Next up was the dreaded cambelt change. I'd been gathering all the special tools as shown in the Ford TIS guide and all the replacement bits I would need as shown in the photo.
The only thing missing was the aux belt idler pulley and after reading a post by El Dude I bought a genuine Ford one.
First important job was to check the timing pin and plate with a dial guage to make sure the existing timing agreed with the pin and plate. I couldn't get the plate in but that was because the paint needed sanding off one side of the plate (it was too thick)
Before I attached the crank holding tool I cleaned out the threads in the vib damper with a tap
To ensure that the vib damper puller would have an easy time I cleaned off the taper on the vib damper flange
Removing the plug from the VVC pulley can cause confusion as it moves the cambelt and the crank even though you're holding the cam with a spanner but don't worry because as long as it's all timed up with the tools all will be well
I cleaned the rocker cover gasket face and used an (expensive) motorcycle silicone gasket sealer to hold the gasket in place (just spotted) and left on the kitchen worktop to go off
I fixed the vib damper removing tool in place with the engine at TDC on 1 and 4 which ended up perfect for removing the bolt as I could place a 4ft pry bar above the crank holding tool but below the inner wing and put a breaker bar towards the front of the car and jack it up with a trolley jack. The bolt was tight but against the weight of the car it came off no problem.
Once the bolt was loose as it was screwed out it pressed on the shank of the vib damper remover and pulled the vib damper off.
Old Ford cambelt off and bolts on both cam pulleys finger tight so that the pulleys can move without turning the cams.
At this point my pile of parts off the car was getting bigger
The vib damper puller in use. It has a roller bearing on it's inner face so it doesn't turn the vib damper as it's pulling it on. It worked a treat
Vib damper fully on. It's vital that the new bolt is not used to do this as it's a stretch bolt and will pre stretch it.
New cambelt on and checking the tensioner release pin prior to tensioning. It actually fouls on the power steering pulley.
I bent the pin on the tensioner so I could remove it under full control as dictated by the Ford TIS and Gates bulletin
Cam belt tensioner on and correctly tensioned (slot to left of bottom bolt and kick plate about 3mm from belt tensioner post.
This was the set up I used to tighten the vib damper bolt. It's worth checking the new to the old as the original bolt was 19mm and the replacement was 18mm. First of all the crank holding tool rested on a heavy duty axle stand so it couldn't move. Then the vib damp bolt had a 3/8 drive 18mm hex impact socket onto a short extension onto a degree dial. This went onto a longer extension which rotated on top of another axle stand.
The new bolt was so tight! The 40nm and 10 deg was easy but for the rest of it I had to borrow a piece of scaffold pole. I had to trust my mate, a mechanic, that we achieved the 90 deg as I was wrestling with the scaffold pole!