Hi All,

My car, a Ford Focus Hatchback 2003 1.8 TCDi, got the timing belt broken 2 days ago. I was driving slowly in a rough road, then I heard a click and bum, died. The mechanic had changed the service/serpentine belt 5 days earlier, and I told him to check the timing belt as well, and he said me it was ok..do you think it is possible that a mechanic checks the timing belt, he says it is ok and then after 5 days it gets broken?! However, I was wondering if the car has an interference or non-interference engine, because I know in the latter case the damages are less.

He has still to check which are the damages, and in the meantime I am considering different solutions. I spent 500€ in the car 5 days ago, servicing it, changing the serpentine belt, tyres and other things and it is a pity I have to throw it away. The car is still good but the engine, at the same time, has 220.000 kms..what do you suggest me to do? To repair it? Installing a new engine? Buying a new car? 

 

Thanks a lot,

 

Chance are you will have valve damage, you may be lucky due to your slow speed but i doubt, i would break the car for spares and get another.

at that mileage (well Km) The belt was well due to be done for probably the second time. Your mechanic was wrong and should of suggested changing the cam belt at the time. Sorry to say the engine is probably knackered.

 

23 hours ago, Giorgia said:

Hi All,

My car, a Ford Focus Hatchback 2003 1.8 TCDi, got the timing belt broken 2 days ago. I was driving slowly in a rough road, then I heard a click and bum, died. The mechanic had changed the service/serpentine belt 5 days earlier, and I told him to check the timing belt as well, and he said me it was ok..do you think it is possible that a mechanic checks the timing belt, he says it is ok and then after 5 days it gets broken?! However, I was wondering if the car has an interference or non-interference engine, because I know in the latter case the damages are less.

He has still to check which are the damages, and in the meantime I am considering different solutions. I spent 500€ in the car 5 days ago, servicing it, changing the serpentine belt, tyres and other things and it is a pity I have to throw it away. The car is still good but the engine, at the same time, has 220.000 kms..what do you suggest me to do? To repair it? Installing a new engine? Buying a new car? 

 

Thanks a lot,

 

It's definitely an interference engine, I'm afraid it's really unlikely the engine isn't broken badly.

I don't believe you can really tell if a belt needs changing by looking at it visually when in place on the car.

in my experience they don't snap, what happens is the pulley strips the teeth off the belt - can someone else comment here - do they sometimes actually snap?

to inspect it well it would at least need to be off the car so that you could bend it about a lot to see if cracking around the teeth, but even then I am not sure you could tell as the nylon fibres (i think that's what they are) might be weak within the rubber.

Some of these 1.8tdci have two belts, lower one from crankshaft to diesel pump (belt running in oil) and the higher dry belt from pump to camshaft.

Earlier ones have chain in the lower part, not sure what year they changed from chain to wet belt in the lower part,.

 

20 minutes ago, isetta said:

I don't believe you can really tell if a belt needs changing by looking at it visually when in place on the car.

in my experience they don't snap, what happens is the pulley strips the teeth off the belt - can someone else comment here - do they sometimes actually snap?

to inspect it well it would at least need to be off the car so that you could bend it about a lot to see if cracking around the teeth, but even then I am not sure you could tell as the nylon fibres (i think that's what they are) might be weak within the rubber.

Some of these 1.8tdci have two belts, lower one from crankshaft to diesel pump (belt running in oil) and the higher dry belt from pump to camshaft.

Earlier ones have chain in the lower part, not sure what year they changed from chain to wet belt in the lower part,.

 

With this one being a 2003 it'll be top belt, bottom chain.

37 minutes ago, isetta said:

I don't believe you can really tell if a belt needs changing by looking at it visually when in place on the car.

in my experience they don't snap, what happens is the pulley strips the teeth off the belt - can someone else comment here - do they sometimes actually snap?

to inspect it well it would at least need to be off the car so that you could bend it about a lot to see if cracking around the teeth, but even then I am not sure you could tell as the nylon fibres (i think that's what they are) might be weak within the rubber.

Some of these 1.8tdci have two belts, lower one from crankshaft to diesel pump (belt running in oil) and the higher dry belt from pump to camshaft.

Earlier ones have chain in the lower part, not sure what year they changed from chain to wet belt in the lower part,.

 

Yes the do snap, normally at the join diagonally.

On 3/27/2019 at 2:15 PM, isetta said:

I don't believe you can really tell if a belt needs changing by looking at it visually when in place on the car.

in my experience they don't snap, what happens is the pulley strips the teeth off the belt - can someone else comment here - do they sometimes actually snap?

to inspect it well it would at least need to be off the car so that you could bend it about a lot to see if cracking around the teeth, but even then I am not sure you could tell as the nylon fibres (i think that's what they are) might be weak within the rubber.

Some of these 1.8tdci have two belts, lower one from crankshaft to diesel pump (belt running in oil) and the higher dry belt from pump to camshaft.

Earlier ones have chain in the lower part, not sure what year they changed from chain to wet belt in the lower part,.

 

They can and regularly do snap if the owner doesn't maintain them, and it's generally at the weakest part of the belt, which is the joint where the belt is fused together at the last step of production. It's also pretty hard to visually imspect the health of a belt if it's on the vehicle and under tension unless the belt is quite heavily dry-rotted (By which point it's usually because the car's been sat for a long time and it's ripe for breaking not long after turning the engine over for the first time). you would normally need to have the belt off the engine to inspect it properly as the cracks and wear are far harder to see when the belt is on the engine and under tension, by which point unless it is a brand spanking new belt you had might as well replace it anyway. Probably a good idea while you're in there to check any pumps that're driven by that belt (such as a mechanical fuel, oil or water pump) and make sure the bearings are good and that they aren't weeping. It's also a good practise check and/or replace your belt tensioners when replacing the belt... It's always nice having that extra peace of mind after slapping in a brand new timing belt that you're not ripe for losing it plus valves and pistons a few hundred miles later at the hands of a bad or worn tensioner!