ford fiesta - cam belt change on zetec 1.25 engine

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Sat 25 Jun 2011 14:45
ford fiesta - cam belt change on zetec 1.25 engine - pam61061

hi yes iam female with no male willing to help, i got a fiesta 1996 zetec and got to change cam belt what do i need n how do i do it, thanks pam.

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Sat 25 Jun 2011 16:02
ford fiesta - cam belt change on zetec 1.25 engine - sumpnut

Your sex has nothing to do with changing a cam belt. What is important, is if you have to ask the two questions you have, do you have the skills at this time to do the job. If you get it wrong you can wreck the engine.

Good luck, Sumpnut

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Sat 25 Jun 2011 16:33
ford fiesta - cam belt change on zetec 1.25 engine - Bobbin Threadbare

Your sex has nothing to do with changing a cam belt.

Thanks, Sumpnut, for saying that before me! It's not all fellas on here Pam.

Pam, you're going to need a Haynes manual and some special tools. You don't just replace the belt either, you'll have to redo a couple of other things as well.

Edited by Bobbin Threadbare on 25/06/2011 at 16:35

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Sat 25 Jun 2011 16:42
ford fiesta - cam belt change on zetec 1.25 engine - pam61061

got no skills but no one i know will do it so i going to get manual and digest.someone was comming round at 12 today but never showed , i have spent all week waiting for people.

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Sat 25 Jun 2011 16:57
ford fiesta - cam belt change on zetec 1.25 engine - Bobbin Threadbare

Good on yer for being willing to have a go. Have a look at: moodle.student.cnwl.ac.uk/moodledata_shared/cdx%20...l

I've not changed a Fiesta but I have helped to do an Escort. You need to be quite strong as the crankshaft pulley bit can be hard to remove.

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Sat 25 Jun 2011 19:06
ford fiesta - cam belt change on zetec 1.25 engine - sumpnut

Pam you do not say why you need to change the cam belt.

Is it because it is broken or a change because of milage or time. If it is broken think about selling it for scrap.

If it is a routine change don't rush into the job, get help from someone who knows what they are doing and learn from them, they also may have the tools needed thus saving you money for tools you may only use once.

Many manuals are held in public library and that is a cheaper way to get the information required to strip, fit , and rebuild the motor.

Changing a cam belt is not a good job to start gaining skills on your own, and I say this not to put you off but to save you a lot of grief and skin from your hands.

Sumpnut

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Sat 25 Jun 2011 21:57
ford fiesta - cam belt change on zetec 1.25 engine - Railroad.

Pam, as Sumpnut quite rightly says this is no job for a beginner. None of the pulleys on this engine are keyed to the shafts, instead they are all fully floating. This means that the use of special tools is essential. If you try to do the job without using them you will get it wrong. Also you must not operate the starter motor with any of the pulleys loose. If you do then internal damage will occur.

Removing the timing cover is also very fiddley on this engine. You have to remove it with the engine mounting at the same time, which means you must place a jack under the engine with a block of wood (to prevent damage to the sump) so you can raise the engine up and down to suit. You need to remove the rocker cover so that you can use a special tool to lock both camshafts together in the correct place. You will need another tool which screws into the crankcase which will lock the crankshaft when No1 piston is at TDC. Only when the locking tools are in place must you loosen the pulleys. With all the pulleys loose the belt can be rotated but because they are floating the shafts will remain still.

The new belt must be tensioned correctly with the pulleys loose and the shafts still locked. Once the belt tension is correct the pulleys can be tightened. You must observe the correct torque settings for the pulley bolts. When everything is correctly tightened the locking tools can be removed and the engine should be turned by hand for a minimum of two turns in multiples of two. The locking tools should now be refitted to ensure everything lines up. If they do then remove the tools and reassemble everything.

I would strongly advise you to take the car to a garage for this job to be done unless you have complete confidence in doing it. Getting it wrong will prove far more costly.

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