Ford Fiesta (1989-1995). Instruction - part 14

home by hand, then tighten them securely, to
the specified torque wrench settings, where
given.
11 Refit the auxiliary drivebelt as described in
Chapter 1 on completion.

7

Timing belt covers - 
removal and refitting

4

Upper cover

1 Unscrew the cover’s two mounting bolts
and withdraw it (see illustration).
2 Refitting is the reverse of the removal
procedure; ensure that the cover edges
engage correctly with each other, and note the
torque wrench setting specified for the bolts.

Middle cover

3 Slacken the water pump pulley bolts.
4 Remove the timing belt upper cover.
5 Remove the auxiliary drivebelt (see Chap-
ter 1).
6 Unbolt and remove the water pump pulley.
7 Unscrew the middle cover fasteners (one
bolt at the front, one at the lower rear, one
stud at the top rear) and withdraw the cover.
8 Refitting is the reverse of the removal
procedure. Ensure that the cover edges
engage correctly with each other, and note
the torque wrench settings specified for the
various fasteners.

Lower cover

9 Slacken the water pump pulley bolts.
10 Remove the crankshaft pulley (see
Section 6) then unbolt and remove the water
pump pulley.
11 Unscrew the three cover securing bolts,
and withdraw it (see illustration).
12 Refitting is the reverse of the removal
procedure; ensure the cover edges engage
correctly with each other, and note the torque
wrench settings specified for the various
fasteners.

Inner shield

13 Remove the timing belt, its tensioner
components and the camshaft sprockets (see
Sections 8 and 9).

14 The shield is secured to the cylinder head
by two bolts at the top, and by two studs
lower down; unscrew these and withdraw the
shield (see illustration).
15 Refitting is the reverse of the removal
procedure; note the torque wrench settings
specified for the various fasteners.

8

Timing belt - removal, refitting
and adjustment

4

Note: To carry out this operation, a new timing
belt (where applicable), a new cylinder head
cover gasket, and some special tools (see text)

will be required. If the timing belt is being
removed for the first time since the vehicle 
left the factory, a tensioner spring and
retaining pin must be obtained for fitting on
reassembly.

Removal

1 Disconnect the battery negative (earth) lead
(refer to Chapter 5A, Section 1).
2 Slacken the water pump pulley bolts.
3 Remove the cylinder head cover (see
Section 4).
4 Remove the spark plugs, covering their
holes with clean rag, to prevent dirt or other
foreign bodies from dropping in (see Chap-
ter 1).
5 Remove the auxiliary drivebelt (see Chap-
ter 1).
6 Position the engine with No 1 piston at TDC
on compression as described in Section 3.
7 Unbolt and remove the water pump pulley
and, where fitted, the auxiliary drivebelt idler
pulley.
8 Obtain Ford service tool 21-162, or
fabricate a substitute alternative from a strip
of metal 5 mm thick (while the strip’s
thickness is critical, its length and width are
not, but should be approximately 180 to 
230 mm by 20 to 30 mm). Check that Nos 1
and 4 cylinders are at TDC - No 1 on the
compression stroke - by resting this tool on
the cylinder head mating surface, and sliding

Zetec engine in-car repair procedures  2C•5

7.11  Removing timing belt lower cover -

bolt locations arrowed

7.14  Timing belt inner shield fasteners

(arrowed)

7.1  Timing belt and cover details

2C

1595Ford Fiesta Remake

1 Timing belt upper

cover

2 Inlet camshaft

toothed pulley

3 Exhaust camshaft

toothed pulley

4 Timing belt
5 Timing belt

tensioner

6 Crankshaft toothed

pulley

7 Timing belt middle

cover

8 Timing belt lower

cover

9 Crankshaft pulley
10 Water pump pulley

it into the slot in the left-hand end of both
camshafts (see illustration). The tool should
slip snugly into both slots while resting on the
cylinder head mating surface; if one camshaft
is only slightly out of alignment, it is
permissible to use an open-ended spanner to
rotate the camshaft gently and carefully until
the tool will fit.
9 If both camshaft slots (they are machined
significantly off-centre) are below the level of
the cylinder head mating surface, rotate the
crankshaft through one full turn clockwise and
fit the tool again; it should now fit as
described in the previous paragraph.
10 With the camshaft aligning tool remaining
in place, remove the crankshaft pulley. Do not
use the locked camshafts to prevent the
crankshaft from rotating - use only the locking
method described in Section 6.
11 Remove the timing belt lower and middle
covers (see Section 7).
12 With the camshaft-aligning tool still in
place, slacken the tensioner bolt, and use an
Allen key inserted into its centre to rotate the
tensioner clockwise as far as possible away
from the belt; retighten the bolt to secure the
tensioner clear of the timing belt (see
illustration).
13 If the timing belt is to be re-used, use
white paint or similar to mark its direction of
rotation, and note from the manufacturer’s
markings which way round it is fitted.
Withdraw the belt. Do not

rotate the

crankshaft until the timing belt is refitted.

14 If the belt is being removed for reasons
other than routine renewal, check it carefully
for any signs of uneven wear, splitting, cracks
(especially at the roots of the belt teeth) or
contamination with oil or coolant. Renew the
belt if there is the slightest doubt about its
condition. As a safety measure, the belt must
be renewed as a matter of course at the
intervals given in Chapter 1; if its history is
unknown, the belt should be renewed
irrespective of its apparent condition
whenever the engine is overhauled. Similarly,
check the tensioner spring (where fitted),
renewing it if there is any doubt about its
condition. Check also the sprockets for signs
of wear or damage, and ensure that the
tensioner and guide pulleys rotate smoothly
on their bearings; renew any worn or
damaged components. If signs of oil or
coolant contamination are found, trace the
source of the leak and rectify it, then wash
down the engine timing belt area and related
components, to remove all traces of oil or
coolant.

Refitting and adjustment

15 On reassembly, temporarily refit the
crankshaft pulley, to check that the crankshaft
is still positioned at TDC for No 1 piston on
compression, then ensure that both
camshafts are aligned at TDC by the special
tool (paragraph 8). If the engine is being
reassembled after major dismantling, both
camshaft sprockets should be free to rotate

on their respective camshafts; if the timing
belt alone is being renewed, both sprockets
should still be securely fastened.
16 A holding tool will be required to prevent
the camshaft sprockets from rotating while
their bolts are slackened and retightened;
either obtain Ford service tool 15-030A, or
fabricate a suitable substitute (see Tool Tip).
Note: Do not use the camshaft-aligning tool
(whether genuine Ford or not) to prevent
rotation while the camshaft sprocket bolts are
slackened or tightened; the risk of damage to
the camshaft concerned and to the cylinder
head is far too great. Use only a forked holding
tool applied directly to the sprockets, as
described.

17 If it is being fitted for the first time, screw
the timing belt tensioner spring retaining pin
into the cylinder head, tightening it to the
specified torque wrench setting. Unbolt the
tensioner, hook the spring on to the pin and
the tensioner backplate, then refit the
tensioner, engaging its backplate on the
locating peg (see illustrations).
18 In all cases, slacken the tensioner bolt (if
necessary), and use an Allen key inserted into
its centre to rotate the tensioner as far as
possible against spring tension, then retighten
the bolt to secure the tensioner (see
illustration).

2C•6 Zetec engine in-car repair procedures

8.18  . . . then use Allen key to position

tensioner so that timing belt can be

refitted

8.17b  Hook spring onto tensioner and refit

as shown - engage tensioner backplate on

locating peg (arrowed) . . .

8.17a  Fitting tensioner spring retaining pin

8.12  Slacken tensioner bolt, and use Allen

key to rotate tensioner away from timing

belt

8.8  Fit camshaft-aligning tool to ensure

engine is locked with Nos 1 and 4 cylinders

at TDC

1595Ford Fiesta Remake

To make a camshaft
sprocket holding tool, obtain
two lengths of steel strip
about 6 mm thick by 30 mm

wide or similar, one 600 mm long, the
other 200 mm long (all dimensions
approximate). Bolt the two strips
together to form a forked end, leaving
the bolt slack so that the shorter strip
can pivot freely. At the end of each
“prong” of the fork, bend the strips
through 90º about 50 mm from their
ends to act as the fulcrums; these will
engage with the holes in the
sprockets. It may be necessary to
grind or cut off their sides slightly to
allow them to fit the sprocket holes
(see illustration 8.23).

19 Fit the timing belt; if the original is being
refitted, ensure that the marks and notes
made on removal are followed, so that the belt
is refitted the same way round, and to run in
the same direction. Starting at the crankshaft
sprocket, work anti-clockwise around the
camshaft sprockets and tensioner, finishing
off at the rear guide pulley. The front run,
between the crankshaft and the exhaust
camshaft sprockets, must be kept taut,
without altering the position either of the
crankshaft or of the camshaft(s) - if necessary,
the position of the camshaft sprockets can be
altered by rotating each on its camshaft
(which remains fixed by the aligning tool).
Where the sprocket is still fastened, use the
holding tool described above to prevent the
sprocket from rotating while its retaining bolt
is slackened - the sprocket can then be
rotated on the camshaft until the belt will slip
into place; retighten the sprocket bolt.
20 When the belt is in place, slacken the
tensioner bolt gently until the spring pulls the
tensioner against the belt; the tensioner
should be retained correctly against the timing
belt inner shield and cylinder head, but must
be just free to respond to changes in belt
tension (see illustration).
21 Tighten both camshaft sprocket bolts (or
check that they are tight, as applicable) and
remove the camshaft-aligning tool.
Temporarily refit the crankshaft pulley, and
rotate the crankshaft through two full turns
clockwise to settle and tension the timing belt,
returning the crankshaft to the TDC position
described previously. Refit the camshaft-
aligning tool; it should slip into place as
described in paragraph 8. If all is well,
proceed to paragraph 24 below.
22 If one camshaft is only just out of line, fit
the forked holding tool to its sprocket, adjust
its position as required, and check that any
slack created has been taken up by the
tensioner; rotate the crankshaft through two
further turns clockwise, and refit the
camshaft-aligning tool to check that it now fits
as it should. If all is well, proceed to
paragraph 24 below.
23 If either camshaft is significantly out of
line, use the holding tool to prevent its
sprocket from rotating while its retaining bolt

is slackened - the camshaft can then be
rotated (gently and carefully, using an open-
ended spanner) until the camshaft-aligning
tool will slip into place; take care not to
disturb the relationship of the sprocket to the
timing belt. Without disturbing the sprocket’s
new position on the camshaft, tighten the
sprocket bolt to its specified torque wrench
setting  (see illustration). Remove the
camshaft-aligning tool, rotate the crankshaft
through two further turns clockwise, and refit
the tool to check that it now fits as it should.
24 When the timing belt has been settled at
its correct tension, and the camshaft-aligning
tool fits correctly when the crankshaft pulley
notches are exactly aligned, tighten the
tensioner bolt to its specified torque wrench
setting (see illustration). Fitting the forked
holding tool to the spokes of each sprocket in
turn, check that the sprocket bolts are
tightened to their specified torque wrench
setting. Remove the camshaft-aligning tool,
rotate the crankshaft through two further turns
clockwise, and refit the tool to make a final
check that it fits as it should.
25 The remainder of the reassembly
procedure is the reverse of removal, ensuring
that all fasteners are tightened to the specified
torque.

9

Timing belt tensioner and
sprockets - removal,
inspection and refitting

4

Tensioner

Note: If the tensioner is being removed for the
first time since the vehicle left the factory, a
tensioner spring and retaining pin must be
obtained for fitting on reassembly.
1 While it is possible to reach the tensioner
once the timing belt upper and middle covers
only have been removed, the whole
procedure outlined below must be followed,
to ensure that the valve timing is correctly
reset once the belt’s tension has been
disturbed.
2 Release the tension from the timing belt as
described in Section 8, paragraphs 1 to 12.
3 Unscrew the tensioner bolt and withdraw

the tensioner, unhooking the spring, if fitted
(see illustration). Check the tensioner spring,
and renew it if there is any doubt about its
condition.
4 On reassembly, if it is being fitted for the
first time, screw the timing belt tensioner
spring retaining pin into the cylinder head,
tightening it to the specified torque wrench
setting. Hook the spring onto the pin and the
tensioner backplate, then refit the tensioner,
engaging its backplate on the locating peg.
5 Use an Allen key inserted into its centre to
rotate the tensioner as far as possible against
spring tension, then tighten the bolt to secure
the tensioner.
6 Reassemble, checking the camshaft
alignment (valve timing) and setting the timing
belt tension, as described in paragraphs 20 
to 25 of Section 8.

Camshaft and crankshaft
sprockets

7 While it may be possible to remove any of
these sprockets once the relevant belt covers
have been removed, the complete timing belt
removal/refitting procedure (see Section 8)
must be followed, to ensure that the valve
timing is correctly reset once the belt’s
tension has been disturbed.
8 With the timing belt removed, the camshaft
sprockets can be detached once their
retaining bolts have been unscrewed as
described in paragraph 16 of Section 8. The
crankshaft sprocket can be pulled off the end
of the crankshaft, once the crankshaft pulley

Zetec engine in-car repair procedures  2C•7

8.24  When setting is correct, tighten

tensioner bolt to specified torque wrench

setting

8.23  Using forked holding tool while

camshaft toothed pulley bolt is tightened

8.20  Slacken tensioner bolt to give initial

belt tension

9.3  Removing timing belt tensioner

2C

1595Ford Fiesta Remake

and the timing belt have been removed. Note
the “FRONT” marking identifying the
sprocket’s outboard face, and the
thrustwasher behind it; note which way round
the thrustwasher is fitted (see illustration).
Note the sprocket-locating Woodruff key; if
this is loose, it should be removed for safe
storage with the sprocket.
9 Check the sprockets as described in
paragraph 14 of Section 8.
10 Refitting is the reverse of the removal
procedure.

Timing belt guide pulleys

11 Remove the timing belt covers (see
Section 7).
12 Unbolt and withdraw the pulley(s); check
their condition as described in paragraph 14
of Section 8.
13 Refitting is the reverse of the removal
procedure; tighten the pulley bolts to the
specified torque wrench setting.

10 Camshaft oil seals - renewal

4

Note: While it is possible to reach either oil
seal, once the respective sprocket has been
removed (see Section 9) to allow the seal to be
prised out, this procedure is not
recommended. Not only are the seals very
soft, making this difficult to do without risk of

damage to the seal housing, but it would be
very difficult to ensure that the valve timing
and the timing belt’s tension, once disturbed,
are correctly reset. Owners are advised to
follow the whole procedure outlined below.
1 Release the tension from the timing belt as
described in Section 8, paragraphs 1 to 12.
Note: If the timing belt is found to be
contaminated by oil, remove it completely as
described, then renew the oil seal (see below).
Wash down the engine timing belt area and all
related components, to remove all traces of
oil. Fit a new belt on reassembly.
2 If the timing belt is still clean, slip it off the
sprocket, taking care not to twist it too
sharply; use the fingers only to handle the
belt. Do not rotate the crankshaft until the
timing belt is refitted. Cover the belt, and
secure it so that it is clear of the working area
and cannot slip off the remaining sprocket.
3 Unfasten the sprocket bolt and withdraw
the sprocket (see Section 9).
4 Unbolt the camshaft right-hand bearing
cap, and withdraw the defective oil seal.
Clean the seal housing, and polish off any
burrs or raised edges, which may have
caused the seal to fail in the first place.
5 To fit a new seal, Ford recommend the use
of their service tool 21-009B, with a bolt 
(10 mm thread size, 70 mm long) and a
washer, to draw the seal into place when the
camshaft bearing cap is bolted down; a
substitute can be made using a suitable
socket (see illustration). Grease the seal lips
and periphery to ease installation, and draw

the seal into place until it is flush with the
housing/bearing cap outer edge. Refit the
bearing cap, using sealant and tightening the
cap bolts as described in Section 11.
6 For most owners, the simplest answer will
be to grease the seal lips, and to slide it onto
the camshaft (until it is flush with the
housing’s outer edge). Refit the bearing cap,
using sealant and tightening the cap bolts as
described in Section 11 (see illustration).
Take care to ensure that the seal remains
absolutely square in its housing, and is not
distorted as the cap is tightened down.
7 Refit the sprocket to the camshaft,
tightening the retaining bolt loosely, then slip
the timing belt back onto the sprocket (refer to
paragraphs 16 and 19 of Section 8) and
tighten the bolt securely.
8 The remainder of the reassembly
procedure, including checking the camshaft
alignment (valve timing) and setting the timing
belt tension, is as described in paragraphs 20
to 25 of Section 8.

11 Camshafts and hydraulic

tappets - removal, inspection
and refitting

4

Removal

1 Release the tension from the timing belt as
described in Section 8, paragraphs 1 to 12.
2 Either remove the timing belt completely
(Section 8, paragraphs 13 and 14) or slip it off
the camshaft sprockets, taking care not to
twist it too sharply; use the fingers only to
handle the belt. Cover the belt, and secure it
so that it is clear of the working area. Do not
rotate the crankshaft until the timing belt is
refitted.
3 Unfasten the sprocket bolts as described in
Section 8, paragraph 16, and withdraw the
sprockets; while both are the same and could
be interchanged, it is good working practice
to mark them so that each is refitted only to its
original location (see illustration).
4 Working in the sequence shown, slacken
progressively, by half a turn at a time, the
camshaft bearing cap bolts (see illustration).
Work only as described, to release gradually

2C•8 Zetec engine in-car repair procedures

11.4  Camshaft bearing cap slackening

sequence

Note: Viewed from front of vehicle, showing

bearing cap numbers

11.3  Using forked holding tool while

camshaft toothed pulley bolt is slackened

10.6  Alternatively, seal can be inserted

when camshaft bearing cap is unbolted

10.5  Using socket and toothed pulley bolt

to install camshaft oil seal

9.8  “FRONT” marking on outside face of

crankshaft toothed pulley - note which way

round thrustwasher behind is fitted

1595Ford Fiesta Remake