Cambelt & water pump

One of the worries of buying a used car is the timing belt – or cambelt as it’s often known. Some belts are complex and a nightmare to change, some such as older Passats and Audis require front bumper removal – and some are pretty simple. The PSA Ford 1.6 HDi 8-valve diesel like ours is an easy one. And if it looks familiar, that’s because the design is almost identical to the 2.0 TDCi Mondeo belt we covered in the November 2021 issue – Ford and PSA collaborated on the 2.0-litre engine as well.

There is a fairly cheap locking tool set and Parkside Autos, who worked on our DS3 belt swap, did get one in – but when the timing pin kit turned out to be the wrong one, we decided to do it the old-fashioned way with paint marks – and it’s just as easy – so if you wanted to save a few quid and were careful, you can do it just as well without. Like so many engines, the 1.6 HDi uses the water pump pulley as part of the cambelt tensioner set-up – not an idea I like very much, but