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ZETEC Timing Belt Replacement

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#1 · (Edited)
How-To-ZETEC Timing Belt Replacement

ZETEC Timing Belt Replacement

I am putting this together for the weekend mechanic who has some skills and tools or believes they can do something with outside help such as this procedure. It contains pics, notes, and tools used. I will do my best to stay within the requested limit of 15 pics but may stray over some. Keep in mind this is what worked for me, your mileage may vary.

A bit of an intro. It’s a 2002 ZX5 and my DD with 155k, and sees 100 miles per day. Throw in several long road trips and you arrive at my mileage. Barring any major repairs that just won’t make it cost effective, this car will be around for several more years. So far I have changed the oil every 5-7k miles, replaced the front brakes at 100k, end links at 145k, and at least 3 batteries and 1 alternator. Somehow the timing belt replacement was missed, old age maybe (mine). I was hoping it would last until November’ish when temps cool down out here in the desert. I have been reading up on the change out, printed a procedure from the net, linked here, and ordered the bar and timing pin kit last March.

So anyway the wife is driving down the road about 65’ish when it looses (in only a wife’s description) all the power. I was in Vegas [headbang] , she called, and I told her to either call AAA or drive it home. She was 3 miles from the house and drove it at 25mph which turned out to be about all it would do. I get home the next day (Monday) at 1000 (military time), change cloths and hit the garage. I wanted to take it for a short spin around the block to get a feel for what’s going on. Upon starting it up the engine visible shook pretty good. Took it around the block and could tell it had lost power and just did not have the exhaust sound I am used to hearing after 155k miles. Still didn’t really have an idea yet so hooked up the laptop into the PCM and immediately saw the timing jumping from 25 to 35 degrees and moved with the engine. That’s when the light came on, timing belt. Crap. [bigcry] [bigcry]

I have a garage, air compressor, 2 hydraulic jacks, 6 jack stands, blocks of wood, and lots of metric tools, pneumatic tools, a refrigerator, stereo and a partridge in a pear tree. So I’m set to go.

As for my mechanical skills. I can tear down an engine to parade rest but have never put one back together. I have replaced brakes, rotors, wheel bearings, cylinder head gaskets. Swapped out a carburetor on my CJ7 to a chevy throttle body fuel injection. So I have some skills.

New parts:
Timing belt kit from NAPA, contains the belt, idler pulley and tensioner
Water pump
Serp belt tensioner
Serp belt idler pulley bearing, no one in town had the assemble but found the bearing.
2-O2 sensors
P-side motor mount
Oil and filter

Labor was free but still, all told about 17 hours. In the end the timing belt had slipped and jumped on the crank pulley 2 teeth or 36 degrees of timing. I did not see the importance of installing the timing pin. So I had to take it all apart twice.

Here are some links of interest.
http://www.aa1car.com/library/2004/eb90428.htm
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/...ation/Ford%20Manual%20Files/Cam%20Timing.html This is the write up I followed
http://www.handsontools.com/OTC-648...or-20L-Zetec-Engines_p_38-6302.html?iorb=4764
http://www.focushacks.com/index.php?modid=56
 
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#187 ·
I used this as a basic guide when I recently replaced the timing belt in my Zetec. I used a slightly different method, but overall the writeup was very useful.

However, I did find it odd that the write-up seems to skip the step for removing the crank pulley. I just wanted to mention that having an assistant shift into 5th gear (manual) and apply the brakes provided enough resistance to prevent the engine from rotating when removing the crank pulley bolt.
 
#188 · (Edited)
Hello, I replaced my TB with the help of this writeup, but I am having problems keeping the tension correct it seems.

I did use the pin and bar, so nothing moved during the process.

Before starting, I rotated the engine by hand a few turns to make sure nothing was hung up, and my marks I made kept lining up turn after turn, then, when I started it, the belt tried to 'walk off' the gears, so I shut it down, then checked the tensioner position, and it was 45 deg clockwise of where I set it. I figured that I didn't have all of the slack out of the belt somewhere, and it came out there. After checking the timing by my marks, I reset the tensioner, then moved the belt by hand (ratchet on the crank pulley) and after 1.5-2 rotations of the belt, the tensioner would change position (not as bad as the first time, more like 3-5 deg.

I repeated this a couple times until the belt stopped walking off, it now rides about 1 mm 'inboard' of where it did originally, but I think that's OK, there's still about 3 mm of gear left. The troubling part is that the tensioner is no longer lined up, it's still pointing in the box, but not centered.

I guess my question is: do I need to care?

I can post pics if needed.

Thanks
 
#189 ·
The tensioner is going to move a little bit. This is kind of iffy. Have you checked with bar Nd pin to see if you're still in time?
 
#191 ·
Yeah, I went back through it tonight, put the pin in and checked the cams, they were exactly as they were before I started, bar slipped right into exhaust, needed a little tapping from the screwdriver handle to get it into the intake.

I ran it for about 10 minutes with the cover off, no perceptible belt movement through the RPM range. I'm done, buttoning it up, and seeing what happens.

Thanks

Mike
 
#193 ·
You absolutely MUST ALWAYS turn the motor clockwise only while doing that work, if you go slightly past where you want then go back around again. Turning backwards even a slight bit at a crucial moment can produce your '45 degree' error when you shift all belt slack to the wrong side of the belt run. When going clockwise, all belt slack stacks up at the tensioner where it can take it out. Turn crank backwards AT ALL and all the belt slack stacks up at the idler pulley opposite tensioner and cam sprocket friction will stop the tensioner from taking any looseness up. Then the tensioner will be off on the next recheck.

If you are sure you had it all correct, don't be amazed if it seems to move just a little bit when motor is up and running. The tension changes almost instantly as the belt runs in. Main thing is belt taking a set to where it does not wander, that is the key. As long as belt is not running over either pulley edge you will be fine.
 
#195 ·
Uhh..... my assumption was that you CAN torque the bolts with the timing bar installed as a type of fail-safe IF it slipped a bit, the bar is in the way to catch any movement that MAY occur.

I recall having the bar in.... torquing the bolts then when its all tightened up taking the bar out. Also make sure the cams are the correct way, the bar only goes in 1 way (though looks like it goes in VERY tightly if they are upside town but wont...)
 
#196 ·
Not sure if anyone posted this trick or not. It's not hard to make a tool to hold the cam gears in place while you tq the cam bolt. You could use the cam timing bar to hold them but I wouldn't suggest it.

Here is the tool that I made, cost me $10-15 and took 10 minutes to make.




Worked like a charm. rest it on your shoulder and torque away at the nut. Ether that or brace it against the rad support/firewall.

It also comes in handy for some motor bike and snowmobile clutch removals.

These Camshaft gears are a very poor design. Not sure why they didn't make them with a keyway.
 
#197 ·
I made almost a carbon copy of that tool, what Ford uses..........

and you NEVER tighten up with tool in cam slots, best way to break the back of cam off in pieces I know. I use Home Depot 3/16" keyway material, if you get stupid and turn cams with it in, it is soft enough that it just rolls up like a pretzel. Don't ask how I know LOL...................

Keyway stuck in plus a .012" or .013" feeler gauge on both sides makes a perfect slipfit tool and maybe $4 for the keyway. I use Autozone feeler gauge set that quickly unscrews to separate the gauge blades, they can be used to replicate tools of all kinds.
 
#198 ·
When I changed mine, with the help of this thread, back in March I used a big crescent wrench on the flat part of the cams, which is located 2 or three lobes from the cam gears. May not be the proper or best way, but it worked for what I had available at the time. It was also better than breaking the cam as others have stated.

You can see what I talking about in the pic. This was shortly after I got the car, and as you can see by the dry rotting it was in dire need of a timing belt. You should have seen all the teeth missing off it.

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#199 ·
Just joined this forum after reading this excellent thread. I am about to change the timing belt on my newly acquired 2002 Focus and I also have some concerns about the need to reposition the cam sprockets. Everything I read says this is to ensure proper belt tension, but I would think belt tension is set by the belt tensioner? Cam sprocket position will affect cam timing, but not belt tension.

In my case, I acquired the car not running and I found the timing belt had slipped at the crankshaft allowing the cams to be retarded by about 30 to 40 degrees. The cams are in time with each other. What I plan to do is rotate the engine till I can insert the cam timing bar, remove the timing belt, rotate the crankshaft till #1 piston is at TDC, install the new belt, remove the cam timing bar, rotate the crank twice to let everything settle in and recheck with the timing bar if the cams are still in time with #1 piston TDC. Since this was previously a running engine I would expect everything would still be in time if the cam sprockets have not been moved or loosened. If there is a problem, now would be the time to make any adjustments, at least in my opinion.

Another concern is finding TDC. All info points to the pin as the recommended and most accurate method, but I see the pin as a precision component and length is critical. 63.4 mm according to my Haynes manual. If quality control of the pin from some sources is questionable, (as some info suggests), or if the pin is not fully inserted, TDC would not be accurately located. Would it not be better to use the old school method of a dial indicator in the #1 sparkplug hole? A dial indicator on the crank would help eliminate any error from the dead zone of piston travel at TDC.

Sorry about the long post from a newbie, but searches were not bringing up specific answers. Thanks for your patience.
 
#200 ·
The timing bar and pin are used for a reason. They are cheap and easy to acquire. You might want to check for valve damage due to the slipping. I have the ford workshop instructions for this procedure, if you want I can send it to you.
 
#201 ·
I agree with what Missourileo said. However, I did use a number 2 pencil (I don't have a dial gauge) in the spark plug hole just to confirm TDC in conjunction with the pin, and that was after confirmation it was on the compression stroke.

I have heard some say they never had to loosen the cam gears when changing the belt, but in my case my timing belt went out upon loosing several dozen teeth and the crank was not inline with the cams. Additionally, despite all my efforts with the tensioner I could not get the new belt tight enough since it would not lineup perfectly with the cam gears. There was about 1 tooth of slack the fell in between the cam gears due to this reason, loosening them up allowed me to get it right on the money.

Follow the guide, take you time, use fail safes like a dial gauge in conjunction with the guided methods, and triple check all your work and you should be home free. After all, it would be no fun doing this job twice.
 
#202 ·
Thanks for the reply Missourileo, I have a written procedure that came with the new timing belt and I also have the factory shop manual and a Haynes manual.

I must admit, I'm a big wuss and it got cold here, so I put this off till today. Still around the freezing point and I am doing this in the driveway.

So, end result is my Focus is now running. I acquired it with a jumped timing belt, so this is good progress. I did not loosen the camshaft sprockets and in my opinion, there is no need to do so if the cams remain in time with each other. Looks like mine jumped a couple cogs at the crank and when reassembled and spun over a few times, everything checked out. Cams were lined up correctly with TDC. I used the dial indicator method to find TDC. Again, my opinion, but I feel this is more accurate than the TDC stop plug. Either method would work fine in most cases.

Some things I noted;

There was some discussion in the Haynes manual about removing the inner wheel well for access. This was of no value with my 2002 SE wagon. I can't vouch for all years and body styles. Removing the RF wheel is required.

The torx fastener on the middle cover under the water pump pulley is a PITA. Clearance is not enough for a torx bit on a ratchet. I used a bit and a 5/16 wrench. Reassembly is also a point for best judgement as there is no clearance for a torque wrench. There is some room available by raising or lowering the engine after the mount is removed.

I used a 3/16 bar with a hacksaw blade to take up the slack to lock the cams into position. The Haynes manual says the correct thickness is 5 mm.

I did need to lock the crankshaft in order to torque the crank bolt. I did this by inserting a socket extension bar through the camshaft sprocket spokes and having an assistant hold the bar down against the head while I torqued the crank bolt. An assistant is pretty handy when you are reinstalling the serpentine belt as well.

Entire job took about 3 hours and I didn't even have to use all the cuss words in my vocabulary.
 
#206 ·
Yes

and

I use a chain wrench/vise-grip with a piece of old serpentine belt double wrapped around the pulley to keep it from turning.

Not my particular setup as this image does not show the use of rubber belt to protect the pulley v-groove surface, but you can get the idea.
 
#212 ·
You will need the timing bar and pin. Not sure how far Rockford il is, but I have two sets and I can let you use one. Plus I have a special wrench to hold the cam as well as all the other shit you need. As a matter of fact, bring it by and I can help you do it.
 
#214 ·
Apparently there was no problem removing the crank pulley bolt like I'm having [?|]...My set up wasn't worn out but having 300K+ on this engine (lost the 1st engine to hydrostatic lock up [:(]) I thought I would go ahead and change this while I had the car in the air doing complete front suspension and brakes. Alas, I am down to 1 last thing to try (before putting the motor mount back on & having it towed to the shop), my air impact gun doesn't have the torque to break the crank bolt loose and I jumped time by using a breaker bar with a 4 foot long cheater pipe so my last resort is the electric impact. They have more torque than my air does so I hope this works!

If not, maybe some of you out there have ideas I haven't thought of.....
 
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