I went to napa and got a timing belt component kit for my 02 svt focus. He gave me TCK294A. Is this the right one for my car? I am aware that I dont need the extra idler, im worried about the tensioner. It is T43003 from gates. I found the part number for the tensioner on svt and a regular zetec and both part numbers interchanged to T43003?
svt timing belt kit help!!
1 - 20 of 20 Posts
Only difference in kit A and B is the extra idler that goes like on Contours down by driver side of crank, Focus does not use it. I always order the kit with extra part to take the bearing out of the leftover idler and use it in other places. Just rebuilt a high serp belt idler using that leftover bearing so free idler there. The kit with extra bearing is even cheaper, or it was there for a while, too many were made and they were cheaper to clear the shelves of them. That extra bearing also works in the alternator on the front. Free parts are where you find them..................
Joined
·
37 Posts
dont use the gates kits...they dont allow the tensioner to function properly...destroyed a motor and a head within 500 miles due to 2 gates kits.
go with the ford racing setup tascaparts.com
go with the ford racing setup tascaparts.com
Neither have I and some of them running for several years now. As well, when in parts I sold hundreds of them and no issues there either, maybe a bad batch got through somewhere but I never saw them. Biggest problem I've had is with Motorcraft branded plastic idler rollers shedding the plastic to break. It cracks from the heat. Some shell out in 50K miles.
Joined
·
378 Posts
I've put 1,300 miles on my SVT since you did the timing belt. No problems so far.
Joined
·
2,210 Posts
That's all good to know, I was hoping that it was a bad batch of the revised tensioner that was in those threads.
I'm still running on the old design tensioner from 4-5 years ago.
I'm still running on the old design tensioner from 4-5 years ago.
Joined
·
37 Posts
from what i was told by several very knowledgeable that the gates tensioners are slightly narrower than the ford ones which causes the bolt to bottom out before it can secure it properly...once you use the vehicle, eventually it looses its ability to hold and time jumps.
Joined
·
3,080 Posts
Very true. That's why I grind the first 2 threads off the bolt. No matter which kit I use. I've heard of them slipping or just breaking from bottoming out.
Nice to know, I will be checking for it in the future. I've been known to just grab the tensioner to try to budge it, maybe that has saved me in the past. Seen stupid stuff like that in other parts, like the Chinese vendor is shaving material to try to save cost there. Different drive pulleys for things come to mind, they get thinner and thinner at the flanges. The entire redesign of basic fuel pumps to make them fractionally smaller but only if you measure with calipers, ridiculous.
Joined
·
37 Posts
it really pissed me off, because Gates is usually trustworthy stuff. Not only did it take out my perfect stock motor, but 500 miles after putting an entire new motor in, ruined the brand new head and I had to put ANOTHER new head on it.
Almost $2000 pissed away because of Gates.
It has all Ford stuff on it now.
Almost $2000 pissed away because of Gates.
It has all Ford stuff on it now.
Joined
·
31,087 Posts
Not saying this to upset you but you have to take some of the responsibility as well , you can feel the difference from a bolt bottoming out vs a bolt tightening up , bottoming out will feel springy
Its more Fords fault , when I first posted this back in 2002 I stated that the holes Ford drills are very inconsistent in the depth on all the Zetec engines
The Fords also bottom out so it isnt really Gates fault alone
Tom
Its more Fords fault , when I first posted this back in 2002 I stated that the holes Ford drills are very inconsistent in the depth on all the Zetec engines
The Fords also bottom out so it isnt really Gates fault alone
Tom
Joined
·
37 Posts
did I say that my bolt was bottomed out? Or did I say thats what I was TOLD happens?
Both of mine were tight...one made it 1500 miles, the other 500 miles. Its a piece of crap gates issue.
Personally, I think they use the same tensioner between their two kits...one with the 2nd idler and one without and using it without doesnt allow it to put enough tension on the belt.
But, if it were simply a bolt issue, neither would have made it to the entrance of my sub-division otherwise.
Joined
·
31,087 Posts
No I said its a bottoming out issue , hundreds have broke them , they broke straight from Ford on new cars , it use to be a bigger problem then it is , if yours wasnt then great but I stated it so 2 years from now when some one else reads this they know
Tom
Tom
Joined
·
3,080 Posts
The only reason why the svt doesn't make it as far as with the regular zetec is our interference issue. I have seen a couple motors tensioner arm moving around due to them not clamping the tensioner down. Therefore the bolt bottoming out. It mainly matters in how you drive as to how fast it'll cause a problem.
If anything the setup with one less pulley would make it EASIER to set tension......every pulley added makes it harder as the belt has to sideslip the roller to slip all belt slack back to the main tensioner. And that occurs using the Ford method.
The Ford method can also leave slack in that then batters the tensioner to break in short order, I've seen one time where the tensioner did not have enough force when all the way down to pull out the belt curve formed when belt was folded up to put in the box and long storage, rolling engine around to slightly preload to then set tensioner fixed it and car ran forever. The belt curve resulted in a bump that was obvious in the middle of the belt run.
More complication, but it is what it is. Gotta look for that stuff before you can see it.
The Ford method can also leave slack in that then batters the tensioner to break in short order, I've seen one time where the tensioner did not have enough force when all the way down to pull out the belt curve formed when belt was folded up to put in the box and long storage, rolling engine around to slightly preload to then set tensioner fixed it and car ran forever. The belt curve resulted in a bump that was obvious in the middle of the belt run.
More complication, but it is what it is. Gotta look for that stuff before you can see it.
1 - 20 of 20 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!