Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Zetec Maintenance Timing belt clattering... Estimate?

There is a clattering noise coming from the left side of the engine block under a black cover. Im told that this is the Timing belt and that with the Zetech engine after about 90k miles they need to be looked at. Does my belt need to be looked at? and what would it cost to have something like that repaired?

If not doing it yourself, $150-$200 labor + ~$100 in parts. You wanna atleast replace the belt and the tensioner. I would go ahead and replace the idler pulleys as well and maybe even the h2o pump since you're in there. May also wanna do the serpentine belt and tensioner if they haven't been done. Remove that black cover and see if the belt is loose/chewed up. Though you could do all the work yourself if you have some tools and some time. By the way, the engine is a zetec.

It's a known issue with Zetecs that on (very) cold starts
the timing belt might slap against that black plastic cover.
It should quiet as the engine warms up.

As a temporary fix, you can put some thick washers under
the cover mounting bolts.

Otherwise, do as Kremi said: have a look at the belt (or if
it's the factory belt at 90k, replace it soon regardless
of condition).

It's no fun getting stranded in the winter with a cold dead
engine...

T.

You will want to replace the timing belt, tensioner, and all the pulleys (Gates sells a kit-$100)...while you are at it you should replace the serpentine belt and water pump...another $50. If you have a shop do it (or the dealer) it will cost you between $400-$600 labor and parts!

Replacing the timing belt on this car....you kind of have to know what you are doing.

Hi all.

I'm new to the group, although I've been reading the archives a lot lately. I'm about to do timing belt change # 2 on my '96 Countour. It was done the first time by the dealer for a very good price of $200. Unfortunately the technician decided to do a half-baked job. The valve cover was never removed, which means he probably just made a chalk mark on the cam pulleys to confirm position, which is less than precise. I doubt that he installed the stud and spring for the tensioner which are required to tension the belt once it has been removed after the original factory installation. I had to take the car back after a day because of lots of nasty noises from the belt. It turns out the tensioner was loose! That could have been very bad. The belt has still made some noise at idle since then. This time around I'm doing the job myself. It's the only way I'll know it gets done right. I have read both the factory and Haynes manuals extensively, but I still have some questions.

-What is your experience with aftermarket parts? It seems like you folks don't have a problem with NAPA or Auto Zone. I have a background in European cars and am used to avoiding those stores like the plague. When it comes to a Volkswagen or a Volvo, chain stores have inferior quality. A case in point: I've bought Gates radiator hoses and gotten about 5 years out of them. The factory VW ones will last 15 years or more in most cases. If I buy a timing belt, tensioners, etc. from NAPA, am I going to get a part that is of lower quality than Motorcraft?

-What is the life expectancy of the Zetec waterpump? I know the Duratec ones are garbage. Should I replace the one on my car at 120,000 miles as a matter of preventative maintenance, or will it last indefinitely?

-When are the oil seals behind the belt failing? If I have 120,000 miles now and don't want to remove the belt again for 60K, can I plan on the seals making it that far?

-What are people getting for mileage out of their oil pumps? Should I replace (this is a major job), or should I leave it alone?

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom.

Wow. Lots of questions

I have 161K on my '97 Zetec, timing belt was changed 2 times, at 75K and at 150K, both pure maintenance,both belts we removed looked like new.

1st time (like your case) we didn't remove the valve cover and didn't know about the pre-tensioner spring and we changed the belt only (no tensioner/idlers). WP shaft was slighly rattling, replaced with an autozone one.

So it looks like the $7 spring is not an absolute necessity if you don't forget to tighten the tensioner.

2nd time I bought the Gates kit, replaced the belt & tensioner, left the pulleys alone (I was unable to remove them, and they still looked OK so I abandoned the project).

As for the other questions, I haven't heard about Zetec oil pump problems yet, and WP problems are also uncommon (but not unheard of) AFAIK. I can't really recall a single post about oil seal problems, remember quite a few 'timing belt snapped' posts though.

Tiv

Part stores parts should be just as good as ford parts, I got a turn signal switch from autozone and it was EXACTLY the same as the stock part, which isn't the great of a part though, so I guess they both suck.

Thanks for the responses. Anyone else want to chime in?