Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Zetec Maintenance Timing belt questions

well, i just hit 100K miles last weekend as i drove to the supercross races in (argh!) Minnesota as i got 31 mpg.

anyways, i was planning on changing it at 100K, but i looked at it again, and it still looks good. it slaps around at start-up, but stops after warming. i think ill get some washers and raise up my plastic cover.

but i did talk to a salesguy at a local dealer, his daughter has a '96 zetec with 105K. anyway as she pulled away at around 15mph, she threw her timing belt. it did cause damage he said, but they hadn't looked close enough to see how bad. i dont know if this is true as far as damage cuz ive heard it is a non-interference engine. i will gamble for 150K unless it gets deafly loud or something lacks performance wise.

however, i am changing plugs, wires, rotor or whatever these have.

wait til at least 100K, if not you're wasting money. salesguy told me 200 bucks to change it-total. :p

I recommend 80K. I changed mine at 65K and it was, admittedly, too early.

Check the tension of the belt and make sure it is not stretched (they make a tool for that IIRC) and if you visually check the belt, make sure you check the whole belt if possible, not just one section.

I think the belt on these engines are very stout and can probably hang until 100K but have your AAA membership paid up so you don't get stranded somewhere if the belt does go (I tend to believe that the engine is non-interference after reading first hand accounts).

On my car the tensioner broke off at 103K the belt was still in tact though. I had the belt replaced anyway since I had the thing taken apart. The mechanic said that the Ford manual said it was an interference engine and that I had most likely broken bent valves. I put it back on and started it up and it runs quiet and smooth with no perf lacking. I like to thinkit is non interference

I'm at 80,300 and will be changing mine very soon. If you have a trusted mechanic that will do the labor for a good price, you can pick up the belt here for about $40. I think it's $80 from most places.

I think the tensioner comes stock with no spring. You have to buy the spring and the little peg it hangs off of. But they aren't really needed, as once you have it in the correct tension position you tighten it down and the spring isn't used again until the next time you adjust it. So it's pretty optional.

What's more important is the idler pulley below the tensioner. Its diameter is too small and the bearing in it wears out. I changed my belt at 55,000 due to having the engine apart for other reasons, and the belt was fine but the idler pulley was badly worn.

  When I bought my 1996 Mystique with 109,320 miles on it, it had a fairly bad belt slap.  In getting the belt replaced, it was discovered that both idler pulleys had bad bearings, and also needed to be replaced.  The old belt looks like it's in good shape, and I strongly suspect that it was the idler pulleys, and not the belt itself, that caused the belt to slap.

i hadnt heard about that. in glad you said something about it couse when i go to change my belt i will have to look in to it. thanks.