free advice on the 88-90 telstar

[dirty hands]

for 2.2 injected motor same as the mazda 626

to remove the alternator

you have to drop off a drive shaft
and intrim shaft (drain gearbox oil)
undo the front part of the zorst

so you get eneough clearence
to replace the alternator from under the car

no room to take it out from the top

only a maybe from the top
if you took off the brake master cyl
and the booster

[dirty hands]

undo exhaust manifold and
flex pipe brackets let the pipe rest down
drain radiator
take out air filter and intake pipe
undo cables and small water pipe near thermostat housing
any vacume lines to dissy
undo top radiator hose
undo and remove the inlet manifold
support bracket (underneath)
undo inlet manifold bolts from top and underneath
undo heat pipe from exhaust manifold (large thread)
remove manifold
take of rocker cover
put motor on TDC
undo timing covers
mark timing belt and top cam for refit guide
undo the left belt tensioner
it has a spring to be carefull with
undo the top cam cog bolt

leave dissy intact

pop off inlet manifold and let it rest in the engine bay

undo head bolts
lift off with rockers and cam intact

[dirty hands]

the rack has to be taken out through the passenger side wheel arch

have to undo both tie rods
undo the feeder pipes to and from the pump

undo the rack from the steering knuckle at the top of the rack
try to keep the steering wheel straight

undo the holding brackets and remove from car

[dirty hands]

hit hub nut shell to unlock from the keeper
no pictures
undo hub nut 32mm socket
undo brake caliper 2x17mm bolts
undo pinch bolt on lower ball joint 14mm bolt
undo lower strut bolts 2x17 mm bolts

passenger side
on a automatic gearbox pop off the rubber cv boot
the bearing is a three part ball type
remove the cv and stub axle as one piece

on an manual the whole cv needs to be removed
use a catch can for the oil
tug till the cv pops off

[dirty hands]

timing belt adjust

needs to be changed every 50,000km

there is a 14 mm bolt on the left hand belt tensioner

the tensioner also has a spring and a slotted hole for adjustments
you undo the top plastic cover
and below that cover you can get a spanner
onto the adjusting nut without removing the engine mount

undo the nut turn motor over two full revolutions and retighten the adjuster lock nut
if the belt is still slack or perished
the timing belt needs to be replaced


make sure the spring is on its keeper

to replace the belt
the engine mount has to be removed
also the timing pully
a very tight nut

the motor to be on TDC and there is a pointer on the cam belt pully and the caseing that line up
that pully has a bolt to be undone to fit the new timing belt

[dirty hands]

MORE information about timing belt replacement'
cost of belt less than $100 au
time to do the job 1-2 hours

the driverside engine mount can stay in place
after you have undone the pully bolt (21 mm)
you have to undo the 6 x 10 mm nuts on the pully so it can be taken off
there is a plastic cover held on with 2 bolts covering the water pump
that plastic cover has the timing mark
that has to come off to feed the belt on properly

the alternator adjuster and the air conditioning compressor has to be lossened
too slaken off the drive belts