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need to set timing 98 escort 2.0L Zetek


michko
01-27-2005, 09:40 PM
Hi, thanks in advance for any help you can give. My daughter's car is a 98 ford escort, 2.0L Zetek engine, manual transmission. About a year and a half ago she went through a low water crossing and blew the original engine (sucked water into it). I put in a used engine (about 37K miles) and its been running fine until last weekend when the timing belt broke. I bought a new timing belt and put it on, but the timing is off. There is no distributor to easily adjust the timing, all computer controlled. Unfortunately, both camshafts shifted out of position when the belt broke. The Haynes manual that I have does not give specific enough information to reset the cams to the correct position. I have put the engine at TDC and tried various positions for both cams, but just cannot get them exactly right. What I am looking for is guidance/picture of how both cams need to be set when the crankshaft is at TDC. I talked to a couple of Ford dealers, but I will be damned if I'm going to pay $119 just to "tell me what's wrong with it" when I can get another used engine for $500. (one aside, why don't dealers believe you when you tell them you know what is wrong and what you're doing?)

Any help that will avoid me having to put another engine in this car when the current one just needs to be set up properly woud be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Mich

guicho1
01-27-2005, 11:42 PM
I work fo a ford dealership and I know about this engine, it is very easy, all you need is a tool called Camshaft Positioning Tool, that slides at the right side of the camshafts and the good thing is it only goes on one way, so once you slide the tool in there your cams a timed.
The tool looks like a straight edge and the cams have a slot on the oposite end of the timing belt to slide the tool in, is the cams are 180 degrees out all you have to do is move them and slide the tool in place, the good thing is like I said once the tool is on you are right on time.
Then all you have to worry about is to be on TDC at the compression stroke on the crankshaft and that's it.
The other benefit from the tool is that once is there the cams are not going to move at all.
Well Hope this helps you out.
you might want to go to the dealership and loan the tool or buy it.
But is a must for this engine.
Good luck. you'll see once you have the tool is smooth sailing from there.

michko
01-28-2005, 06:30 PM
thanks. from the haynes manual i thought the tool just held the shafts in place, didn't expect it to only fit one way so they were aligned. i'll see what i can do about getting or borrowing one.

thanks again,

mich

michko
02-15-2005, 10:57 PM
Okay, just wanted to post a solution in case someone else needs it and let guicho1 know that he is exactly right (Thanks dude, you saved me a whole lot of trouble).
What the Haynes manual refers to as a camshaft tool actually doubles as an alignment tool. It slips into the right side of the camshafts and there is only one possible way for it to fit. Once you have the shafts set to where the tool will go in with the crankshaft set at TDC, the timing is set. No other adjustments needed. Actually, pretty slick. The only thing that ticked me off is that my local Ford dealership told me $60 for the tool and 2 to 3 weeks to get it, refused to lend the one they had, even though I assured them I'd take it Sat afternoon and have it back Monday when they opened. After some research on the net, I found it for $6.88 from OTC, but they wouldn't sell it to an individual, only to a "certified automotive shop." I finally ended up buying it from EToolMart.com for $18. Turns out the "tool" is nothing more than a flat piece of bar metal, had I known I could have used a file or something instead.
Anyway, the daughter's car is up and running.
Thanks for your help and suggestions.
Mich

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