2000 focus timing belt broke.

Without doubt there will be some bent valves. That might be the limit of the damage; piston damage is possible, but less likely.

Best bet is to remove the head and look. If everything except the valves is OK, getting the head reconditioned at an engine rebuilder is the best bet.

If you are looking at getting the whole job done at a garage, it may not be cost effective to do on an 11-year old car.

Chris

Whether or not there is valve damage depends upon whether your engine is an interference or non-interference type. Your dealer will be able to tell you.

In an interference engine the timing chain keeps the pistons and the valves apart. If the chain breaks you've got a serious problem.

In a non-interfering engine (usually with a timing belt instead of a chain), the pistons and valves do not occupy the same space. The belt simply keeps pistons and valves in sync. A belt failure will stop the engine but will not cause additional damage.

-- Don

There are very few OHC engines of the last 20 years that are not interference ones.

AFAIK, the last Ford one was the Pinto from the 1970's.

It makes no difference whether the camshaft(s) is driven by belt, chain, or gears. What makes an engine one that will self-destruct if the crank turns and the cams don't is the combination of valve lift and piston-to- valve clearances.

Chris

My '75 Pinto, '82 Fairmont, '93 Topaz, and '04 Focus have all had the same 2.3L engine. It's now aluminum and fuel-injected, but it's the same block configuration.

Yes, as I said. Some Focus engines are interference and some are non-interference. The OP should be able to Google his engine model to identify which it is.

-- Don

I made the assumption that the OP was in Europe, where all Focus petrol engines are interference. If in the USA, it does indeed vary by engine type. Even the model year won't help, as different states used different engines according to their environmental legislation.

Chris

How does the timing chain keep the pistons and valves apart? Does it form a film, like oil?

Engines with chains can be interference or non-interference, too.

That's true of interference engines, too, unless the belt breaks.

Unless there is a speeding 18-wheeler right behind you when the belt breaks. Then it doesn't matter if it is interference or non-interference. Rather, it will be like the car - flat.

The '75 Pinto engine had 2 valves per cylinder. The DOHC engine in the Focus is a completely different design.

I assume you replaced the belt yourself. Are you absolutely certain you got the timing marks lined up properly when you put the new belt on?

Have you considered doing a compressing test on the cylinders?