[How To] TDCI Timing Belt Replacement - 2.0L QXBA DW10 140PS

Mondaveo · 13-08-2020, 10:49 PM

I'm now facing down the barrel of getting this service done in the next 3-6 months. The car is Nov' 2010 built/Feb 2011 registered, so the ten-year mark falls at the end of this year. By the service schedule in the book, I do still have one more minor 'A' service before the 'B' service next year, but being as my Powershift fluid change is also due this year (it being pushed forward 12 months due to the gearbox repair in 2016) I'm thinking to bring the 'B' service forward to this year to get it all synced up again.

I've been reading and re-reading this thread and watching the YouTube videos to try to convince myself whether I can succeed at it myself. I'm pretty happy with following the depicted procedure, but I'm concerned about the unforeseen complications (something I can't access or undo) of the kind that turned both my first oil change and my battery swap into multi-day ordeals. I particularly find Alan Howatt's videos give a good demonstration, but he also advises if you're an amateur attempting your first belt change not to try it with this engine...

I'm most anxious/confused about the crankshaft bolt. So we'll need a breaker bar/impact tool to undo the bolt, but then we're also using that bolt with a spanner on to turn the engine over. How is it that undoing/doing up the bolt doesn't just turn the engine, and vice versa? I imagined this is where we like the flywheel locking tool (the timing pin would not be strong enough to hold the engine in place against bolt removal/refitting), but in Howatt's videos he doesn't use the locking apparatus. Is it due to using an impact tool (rattle gun or power bar) and will I need precautions using a breaker bar?

And on the breaker bar, cobrin and rondeo both show/mention an extension to bring the bar out of the wheel well. Is this necessary, or just for comfort so we're not swinging the bar from under the car?

How concerned do I need to be with this talk about the starter motor?

Should really see how I feel doing my next DIY engine oil and transmission fluid changes, but I feel now's a good time to be thinking about it, ahead of buying to get everything on hand.

rondeo · 14-08-2020, 10:32 AM

Hi Mondaveo.

I don't think the Mondeo timing belt would be a good place to start getting more experience. I've been maintaing my own cars for 40 years now and I found it was a demanding job. The old cars were a lot easier to work on. Given Mondeo timing belt is a once in ten year job you don't get the chance to learn from mistakes, and mistakes here will be costly.

I used some particular tools and equipment, including an inspection camera (to see the tensioner adjustment), specially extended flex head ratchet spanners, a tap to clean out the crankshaft thread bore, heat gun to soften the threadlock etc etc. Not to mention the locking kit. Replacing the water pump requires coolant handling etc.

There are different opinions about using a rattle gun as well. Most mechanics will use one despite the warning in the manual not to. I used a three-foot lever to remove the bolt, 3/4" bar and ratchet, though I do have a rattle gun.

In other words, you need some expensive tools you may never use again.

Maybe it would be best to stick with the routine A and B service as DIY? That includes the trans fluid change and maybe doing the brakes.

Franco Cozzo · 21-11-2020, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rondeo

Hi Mondaveo.

I don't think the Mondeo timing belt would be a good place to start getting more experience. I've been maintaing my own cars for 40 years now and I found it was a demanding job. The old cars were a lot easier to work on. Given Mondeo timing belt is a once in ten year job you don't get the chance to learn from mistakes, and mistakes here will be costly.

I used some particular tools and equipment, including an inspection camera (to see the tensioner adjustment), specially extended flex head ratchet spanners, a tap to clean out the crankshaft thread bore, heat gun to soften the threadlock etc etc. Not to mention the locking kit. Replacing the water pump requires coolant handling etc.

There are different opinions about using a rattle gun as well. Most mechanics will use one despite the warning in the manual not to. I used a three-foot lever to remove the bolt, 3/4" bar and ratchet, though I do have a rattle gun.

In other words, you need some expensive tools you may never use again.

Maybe it would be best to stick with the routine A and B service as DIY? That includes the trans fluid change and maybe doing the brakes.

A mechanic snapped the balancer bolt clean off in the crankshaft on my TDCI Focus on a major service - they used the impact gun.

They got a thread specialist in who managed to get it out thank christ.

rondeo · 21-11-2020, 06:28 PM

Currently there's discussion on a crankshaft bolt snapped off on Talkford:
https://talkford.com/community/topic...-bolt-snapped/

Mondaveo · 22-11-2020, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rondeo

Currently there's discussion on a crankshaft bolt snapped off on Talkford:
https://talkford.com/community/topic...-bolt-snapped/

I see after six weeks and 19 pages of discussion he managed to extract the broken bolt this weekend: page 19

rondeo · 22-11-2020, 01:44 PM

New crankshaft bolts are supplied with a blue hreadlocker.

It's a thermoplastic material.

It softens at higher temps (260deg C) and hardens at lower temps.

Therefore: heat the bolt or run the risk of breaking it.

I don't see how spraying WD40 could help, as one poster on Talkfork suggests.
It would cool the bolt.

rondeo · 22-11-2020, 07:37 PM

Although blue means removeable with hand tools, at least in some brands:

https://www.henkel-adhesives.com/au/...adlockers.html

cobrin · 14-08-2020, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mondaveo

I'm most anxious/confused about the crankshaft bolt. So we'll need a breaker bar/impact tool to undo the bolt, but then we're also using that bolt with a spanner on to turn the engine over. How is it that undoing/doing up the bolt doesn't just turn the engine, and vice versa? I imagined this is where we like the flywheel locking tool (the timing pin would not be strong enough to hold the engine in place against bolt removal/refitting), but in Howatt's videos he doesn't use the locking apparatus. Is it due to using an impact tool (rattle gun or power bar) and will I need precautions using a breaker bar?

And on the breaker bar, cobrin and rondeo both show/mention an extension to bring the bar out of the wheel well. Is this necessary, or just for comfort so we're not swinging the bar from under the car?

How concerned do I need to be with this talk about the starter motor?

Should really see how I feel doing my next DIY engine oil and transmission fluid changes, but I feel now's a good time to be thinking about it, ahead of buying to get everything on hand.

Let me clear up a few of your concerns Mondaveo.if I can.

I used a breaker bar (600mm of quality build) simply because I have one for work and it will undo the bolt where as my impact wrenches won't, If I had a decent shop air system and a decent (industrial or strong) impact wrench that'd achieve the same thing without the elbow grease. Now with using a breaker bar you need to lock the engine from turning otherwise you won't be undoing the bolt the engine will simply turn over. It's done up tight, on undoing the bolt it'll crack (meaning jolt as it is undone), it'll do that for some time and still require a fair effort to turn because of the amount of loctite on it. I did both jobs by hand. Don't be unsettled by it, keep undoing till it's off.

This is where the timing setting tools come in handy. Do note though that the cam sprocket pin isn't for locking the engine to get the crank bolt off, it's simply to stop the cam from moving, ensuring that valves stay in position. The flywheel pin locks the engine and to help that the ring gear lock backs it up. On my engine I used the cam pin, a drill bit for the flywheel pin and the ring gear tool. After finalising the verification of the job I only used the Ring gear lock that turned out fine. Last Saturday I didn't have any nuts on hand to use the ring gear lock so I only used the flywheel pin (obviously with the cam pin for the top end) this worked fine also.

The three extensions I used on the breaker bar to clear the bodywork that's it. I could also turn the bar (as much as 180Deg) and keep the socket straight/perpendicular on the bolt head so it doesn't jump off or round the bolt head, I suggest you use a six point socket for this part of the job. It's angle torqued....it's tight, did I mention it's tight?!? it bloody is trust me.

The neighbour I was helping used his battery impact wrench the day before I got there and emptied a 5Ahr battery, it wasn't undone...

Now to the starter motor I removed them on both jobs (not from the engine bay) but moved it out of the way to pin the flywheel and fit the ring gear lock. after not using the ring gear lock I'm not sure you'd need to remove starter at all but I didn't check if you could pin the flywheel with the starter motor in situ. It's annoying because of the things in the way and tight/limited access, I did remove the charge air hose and mounting points to swing the tube out of the way for better access underneath. Not a show stopper but it felt like more time was used on the starter motor than doing the belt/WP/Idler and front main seal combined.

If you were in my neck of the woods I'd happily do it for you...

Bainos · 17-08-2020, 02:08 PM

Just about completed this job myself on my 2009 Focus TDCI however i have hit a snag in the fact i can't get my accessory belt back on due to being unable to turn the belt tensioner with enough force to allow me to slip the belt back on. I'm just using a basic 17mm combination spanner to turn the tensioner but it just keep slipping off and its starting to strip the bolt head of the tensioner.. should I instead be using a 6 point 17mm spanner? or is there a special tool that is specifically for this job i.e. a 17mm spanner with an extended handle so that i can leverage it from in the engine bay?

rondeo · 17-08-2020, 04:05 PM

I used a 15mm ratcheting flex head ring spanner on a 600mm home made extension
(that's 15 not 17).

I also used extensions for the starter motor and the timing tensioner.

I mentioned a 3ft extension for the crank bolt in my previous post, that should read 600mm (2ft).

Maybe you could let us know how difficult/easy you found the timing belt change?

rondeo · 20-08-2020, 03:42 PM

Mondaveo said:

'I'm most anxious/confused about the crankshaft bolt. So we'll need a breaker bar/impact tool to undo the bolt, but then we're also using that bolt with a spanner on to turn the engine over. How is it that undoing/doing up the bolt doesn't just turn the engine, and vice versa? I imagined this is where we like the flywheel locking tool (the timing pin would not be strong enough to hold the engine in place against bolt removal/refitting), but in Howatt's videos he doesn't use the locking apparatus. Is it due to using an impact tool (rattle gun or power bar) and will I need precautions using a breaker bar? '

The flywheel locking tool is essential. It takes the torque reaction from undoing the crankshaft bolt, which is enthusiastically loctited. Although Alan Howatt is a very experienced Mondeo mechanic, he is not necessarily experienced in the best way of doimg things. Having said that I've done two of these, so I'm no expert either.
What I did have was plenty of time. Whether or not you DIY is for you to decide, but if in doubt, allow yourself time and expect to spend money on a decent torque wrench!