Timing belt shredded but did not break, NEED HELP FAST!!!!

[90 GSX]

I just dropped this new motor in the car, it's basically a 2g piston 1g big rod combo. Apparently, either me or my friend who helped me work on the car dropped a bolt into the timing cover that we did not know about. As I'm driving, I hear some bad noises and pull over. Finally got around to pulling the cover today after the car sat for a week and that little bolt plops right out, all nice and shiny from hitting the timing gears... anyway, I thought the worst but I wanted to be sure because I think that only the exhaust cam was off (I don't know how). So I did the compression test DRY and here are the results:

Cylinder 1 - 180
Cylinder 2 - 130
Cylinder 3 - 180
Cylinder 4 - 180

Did I bend a valve on the #2 cylinder? Is it possible to still have 130 psi with a bent valve??? Could that 50 psi difference come from having a dry cylinder? I really want to fix this problem this weekend, any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[rowlex]

do your timing marks line up perfectly?

I'd say you need to do a leak-down test.

 

[90 GSX]

They line up perfectly. I do not have a leakdown tester... where could I rent one??? I can put the number 2 and 3 cylinders at TDC and hook up compressed air to the cylinder and see where it leaks from sort of like a ghetto leakdown test.

 

[90 GSX]

Just got off the phone with my friend, I'm getting a leakdown tester tomorrow morning.

 

[GST with PSI]

don't think you bent valves if you timing marks are still perfect. my balance shaft belt shredded recently allowing my crankshaft to jump 3 teeth out of phase with the cams. cams were still lined up crank just slipped. my valves were OK. if you really are worried (i wouldn't be) pull off your valve cover. grab hold of the rocker arms above the suspected bent valves and give them a wiggle. if they are still tight you are probably OK. also you can pull all of you spark plugs out and turn the motor over by hand. this allows you to rotate the crankshaft without having to fight compression. rotate the motor (clockwise)very slowly by hand while trying to listen and feel for metal to metal contact and resistance. if you bent some valves you should be able to tell here.

 

[Defiant]

Ulgf.I don't like the sound of this at all. For startes, I don't think the noise was from the lost screw. That would probably have danced all around inside there without giving a hint, until it actually ate a belt, and apparently that didn't happen. I am concerned about your oil supply. The noise sounds like the motor went dry, and I don't know if that screw could have jammed the oil pump without taking the whole timing belt with it. Is there any sign of scuffing on the cams?

 

[90 GSX]

Thanks for all the responses. I got your PM defiant...

This was extremely weird... I came outside the next morning with a leakdown tester but I decided to check the compression just for shits and giggles. They were all back to normal again!!!!! The car played a trick on me... I triple, I repeat triple checked the compression yesterday and it was at 130 on cylinder 2. I'm thinking that maybe something was stuck between the valve and the seat or a lifter was not behaving right or something like that... whatever it was it is gone now and the car runs fine.

On to my next problem, Defiant please help out on this one... when my car is running, it runs like a champion! No stuttering no knock just smooth clean power (on a janky old 14b I might add). However once you shut the thing off it does not start again. It runs a wee bit rich but not too bad (I think because of the turbo leaking air). It will crank and sometimes sputter like it wants to start but it won't turn over. I usually have to let it sit for a while maybe remove the plugs and then it will start back up again after a break.

It has an idle of about 2000 rpm (when I ground the timing plug by the battery the idle returns to 750-800 right where it should be). I set the timing to 5* btdc idling at 800 rpm on the gauge. I disconnected the timing adjustment before I shut the car off... don't know if that has anything to do with it but I have heard that if the spark timing is off it might idle high.

Also, it is not making as much vacuum as it should, at 2000 rpm it is at 20 inches, however at 1500 it's only making 17-18 inches and 14-15 at normal idle speeds (the engine sounds like it's being loaded down almost I can't really explain it).

Could a bad throttle body (FIAV) cause a problem like that. I did a boost leak test and there is only one leak coming from the turbo, everything else is sealed perfectly. The idle stays at around 2000 rpm from when it starts to when it turns off even after being at operating temperature for a while. I'm thinking it's a problem with the FIAV.

Anybody??? I want to drive the car to school but it's a 90 mile drive.


EDIT: As far as that screw, I took it off my old block, put some red locktight on it, and torqued that sucker down. I used the wrist torque technique in which my arm decides when it has had enough torque

The screw was for the front cover but it was bigger than all of the rest of them. It had a 14mm hex head with a different number printed on it than all of the other 12mm (look like 8x1.25 threads). When I built the motor I torqued it to 17 ft lbs but apparently that was not enough.

DEFIANT - The noise was front a shredded piece of my timing belt going around and around slapping the cover as it went along. I think the reason I did not hear the bolt flopping around is because the balance belt is eliminated.