installed new head, ran well for a couple days, now makes bad noises!

[terminaltsi]

ok, so this morning i get in, start the car, but it acts like a weak battery, then turns over and starts.....but makes a horrible clattering noise. i turn it off after a couple seconds, try to figure out what it is, check my oil, start it again, then it acts like the dead battery again, then fires up. still making terrible clattering.
oh #@%#@%#@%#@%....here we go again, something new. i look at my cam gears whihc just happen to be very close to lining up my white marks, except they don't line up! they look to be a couple teeth off! damn....must have jumped a couple teeth, which mean that clattering noise is valves encountering pistons

my question is this: are my valves guaranteed bent? the car starts and runs even now and never went over 1500 rpm while it was doing this.
i'm about to readjust the timing belt, but should i even waste my time or should i just get ready to put another head on? please help! i have another head which i just took off due to bad valve guides, do i need to go ahead and get this one to the machine shop ASAP or is it possible that my valves are ok?

 

[dTERM]

I would try to line it up and give it another go. You may be lucky, but check to make sure your tensioner is strong, and that you have the beltpath correct. I'd hate to hear that it jumped teeth again. If you can reset your timing, get it to run and have no problems, kiss the bumper and say a prayer of thanks to the car gods. Good luck with it...and I really hope you're still ok, but the only way to tell is to run it with the correct timing or rip it apart and take a look.

Some days you're the dog, other days you're the tree.

 

[terminaltsi]

i'm going to try , actually i was today, except the maintenance person came by today and told me i couldn't work on my car in the parking lot. where were they when i changed the head over the weekend? haha.

 

[turboholic]

-Do a compression check after you're done lining up the timing mark to make sure there 're no bend valve.

 

[IPT]

Originally posted by turboholic
-Do a compression check after you're done lining up the timing mark to make sure there 're no bend valve.

VERY good idea. If the compression check comes back bad do a leak down and find out where the air is going.

 

[terminaltsi]

yup, good ideas, thanks. hpefully today i can work on it without somoeme telling me it's against the rules.....