Ford Fiesta 08 1.6 petrol Ghia

He did know it ran on petroil...? ;-)

Chris

Yes...

Mazda ZM engine in 323F has a 54K mile inspection and 90K change interval. The inspection costs a cam cover gasket and time. If it had been properly designed for maintenance it would have a separate cover for the belt that wasn't part of the cam cover.

So what is really needed is easy access to the belt for easy frequent inspection and an extra £50 per service it's inspected at for the 1/2 hour it takes to look at both ends of 100+ teeth.

Belt tension can be checked by a tension meter if the run of belt that is specified can be accessed. This can't be the run between the cams as that changes depending on position of inlet and exhaust cam. My factory WSM doesn't specify cam belt tension, just says release the spring loaded roller, rotate it back and forth 2-3 times against the belt with hex key, tighten it up, turn engine over twice by hand.

The major the belt makers produce tension gauges. Non contact types are expensive.

Gates sonic.

Pricey. Optical 477 Euro. This is a simple load cell and spring loaded plunger with electronic output. It's measurement head clamps on the belt so of no use for in service operation. £440 but can be found on E-bay for £125 (possibly fake) This type of tension meter has been around for years with a simple spring gauge readout and can be bought for under £50. Measurement of belt tension in service is possible using non contact system either optical or sonic. It would only work on switch on and the vibrations during running will be more than it can measure. In volume production it would add about £500 to sale price of a car (sensor maker will sell it cheaper in volume but there are car maker, dealer and VAT man who all want a markup as well) Can't see why they would want to increase the car price for something that stops them selling replacement engines and parts.

Okay, I understand. I'd always encourage anyone to 'have a go' - that way, you build up a good set of tools and knowledge - but this probably isn't the ideal place to start :-)

I have a sloping drive and a garage full of family junk. You can usually get by with a couple of bricks and axle stands.

It's well proven that afew manufacturers have skimped just a touch too much with some cam chain drive systems at potentially vast expense for the customer when they fail and lunch the engine, sometimes at quite low mileages. . I would much prefer a belt.

Will be interesting to see how the oil immersed versions on the Ford Ecoboost and PSA 1.2 puretec last...

"Tim" Will be interesting to see how the oil immersed versions on the Ford

It won't matter. They spit out internals well before any chain has time to stretch or snap.

as a small help to the OP, mine is 2002 focus saloon 1.6 engine, 152,000 miles, same original exhaust, same timing belt, no major changes to engine parts except for radiator. Clutch is slipping massively, front discs and pads are required before next mot. Body is fair but its not worth the money to carry out mechanical repairs. I just hope and pray it will get through mot with the minimum of cost.