Hi folks,
My sister's '95 4-cylinder Contour (90k miles, auto transmission) recently died while going down the road. We took it into the shop, and had an interesting experience. Our initial estimate said that the timing belt needed to be replaced, and that they needed to do some machining on the valves and head. All told, with labor, we were looking at $2000.
I did my research, and from a number of sources, it seems that the DOHC Zetec is non-interference. The shop maintains otherwise, and quotes a tech at the Ford dealership as saying that the engine is an interference design. At any rate, they gave me the option to fix just the timing belt, with the assertion that the engine would run roughly if they were right that the engine is an interference design.
Well, we had the timing belt replaced, at $250, which seemed like a reasonable price. Then they discovered that the tensioner had snapped, which caused the failure, and that they needed a kit that cost something like $300. All told, they wanted ~$450. So we went with that anyway, still under the impression that it would get things going.
Then today, they called to tell us that with the timing belt and tensioner fixed, it wouldn't start. The engine isn't running poorly, as the guy told me it might; it plain doesn't run at all. We went in to talk with them, and it was "interesting". The people working there claimed all sorts of communications problems, but the bottom line is that nobody mentioned that the timing belt wouldn't fix the problem.
So apparently, we have now some $1500 left of repairs to do; they say we need to get the head and valves machined to the tune of $900, with $600 additional labor. The owner of the shop offered me a $100 discount on labor, spread across both the timing belt replacement and the head work. Are these figures reasonable?
When I was in the shop, they showed me the parts; the tensioner was definitely gone, but the belt looked fine. I'm not going to complain about the timing belt design, since I'm more interested in getting the car running, and it was due for a replacement anyway..
This shop, I would say, has been historically decent; their prices are typically a bit high, but they're reliable. But this time, I need guidance. Is it possible that the engine design is, in fact, an interference type? Are we being fleeced, price-wise? I was wondering if it were possible to get my head and valves machined by myself, but I don't know what sort of cost I would be expecting. Would it be possible to buy a new one, and install it myself? How about complete engine replacement?
Any of your thoughts would really be appreciated.
