• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

Zetec Bent Valves?

S

Scorpion8

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
Jul 10, 2008
Messages
1,681
Location
Juneau, AK
There's a 98 'tour SE for sale in my area, and the report from the owner via the garage where it's sitting is "The engine has bent valves and would need $1500-2000 to get it running again". Second hand info of course, but makes me ponder:

Considering the Zetec is a non-interference engine, how does one get bent valves even if it get's drastically out of timing? Serious over-reving? Plugged oil port in the head leading to over heating of that valve set? Thrashing the engine during hard use?

Anyway, the rest of the car is in fair condition. It's got some body damage, the seat covers are stretched to bejeesus (looks like some fat arse "slid" in and out every time instead of getting up and getting out), and obviously it's got a bad Zetec.

Question for the peanut gallery: value? Guy wants $350 and basically the only thing I see worth it might be the 6-spoke OEM rims but they all need replacement lug nut covers. But considering what I imagine he/she/it had to go to to bend a valve train on a Zetec, that doesn't bode well for the condition of the tranny, etc. Thoughts?
 
i bet the valves arent actually bent. what probably happened is the timing belt broke and the mech told the owner that the engine is an interference engine (since thats what is listed in all the books) and the valves are bent. I would put money that you could put a new timing belt on it and it would be good as new.

is it an ATX or MTX? if its an MTX i would pick it up, put a new belt on it and either sell it for a profit or drive it.
 
It is possible for a Zetec to bend valves. I replaced a head on a FSVT because it had bent valves, the owner waited a little too long on the timing belt.
 
Scorpion8 said:
Considering the Zetec is a non-interference engine, how does one get bent valves even if it get's drastically out of timing? Serious over-reving? Plugged oil port in the head leading to over heating of that valve set? Thrashing the engine during hard use?
Click to expand...

Piston to valve interference isn't the only thing that can bend valves, valve to valve contact which can happen when the timing belt teeth strip off and one of the cams stops turning.

I can't stand when people on Forums assume the shop is just saying something because its written. People there are plenty of reputable mechanics out there that KNOW what they are talking about!
 
I am aware its possible, but I have never seen it happen on a Contour. usually the belt either jumps a tooth cause its stretched (or the tensioner flat out shatters) or just flat out breaks, neither of which have caused bent valves.

again, not saying it isnt possible, just that the chances that they arent bent is greater than the chances of them being bent.
 
a couple of my instructors have had cars they have worked on in the past with broken timing belts supposed to be non interference but when they took it appart the valves were bent due to excess carbon buildup.

on my old 97 the pistons were hitting the head due to a felpro headgasket putting the head closer to the block i could see this also as a potential problem if the belt brakes.
 
SVTGT350 said:
It is possible for a Zetec to bend valves. I replaced a head on a FSVT because it had bent valves, the owner waited a little too long on the timing belt.
Click to expand...

The SVTF is also a higher compression engine. It isn't even the same VIN code as the Escort and Contour Zetec.

I've seen plenty of timing belts break on the Zetec and not once has anyone mentioned the valves were actually bent. Mine has even jumped exactly 180* out of time before and I only needed to re-time it. Sure, excess carbon build-up can cause this but, not likely unless the car was just sorely neglected. I also don't think our valves can contact eachother when fully opened. The relief spacing on our pistons is pretty far apart. I've also had my exhaust cam at TDC along with the crank at TDC and rotated the intake cam two full turns with no issue. Certainly, a running engine is different, but unless it is revving very high, you won't get float.
 
Think of it like this. If you buy the car and spend $40 on a belt and it doesn't work, you are only out the $40. But, if it does work, you have a working $400 car.
 
do it

do it

Buy it and you'll soon find out you have more problems as well. That low price is just the entry fee. I just bought a 96 zetec in the same situation for $300 (owner thought it would need a motor), put on a timing belt, water pump didn't look so good so I replaced that. The contours don't have much room to work on, less than on a zx2 (which is what I based my buying decision on). Next found that the pcv vacuum lines were leaking and still have to fix that. My rear wheels cylinders were leaking and draining the master cylinder in about a day. When it rains it pours! Still I have 800 or so in it and it runs pretty good, plenty good enough for a winter and daily beater with great heat!

Just bank on having to fix other maintenance items and things that the PO put off.
 
I'll have to side with u guys. Ive had timing issues twice. Once i was on the highway goin about 75mph. All was fine then the engine just died, no weird sounds, just died. I pull over and i find that the timing belt is gone :laugh:.

So if driving 75 and having the belt break didn't hurt my valves, i highly doubt that a timing failiure could bend the valves except in very rare circumstances
 
ZX2Fast said:
I also don't think our valves can contact eachother when fully opened. The relief spacing on our pistons is pretty far apart.
Click to expand...
yeah, just look at how far apart they are on my broken piston
100_0604.jpg


I've also had my exhaust cam at TDC along with the crank at TDC and rotated the intake cam two full turns with no issue. Certainly, a running engine is different, but unless it is revving very high, you won't get float.
Click to expand...

I didnt think about it till you mentioned it but i have also done this, although it was with the intake cam at TDC and spinning the exhaust cam.
 
I also spun the intake cam a few times when resetting the timing after the tensioner let go on my car. crank was at TDC and the exhaust cam was lined up.
 
UmmScott said:
I'll have to side with u guys. Ive had timing issues twice. Once i was on the highway goin about 75mph. All was fine then the engine just died, no weird sounds, just died. I pull over and i find that the timing belt is gone :laugh:.

So if driving 75 and having the belt break didn't hurt my valves, i highly doubt that a timing failiure could bend the valves except in very rare circumstances
Click to expand...


I would say that the speed might not have much to do with that. the rpms would have been "low", about 3500 rpm. when my tensioner let go I was flat out up a hill near 6k rpm... it broke into third and one was almost cut all the way through by the timing belt.
 
I'm waiting for a reply back to my offer on the car..... I've read the timing belt how-to a few times and a procedure in my database and am fairly comfortable that most wrenches can do a timing belt job on a Zetec. If that's not it, off she would go to junk-car roundup in the spring (minus a few parts for my GL, of course...)
 
For $350, yes buy it. You can completely investigate all it will need then, in your garage, and if it looks like it would be worth it, great, if not, just dump it back on CL.
As said, there will probably be a lot of smaller problems with it.
We are lucky to have the zetec be non-interfere.

Here is part of a post from when I bought a junker for $400. It was a Cavalier Z24, and oh boy was this thing a mess.
This might give you an idea of why people sell cars for less than $500 -
Note about timing chains - us belt owners have it really good, cause chains, while less likely to break, are a SOB to change.

My post from the Z24 forum -
Guy had a 1990 Z24 that he was selling for $400. I went to his house and the car looked pretty bad but complete. No serious body or paint damage [just minor.] It had many problems and was ready for the junkyard. You guys will be proud to know I saved it from that horrible fate.

The timing chain had broke, and he had not got around to replacing the cover [you know what fun that is...] After I got it installed, come to find out he was correct when he said the engine might have a couple bent valves.

So now the serious work began -
- Remove everything down to the block,
- replace 3 engine valves [hard to come by, special ordered],
- Replace all related gaskets.
- Clean all engine parts that were removed
- Replace automatic engine belt tensioner
- Change oil
- Flush and fill cooling system and replace broken thermostat.
- Repair wiring to rear lights
- Had exhaust system replaced, $400. It needed everything except manifolds.

So it was cleaned and back together. It ran alright for about a week, when I ran out of gas and the gas gauge was incorrectly reading...

-Replace fuel injectors. $20 each at junk yard

Of course the Check Engine light was coming on, and I had a code 33 [EGR failure] Found EGR AND the wiring to be bad.
- Repair broken wiring to EGR.
- Replace EGR valve for $10 one I found at a junk yard.

Other misc stuff -
- Repair radio
- Replace all speakers
- Replace some interior bulbs
- Replace floor mats
- Clean interior [but the carpet just will not come clean like I want]
- Replace cracked windshield reservoir.
- Of course the washing and waxing and some other cosmetic things.
 
Nah, I passed. Lady was psycho. Everytime I talked with her the price and conditions changed. I'll let them deal with their trash and I'll pick parts off it cheap when they can't figure it out.
 
Scorpion8 said:
Nah, I passed. Lady was psycho. Everytime I talked with her the price and conditions changed. I'll let them deal with their trash and I'll pick parts off it cheap when they can't figure it out.
Click to expand...

Hmm, well sorry it didn't work out, altho, if she is a basket case, the biggest problem you might have had with the car was removing the dead body from the trunk.

Look at it like this - OK suppose crazy ••••• bought a car off CL, something like say, the junkers I have got. Would she be trying to take the car back? I mean you get what you get off CL, NO warranty. It is what it is.
I wonder if she offers massage services?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top