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I was replacing the alternator on my 2014 Ford Fusion 1.5L, mistook the crankshaft pulley bolt for my tensioner. At first I rotated the crankshaft pulley bolt CW before realizing it was the wrong bolt when I saw the serpentine belt moving CW, so then I rotated the pulley bolt CCW thinking I could put it back where it was. I used a breaker bar to do this, the serpentine belt & alternator were still installed & the crankshaft pulley bolt & serpentine belt spun fairly easy in both direction. I could feel what I think is compression build then release as I spun the bolt. but I dont know it thats normal. Now I'm concerned my timing may slip & damage my engine once I start the engine. Did I mess up my timing? If so, what can be done to adjust the timing? I called some local shops, several say they can replace the timing belt but don't know how to fix the car since I rotated crankshaft pulley bolt CCW, one said they had to tear down the engine@@, dealership said they'll replace my unbroken timing belt for $1200 because that's what the standard labor cost is-- all that seems kinda sus! If he said BC its time to replace or they'll replace BC they have to remove it anyways--Ok but just BC, that sounds sussy!!

Idk what to make of this, car has 86k mi. had it 7 yrs as sole owner, I think belt replacement recommended at 60k mi. but runs fine, always seems to misfire- its a Ford:/

The internet / YouTube seem to be failing me so far because people say don't do it but no one has said what happens when you do rotate the crankshaft pulley bolt CCW. It's like saying don't touch the big RED button, but either you or you know someone who's hit the RED button so tell us what happens! Would like to give this starter car to my daughter. If there was ever a time for the Internet to show up, this is it, please help.

Erica
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If you've not taken the front end of the engine apart, but have just moved the crankshaft bolt (and everything attached to it) CCW, there should still be no issues. I'm assuming by what you wrote (as I'm not entirely sure on a couple of things), you aren't in the process of changing your timing belt? If that is the case, I'm doubly sure you've not caused yourself any issues. While it's not a good idea to rotate the engine backwards, everything should follow in the reverse sequence. If the tensioner for the timing belt was loose (or not tightened down), then it would be an issue.

As for what can happen if the timing belt does slip ... we'll just call it major internal engine damage. Your engine is most likely what's called an interference engine. This means that moving parts within the engine share the same space at different times during the combustion cycle. If the timing belt slips and causes this dance of parts to come out of time, they then will share the same space inside the engine at the same time, thus causing the damage.

As for your timing belt, you say the engine "runs good", but that it has 86k miles on it. I'll tell you right now, the timing belt is a ticking time bomb at this point. The 60k mile maintenance on it is there for a reason. If the belt does slip or the teeth shear off (I've seen it), the above scenario of the parts coming together inside the engine will occur. Instead of a couple hundred dollars for a belt replacement, you now have a couple thousand dollars for engine replacement. This maintenance is very important in the grand scheme of things. There is no warning on the belt as far as how things are running now or when the belt will go bad. It just goes bad all at once and then it's all over but the crying. I would highly recommend you get it changed as soon as possible.

Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
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