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Ford Fiesta - 2009 1.6 diesel timing issues - kevin wilkins
Hi i have just had my timing belt fitted by a mechanic in june 2016 on a diesel 2009 1.6TDCI fiesta. This was done at less than 84,000 

Since then the fuel seems to not last as long, although it has been a while since i filled it full to the brim.

Due to usage and costs i've been running it on supermarket diesel and generally filling up from empty (fuel light on less than 50 miles) to half a tank.  I used to run on BP and BP Ultimate.

After zeroing the MPG and using for a week with £15 of BP ultimate it did read as getting 55 MPG so could be psychological. I'm starting to log miles per trip after every fill up moving forward.

Can anyone offer advice please ?



   







Ford Fiesta - 2009 1.6 diesel timing issues - Railroad.
Getting the valve timing absolutely correct is essential on any engine. Sadly too many people change them by using the quick method of putting paint marks on the pulleys, and slipping on the new belt. You may as well not bother changing it if you do it this way.

When fitting a new timing belt you must ensure that the crankshaft and camshaft are locked in the correct position relative to each other, and that the belt is then correctly tensioned. You must then remove the locking tools and rotate the engine at least one complete revolution and ensure they line up exactly. Re-fit the locking tools to make sure they do. Even a couple of degrees misaligned will make a difference.

Check with the person who replaced your cambelt and ask how he did it. If he did not use the correct setting tools he will not have done the job correctly.
Ford Fiesta - 2009 1.6 diesel timing issues - Peter.N.
As far as fuel is concerned, I have used supermarket fuel ever since its been available and have never had a problem with it or noticed any appreciable difference in fuel consumption.
Ford Fiesta - 2009 1.6 diesel timing issues - Railroad.
As far as fuel is concerned, I have used supermarket fuel ever since its been available and have never had a problem with it or noticed any appreciable difference in fuel consumption.

I would disagree with that. An Octavia 1.9TDi I used to own definitely lost a bit of edge when running on supermarket fuel. Changing back to branded fuel restored the performance. The difference wasn't huge, but it was noticeable. A work colleague said the same for his Range Rover V8. That too suffered a slight loss of power when he used supermarket 95RON unleaded.

Edited by Railroad. on 26/07/2016 at 14:20