268 Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 So as the title says I just discovered the two biggest jobs on a car have comeabout on mine at the same time. Mechanic says the clutch is slipping like mad and under the rockercover looks like mayonaise. The clutch has been slipping for about 8 months tbh just thought it was an old car thing as I've never experienced it before. He said it's up to me whether I want to scrap it or not but said I'd be looking at spending a grand for a new car anyway so to consider that; which is a fair comment. So here I am considering tackling at least one of these tasks myself? This will obviously half the repair bill so my question is which is easiest? I'm thinking the clutch....... It's a 16v 1.6 zetec. Could you share your experience of changing one of the two and which one you would choose please? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahmotorsport Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 A clutch is harder to cock up, but tbh, if you can do one, you can more than likely do both. To make it easier on yourself, it may be easier to drop the whole engine/gearbox out and do it that way. That may sound like a huge task, but it would make it easier in the long run. Clutch - Make sure the centre plate is central, when fitting the gearbox, be very careful not to hit any of the pressure plate 'fingers' with the input shaft, this can lead to poor engagement. Head Gasket - Make sure the head is skimmed flat and the block surface clean, if it isn't, use coarse sand paper to clean it up. Follow the head bolt torque settings and sequence (usually start in the middle and work outwards when tightening, outside in un-doing) To time it up again you'd need the locking bar that slips into the end of the cams (or something like 5mm metal plate) Also, just because there is mayo in the cam cover, doesn't mean it's head gasket. It can happen if the car isn't used very much, i.e, driving to the shops and back for a period of time. Are you loosing coolant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
268 Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 Thanks for the detailed reply, basically yesterday it spat all its water out and it's running really rough too. That combined with the mayo is why they came to the conclusion it was the head gasket. Bigest job I've done so far is changing the struts, discs, pads and general servicing so I'm abit of a novice really. But if it's destined for the scrappy anyway I can't be making the problem any worse. Just thought I have time on my hands at the moment so I can take it slow and should be. I'll take pics as I go along incase anyone else has the same problem in the future. I just phoned the manager of the garage and he said for the 2 your looking at between 600-750 max. Said he recommends scrapping it as it's an old car. It's just a case of decisions decisions really. It was initially thought to be the water pump that was at fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahmotorsport Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 That's fair enough then, as long as they're not trying to have you on. Have a go, if you get stuck, ask for help, you can always come back to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Sounds pricey, where about you from? i'd get other quotes? an engine swap may be cheaper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersport Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 clutch is quite straight forward to do, the hardest put is getting the box off.head gasket is easy on a zetec, as long as you use the correct locking tool when doingthe cam belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScORTED Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 (edited) 2.0litre the rubbish out of it, if your not a mechanical spastic (sounds like your not as you changed the struts then didn't die driving it) its doable for a novice with some help and advice. Go source yourself a 2.0 silvertop zetec engine, a deep/desk or dewy ecu, throttlebody and maf and bish bash bosh you can have everything fixed and done for about £300. edit: punctuation fail Edited June 27, 2012 by ScORTED Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomsy Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Definately have a go your self im liking the idea of sticking a 2.0 in it, if i ever have major mechanical woes with mine thats the road i'll be going down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
268 Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 Ahmotorsport:I don't think they're trying to rip me off tbh they've done alot of freebies for me and the family in the past before and they're good mechanics to be fair to them. Also they're recommeding I scrap the thing lol. Problem with dropping the engine and gearbox out is I don't have the equipment to do it. I had a mate that had a punto with the same problem and he said him and his dad lifted that out; thing is that was a 1.0ltr. JC:Hi JC, I live in Wolverhampton the cars an identical base model of yours. scorted The thought has crossed my mind for the 2.0 conversion; thing is I don't really have the space or time to research it all as I need the car really. If I complete these 2 tasks it'll boost my confidence alot with the prospect of a 2.0 conversion and I'll start sourcing the parts. I've decided I'll crack on and start ripping her to bits at the weekend. I'm going to set myself 3 weeks and if it's not looking promising after 2 weeks I'll start seriously contemplating the scrappy. Thanks to everyone who's contributed it's really helped and allowed me to come to the decision that I'm going to have ago at it. I'm thinking my plan of action is for the next 2 days is to just research the hell of the jobs via Haynes book, youtube vids, old threads etc. Then my first port of call will be the clutch. I'll take pics as I go along so you can see the progress etc. Then if I get to the stage where I fix that I'm going to tackle the headgasket. At this point my biggest concern is the timing belt as I've never done one before! Also the fact it can turn a good engine to scrap if you get it wrong. Can somebody do me a favour though, and list what parts I may aswell change as I'm going along such as waterpump/tensioners etc. And what the best makes are? Also I have a fair amount of tools but what tools I WILL need and what tools may come in handy. Thanks alot again to everyone. Anymore tips or better ways of doing things or threads you could link me to would be much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahmotorsport Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Ahmotorsport:I don't think they're trying to rip me off tbh they've done alot of freebies for me and the family in the past before and they're good mechanics to be fair to them. Also they're recommeding I scrap the thing lol. Problem with dropping the engine and gearbox out is I don't have the equipment to do it. I had a mate that had a punto with the same problem and he said him and his dad lifted that out; thing is that was a 1.0ltr.Most modern day cars take the engine from underneath. So you only need a trolley jack + miscellaneous tools for removal and refit. You'll also want yourself a clutch alignment tool or, if you've got a good Eyecrometer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
268 Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 Haynes are saying remove the engine or gearbox. Think I'll go the gearbox route but may change my mind once I look at what's involved with changing the head gasket. From what I can pick up it's all about access with the headgasket so you may well be right about dropping the engine. Problem is if the engine isn't removable through the bottom of the car. Yeh I've been looking at the clutch alignment tool they're only about 10/15 quid so I'll pick one up to be safe. I'm just watching this 2hr long video at the moment to get a feel for it.... I'm quite confident with the prosepct of the clutch though now. But we'll have to see what I'm saying in a weeks time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottybo Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 ive got a 1.6 zetec for sale if you just wanna swap the whole lot out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveB Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 For what it's worth I would go down the change the engine route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahmotorsport Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 The engine does come out through the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
268 Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 Yeh, as I say I have considered it but the thing is the engines only done 46,000 miles FSH and I have tons of history for it. So I'm thinking there's no harm in having a go. At the moment I think it would be more costly going down the engine swap route, also the timefactor of finding a decent engine, equipment to do the job etc. I see what your saying about the engine swap though and it may be something that's inevetable; but after researching it abit I'm prepared to give it ago. Also does anyone know where to buy a timing alignment tool? Does it have to come from ford? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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