What the hell happened to my car?

[avow]

Hey, thanks for taking the time to read this. This is my second DSM, always loved these cars, but recently I ran into the most annoying problem.

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I have owned the car for about a week when after a 20 minute highway drive I stopped the care in a residential community.

When I came back to the car the starter sounded like it was just spinning but the engine wasn't turning over. We tried to jump start the car but couldn't get enough speed on the flatter road.

Had the car flat bed toed to the mechanic. They took the starter out, put the new one in and it still spun. Then after 3 days of trying to figure it out (with the original starter back in it) they took the timing cover off and are telling me some of the teeth are missing from the timing belt and it has slipped.

The thing is though that the timing belt was done in January of 2010 and only has 10,000 kms on it since done. They want $960 to do the timing belt (after 6 days, $120 diagnostic, and of course the huge flat bed fees to get it there), but isn't this an interference engine? Wouldn't it be toast then?

Does anyone have any other ideas? Where should I go from here?

 

[Absit]

If the crank was spinning and the cams weren't, yeah, your valves are likely toast.
And $900+ to do a timing belt is retarded. Your mechanic doesn't know this car, at all, and should never be trusted with it. Find someone that can tell you the difference between a 6 bolt and 7 bolt in reference to a DSM - or do it yourself.

 

[deweese46]

Ok so they said the timing belt teeth are missing,so the belt slip and went off time correct?Or did the belt break?

 

[fbc-eclipse]

most likely u have bent valves, $900 for a t-belt job is ridiculous.

 

[Absit]

Ok so they said the timing belt teeth are missing,so the belt slip and went off time correct?Or did the belt break?

How am I supposed to tell you that? Go look at it, you tell us.

 

[Calan]

They took the starter out, put the new one in and it still spun. Then after 3 days of trying to figure it out (with the original starter back in it) they took the timing cover off and are telling me some of the teeth are missing from the timing belt and it has slipped.

This is the first clue that this "mechanic" doesn't know what he's doing.

1. Starters don't just die while the car is driving down the road. And even if the starter had of failed, it's simple enough to diagnose on the car without just replacing it.

2. It took them 3 days to find a failed timing belt? WTF Thirty seconds with a wrench on the crank bolt should have done it.

Ok so they said the timing belt teeth are missing,so the belt slip and went off time correct?Or did the belt break?

Same difference. It (and probably your valves) are toast.

Run far, far away from this mechanic/shop, and find one that knows what they are doing. A timing belt replacement should be around $400-$600 on average from what I've seen, if the shop knows what they are doing. If not, they'll charge you more to cover their research time.

 

[avow]

Thank-you for all the quick replies.

Ok so they said the timing belt teeth are missing,so the belt slip and went off time correct?Or did the belt break?

Their exact words were that they had to move the belt on the track to find the missing teeth on the timing belt. I know for a fact that it was still on the track when I brought the car to them because I looked at it. It is not unreasonable to think it is off time, but would that cause this spinning sound still?

Run far, far away from this mechanic/shop, and find one that knows what they are doing. A timing belt replacement should be around $400-$600 on average from what I've seen, if the shop knows what they are doing. If not, they'll charge you more to cover their research time.

I am more than willing to pack it back up on a flat bed and bring it somewhere else. Should I even bother with the timing belt or go right to a swap at this point?

 

[Absit]

I'd pull the head and go from there, but you can be pretty sure you'll need to replace valves.

 

[Calan]

Their exact words were that they had to move the belt on the track to find the missing teeth on the timing belt....would that cause this spinning sound still?

...Should I even bother with the timing belt or go right to a swap at this point?

First of all, there is no "track". The t-belt simply loops around some sprockets and pulleys: http://www.vfaq.com/proj-pics/Tbelt/Tbelt5.jpg

If it has missing teeth where the crank sprocket is, the crank will just spin and not turn the belt.

A swap? Are you talking about a motor swap? A broken t-belt and a few bent valves doesn't warrant a complete engine swap at all...unless you have a lot of other issues as well.

 

[phunny]

What swap are you referring to?

 

[avow]

First of all, there is no "track". The t-belt simply loops around some gears and pulleys: http://www.vfaq.com/proj-pics/Tbelt/Tbelt5.jpg

If it has missing teeth where the crank sprocket is, the crank will just spin and not turn the belt.

A swap? Are you talking about a motor swap? A broken t-belt and a few bent valves doesn't warrant a complete engine swap at all...unless you have a lot of other issues as well.

When I said track I was referring to it looked to be in place without doing an extensive investigation. Thank-you for clearing that up for me, that was actually really helpful.

The swap I am referring to is a used 4g63t, it almost seems like a viable solution. Product Link

 

[Calan]

it almost seems like a viable solution. Product Link

No it doesn't.

Why pay $1600 for nothing more than what you already have, minus the t-belt issues? And if you are swapping from a 7-bolt to a 6-bolt, there's a lot more to it than just dropping it in.

If you are capable of swapping the motor, you are more than capable of doing a t-belt job. Just replace the belt and all related components, buy a set of inexpensive quality valves (like these for example) and have a good machine shop check the head and install new guides/seals...and you should be all set. For way, WAY less than $1600 I might add.

 

[LambdaJoker]

I would check the flywheel if the starter was just spinning freely. +1 on taking it to a different mechanic/shop if you don't do the work yourself.

 

[avow]

In case anyone was looking for a follow up:

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Back up and running now. Thanks to everyone for their advice, it really helped point me in the right direction. 15 valves were toast. Also leaking tons of oil from various spots so that all got fixed too. Next on the hit list: the evil second gear syncros >.<