ford 2.3 question

[dancer52]

hey..on a stock 2.3 if you lose the timing belt will it bend the valves? I am more just curious on what all I need to look at after it happens....it looks like the lower pully came off and let the timing belt come off...figured I should pull the head...

[jwmbishop]

if you lose the timing belt will it bend the valves?

Yep.

 

Yes you should pull the heads - at least one exhaust and 2 intakes will be bent depending on how quickly and where the cam stopped. Also check for cracks at the bottom of the exhaust guides, broken cam followers (the cracks under the valve tip ends are hard to see) and crushed/damaged lashers. Check the bottoms of the lash bores as well! this is really brutal to the cam - look really closely at the lobes and follower pad corresponding to any bent or broken parts - if you see a line across the lobe from an impact - it will smear that lobe real fast if you do not replace the cam!

 

Hopefully pistons are not hurt.

[HiTech]

never bent a valve when breaking a belt on a stock 2.3 motor ..and i have broken alot of those my first couple of years racen that motor ...even cut 30 thousand off the heads and not bend one .. any more cut off than that .. i would pull the plugs and check the piston ..you can see the mark if it hit .. if we break a belt on our 2.3.s we run now ... then parts have to be ordered ... and a trip down to your local eng shop ....can get ugly ...zero deck .. and head cut 100. thousand plus .....something is going to bend ......... .now when you change that belt ..if you are turning 5000 rpm.s or more .. dont over tighten that belt ....high rpm.s will pull it to tight and break it ......i let the sprung tensioner loose and let her pull the belt tight .. then take a pry bar or something ..a screwdriver works great here ..and stick it between the water pump and tensioner .give it just a tweek more ... i fire up motor and if belt flops just alittle on throtle down .. i leave it that way ....now in our case ..i look at my belt every time i get a chance to ....if a rock or something chips it .i change it ......if it looks stringy on the edges.. i change it .. .and in fact we change our belt and belts we have three 2.3.s . atleast two to three times a season anyway ...roller cams have alot of spring seat.. safer that way .....just changed one last week on one that had only 5 or 6 nights on it ...$12. aint much .....of you dont have a cam timeing mark left on you motor ....use a level across both intake and exh cam lobes ..both lobes pointing upwards .....on number one ....lay the level agross the head first and level car ,, you can use the cam tower if stock and no straps welded to it .