happens is that with multiple attempts at starting, the vehicle essentially floods itself to the point that...

2008 fird escape tried to bypass the fuel relay now I have no power to the ignition or anything I was trying to drain the tank by making the pump run

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (844) 997-3624 · hi@yourmechanic.com