Pinto timing belt change

[Granadaman72]

Hi all, I'm after doing the timing belt on the Sierra, its a 1.6 carb, 1989 model. Ive done them in the past on tina's and the like way back in the day so i know they are straight forward but i have a couple of 'Q's, do i need to change the tensioner wheel, iirc they are steel rather than plastic, also the Paynes manual says post '85 i need a Ford special tool for tensioning the belt, is that correct or can it be done without, lastly am i liable to need a hub puller for the bottom pulley and would removing the rad for clearance help, many thanks in advance

[bortaf]

Spin the tensioner, if it's quiet and smooth leave it be, 9 times out of 10 they are OK, made to last not like modern wibblepoo ;D
Below is the official way to tension the belt, in practise i just do it the old fashioned way of lever the tensioner a bit with a screw driver then lock it off, turn engine once by hand, test tension by twisting the belt on the longest run to get no more than a 90Deg twist in the belt.
It's all just cos ford deleited the spring from the tensioner so it needs setting manualy.

[Granadaman72]

Thanks Bortaf, i sort of remembered the twist 90deg bit from back in the day but couldnt remember if it was with the timing belt or the aux drive belt

[peanutsc]

I have a Mk4 Transit with 2.0 pinto and changed everything about 6 months ago. Bortaf is quite right. I'd add that its worth rotating the engine a few times and re-checking the tension. Removing the rad gave bags of room on the tranny and made life easier (needed a coolant change anyway). I also replaced all the oil seals too as there was a bit of oil being thrown about by the belt and the results of a broken belt aren't worth thinking about... I think the pulley came off okay but I did chip the edge so be careful with that as it's quite brittle.

[DWDarkWheels]

+1 for the comments so far, namely rotating the engine a few times and twisting the belt towards 90 degrees at the longest part.
Rotating the engine is also a good sanity check to make sure you've not got it so wrong that the valves and pistons meet :-)

A good bit of waggling usually gets the pulley off eventually. Usually you can manage it without radiator removal. Unless it's really well wedged on, radiator removal will probably make the whole process a longer job.

[bortaf]

2.0 pinto is a safe engine, no damage if the belt breaks but not the 1.6, that usually sustaines damage so best make sure it all correct

[peanutsc]

Apr 19, 2012 21:03:22 GMT bortaf said:

2.0 pinto is a safe engine, no damage if the belt breaks but not the 1.6, that usually sustaines damage so best make sure it all correct

That's good to know - you learn something every day! thanks.