Any thoughts on whether the cam belt sould be changed on my '97 Mondeo?
Service book says 50k or 5 years but the car has only done 28k.
Also should it be done by a Ford dealer?
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The cam belt ages with time as well as distance.
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HJ's FAQ on cambelts deals with this in some detail, especially regarding Zetec S and E engines.
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Do it now. These belts rarely seem to run to distance. I took one off a Fiesta this morning at 58k with serious root damage of the teeth. Regarding doing the job unless you are in the trade you are unlikely to have the plethora of special tools needed for the baffling assortment of odd size fasteners used on the Mondy.
Once you have procured the neccessary inventory of a Snap-On van its quite simple really! Just remember to replace the two idler wheels and the tensioner wheel at the same time. There was a mod on the Fords to spring load the tensioner on later Zetecs to overcome excessive noise.
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What engine was that in the Fiesta, Andrew? A "Zetec S", or a CVH or even the rare-in-a-Fiesta "Zetec E" 1.6?
HJ
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having changed many mondeo cam belts in my time (Yes i am a ford techician)i have never seen one suffer from premature failure . with reference to the spring mod this was done to stop the belt rattling when is cold .
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I thought the interval was 80,000 miles? not 50,000
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yes ford do recommend 80,000miles for the earlier belt with the spring tensioner & 100,000 miles or ten years for post 97 engines with the auto tensioner which is identified by a black plastic cam cover.
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Can you explain how the auto-tensioner works?
David
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In response to HJ the Fiesta was indeed the old Zetec E. In answer to DW's question on the tensioner the mod to the tensioner changes the action of the tensioner from passive (fixed) to active i.e like the Vauxhalls. I have not had any cam belt problems on the Zetec S but that is probably because it is a Yamaha engine! Incidentally I came across my first wrecked Zetec S in a V reg Fiesta and can confirm that they will not do 40k between oil changes!!!!
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Thanks Andrew.
I really worry about the active tensioners. Ever watched one running at idle with the covers off? The belt whips about far more than a fixed tensioner set-up.
David
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I know what you mean. I'd rather continue with the rigid tensioner and change the belt at 36k before it gets any slack in it!
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