Nursing a timing belt

geordief

I have to wait for a week for a garage to change by timing belt (fiesta zetec )

Is there anything I can do to avoid it snapping in the waiting period (apart from not using it of course) ?

Avoiding acceleration ? Warming the engine before use? Eye on dashboard for blinking lights?

If the belt goes on me suddenly is the damage necessarily devastating and immediate?

It goes without any warning?

Car99

No nothing you can do , how much overdue is it?

bear1

geordief wrote: »

I have to wait for a week for a garage to change by timing belt (fiesta zetec )

Is there anything I can do to avoid it snapping in the waiting period (apart from not using it of course) ?

Avoiding acceleration ? Warming the engine before use? Eye on dashboard for blinking lights?

If the belt goes on me suddenly is the damage necessarily devastating and immediate?

It goes without any warning?

Yes there is something you can do, don't drive it.

StereoSound

Just drive it as normal. What else can you do? Get the bus or walk is an older option.

geordief

Car99 wrote: »

No nothing you can do , how much overdue is it?

It was 10 years old 9 months back (I think that is the age criterion ) but 130thou kms where I think it can be 160 thou.

The garage seems quite relaxed about it ;they haven't said not to use it but it is only going in for the belt .

But I had a diesel car back in the day where the belt went and the engine had to be replaced(I did try to start it on a hill as that was where it had decided to go).

This isn't diesel and I wonder if that makes any difference...

EDIT: just rang the garage and they say "drive away" . I trust them as they know the car.

bear1

Drive it at your own risk at this point but the garage is probably hoping it fails so that they can then fix it.
I think it's madness to play timing belt roulette and I'm not sure what you mean that it was 10 years old 9 months ago? The car or the belt?

Alanstrainor

I'd just drive as normal. You're over the ford 10 year limit (provided that's true), but not by much. You've driven it without worry for the last 9 months, so I'd just continue on.

CJhaughey

Easy driving, no hard acceleration or deceleration will lessen the forces going through the belt.
Not much you can do but hope it doesn't go in the few days you have left before its done.

biko

Sprinkle engine with holy water. Sure, it could help...

Car99

Which engine exactly is it, it may be non interference.

FortySeven

10 years or 160000 km is the ford recommended interval. You are well past that. While it may well be fine I know I sure as hell would not be risking it. You're looking at thousands if it breaks. You have to weigh up the inconvenience of not using the car for a week with the risk of not using the car for a week or more and paying thousands for the privilege.
An easy decision really.
Or do you feel lucky punk! :-)

martinr5232

FortySeven wrote:

10 years or 160000 km is the ford recommended interval. You are well past that. While it may well be fine I know I sure as hell would not be risking it. You're looking at thousands if it breaks. You have to weigh up the inconvenience of not using the car for a week with the risk of not using the car for a week or more and paying thousands for the privilege. An easy decision really. Or do you feel lucky punk! :-)

Ford recommend 8 years or 160k km not 10 years anymore.

bear1

So it's what almost 3 years overdue??

savagethegoat

there's a school of thought that the car is not worth spending several hundred on it. You could just drive away for a long time before the belt broke and then replace either the car or the engine. It may never break....there must be a safety buffer built into the limits Ford state

pa990

how far beyond the recommend interval has the car gone ?

if you dont care about the car drive it away, but if you are any way dependent on the car, just park it up till you have the belt replaced.

its not something i'd risk.. but then again, i replace bulbs, get oil changes early, and generally look after my cars and bikes.

FortySeven

martinr5232 wrote: »

Ford recommend 8 years or 160k km not 10 years anymore.

I work in a ford dealership, that recommendation is in the book we are issued by Ford. If it has changed then I have not been informed. However, we do recommend not leaving it till the last minute. Personally I would do mine in year 8ish.

JohnBoy26

martinr5232 wrote: »

Ford recommend 8 years or 160k km not 10 years anymore.

That depends on the car.

martinr5232

FortySeven wrote:

I work in a ford dealership, that recommendation is in the book we are issued by Ford. If it has changed then I have not been informed. However, we do recommend not leaving it till the last minute. Personally I would do mine in year 8ish.

So do i. Check Etis those books are out of date.
Upto 05 is ten years 05 on is 8 years.

stimpson

I had a belt snap the night before it was booked in to be changed. I did thrash the ****e out of that car though (it was a Honda). I'm fairly sure it was close to the redline when it let go. My advice if to go easy for the week and you should be fine.

winnie the schtink

Walk around the car backwards while saying the rosary,then drive it like ya stole it..

greasepalm

had a fiesta in last week for timing belt over 10 years old,replaced timing belt kit,water pump,thermostat + housing known for leaking,coolant and to top it all off the bloody coolant tank split while running it for water circulation .

youtheman

Is there anything to be said for saying another mass ?

bear1

I'm pretty surprised at the amount of posters telling the OP it's fine to drive a car with a timing belt which is almost 1 year overdue.
I wouldn't go near it but each to their own.

biko

At the end of the day it's OP's own decision to risk it

Don't do it!
Do it!
Don't do it!
Do it!
Don't do it!
Do it!
Don't do it!
Do it!
Don't do it!
Do it!
Don't do it!
Do it!

Dravokivich

My sister recently had issues after ignoring a lot of people to get her timing belt changed on her car.

Personally I'd sit it up and wait for the work to be done before getting much use of it again, if it's something that is way overdue.

millington

The timing belt has a date chip in it. It stops working once it's overdue. :eek:







Seriously, theres been as much risk of it going for the last 10 years as there is now :rolleyes:

FortySeven

martinr5232 wrote: »

So do i. Check Etis those books are out of date.
Upto 05 is ten years 05 on is 8 years.

I stand corrected, the interval was changed in 05 as you say. I did not know that. I assume there must have been issues with the ten year interval because that engine has barely changed since 95.

geordief

Just to let you all know that I made it to the appointment without a mishap.

Was surprised at the cost though. I had imagined it was a simple replacement of an easy to access rubber belt and was hoping it might be under a hundred:o

Thanks for all the replies.

JohnBoy26

geordief wrote: »

Just to let you all know that I made it to the appointment without a mishap.

Was surprised at the cost though. I had imagined it was a simple replacement of an easy to access rubber belt and was hoping it might be under a hundred

Thanks for all the replies.

No it's not that simple I'm afraid and in most cases it's more than just the belt that needs replacing.

shietpilot

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

No it's not that simple I'm afraid and in most cases it's more than just the belt that needs replacing.

Yep. The tensioner could also fail before the belt itself if it starts to loosen up. Timing belt, idler pulleys and tensioner pulley is required. Depends on the engine but you usually get the water pump changed as preventative maintenance too.

greasepalm

and did you check stat housing for weeps as i mentioned before?