Hi all, after possibly the worst day ever yesterday I've got into a right hash with my partners focus. It's a 51 plate focus black, 1.6 zetec.

Things were going so well, 4th gear and the brake undid the crank pulley bolt, everything went well UNTIL I was setting top dead centre with a round chainsaw file in the no1 plug hole and a piece snapped off! No damage to bore jusy lay flat on piston stopping a few mm short of tdc. Anyway head off found the culprit, replaced all parts new belt etc and fired up. 

LIKE AN ABSOLUTE FOOL! I had read about the crankshaft bolts coming loose so I decided to give it a bit more and BANG snapped bolt  if your up for a giggle read on! To make matters even worse, the bolt came out fine, so I had another one brand new hanging around and dropped it straight in, tightened  and fired it up. BUT DIDN'T CHECK TIMING! !! Fires up with an almighty noise like someone running a bar down railings  shut it off after 1.5 seconds. It was a long day I'm so foolish I shold have left it alone! Anyway I need to know how much damage to pistons I can get away with they're are 2 small scores around the size of the diameter of a drawing pin wide by a a millimeter high on both pistons 1 and 2. Hoping to put new head on a time up? Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks 

Next time you'll use the proper timing kit too I hope lol

 

 

 

19 minutes ago, stef123 said:

Next time you'll use the proper timing kit too I hope lol

 

 

 

or you will have the same result again, as for the pistons, ive known folk who have had cam belt break , valves have hammered in to pistons and got away with new set of valves in head . never had an issue, if it were mine I would put some valves in head and give it  try, got nothing much to loose.

Is it even worth it on an 1.6 Focus!?  Sounds like a good day of fails though, even I can't usually fail that much in one day!  

6 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

even I can't usually fail that much in one day!  

no?? lol

1 hour ago, Carl91 said:

right hash with my partners focus

Ex-Partner?

But I know (a bit!) how it is: End of a long day, just want to get one last bit done, and bang, oops, oh dear! (or more colourful words to that effect!). Been there, done it (not quite that bad though!), got the scars, mental & physical.

I am sure Ian is right, aluminium is a tough but fairly flexible material, it will absorb the damage ok. The valves will not be so happy!

It can only get better from here! (we hope!)

 

Thanks all for the replies, yes it was a very long day! Should have left it when the bolt broke and retimed but hey ho it's done. I've never done valve replacement so was hoping to just get a replacement head from a breakers, how hard is it to replace the valves? 

Timing an engine with a floating crank and cams is destined for disaster without the correct locking tools, which on your engine consists of a pin and a bar. 

Swapping out valves is an easy job. Again though you'll need the right tools - a valve spring compressor and lapping stick/paste. 

I bought the timing kit, bar for the camshafts and pin for the crank but the threads were completely different to the bolt which I removed from the back of the block, and wouldnt go in at all, didn't have any bolts to make one up. Set to tdc and locked flywheel by the driveshaft. 

Also it did run fine until I broke the pulley bolt and foolishly just whacked a new one in held in gear tightened and started 😳

Actually any damage to the head? All valves move fine? Excuse the complete noobishness, never delved this deep into head replacement before. Thats locked to tdc. Thanks 

put the spark plugs back in , drop the cams out, then the valves should all be closed, place the head on flat surface, and pour some liquid on the top of valves, then see if liquid stays or leaks past valves and flows out inlet or exhaust ports, that should show if valves are bent

 

13 minutes ago, iantt said:

put the spark plugs back in , drop the cams out, then the valves should all be closed, place the head on flat surface, and pour some liquid on the top of valves, then see if liquid stays or leaks past valves and flows out inlet or exhaust ports, that should show if valves are bent

cheers I'll try that tomorrow. Thought there would be very obvious damage considering the noise! Was locked up when turning by hand. Now separate, both top and bottom end turn free, so there was definate contact. The piston damage is on the intake side. Do you know of anything else that could cause the noise?

it will be valve contact , and you will have bent valves unfortunatly, doesnt take much to bend a valve , you will see which ones tomorow ,

Car all sorted now, but now I have clicking/knocking noise that increases with road speed. Definitely from wheel not engine related. I have had the car jacked up on a single stand on the drivers side for a week and the brake pedal locked on with a jack handle against the seat. Any ideas? Thanks

5 hours ago, Carl91 said:

I have clicking/knocking noise that increases with road speed.

This may be a silly question, but have you checked for stones or foreign objects in the tyres?

Do the rear wheels turn freely? (It is possible for the handbrake adjustment in the caliper to creep if brakes on for a long time, if it has rear disks).

Do the brakes feel ok? No dirt, rust, oil etc on the disks?

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Smashed up engine on Tuesday to working engine on Saturday: You must have been putting in some overtime!

Yes some overtime!  Breakers yard after work on Thursday and euro parts for everything else Friday! Then rebuilt yesterday

The car has drum brakes on the rear, haven't checked for foreign objects as the rim had just been sat in the garage.

it definitely wasn't like this before.

slight rust on disk from where we have had some rain but it's hardly anything.

just abit worried about it being jacked up for a week only on the drivers side, then the brakes locked on.

 

Thanks

Noise has gone after a run round the block. Maybe some kind of flat spot on the pads/disk if possible. Thanks for the help all