Flipper wrote:
We have gone through this before, never with any consensus.
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It has also been said by some US Zetec users that the engine is non-interference and that you may as well run the engine until the belt breaks and do it then. This has also been confirmed by dealers in the US.
  I would disagree with letting it run 'til it breaks.  Of course a big part of my disagrement is probably influenced by the fact that about 90% of my driving is between my home in Lompoc and my office 50 miles away in Goleta, with nothing in between.  Letting the belt break would almost certainly mean letting myself be stranded a long way from anywhere worth being near.

  Also, there are some shortcuts available in replacing the belt, if you start with the old belt still intact and properly in place, which greatly reduce the cost and effort involved.  If you know that all the shafts are properly aligned before you start, you can mark them, and use these marks to make sure they are lined up when you finish; otherwise, it is necessary to pull the valve cover (meaning you need a new valve cover gasket) and to acquire or fabricate a special tool to align the camshafts.

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Moonlight Blue 1996 Mercury Mystique GS , Zetec engine, ATX.  No mods. (Well, OK, one mod.  Before I got rid of my previous car, a 1994 Tempo, I swapped radios.  I liked the Tempo's radio better.  That counts as a mod, doesn't it?  I also kept one of my Tempo's wheels to use as a spare.  I hate those stupid ?compact? spares that come with modern cars.  Does this count as a mod?  If so, I guess I have two mods.  Replaced burned/melted blower switch and connector on 19 February 2002 with a 1P3T toggle switch from Marvac and a Molex connector from Rat Shack; I guess this now makes three mods.)