Think my timing belt job has gone bad... need advice
 

Recently did timing and balance belts, water pump and cam tower gaskets, put it back together and fired up the engine OK, test drive went fine, BUT... it looks as if the timing belt has somehow slipped on a second outing. Engine ran rough, I pulled into a petrol station, and then couldn't restart the engine. Turned over but wouldn't catch, and the breakdown guy diagnosed no compression on any cylinder, which sounds very much like the timing's gone. Plus, I've just been messing with all that stuff, so... (I haven't had a chance yet to investigate fully as I'm on the street and the weather's not so great, and as it's a turbo I have to drain the coolant and pull the fans just to crank the engine by hand... damn it's tight in there.)

So what I'd like to know is:
• if there's any quicker way to check for damaged valves etc. than pulling off the cylinder head
• If there is valve damage, how do I put it right? And at what point does getting hold of a used but good head look like a better option than fixing mine?

If the belt has broken, it would sound very different while cranking. If it sounds more or less the same as it always has, then the belt is still intact.
Start with the basics - spark and fuel.

The belt definitely hasn't broken, but I think it has slipped a few teeth. (I can get the top half of the belt covers off to look, and can see the intact belt, but there's no room to crank the engine by hand without removing fans etc.) Have checked both spark and fuel, and both are good.

If the "breakdown guy" said it has no compression on any cylinder, I'd get a used head on order. Redoing your head could get really expensive, and with a good used head, you won't be waiting on machining or parts.

You can turn the engine by hand from under the car. You don't have to remove the fans. I would line up the timing mark for the the crank first, then see how far the cam mark is off. IF......it is off just a couple of teeth, you might get lucky and just be able to put it back right. As far as bent valves, once you are sure both timing marks line up right, do a compression check. You will find out real quick if the valves are bent.

You reckon the used head is a better option even if I'm doing it all myself (apart from the bits that a machine shop would have to handle)?

You reckon the used head is a better option even if I'm doing it all myself (apart from the bits that a machine shop would have to handle)?

It really depends on how you value down time. Valves are expensive, but the frustration of waiting on a guy waiting on a parts supplier can be worse than the cash outlay.

With a good head and a decent mechanic, it could all be wrapped up in a day.

You could get under the car and mess with checking the timing marks, but a couple of teeth off won't result in zero compression...

You can turn the engine by putting it in 4th gear and slowly rolling it..... doesn't take much.

+1

i had my head rebuilt with all new valves and guides for $65 at napa

+ 1 for rechecking your timing marks. and also if you need to borrow a compression guage do so and confirm for your self that you have ne compression. If your timing marks all line up I will find it very hard to belive that all 4 cylinders lost compression at exactly the same instant. you then should look at the lack of spark and fuel as your problem. Good luck with your car!!!

?? More information please.

John

Yeah, I don't see how that's possible. Guides cost $5 apiece, valves aren't cheap, the labor alone would be double-digits.

Had a chance to get under the car and look at the timing properly - it's off by 9 teeth.

Is it worth resetting the cam timing and seeing if the engine will start, or is that far off enough that damage will have been done?