Possible Timing Issue - Need Some Input

[Mcarey6]

Hello Everyone,

I have a stock 97 Eclipse GST with 70,000 miles that I have owned for about 3 years. In that 3 years I have put 72 miles on it and that was in the first week. It has been in storage since then because of an issues I ran into.

When I first got it 3 years back I decided to impulsively beat on it because it was the first turbo car I had ever owned. I was driving it on the interstate on my way to work and passed someone. In the process it started to run very badly and had almost no power. When I pulled off the road I noticed the motor was skipping.

I had it towed home and did a compression check on it. The number 1, 2 and 3 cylinders were at about 135psi but the number 4 cylinder had no compression. When you start it it runs very rough and shakes(presumably due to no compression on #4) and will not idle on it own.

I spoke with a mechanic friend of mine at the time who thought it was a cracked valve. I didn't have the money to have it taken to a shop and have the head pulled so I just assumed that was it. I pretty decent with cars and went to auto tech in high school but I don't have a garage to do any work in. I put it in a storage locker and that is where it has been for almost 3 years.

I had it towed back to my house last week so I could try and sell it. However, today it was 70 degrees in Maine (pretty much a unheard of this time of year) so I said screw it and decided to take another stab and figuring out what is wrong with it. I pulled the valve cover to see if I could notice anything obvious with the valves on #4. They all moved normally and no visible damage.

So I jumped online this afternoon and have spent several hours researching and I have come to the conclusion the timing might have jumped a tooth when I was passing that person. By the time I figured this out it was dark out but I went out and pulled the cam gear cover and brought it to TDC and the timing marks on the gears looked slightly off but again it was dark so I'm no 100%.

I'm going to take a closer look at the timing tomorrow because I lost daylight today.

Now onto my question. From the perspective of someone that knows a lot more about DSM's than myself, could the lack of compression on #4 be caused by the timing being slightly off? Or would you lean more in the direction of damaged valved on #4. I'm not sure if bad timing will cause just one cylinder to loose compression. I want to be sure before I got pulling the timing belt off.

From what I have read today it seems like a timing issues could be a fault. I just wanted to get a second opinion before tearing it apart.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry about the length I just wanted to make sure I included all the info.

Thanks in advance,

Barry

 

[Burntz]

If your timing jumped, and you bent a valve, it very well could be, as the valve wouldn't seal properly

 

[Mcarey6]

Thanks for the quick response. I'm pretty sure that's what happened either that or I burnt a valve.

I just found another thread where someone had the same exact issues. I must have missed it when searching before.

 

[romeen]

If damage was done as a result of a timing issue then it would likely affect more than 1 cylinder but strange things do happen.

The symptoms you're describing sounds more like you blew off a coupler on one of the IC pipes when you passed that car. But that wouldn't have any affect on compression. Personally, I would repeat the compression test before you commit to removing the head.

 

[Mcarey6]

I checked all the piping today and everything was fine there. I no longer have my compression tester. Someone with sticky fingers decided they liked it. I'm going to rig up a connection for my air compression to blow pressure into the cylinder and see if I can hear it blowing back out anywhere and see if I can find a compression tester to borrow. I'm like 99% sure there is no compression, I check it 3 or 4 times when this happened a few years ago.

It is looking like I'm going to need to pull head. It is supposed to be nice out tomorrow so it should make a good project.

I'm pretty much talked myself out of selling her now that I see it every time I look out the window. I must say she is sexy. I paid $2000 and it only has 70,000 miles on it so it's more than worth the money to get it running again. I was trying to get $900 for it and couldn't get anyone to take it because it doesn't run right.

 

[romeen]

Yeah, if you checked it several times then ignore what I said earlier.

Good luck.

 

[dallu22]

You probably cracked a valve or two on the #4 cylinder, It wouldn't be noticeable by just taking the valve cover off. Probably got the motor too hot and cracked them while you were beating on it

 

[95talongirl]

I'm have a feeling you'll discover a bent valve or two on that #4. These are interference engines, so the timing skipping is never a good thing.

Let us know what you find, tho!

 

[wunjee]

ah! i would like to give you congrats on making it 70 plus miles. when i got my first mitsu i made it a total of 2 days (prob 50 miles) before i blew it to hell. to damn fun not to beat the hell out of. def doesnt sound like a timing issue tho.

 

[DSM1G90]

I'd call it with that slight off belt timing when he "beat on it", esp after it's been sitting so long - that belt, being sitting that long, developed a set position where if you took the belt off prior operating it, it would conform itself to the belt path for the motor when you laid that belt on a bench.

When he "awoke" that sleeping motor, he prob didn't give it time to 'reform' itself to a round condition, and it did hop a tooth.

...just a thought though..

-DSM

 

[ransom_ethan]

If damage was done as a result of a timing issue then it would likely affect more than 1 cylinder but strange things do happen.
.

I thoroughly agree with this. if timing jumped, it would bend either all the intake valves, or all the exhaust valves, or all of the valves if it jumped off the crank gear

I'd call it with that slight off belt timing when he "beat on it", esp after it's been sitting so long - that belt, being sitting that long, developed a set position where if you took the belt off prior operating it, it would conform itself to the belt path for the motor when you laid that belt on a bench.

When he "awoke" that sleeping motor, he prob didn't give it time to 'reform' itself to a round condition, and it did hop a tooth.

...just a thought though..

-DSM

He didn't park it until after whatever happened to the motor happened to the motor. the sitting for 3 years would only affect it if he were to start it up and drive it today.