Frd Fiesta lx 1999 timing chain?

julius128

Hi,
I am considering buying a ford fiesta 1999 lx from garage. mileage is 69k and seller is telling me this model is differen from Zetec and doesnt have timing belt that needs to be changed.

It has a timing chain which never requires to be changed.

I am just wondering if that is true?

and in overall for a small money that i have less than €2000 and have to travel to Naas from dublin everyday (80 kilometer) drive per day.

is that the right car for me, is it fuel effienet enough and mechanically can I drive with that 18000 miles per year and run it for atleast 2-3 years.(just looking for a cheap car in overall that can go miles and miles without giving me hassle mechanically)

This car has passed the NCT a month ago and Engine seems to be fine, new battery, and did like it after test drive.

Any suggestion and recommendations are welcome.

unkel

Is it the 1.3 (as opposed to the 1.25)? If so, it does indeed have a chain. The 1.3 engine is a very old design compared to the modern 1.25, it has less power and it is less refined, but it is strong and fairly reliable.

julius128

unkel wrote: »

Is it the 1.3 (as opposed to the 1.25)? If so, it does indeed have a chain. The 1.3 engine is a very old design compared to the modern 1.25, it has less power and it is less refined, but it is strong and fairly reliable.

So is that correct that Chain doesnt need to be changed at a time limit or mileage?

If that is old engine is that mean consume fuel much more than Zetec model which is 1.25? ( do you know what is normal MPG for this model?)

In Total is 1.25 models are better than LX models which are 1.3?

EPM

1.25 is a great engine and reliable too. From my old one I used get about 320 miles from the tank (cant remember the size off hand) and that was dogging it most of the time. Its plenty of power for main roads too

bazz26

The Fiesta with the 1.25 litre engine should have a 16v badge on the rear boot. It should also have Zetec or 16 valve written on the engine block.

1.25 litre unit is supperior in everyway to the old 1.3 litre unit.

RichyX

You should be able to get the 1.25 ltr for well under 2K by now.
Nearly bought a nice one a few years ago and it was going just under 3K then.

As mentioned above the 1.3 is a noisy old yoke, not a patch on the 1.25.

Merch

I have a 99 1.25, it is also an LX, thats the spec and doesn't necessarily have a bearing on the engine type, It has the belt and is due for a change now also, I think that 2000 is a bit over the value of the car, 69k is low mileage but not sure you get that back.

I found this thread as gonna ask if anyone knows should valve clearance checks be completed when timing belt is done?
I was told on the phone from a main dealer that they're hydraulic but surely this doesn't preclude checking the clearances?
I'm concerned that even if I bring it up they still wont do it and this is a main dealership, how will I tell. NCT is coming up I dont want to wait till then to find out emissions are up??

Merch

I should say I'm not even certain that they are hydraulic tappets, no mention of it in the haynes manual and the limited diagrams say bucket tappets and shims, which would suggest checking the clearances especially after timing belt change??

Merch

started seperate thread but feel free to reply