Cam Belt gone in 2015 Ford Focus

[Thepower]

Hi all, 

So I have a 2015 Ford Focus 1.5 diesel with 60,000 miles on the clock that broke down a few weeks ago, had a mechanic inspect today and its the cam belt.

It broke When I was on the motorway the engine light came on, and the car went into some kind of limp mode. Got to services about a mile away, popped the bonnet, sounded ok. Turned off and then tried to start again, wouldn't fire. got towed home by the AA and then got the mechanic around today.

He has said he wont know the damage until the head comes off etc to see if any valves are bent, and has quoted approx £1200 to fix. Or he has offered £2000 to buy it off me as it is.

I'm not sure what to do as the car is not that old and is worth probably £4000 - £5000 in a fixed state. Is there any advice on here?

[unofix]

40 minutes ago, Thepower said:

It broke When I was on the motorway the engine light came on, and the car went into some kind of limp mode

Does not compute !!!

If the cam belt snapped while you were driving on the motorway the engine would stop dead !  It would not go in to any kind of limp mode. Think you need a second opinion.

[Thepower]

Yes this is what I am thinking. I looked with the mechanic, he took the cover off the side and when the Engine is turned over the crank does not turn. This is the same as what the AA man said when he looked at it in the services.

 

 

when the computer was plugged in by the AA guy, the error was Cam Shaft position sensor.

[dezwez]

it only a sensor get the Cam Shaft position sensor. looked at and see how you go with that good luck 🙂

[isetta]

When you say the crank does not turn, do you mean the camshaft does not turn? If the cam belt is broken , when operating the starter the crankshaft will turn but camshaft won’t. If this has happened then there is a very high chance that there is valve damage. I would be very upset if mine went at that low mileage . Perhaps something else failed causing the belt to go eg. The belt tensioner or the other wheel opposite the tensioner that the belt runs on (don’t know what that is called). Also bear in mind the belts don’t always break and fall away, sometimes the teeth strip off which is not apparent until belt is removed

[Luke4efc]

43 minutes ago, Thepower said:

he took the cover off the side and when the Engine is turned over the crank does not turn

This doesn't make sense. Turning the engine over means the same thing as turning the crank.

If the belt has come off at this low mileage and age then I'd suspect a failed tensioner. I suppose it could cause it to jump a tooth causing the limp mode, then eventually jump far enough to stop the engine from running.

Personally I'd get it fixed, used car prices are a still bit skewiff atm, plus that mechanic is getting a bargain at £2000. You've kind of answered your own question really. £2000 for him to buy it and £1200 to repair = £3200. Say you got £4000 that's £800 difference.

[Thepower]

Yes its the top wheel where the cambelt is connected that not turning, I think that is the crank shaft? Yes I am very upset about it, the mechanic reckons the teeth have stripped off down the bottom of it. But he wont know damage until he strips the engine down.

The question is do I pay approx £1200 to get it fixed or sell it straight away for £2000. 

[Thepower]

Sorry for my lack of technical knowledge on this. Its the crankshaft pulley that does not turn.

[Luke4efc]

8 minutes ago, Thepower said:

Yes its the top wheel where the cambelt is connected that not turning, I think that is the crank shaft

That's the camshaft.

If it was me I'd just get the work done

[isetta]

Deleted

[Tdci-Peter]

1 hour ago, Thepower said:

Yes its the top wheel where the cambelt is connected that not turning, I think that is the crank shaft? Yes I am very upset about it, the mechanic reckons the teeth have stripped off down the bottom of it. But he wont know damage until he strips the engine down.

If the camshaft stopped turning while the engine was running, then on these high compression engines there will very certainly be serious engine damage. There is no clearance for the valves at all, and they operate straight down towards the pistons. The valves, the camshaft, the pistons, possibly con rods, crankshaft bearings & crankshaft. All will have experienced very high forces. It will usually be a replacement engine job, though it is often possible to get away with a second hand engine from a trustworthy scrappy, who knows why the car was scrapped. So you need to price it on that basis. There is not much point in doing much more than taking the cam cover off to see if the camshaft is damaged. If it was, I would not attempt to have the engine repaired, there is too much chance of hidden damage like a weakened or slightly bent crankshaft. Sorry to sound negative, but it is better to be aware of the pitfalls to start with. On a 6 year old car it should be worth replacing the engine, even though it is quite a big job.

[Mark-UK]

You DEFINITELY get a second opinion.

Many years ago my father was in sort of a similar position, I can't remember what the exact problem was, but the garage wanted £500 to remove the head and inspect, dad took the car to a different garage and all it need a £7 ignition lead.

[unofix]

'IF' the cam belt has snapped or the teeth have stripped then there will be so much damage to the engine that there is no way it could be repaired for only £1200.

Get another garage to take a look at the car. Tell them as little information as possible and let them make there own mind up. 

 

[Thepower]

Thanks for the assisatance guys. Due to the unknowns I have instructed the mechanic to do some work on it to get deeper into the issue and if any damage has occured.

I will keep you updated