Car Died Today (on the highway) need some major help!!!!!!

[Keenman]

On my way home from work today my car died....heres how it started drove fine all day, but when i started it after leaving from work it shook like crazy (like it had parkinson's disease or something) and i was like we'll is should be able to make it home(big mistake), but about 3 min after i got on the highway i smelled something burning (like a belt or something rubber) and 1 min after that my speed went staright down until i had to pull off and walk back until someone gave me a ride (o ya it was dark and rainy..so i had it towed home, and ill be looking at it tommarow but i was wondering if anyone else has any ideas of what to look for or if this has happened to them........thanks any help would be great

 

[Keenman]

ohh also my car wouldnt start after that but the radio and wipers stayed on so it cant be anything with the battery (a yes i had plenty of gas)...could it be a belt or a loose wire

 

[Keenman]

i have heard a few people say something about a surpintine belt but im not exactly sure what or where that is any ideas

 

[mccarlin]

NOt sure what that could be, but my DSM died thursday night too on the hwy, and im in IL too. must of been something in the air that night.

 

[Defiant]

Originally posted by Keenman
i was like we'll is should be able to make it home(big mistake)

Uh, yeah

but about 3 min after i got on the highway i smelled something burning (like a belt or something rubber)

and still didn't get the clue

and 1 min after that my speed went staright down until i had to pull off and walk back until someone gave me a ride

Timing belt.

Don't try to drive a damaged car. They don't heal.

 

[Doug99RS]

I would recomend pulling the upper timing cover and inspect it for missing teeth.
Doug

 

[Keenman]

seems like everyone think its the timing belt but i looked at that first and it looked fine, also checked spark plugs and they seem to be firing....my dad said it could be my fuel pump......

 

[Doug99RS]

We suspect the timing belt with good reason. We've seen alot of timing belts let go and be the source of a burning smell, no start/run condition, and several other problems. It's not just an off-the-wall idea we both came up with.

One thing to keep in mind with the timing belt is that the teeth are on the entire belt. I would mark the timing belt at the cams and then rotate it all the way around until that mark comes back up. I've inspected timing belts that had all the teeth except for a section about 3 inches long which was down at the crank. If you've already done just that, then sorry for suggesting it, I just didn't see anywhere that you inspected the timing belt in part or whole.

A fuel pressure gauge will help rule out a fuel pump problem.
Doug

 

[Keenman]

thanks for the reply no i hadnt tried that, but i will...if any one has any other thoughts i would love to hear them

 

[GTM]

Originally posted by Keenman
thanks for the reply no i hadnt tried that, but i will...if any one has any other thoughts i would love to hear them

Before you get too far into the timing belt, take a look at the alternator belt and alternator. Depending on how alternator is wired all it takes is 1 good diode to keep the light from coming on and the other 5 be smoked.

My first suggestion is look for the Alt. belt and see if it's ok, see if you can turn the Alt pulley by hand. Charge battery or use jumper cables from another good battery and see if it starts. As the battery voltage drops the spark coils are a heavy draw (besides headlights), in the _rain_ slick roads he might not have noticed they were getting dim. The plugs would misfire hence the vibration and because the lights (maybe heater too) were on continued to pull amps out of the battery.

If it doesn't start with the jumpers then check the other items previously mentioned.

Cheers,
GTM

 

[Keenman]

Bad news.....found out today that you guys were right...the timing belt slipped and bent some of the valves..there not sure how many yet and there checking to see if it needs a new head (man, i hope not) they estimated me at $1500 if it needs a new head, and hopefully a lot less if not......

 

[Keenman]

"The power for the radio, lights, and wipers are on seperate circuits from those that do anything for the engine. There's a few things like altenator and stuff that get tied in but not really for this situation.

I think the timing belt is a good suspect but I won't deny the possibility of other things as well. But if it is the timing belt I offer this possibility which is NOT that impossible. The timing belt is driven by the crankshaft which then turns the other components. The cylinders build up pressure when the valves open and close and the pistons go up and down. So The pressure puts a strain on the crank which then puts a load on the starter. This is a normal strain and we are used to hearing the starter operate under that amount of labor. When the timing belt strips out and the stripped part is at the crank then the valves don't open and close because the belt no longer spins. If the valves don't open and close, no pressure builds up in the cylinders. No pressure means less strain on the pistons to go up and down which then equates to less strain on the starter. So the starter will operate like it's supposed to but because of the lack of strain then it sounds different. So you've now got a no start condition because of a stripped timing belt and a different sounding starter that I just explained above.

Checking the timing belt may not lead you to the problem but it's easy and you don't have to spend any money for someone else to check it. Alot of times I give advice that my or may not pinpoint the problem but I always try to suggest the quick and easy stuff that doesn't cost any money.

Now the good news is that if the timing belt moves then we've ruled out two of the possible suspects. If the timing belt moves and all the teeth are present and accounted for then well... you're belt's good. But the even better news is that the only way your timing belt can move is if the starter is turning the crank. If it's turning the crank then you know the starter is good too. You've just killed two birds with one stone and all it took was about 10 mins and a 10mm wrench or socket. Feel free to keep posting in that thread because if you're able to find the problem, I'm sure others would like to know too what you did to fix it.
Thanks,
Doug"





..........I know I already figured out the problem but i just thought I would post this...this is a private message doug wrote me, hopefully this will help others if they have the same problem.....by the way thanks Doug!!

 

[Doug99RS]

Thanks for the update and I'm sorry it turned out to be the timing belt. I would recomend replacing it anyways unless you know it's less than about 10,000 miles old. There's no need in having this happen again over a 50-75 dollar belt. Good luck with things,
Doug

 

[GTM]

Originally posted by Keenman

...
There's a few things like altenator and stuff that get tied in but not really for this situation.
...
Now the good news is that if the timing belt moves then we've ruled out two of the possible suspects.
thanks Doug!!

My thoughts were it's a lot easier to lift the hood and look at the Alt belt without getting your hands dirty.

Were it anything but a Mitsu and the known slipping belt that Doug spotted instantly, the reverse would have been a more likely scenario. As much as I like the idea of belts for some reason they don't make them easy access though I gather the later engines have improved. This is not to say chains don't have their problems also when they get excessively long.

Cheers,
GTM

 

[airbrat]

same thing happened to me. I was taking my daughter to school. I probably wasn't even driving faster than 15mph because we were in a school zone. Suddenly I smelled something burning and not even a minute later my car just died. It rolled to a stop but all the electrical was still working. I found out out my crank pulley died and took out my timing. With the help of my friend we ended up doing a head swap from a 97 GST.

I hope this helps. I used www.drivewire.com and ordered their COMPLETE timing belt kit for $100 bucks. They use the Contitech belts, the same brand that is OEM for BMW and Mercedes. Good stuff!

Good luck w/ your car.