Looking for help please!

2007 1.6 Petrol Auto Focus (belongs to my son-in-law) - Suddenly stopped at traffic lights and wouldn't restart.

Recovered home, stripped the head at the weekend to discover all 8 exhaust valves have bent (pot 2 worse than the rest).

Didn't have the required tools at the time to check the timing (now ordered ready for re-assembly!) but it appears the the exhaust cam must have gone out of time.

Everything appeared to be tight - The garage where he purchased it from 13 months ago replaced the cam belt, water pump & tensioner and all appear good.

Any ideas please???

Is it a Ti-VCT model?

27 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Is it a Ti-VCT model?

Not sure what that is, sorry!

Twin Independent Variable Cam Timing. This system has hydraulic actuators on the cam pulleys to vary the timing.

No just a standard Zetec engine.

30 minutes ago, robbo_28 said:

No just a standard Zetec engine.

The 1.6 Zetec engine was available both with and without Ti-VCT in the Mk2 Focus.  Though I'm not sure if the Ti-VCT engine was ever paired with the auto gearbox.

Must admit I can't think of any reason for the timing to slip on just one cam on the fixed-cam engine with belt and tensioner still in tact and tight.  The only realistic possibility would be the sprocket centre bolt coming loose, if it hadn't been torqued correctly after the timing belt change.

Please do let us know if you find the cause.

On 4/2/2024 at 2:13 PM, robbo_28 said:

13 months ago replaced the cam belt,

Has the belt lost a couple of teeth ?

if its never had a cam belt change its not much surprise if its now failed....    in time alone due its third belt

2 hours ago, Botus said:

if its never had a cam belt change its not much surprise if its now failed....    in time alone due its third belt

OP says it was replaced 13 months ago.

Thanks for all your replies.

I've ground-in 8 new exhaust valves and re-fitted the head etc.

The timing took me 3 attempts to get it absolutely perfect (thanks YouTube!) so I'm guessing the "garage" that sold the car perhaps didn't take that much care over the timing.

I've replaced the cambelt & tensioner as a precaution.

Perhaps they didn't tighten the sprocket onto the exhaust cam properly so it came loose and thus the exhaust cam was no longer being turned?

did the valve guides survive the bending of its valve - in my day they never did

 

so the head was toast and on impacted cylinders the impact of the piston smashing the valve also causes damage to the piston, maybe the cyl bore, possibly the rod, and certainly not doing the big end bearing much good - all of which with the costs of it must be done ready for another few hundred thousand miles, its cheaper and no risk of customer complaint, to throw a new short engine in there