Fiesta 2006 1.4 Zetec timing belt change.

[GingerFlame]

I used OEM spec belts from Continental and it included one. Ill never ever use ford for spares again unless they're not available elsewhere 

 

Try eBay for a Stretch Belt tool :)

[HenryV]

Hi again folks,

I've now got all the parts but the project has been delayed I'm sorry to say;

I thought I'd better take the car for an MOT which is due in a month. I wanted that out of the way before I began.

Yes, you guessed it. It failed. Corroded rear brake pipes. I'm gonna have to get them sorted before beginning the timing belt.

I'll keep you updated,

H..

[HenryV]

I've spent almost all weekend researching the rear brake pipe issue and I've decided that it simply isn't viable for me to tackle;

1) I have 10 days to get it done for the MOT retest.

2) I haven't got a car lift.

3) I'd only have next weekend to do it.

Check out my thread on it if you're interested.

I'd gotten an advisory on the MOT for the last 2/3 years about my front discs. I think the pics speak words;

 

 

 

H..

[GingerFlame]

The rear brake lines are possible on axle stands if you don't mind laying on your back for a decent period of time. It's not the nicest of jobs without a lift but it's manageable. Although if the rest of the pipes are good and the local garage is cheap enough then I'd leave them to it :p

[HenryV]

(Thanks MJN for resuscitating this post)

Thanks GF, I'm taking your advice and taking the car to the garage that did an excellent job on my dad's Astra brake pipes tomorrow. He said that he'd "do it before weekend".  No problem there;  Summer's arrived and the CBR600 will be getting me to work anyway

 

Back to the timing belt issue, I'm posting this info for anyone who might be interested in tackling this job in the future;

 

Parts:

1) Timing kit (Thanks MJN for the kit, the best wishes and the very, VERY helpful Sealey (reference only) booklet);

 

 

2) Timing belt and tensioner;

 

 

3) Water (coolant) pump & gasket;

 

 

4) Crankshaft pulley bolt/camshaft sprocket bolts;

 

 

I went to the parts counter at my favourite (not the nearest) local Ford dealership for the 'crankbolt' and the camshaft bolts (I'm sure I don't really need the camshaft bolts but for under £3, why not?). The gent there was/always is very helpful and I like the fella cos he seems proper 'old school';

He had 3 part numbers for the 'crankbolt' even though he'd identified my car using the registration number. Ok..

He said however, that the most likely/popular/the one that they keep in stock is the M12 44.5mm.  He said he'd exchange it if it was the wrong bolt. Fair play I reckon?

Cost £6.85 (3 bolts).

Total cost so far;  £163.44 + £6.85 = £170.29 (genuine Ford parts)

 

Dual belt kit (auxiliary & aircon). No special tools & no instructions by the way ;

 

 

I reckon the threaded stud & nut are for the alternator? I fear that I may need more advice on the  the fitting of these belts in the near future

 

Camshaft holding tool (Laser 2869);

 

 

I'm not going to buy the flywheel locking tool by the way. Thanks to you guys, I'm confident that I'll manage without it ;-)

I'll update when I've got the 'Ministry Of Transport' out the blooming way!

Best regards,

H..

[GingerFlame]

Yes you need to change the Camshaft bolts as they're stretch bolts. If ford say change them (which in the guide I sent you, they do) then change them 

 

they also state to use the flywheel locking tool but that's your call :p

[HenryV]

Thanks GF,

I didn't for a minute consider that the camshaft bolts might be stretch bolts. I know now and I'm now glad that I bought them, so thanks for that info.

 

I still have the flywheel locking tool in mind but I have two differing versions of the Ford instructions;

The one that you kindly sent me includes the flywheel tool but the other doesn't even mention one.

I've decided to try the impact gun/first gear/brakes on method because I can't credit that it could fail. I could yet be wrong though.

 

My main concern now, is how to go about fitting the stretch belts without the Ford 'special' plastic tools?

I've had a look at the 'fleabay' special tools but it doesn't appear that they will work on the Zetec's double crankshaft pulley?

Any tip/advice on this is most welcome

Regards,

H..

 

 

 

 

[stef123]

I have successfully used screwdrivers in the past to remove and fit these stretch belts with no damage - I'm not saying to try it but it can be done. 

I don't have the special ford tool but I do use one made by lisle tools. Done many of these Zetec engines now with it and works well enough. 

[GingerFlame]

Ill check the garage, see if I still have the tools. They aren't really special ford tools, they're just stretch belt tools 

[HenryV]

Hi again folks,

Please accept my apologies s123 and GF. I hadn't seen your posts due to not visiting this site for a while. My bruv was blocking my dad's drive for weeks with his Golf's jammed on brakes, my dad's Astra then (unbelievably) suffered from jammed on brakes and my CBR failed her MOT.  All these are stories in themselves but;

I got on with the belts/water pump job on Sunday. I made a couple of mistakes which I'll openly confess along the way (I'm not a car mechanic remember?) but here's how I/we've gotten on so far:

1) Offside front wheel removed

2) Offside headlight removed (for better access/sight). Probably not necessary.

3) Lower timing belt cover aircon pipe removal

MISTAKE 1;  I snapped one of the three plastic clips. It's the furthest one of the three. I've ordered some clips from that auction site (cost £1.79 for 25 but not Ford clips). Total cost £170.29 + £1.79 = £172.08.

4) Lower cover removed

5) Better underside view of the stretch belts

6) I cut the power steering belt (this seemed like sacrilege)

 

7) I cut the main auxiliary belt (this seemed like double sacrilege)

8) Power steering belt after 91300 (ish) miles.

9) Main auxiliary belt

10) 'Airbox' removed

 

11) Timing belt top cover removal; MISTAKE 2; I started unbolting the cover but I couldn't remove the bolt in the picture without removing the water pump pulley from the water pump. The Ford instructions advised to loosen the 4 pulley bolts before cutting the belts, which would have saved me having to improvise a method of loosening the bolts whilst the pulley wasn't under any load/tension. LESSON LEARNED.

MISTAKE 3; I next tried to remove the timing belt top cover but couldn't get it off. I then backed off the alternator (as per Ford instructions ((LESSON LEARNED)) )and removed the two engine mounts (THE ENGINE NEEDS SUPPORTING AT THIS POINT, which I did with a scissor jack and a block of wood)

Alternator

Engine mounts

MISTAKE 4; I could have removed both mounts as one unit (Ford instruction is to only remove the one on the right in the picture but there's only 3 bolts on the other and it seemed to free-up a lot of space.

13) After removing the top cover I get my first view of the camshaft pulleys

14) HT leads removed

15) Camshaft cover (rocker cover) removal. It took some persuasion to get this blighter off without damaging it but the gasket seems fine so I ain't gonna replace it.

16) Camshafts become visible. Picture is upside down sorry. Also, excuse me, I am an engineer (not a car mechanic) but I rarely see this beautiful sight!

17) I'd expected the camshaft pulleys to be plastic but they're metal in this instance

I'll be on with this job again next weekend. I've ordered a Laser stretch belt tool (4999) for the PS-CS belt (cost £14.50. Total spend £172.08 + £14.50 = £186.58).  I've also emailed Laser Tools to see if their 5919 tool will do for the CS-WP-ALT-AC belt.

I'll update soon. Any comment/advice is welcome/appreciated in the meantime.

Regards,

H..

 

 

[HenryV]

Update;

I bought a stretch belt kit for the large stretch belt (cost £35.99). Total spend £222.57.

This kit also has the tools for the smaller belt, so I'll probably re-sell the Laser 4999.

 

Back to the car;

Spark plugs out.

Rags over plug ports.

Next, I wanted to be confident when using the timing kit from MJN.

I turned the crankshaft (clockwise) using a socket on the crankshaft pulley bolt until the slots in the camshafts were almost horizontal.

I then removed the timing pin hole blanking plug and installed the timing pin.

I then turned the crankshaft until it was stopped by the pin.

I then tried the timing plate in the camshafts.  Beautiful fit!

I removed the pin and the plate and set about tackling the dreaded c/s pulley bolt.

My dad put the car in top gear and put his foot on the brake pedal.

I set up the impact gun with an 18mm impact socket and went for it...

...and went for it...

The blighter didn't budge!

I then suspected that the c/s had turned (by slipping the clutch). I put a chalk mark on the pulley and tried again. The pulley was not moving. I was then (and still am) suspecting that the transmission was damping the impact effect of the gun and that a flywheel locking tool may be necessary after all. I then removed the starter motor (to prepare for fitting a flywheel locking tool) before packing up for the day.

I did check that the gun was driving anti-clockwise by the way.

One thing though;  Our impact gun is rated at 450nm.  When I'd gotten home, my dad rang to tell me that he'd had a look at the brushes in the gun and a wire had become detached from one of the two brushes. It could have detached/broke when he removed it. If it was detached before we started, could the gun be too weak to move the c/s bolt?

I'm now going to order a flywheel lock tool (Ford 303-393 or Laser 4275) and my dad has ordered some new brushes.

I'll update as soon as possible.

Regards,

H..

 

 

 

[stef123]

Have you got a blow torch? Heat the head of that crank bolt up as much as you can then try it.

also, when your done if you decide to sell those belt tools on can you pm me.

[HenryV]

Thanks stef,

Heat is my plan c

I'm gonna try plan b first and lock the flywheel. If the bolt doesn't budge I'll use heat.

I'm unlikely to be selling the large kit because the girlfriend and my mate each have Zetec Fiestas which I'll end up doing in the future.

I'll probably be flogging the Laser 4999 though but they're pretty cheap on fleabay anyway.

Has anybody got a Laser 4275 for sale by the way?

H..

[stef123]

Ok mate fair enough.

if you've got means of heat id do that first! Had a couple of these now before I had my current impact gun which whips them off no problem and a bit heat on it is enough to break the bond. I'd heat it as much as you can, careful not to melt the plastic and get the gun straight onto it.

[HenryV]

Update;

You may recall that we were struggling getting the 'crankbolt' out.

I got a flywheel lock tool and my dad got some new brushes for the impact gun

Old brushes

 

PEASE NOTE! Make sure the battery is disconnected before removing the starter!

Harness/connector off the starter motor

Starter motor off

 

Flywheel lock tool on (Be VERY careful not to drop anything into the starter aperture. I used a rag to stop anything getting in if I dropped it. Note how I daren't put a washer on the top bolt.  This picture shows the tool in place but not tightened. The small bolt still needed to be slid down it's slot, to engage the tools blade in the the flywheel and tightened, as did the M10 nuts

With the flywheel locked firmly, I tried again

...and again

No luck with the blighter!

I sat on the drive with a cup of tea and decided that I'd get that bolt out come hell or high water!

So I set off to work with a 'cunning plan'..

...A few hours of travelling and welding later;

'Crankbolt Henry' was born...

...and I went for it..

and went for it

 

...and a colleague joined me and went for it..

..and then I, along with my colleague both went for it (one of us on each side of the 'T bar')..

..and..

SHE CAME!

AND CAME!

It was now 9pm. Time to pack up for Saturday.

I'll update you on Sundays progress soon.

Regards,

H..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HenryV]

Sunday's progress;

Crankshaft pulley off

The crankbolt is the M12 44.5mm version (Ford 1406755), so the guy at my local Ford parts counter did indeed suppy me with the correct bolt.

Good view of the lower timing belt cover

Bolts out

Cover off

I slid off the timing belt/crank pulley

To have a glance at the crankshaft oil seal

Looked fine. I'm in agreement with MJN about not changing it 'if it ain't broke'.

Next job was to release the tension from the tensioner and lock it with the pin.

I managed to squeeze the lugs together with my fingers whilst getting the pin in. I did need a hefty pair of gloves though, because the lugs are sprung very tight and tend to hurt your fingers.

pin in

Tensioner off

It seemed to be in perfect condition after 91000 miles!

Timing belt off

It seemed to be in perfect condition after 91000 miles. Yes, this is the old one.

 

 

Next job was to remove the water pump (at this stage I removed the coolant expansion tank for better access)

 

First I drained the coolant

It was quite breezy, so I put a vinyl mat round the front of the car to stop the coolant being blown all over the driveway

Then I unbolted and removed the pump

There was quite a lot of coolant that came out with the pump too (pic still has old gasket in place)

The old pump ( you guessed it) 'seemed to be in perfect condition after 91000 miles'

 

I cleaned the mounting surface and finger tightened the new pump and gasket in position

I haven't yet tightened the bolts because I've ordered a 'low range' torque wrench. Mine are both too big for the 10nm bolts.

Next job was to loosen the camshaft pulley bolts;

Pulley holding tool in position

Wrench in position

I was surprised how easily these bolts were to loosen. They did make a delightful snapping noise too!

I'm now getting fairly confident that I can finish this job next weekend, barring any unforeseen mishaps.

Thanks for looking folks.

I'll update as soon as I have any further info.

H..

 

 

 

 

 

[MJNewton]

I love threads like this with plenty on pictures. They are so helpful for others following in your footsteps. 

[HenryV]

Thanks MJ,

I love to get replies/advice/encouragement from experienced site members like yourself/stef et al. It makes the doing and the documenting of the job on here seem worthwhile.

Did you spot my blinding error on my last post by the way?

I'd better highlight my mistake

Of course, these two pictures and text are in the wrong place!

I should have placed them after the removal of the tensioner and the timing belt.

If anyone is using this thread for guidance in the future, please don't let this clerical error mislead you and please accept my humble apology.

I slid off the timing belt/crank pulley

To have a glance at the crankshaft oil seal

Looked fine. I'm in agreement with MJN about not changing it 'if it ain't broke'.

 

 

By the way MJ,

I'm now being told by my friend that his clutch is slipping. I've already done my girlfriend's 1.25 Zetec Fiesta clutch, so I already have the 'improvised' kit and some experience. I've promised him that I'll do my best for him, so there could be another thread coming soon if I manage to complete this one.

I think I've developed an addiction to 'spannering' MK6 Fiestas!

Best regards,

H..

[stef123]

I have to say you are doing good job of keeping us posted every step of the way. knew you'd find that crank bolt fun lol. keep up the hard work you'll get a biscuit at the end lol 

[iantt]

once the crank bolt is off, everything else is a "piece of cake" or bisciut.

[MJNewton]

One option, should all else fail, for removing the crankshaft bolt is to cut through the bolt head with a Dremel-type tool. Being a stretch bolt there is an enormous amount of tension in the head flange and so a slice from end to end is sufficient to allow the head to deform and the bolt released. It doesn't have to be all the way through (thus risking damaging the pulley) and can be done to one side of the hex head if there are any concerns about subsequently being able to remove the shank (it will likely spin out with your fingers at this point).

[HenryV]

Thanks stef,

I've never worked so hard for a biscuit and I've never had so much fun with an M12 bolt in my blooming life and I've met quite a few of 'em!

Thanks iantt but please;  You'd probably be amazed at my ability to get things wrong when they seem like a 'piece of cake' 

Thanks MJ,

Luckily I didn't need plan c (heat) or your suggestion (plan D) but it seems to make sense to me.

I must say that I spent almost an entire apprenticeship cutting screw threads and I've spannered thousands of bolts and nuts but when that M12 blighter gave up, it was a completely different feeling through the wrench. It didn't snap like I'd expected. Once it had budged, it was still tight as hell, but I guess that's the stretch factor?

By the way, I'm off to Poland next Wednesday for 5 nights. I'll try to update this thread before I go but if I don't, I will do so on my return.

Best wishes folks,

Please feel welcome to comment/advise/ask questions in the meantime,

H..

[iantt]

have you finished this job yet? 

[HenryV]

Hi ian,

I've been on with it today. I've just got back from my dad's and we've had some great weather and made some great progress.

I've got plenty more pics too, which I'm planning to post in an update in the next couple of days.

I'd love to write an update right now but the local pub quiz starts at 10 tonight and I reckon I've earned a couple of pints today   

I got the water pump torqued, timing belt on, new crankbolt on, new tensioner, got the timing in sync, new cambolts on, engine mounts, covers and alternator back on.

I had a couple of stumbling blocks/small errors today which I'll highlight in my update. 

The next job is the stretch belts, which I'm hoping to tackle tomorrow. With a bit of luck, I may complete the job tomorrow.

Thanks to all who've followed/taken interest in this thread and offered advice. You've been really helpful. I wouldn't have even attempted this project without the advice I received right at the start.

I've also really enjoyed the challenge too!

Anyway, I'd better not 'count my chickens' just yet, but I am looking forward to cranking the engine up (tomorrow).

Back soon,

H.. 

 

 

[Albert27]

@HenryV  Been seriously considering doing my timing belt on my focus 1.6tdci and have been reading this post with interest. Have only basic knowledge (brakes, service etc) but fancy the challenge. Thanks for posting and hope she cranks ok!