When did you replace the timing belt

[foodtruck]

Hey everyone,

I'm still on my quest to track down the strange engine note I'm getting as of late and I'd like to take a quick survey on timing belts... In case you replaced the timing belt in your FiST, then:

* What was the mileage/kilometrage you replaced it at
* What state was it in on inspection?
* Was it making any sounds?
* Were there any other failure symptoms?
* How hard are you driving your car (daily/track/autox/etc)?

Cheers,

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

I've been on this forum for two years and never heard of it. Factory interval is 150k if I remember right

 

[foodtruck]

I've been on this forum for two years and never heard of it. Factory interval is 150k if I remember right

Yes, you're right. There's also one Euro spec maintenance guide which suggests to do it after less mileage... I've seen a few videos centered around failing timing belts where the engine makes whining sound similar to mine does, so I thought to ask around.

EDIT: The maintenance schedule says

Every 62,500 miles

In addition to the items listed above, carry out the following:

• Renew the timing belt and tensioner – 1.25 and 1.6 litre engines

Note:Although the normal interval for timing belt renewal is 100 000 miles or 8 years, it is strongly recommended that the interval suggested above is observed, especially on cars which are subjected to intensive use, ie, mainly short journeys or a lot of stop-start driving. The actual belt renewal interval is very much up to the individual owner, but bear in mind that severe engine damage will result if the belt breaks.

The latter part describes my car, short trips mixed with intensive autox.

 

[bj2348]

I just did one on a 2011 Fiesta SES (non ST) at 161k. Bought the tools and the Chilton DIY subscription. Not terrible to do.

 

[PunkST]

I thought interval was 180k miles. I havent done so yet. ( i have a long commute and run the car hard occasionally) im at 124k. So i need to plan on it soon.

 

[Capri to ST]

Yes, you're right. There's also one Euro spec maintenance guide which suggests to do it after less mileage... I've seen a few videos centered around failing timing belts where the engine makes whining sound similar to mine does, so I thought to ask around.

EDIT: The maintenance schedule says


The latter part describes my car, short trips mixed with intensive autox.

This is good information, for those like me that only drive about 4,000 miles a year, obviously a 150,000 mile interval doesn't make any sense, so I figured I would replace it at the 8 to 10 year mark to be on the safe side. It should be remembered that this is an interference engine, so that if you break a timing belt you're in a world of hurt.

 

[Capri to ST]

I just did one on a 2011 Fiesta SES (non ST) at 161k. Bought the tools and the Chilton DIY subscription. Not terrible to do.

The service manual refers to special tools that are required to do our timing belt, I think basically to hold things in place. Does anyone know whether a competent independent mechanic who doesn't have the special Ford tools can safely do the timing belt on our car?

 

[M-Sport fan]

Also, for those of us who will NOT be able to do this ourselves (for whatever various reasons), what are the other 'might as well' change items to do while everything is apart, in order to avoid REPEAT sky high labor co$t$ in the future??

 

[foodtruck]

Also, for those of us who will NOT be able to do this ourselves (for whatever various reasons), what are the other 'might as well' change items to do while everything is apart, in order to avoid REPEAT sky high labor co$t$ in the future??

I'm guessing the water pump and everything on the accessory belt you have a budget for? It actually turned out the noise I was complaining above was from idler and tensioner pulleys, so the timing belt job is still looming at 10 yr mark.

Also maybe worth replacing the passenger side motor mount that's also in the same area.

 

[bj2348]

The service manual refers to special tools that are required to do our timing belt, I think basically to hold things in place. Does anyone know whether a competent independent mechanic who doesn't have the special Ford tools can safely do the timing belt on our car?

I bought the tools on line for $100 complete kit.

You can probably do it without the tools, but for $100 I didn't want to try.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

I'm guessing the water pump and everything on the accessory belt you have a budget for? It actually turned out the noise I was complaining above was from idler and tensioner pulleys, so the timing belt job is still looming at 10 yr mark.

Also maybe worth replacing the passenger side motor mount that's also in the same area.

So...What did you end up doing to remedy the issue?

 

[bj2348]

Also, for those of us who will NOT be able to do this ourselves (for whatever various reasons), what are the other 'might as well' change items to do while everything is apart, in order to avoid REPEAT sky high labor co$t$ in the future??

At 161K I did the H20 pump, the alternator, the starter and replaced all of the seals (injector and TB).

I bought this car used and the parts were all original so likely needed them.

 

[foodtruck]

So...What did you end up doing to remedy the issue?

Both idler pulley and tensioner got replaced (luckily, under warranty, few months before it ran out). Once out of the engine bay, they weren't in a terrible state (hence the difficulty getting the shop to hear anything) but you could tell the bearings deteriorated. Even with the belt still on, I was also able to deflect the idler by hand.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Both idler pulley and tensioner got replaced (luckily, under warranty, few months before it ran out). Once out of the engine bay, they weren't in a terrible state (hence the difficulty getting the shop to hear anything) but you could tell the bearings deteriorated. Even with the belt still on, I was also able to deflect the idler by hand.

Mileage?

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[foodtruck]

Mileage?

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The work was done around 55k miles (currently at 57k)

 

[TyphoonFiST]

The work was done around 55k miles (currently at 57k)

What were they doing? symptoms? false knock?

 

[foodtruck]

What were they doing? symptoms? false knock?

There wasn't any knocking, just... howling? Maybe a slight rattle. It bothered me a lot when driving around. You can a video of it in this thread https://www.fiestastforum.com/threads/solved-rattle-from-the-timing-belt-side.24688/#post-418175

I thought I heard some other knock there but it was just the pulleys.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

So did they do a belt deflection test?

 

[foodtruck]

So did they do a belt deflection test?

Not sure! Not while I was there, at least... I showed them the pulleys and told them they sounded loud to me. They called back some time later and confirmed they were going to replace both.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

How much was it to replace them? and the Carrier bearing on the axle?