Cambelt manufacturers?

[Cubatoo]

Hi me again! Forgot to ask, since it seems that Ford aren't making the cambelts any more, if someone has used another make they can recommend please?

 

[CherryVimto]

Gates

 

[Cubatoo]

Thank you

 

[CherryVimto]

Sorry for the short answer.. wasn't really much more to say than that!
They have always been good quality - I have used Gates kits in the past and I have a Gates kit fitted now.

 

[Cubatoo]

No problem, concise and to the point! Now I get to run her for another 5 years and it will be worth paying for the welding!

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

TBH, I don't think I have ever seen a snapped timing belt, regardless of the manufacturer. Any major name brand will be more than fine (Gates, Continental, Bosch, SKF...). I have been using Gates, Ford OE, Continetal (in focus), SKF (in Honda) and not a single problem whatsoever with any of them

 

[Cubatoo]

I take your point about the belts but I think I am just as worried about the pulley!

 

[YOG]

I assume you mean the cambelt tensioner pully?
Over the years, I've been led to believe that it was this pully that usually failed, causing the engine to be damaged. If yours is a 1.7, make sure whoever fits the cambelt kit knows what they are doing. And, whilst it is being done, it would be advantageous to also change the water pump.

 

[yippeekiay]

^what he said^

And also +1 to the Gates recommendation

 

[GKD007]

No problem, concise and to the point! Now I get to run her for another 5 years and it will be worth paying for the welding!

Fitted them to our Puma last year. Only issue is the none Ford cam belt kit guarantee is rubbish compared to Fords being only 2 years or 30,000 miles against the Ford kit that was 5 years or double that mileage?! Not changing ours every 2 years, had the car from new.

 

[Cubatoo]

I assume you mean the cambelt tensioner pully?
Over the years, I've been led to believe that it was this pully that usually failed, causing the engine to be damaged. If yours is a 1.7, make sure whoever fits the cambelt kit knows what they are doing. And, whilst it is being done, it would be advantageous to also change the water pump.

Yes, a prospective Puma purchase that I was considering was scuppered by the owner getting the belt changed but not the pulley!

 

[Cubatoo]

Fitted them to our Puma last year. Only issue is the none Ford cam belt kit guarantee is rubbish compared to Fords being only 2 years or 30,000 miles against the Ford kit that was 5 years or double that mileage?! Not changing ours every 2 years, had the car from new.

So Is that a Gates one?

 

[GKD007]

So Is that a Gates one?

Yes.

 

[GKD007]

So Is that a Gates one?

Here is Gates terms.
https://www.gatestechzone.com/en/warranty

 

[Cubatoo]

Here is Gates terms.
https://www.gatestechzone.com/en/warranty

Thanks for that info. Interesting!

 

[GreenEyedPuma]

There's a VERY particular method of installing the cambelt tensioner on the Puma 1.7, which if not followed, can result in the cambelt loosing tension and "jumping teeth"!!! At best, this would possibly cause poor running if it only slips a single notch on the cam pulleys, but more likely, a catastrophic failure of the engine.
.
I found this site with info about investigations into what happened and why, on two failed Puma 1.7 engines / cambelts, plus how the cambelt tensioner SHOULD be installed correctly (specifically refers to the Puma 1.7 engine):-
.
Timing belt failure – Ford Puma 1.7 16V petrol
.
I hope this helps everybody on the site and nobody's old Puma's go bang! The link above wouldn't copy & paste as a hyperlink, so you may have to copy & paste it into a URL bar yourself! That worked for me!

 

[Cubatoo]

Thanks for that. I use Olly from OC Motorsport He rescued one of my cambelts after it hadn't been tightened up by the garage that fitted the kit. I have been taking her ther ever since.
I can't remember the make but Olly didn't like the looks of one of the aftermarket kits he ordered, which was why I was asking about them as Pumy is due a change this year.