Hi all,
The Fiesta is approaching 35k miles and I'm considering having the timing belt changed, so some quick questions - the procedure in the Haynes book covers several pages and involves getting the head off so I'm not doing it! :)
- The Haynes book says do it at 40k - is that realistic and does it need to be done earlier if it's been driven harder than normal? I live in Milton Keynes and the car rarely leaves the city boundaries - driving here involves frequent accelerations to 60/70. As the Zetec engine is a bit sluggish under 3k RPM I very often use the 3-4k RPM range to accelerate, the power it develops during that range is quite surprising for a 1.25 litre and I have no problem keeping up with anything. The belt is much older than a typical for the same miles (6 years - original belt).
- How much should an independent garage charge for doing this? I'll obtain the belt from Ford beforehand, don't want to skimp on something like that.
- Is it worth having anything else done at the same time while the engine is in bits?
Cheers again,
Peter.