Missing teeth!

[hybridshooter]

My car was running great! Then about a week ago I went out and started it and heard a tapping noise (not lifter tick!). SO I immediatley shut the car down. I didn't have alot of time to look around with it as I had to leave town for a few days. When I got back my father actually went out and started the car up to look for the noise (thanks dad ) . Well the car starts up immediatley and idles great, so that seems uncharacteristic of a trashed head. So I decided to pull the timing cover and check out the belt, and it has a whole section of missing teeth! I just bought this car a few months ago and was told it had a newer timing belt on it, which from the condition of this belt was an obvious lie! So now what should I do to figure out what damage has been done? I don't know if the timing is off, or if I just managed to discover the belt about to go? Thank you guys in advance.

 

[Defiant]

You may have lucked out, but it's very likely you have bent valves. DO NOT try to start it nor turn the motor over any more. Do, or have done, the belt job, and then be ready to undo it all to replace the valves or head. Or, pull the head to start with, to inspect the valves and go from there.

 

[talonracn49]

I agree. Do not attempt to start the car anymore. You will be able to tell if the valves hit the pistons, by inspecting the pistons if you remove the head.

Or, you can put on a new timing belt ( I recommend all new pulleys and a new tensioner while you are in there, along with a balance shaft belt and tensioner), and hope that the head is OK.

Once you get the new belt on, if the engine cranks and has good compression on all cylinders, you got lucky. If the engine will not crank or has low compression in the cylinders, remove the head and have the valves redone.

You could save yourself some time and go ahead and take off the head and check everything while you have the belt off. It really is not that much more work. Then you would know for sure that everything was 100%. If you are hearing a metal on metal sound, go ahead and remove and inspect the head.

 

[hybridshooter]

Thank you guys! I wouldn't have started it up after I heard that noise....but my father feels the need to investigate things further (not always the brightest). I'm going to do a compression test and see whats going on, then most likley pull the head. I have a good friend who is a certified mechanic, so most likley I'll just have him give me a hand with it. Thank you guys again.

 

[oldman]

(not always the brightest). I'm going to do a compression test and see whats going on,

I guess it runs in the family. You don't want to perform a compression test or turn the crank in any way period unless you don't care for the possibility of unbent valves.

 

[blcknspo0ln]

in other words.. DONT DO A COMPRESSION TEST!

 

[hybridshooter]

haha well thanks for the clarification, I misunderstood. I guess the next step is just pulling the head then. Thank you guys!

 

[blackGSX2g]

Or you could take everything off, throw the belt and new pulleys on, and just crank it over for the compression test. If you end up having bent valves, the only thing you are out is the few minutes it took to put the timing belt on. If your compression ends up ok, then you can start putting everything back together. If not, then just take the belt off and begin the process of removing the head.