It's the 2014 Ford Escape SE 1.6l turbo. I bought it used and although it was reasonably well maintained, the parts were just .. old. Replaced pads and such and bought a new (Gates) timing belt to use on it.
Got one mechanic saying if I don't buy the tool (I'm in Africa.. mechanics here don't generally have all the manufacturer specific tools here), the belt replacement could result in serious "timing issues". Now.. I'm trying to change it before it fails. He doesn't want to open it until I spend the $60 / $80 on the tool and the months it will take to get it here.
I saw the video where Scotty changed the belt using a method that just had him marking the teeth and the casing and making sure they lined up correctly before tightening things back up.. is this also a workable method for replacing the belt on my vehicle or is the tool really required?
A friend's brother runs a mechanic shop here (didn't know..) and says he can do it without the tool. Whats the best/safest option here? Risk the months of waiting for the tool, risk bad timing if the belt isn't put on right.. or risk running a belt of unknown condition with the chance it breaks and leads to catastrophic failure..?
I would get the tools and do it correctly. You don't want to have issues with timing.
You can't do that one the same way Scotty did the one in the video.
Also, It isn't "a tool". It's an entire kit of tools.
That job can be done without the kit but I wouldn't try it.
You're better off spending the money for the kit and waiting for it to be shipped to you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fppy2PZTxZs
Thank you. I'm trying to get the kit ordered in from the States..
I'll just keep it around so that I can use it if the car lasts another 100,000 miles lol..
Speaking of which - the car has 140~ miles, 114k of that was done by the Ministry of Transportation in Canada. It had a second owner for a few years that did the last mileage, also in Ontario. There is light rust and corrosion across the entire underbody due to the salted roads.. mechanic here is recommending I get the car pressure washed on the underside.
I say all that to say this - if I "baby" the car and continue doing as I've done (i.e. immediately did an oil change, spark plugs, brake pads, filters) is there a chance I can get this car to last another 5 years? Bear in mind that mechanics charge a fraction of the cost here.. average daily wage is about $13.. mechanics are obviously a bit higher but not unreasonable. In general as Ghana is a smaller country and it's mostly stop/go traffic, most people do less than 10,000 miles in a year but its about 100% city.