Thought I'd try and change my timing belt, watched a very informative YouTube video,what could go wrong?!!

2013 Focus 1.6tdci 

The locking pin I put into the crank pulley must have fallen out when I put the belt on, because the car wouldn't start. I tried to turn it over a couple of times 🙃. When I took it back off I noticed the timing holes on the crank shaft had moved quite a bit from where they should be when the cam shaft wheel was aligned.... 1st concern is that just trying to start it with this out of alignment may have bent a piston right?...

So I realised my mistake and on Sunday realigned the crank pulley and set the belt again. All looked good under new daylight, and tensioned the belt. However I'm not sure that the crank wheel had to go forward 90 degrees or backwards 270 degrees! The crank rotates exactly twice to one turn of the cam shaft wheel, 2nd thing it could be that's now wrong....

Car started up and runs but there is a problem.... Very low power at low revs, fine at high revs /speed. And the average MPG has dropped from about 55 to about 35 since  changing 2 days ago ....

Can a mechanic tell me does the mpg/low power mean I've likely bent a piston? Or have I likely got the crank pulley a complete revolution out of synch with the cam shaft?  Would it even work at all if this was the case?

TIA of any knowledge about this.

'

Edited January 28, 20251 yr by Simon McFadden
Typos

What actually happened when you tried to start it?  Did it start to rotate and then lock?  Or did it keep turning over?

The crank can't be a complete revolution 'out'.  The pistons would all be in exactly the same place when locked regardless of turning it back or forwards.

We have seen the cam lobes shift on the camshaft on this engine as they are only push fit, not fixed.  I suspect that is what's happened here.  A compression test will confirm if any damage has occured.

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

What actually happened when you tried to start it?  Did it start to rotate and then lock?  Or did it keep turning over?

The crank can't be a complete revolution 'out'.  The pistons would all be in exactly the same place when locked regardless of turning it back or forwards.

We have seen the cam lobes shift on the camshaft on this engine as they are only push fit, not fixed.  I suspect that is what's happened here.  A compression test will confirm if any damage has occured.

It tried to start, chugged a few times on the push button, but wouldn't start.

Thanks Tom, I'll investigate how to do a compression test... Spoke to a friend tonight who said probably a bent valve?... He suggested taking the rocker cover off and seeing if they all rise to the same point (turning by hand )...

If it's got a rocker cradle, check the bolts are tight ,- if any are loose could have a cracked cradle due to a valve/piston clash

12 hours ago, Simon McFadden said:

It tried to start, chugged a few times on the push button, but wouldn't start.

Thanks Tom, I'll investigate how to do a compression test... Spoke to a friend tonight who said probably a bent valve?... He suggested taking the rocker cover off and seeing if they all rise to the same point (turning by hand )...

The valves don't seem to bend on this engine.  The cams move around the shaft instead.  I was caught out by this myself last year and have seen another 2 do it since.  The cams should all be at right angles to each other so you may be able to see that without removing the shaft.

On 1/29/2025 at 10:51 AM, TomsFocus said:

The valves don't seem to bend on this engine.  The cams move around the shaft instead.  I was caught out by this myself last year and have seen another 2 do it since.  The cams should all be at right angles to each other so you may be able to see that without removing the shaft.

Can you tell anything from this? I can't see how the cams can be reset, if they are out of synch? How do I find the sequence to check that?

11 hours ago, Simon McFadden said:

Can you tell anything from this? I can't see how the cams can be reset, if they are out of synch? How do I find the sequence to check that?

They can't be reset.  You'd have to replace the camshaft.

They should all be at right angles.  So one facing North while the two either side face East & West when viewed from the end of the shaft.

Finally taken the cam shaft out.

All pairs are the same but they are all at about 120 degrees to their partner...not 90 ?

Would all 4 intake cams shift?..

Even if they did all shift, they wouldn't be perfectly aligned now.  I may have been wrong about the 90 degrees.  It looked like the valves on each cylinder are 90 degrees apart, but not when comparing 2 cylinders.  Though even that may not have been exact.  This is the parts diagram and a genuine new camshaft to compare.

Genuine Ford Fiesta Mk7 1.4 TDCi Mk8 B-Max Focus Mk3 1.6 TDCi Camshaft 1685737 | eBay

On 1/29/2025 at 10:51 AM, TomsFocus said:

The valves don't seem to bend on this engine.  The cams move around the shaft instead.  I was caught out by this myself last year and have seen another 2 do it since.  The cams should all be at right angles to each other so you may be able to see that without removing the shaft.

Ive seen this on a 2ltr Mondeo engine when the belt let go. Rebuilt it but wouldnt start. Turns out the lobes on the camshaft had indeed turned. Camshaft is hollow and lobes are only a press fit !!

My saga seems neverending.

I put a new camshaft on it, treble checked the timing, pit it back together...it starts and runs, sounds okay, but won't move. As I put it into gear try to drive, (1st or reverse), it cuts out 🫣😓 

 

And lots of black soot come out of pipe now...

 

 

Did you compare the two camshafts before fitting?  I wasn't expecting you to buy another after the last post.

Have you had a compression test done?

Any fault codes coming up?

Sounds like there might just be a plug left off by mistake.

On 2/27/2025 at 8:09 PM, TomsFocus said:

Did you compare the two camshafts before fitting?  I wasn't expecting you to buy another after the last post.

Have you had a compression test done?

Any fault codes coming up?

Sounds like there might just be a plug left off by mistake.

That's what i thought Tom... Double checked them all and can't find issue.

Fault showing up as soot accumulation in DPF . I sprayed a load of EGR cleaner in air intake and cleared out most of black stuff... The error won't clear even after disconnecting battery for half hour..

 

Car moves now (I had a stick drum brake cable which I've cleaned up now 🫣)

If there's enough soot in the exhaust to be coning out of the tailpipe then the DPF probably is full.  It'll need a regen.  

Are you using Forscan or similar?  What's the DPF pressure showing?