1.6 Ecoboost "Lifetime" Timing Belt

[M-Sport fan]

That makes sense, as the current tech EPDM material belts would NOT stand up to dirty, used sump oil at all.

 

[bluestang]

I'll also wager that these are Interference type setups.

 

[TUX15ST]

there's a picture a few pages back that you can see the timing belt is not encased in oil. Sitting behind the crank pulley under a cover.

At least that's how it looks to me.

i thought the same thing, it reminds me of my old svt focus engine, not exposed to any oil and i would guess it is interference as well

 

[grnmachine02]

i thought the same thing, it reminds me of my old svt focus engine, not exposed to any oil and i would guess it is interference as well

It looks like any other timing belt setup ever.

I don't understand all the panic about a timing belt. plenty of cars run them. Same thing with interference engines. Stay on top of your maintenance and you'll be fine.

Edit:// Sorry, that came out super dickish. Wasn't supposed to.

 

[rexdriver85]

Guys, the 1.0 Ecoboost has an oil bath timing belt, not ours. That engine is all about friction reduction, many articles out on the internet about it.

We have a regular ol' timing belt setup, owners manual states the interval on them is 150,000 miles.

 

[Steve@Tasca]

Not sure if this has been verified in the thread yet or not but the 1.6 is an old fashioned dry timing belt, both myself (20+ years in Ford parts) and a friend that is a Ford master tech also looked into the 150k cam replacement and neither of us can find mention of it anywhere in the Ford system.

I can verify that the 1.6 Ecoboost is an interference engine.

-Steve

 

[TUX15ST]

Not sure if this has been verified in the thread yet or not but the 1.6 is an old fashioned dry timing belt, both myself (20+ years in Ford parts) and a friend that is a Ford master tech also looked into the 150k cam replacement and neither of us can find mention of it anywhere in the Ford system.

I can verify that the 1.6 Ecoboost is an interference engine.

-Steve

welcome steve, glad to see you on here!

 

[LedRobster]

I guess is better then having a cheap, plastic chain guide blowing up at 60K miles LOL

Have you owned a MINI?

Oh wait, those don't last to 60k... =)

 

[FatGuyInALittleCar]

Have you owned a MINI?

Oh wait, those don't last to 60k... =)

Add insult to that injury when that cheap plastic part is located within a gnat's ass of the firewall, requiring an engine pull to replace that cheap plastic part with an equally cheap plastic part. All this for the bargain price of $8,000 from a qualified mechanic. Or, you can sell the wretched thing. Hence no more S4.

 

[koozy]

Not sure if this has been verified in the thread yet or not but the 1.6 is an old fashioned dry timing belt, both myself (20+ years in Ford parts) and a friend that is a Ford master tech also looked into the 150k cam replacement and neither of us can find mention of it anywhere in the Ford system.

I can verify that the 1.6 Ecoboost is an interference engine.

-Steve

it's in the ST owners manual.

 

[airjor13]

Have you owned a MINI?

Oh wait, those don't last to 60k... =)

Yes and we just traded in my wife's Mini Cooper S, garbage car it's falling apart at 53k

 

[Steve@Tasca]

it's in the ST owners manual.

Right, belt replacement is required. The guy that directed me here and the thread itself appeared to have had some discussion about replacing the cams themselves.

Also, from my experience with the SVT Focus (also interference) I would not suggest going 150k on a timing belt in the Fiesta ST. From what it looks like the service manual shows the standard 1.6 to be non-interference but the ST is interference. This was the case back when the SVTF came out, the standard Zetec was non-interference but the SVT was interference.

Trouble with the recommended service interval for the timing belt was that the 120k recommendation was based on the standard Zetec which led to the destruction of many SVTs over the years, the generally accepted wisdom for the SVTF timing belt has been determined to be about 90k or every 8-9 years. Don't forget, belts age whether they're in use or not.

Also, any tension or idler pulleys in the timing system should also be replaced as the bearings won't live much longer than the belt itself.

-Steve

 

[Steve@Tasca]

welcome steve, glad to see you on here!

Working on vendor status now.

-Steve

 

[CanadianGuy]

Working on vendor status now.

-Steve

Crap and I just ordered some Ford parts.

 

[LedRobster]

Yes and we just traded in my wife's Mini Cooper S, garbage car it's falling apart at 53k

Haha had a 07 CooperS before the Fiesta, we can always spot our own....

 

[airjor13]

Haha had a 07 CooperS before the Fiesta, we can always spot our own....

lol, yea we are suckers for punishment. I hate all BMW's after the year 2000

 

[M-Sport fan]

Right, belt replacement is required. The guy that directed me here and the thread itself appeared to have had some discussion about replacing the cams themselves.

Also, from my experience with the SVT Focus (also interference) I would not suggest going 150k on a timing belt in the Fiesta ST. From what it looks like the service manual shows the standard 1.6 to be non-interference but the ST is interference. This was the case back when the SVTF came out, the standard Zetec was non-interference but the SVT was interference.

Trouble with the recommended service interval for the timing belt was that the 120k recommendation was based on the standard Zetec which led to the destruction of many SVTs over the years, the generally accepted wisdom for the SVTF timing belt has been determined to be about 90k or every 8-9 years. Don't forget, belts age whether they're in use or not.

Also, any tension or idler pulleys in the timing system should also be replaced as the bearings won't live much longer than the belt itself.

-Steve

THANK YOU, and WELCOME!!

Can the timing belt change be done by owners with no super specialized tools needed, or is it a dealer only type of repair (as long as we ensure that the cam and crank cogs do not move at all)?

Also, are the timing belts in these engines subject to any 'belt whip', in between gear changes, like the timing CHAIN V-8s are (whether they are short, OHV type of chains like an LSx, or LONG chains like on any Coyote, or Audi/etc. V-8), or even if they are, it does not effect/wear the belt to any great degree due to the tensioners used, and it's construction and flexibility?

 

[Capri to ST]

Right, belt replacement is required. The guy that directed me here and the thread itself appeared to have had some discussion about replacing the cams themselves.

Also, from my experience with the SVT Focus (also interference) I would not suggest going 150k on a timing belt in the Fiesta ST. From what it looks like the service manual shows the standard 1.6 to be non-interference but the ST is interference. This was the case back when the SVTF came out, the standard Zetec was non-interference but the SVT was interference.

Trouble with the recommended service interval for the timing belt was that the 120k recommendation was based on the standard Zetec which led to the destruction of many SVTs over the years, the generally accepted wisdom for the SVTF timing belt has been determined to be about 90k or every 8-9 years. Don't forget, belts age whether they're in use or not.

Also, any tension or idler pulleys in the timing system should also be replaced as the bearings won't live much longer than the belt itself.

-Steve

Thanks, that's very helpful, I just got the car and have been making up a maintenance schedule. I usually go further than the factory recommendations.The factory 150K timing belt interval seemed way too long for me, I thought about planning to change it no later than 75K miles. Based on your post as a Ford insider, I will probably lean more towards 8 years, especially since I generally put low mileage on a car. I've only been driving about 5k miles a year, although this car is so fun and gets such good gas mileage for a fun car that I hope to put on more. But at 5k miles a year, that would be 15 years to 75K miles, way too long for a timing belt for me. I would rather over-maintain than under-maintain, especially when it comes to risking breaking a timing belt in an interference engine.

I'm curious, do know about what Ford dealers charge for changing a timing belt on a 1.6L Ecoboost engine?

 

[koozy]

Right, belt replacement is required. The guy that directed me here and the thread itself appeared to have had some discussion about replacing the cams themselves.

-Steve

right, I agree. Replacing cams seems silly and unheard of in conjunction with a belt change.

 

[Steve@Tasca]

THANK YOU, and WELCOME!!

Can the timing belt change be done by owners with no super specialized tools needed, or is it a dealer only type of repair (as long as we ensure that the cam and crank cogs do not move at all)?

Also, are the timing belts in these engines subject to any 'belt whip', in between gear changes, like the timing CHAIN V-8s are (whether they are short, OHV type of chains like an LSx, or LONG chains like on any Coyote, or Audi/etc. V-8), or even if they are, it does not effect/wear the belt to any great degree due to the tensioners used, and it's construction and flexibility?

There are special service tools shown in the manual including a special cam locking tool, crank alignment tool, flywheel locking tool and a couple others. We'll see what happens when someone tries to do one on their own.

Found this bit of text in the manual for both standard and EB 1.6s so it appears I was wrong about the base 1.6 being non-interference. "NOTE: Do not loosen or remove the crankshaft pulley bolt without first installing the special tools. The crankshaft pulley and the crankshaft timing sprocket are not keyed to the crankshaft. Before any repair requiring loosening or removal of the crankshaft pulley bolt, the crankshaft and camshafts must be locked in place by the special service tools, otherwise severe engine damage can occur."



I'm not aware of any issues with "belt whip".

-Steve