Hi guys, I bought a 2013 ford fiesta S with a 5 speed manual and 37000 original miles a little over a week ago. I wanted it to be my work car and it’s been fantastic since I bought it. I did some reading and saw that the timing belt should be done given its age. I saw no record of that ever being done so I figured I better do it sooner rather than later especially cause the serpentine belt appeared to be original so I figured I’d better move quick. I realized I could save almost 500 bucks by doing this job myself and watched a two part video on how to do it. It seemed tedious to say the least but not incredibly difficult so I figured i could handle it.
Long story short I was removing the bracket for the alternator which needs to come out in order to remove the timing belt. But I accidentally removed the timing belt tensioner instead of the last bolt I needed for the bracket to come out because it’s hard to see in that area and I was doing that part of the job by feel. As soon as that happened I immediately stopped and did not touch anything else. The belt stayed on the pulleys and just went slack. Nothing moved from what I could see but I can’t say for sure if anything happened cause I was picking up the tensioner since I dropped it when the bolt came out.
this morning I ran a bore scope into the cylinders and in cylinders 1&4 I’d say both cylinders are about 1/2” from TDC so I don’t think the pistons hit the valves but again I’m honestly not sure. I’m not proceeding any further with this and I’m having the vehicle towed to the dealership for further diagnosis and to finish the job.
My question is, 1 is this a recoverable mistake and 2 what are the chances of valve damage due to this mistake.
thanks for reading and for your answers
I was removing the bracket for the alternator ... I accidentally removed the timing belt tensioner instead
Are you sure it wasn't the accessory belt tensioner? They're not usually close to each other.
@imperator unfortunately it was the timing belt tensioner for sure
this morning I ran a bore scope into the cylinders and in cylinders 1&4 I’d say both cylinders are about 1/2” from TDC so I don’t think the pistons hit the valves but again I’m honestly not sure.
If your borescope is sufficiently flexible look at the valves to check for any indication of damage.
I’m having the vehicle towed to the dealership for further diagnosis and to finish the job.
You'd be much better off taking the car to a good independent mechanic instead of the dealer. Dealers are invariably the most expensive option and not the best source for quality work. Service writers are commissioned sales people which is motivation to upcharge as much as possible. Most dealers would have no shame in giving the owner of a 14-year-old car an estimate for $10,000 to install a new engine rather than take the time to properly diagnose the problem. (The way dealership technicians are paid discourages diagnostic time and encourages changing parts.)
@chucktobias unfortunately I couldn’t get a good enough look at the valves on cylinders 1 & 4 since the pistons were close to the top
what are the chances of valve damage due to this mistake.
unless the timing belt (not serpentine belt) slipped or broke, and you haven't started the engine after working on it, then I don't see why there would be damage.
@imperator that’s my thought as well but I wanted to get some more opinions