Changing Timing Belt

mungovan

Hi.
I've just bought a 2000 Ford Puma 1.7 with 68k miles. I need to change the belt (6yrs or 60k miles) and was just wonder what would be the cheapest way of going about doing this? Would a Ford dealer be better?

Also, what would be the estimated cost of this?

Cheers,
D

Seth Brundle

Its an 8 year old car so keeping a dealer service history isn't worth the effort.
Get a decent local indy or else a reputable mechanic to do it. Far cheaper and possibly better job!

mungovan

Cheers, will try that.

Would you have a ball park figure of what I would be facing?

ford jedi

around 350 ish

JHMEG

I usually get belts done at a main dealer (not Ford). So far I haven't paid more than €200.

ford jedi

yeah fan belts not many timing belts done these days for 200 euro

chris85

ford jedi wrote: »

yeah fan belts not many timing belts done these days for 200 euro

Got my timing belt done on my 95 toyota last year for €200 off indy place

but would cost double for main dealer usually OP but the Pumas are ok, if you have a service history of it so far and looking to sell soon it may be worth a main dealer

Captain Slow IRL

It's about a 3 hour job, so whatever the labour rate is plus parts.

Make sure your mech has the timing tools - I'm pretty sure the crank is tapered and has no key to align the pulley; the crank and cam need to be locked up before loosening the crank bolt.

JHMEG

ford jedi wrote: »

yeah fan belts not many timing belts done these days for 200 euro

Not many cars these days have fan belts..

ford jedi

you got me that time jhmeg was asleep there;)

Timmaay

Seeing as your 8k over already, I'd get it done ASAP, I've heard of a 2 different pumas snapping their timing belts (I can't remember which engines), but they weren't excessively overdue a timing belt change. Get it done with a local mechanic, it's not to hard a job (I changed the one in my a4 recently), but just has to be done right.

Run_to_da_hills

I would normally get a timing belt done by a main dealer as they don’t cut corners on this. Often back street places don’t bother replacing some of the plastic pulleys and jocky wheels that should be replaced. You also can be guaranteed that a main dealer is going to use genuine parts. Replacing the timing belt is the most important thing to get done on an engine and must be done right and at the correct mileage. If it snaps it will more than likely bend valves and damage pistons and will more than likely need a replacement cylinder head or block which will be very costy. Main dealers are often quite reasonable aty this as was Ford when they had notorious problems with their 1.9 Diesels in the early 90ies.

mondeoman

mungovan wrote: »

Hi.
I've just bought a 2000 Ford Puma 1.7 with 68k miles. I need to change the belt (6yrs or 60k miles) and was just wonder what would be the cheapest way of going about doing this? Would a Ford dealer be better?

Also, what would be the estimated cost of this?

Cheers,
D

according to Autodata 2000 puma 1700cc = 5years or 80'000 miles.
so either way it should have been done before now.

JHMEG

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

If it snaps it will more than likely bend valves and damage pistons

Only if it's an interference engine. Is that particular one interference? Lots aren't, eg most Toyotas and VWs.

Run_to_da_hills

JHMEG wrote: »

Only if it's an interference engine. Is that particular one interference? Lots aren't, eg most Toyotas and VWs.

Either way it could leave your car stuck or broke down in the wrong place only to come back and find it vandalised or worse still burnt out! :eek:

JHMEG

Big difference between a car that won't start, and a car that won't start cos the engine is fúcked.

Timmaay

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Either way it could leave your car stuck or broke down in the wrong place only to come back and find it vandalised or worse still burnt out! :eek:

If I had to abandon my car on the side of the road because I'd just snapped the T-belt and possible fu%ked the engine, I'd be fairly happy to find it burnt out the next day (from an insurance payout point of view:p:D)

Anyway, we going off topic here. If you're concerned about an independent mechanic cutting corners and reusing parts, you could always get the parts off a main dealer yourself (just go down to you're local ford with the car reg, and ask them for a timing belt kit for that engine). Again i'll stress, where ever you get it done, get it done soon.

mungovan

Hi guys,

Thanks for the info. Does anyone have the name of a good garage in the Dublin area that would change it for cheapish??

Cheers