Engine blown?

[soccerman58]

Hi
I have a 90 DX with the regular SOHC with over 200K, so it was a bit rattly in the head when I got it and I had to top it up with oil fairly often, but that's a lot of miles on a little engine.

Anyway, driving home tonight, the rattle gets decidedly more noticeable, but the temp is normal and the oil pressure is fine, but after about 20 miles I hear a bang and it felt like something fell off and went bouncing down the road, but it was dark and hard to tell. The engine dies, of course, and there is a lot of smoke, but I can't see anything fallen off anywhere.
The engine would spin, but it felt like no compression, and after a while the (new) starter wouldn't crank, largely because it felt like something was jamming it.

I suspect that I am going to find that the timing belt is no more and the thing blocking the flywheel teeth is either a valve or a valve spring and I am pretty much going to need a new engine, so I might as well start putting out feelers for one.

Can anyone suggest anything else that this could possibly be? Give me some hope?
Thanks
Phil

[justincyoung]

Hey,


I doubt that a valve err valve spring is blocking your starter. Really hard to diagnose from not being there, but I did see my friends tercels engine after it "threw a rod" threw the side of the block, I imagined it made quite the bang.

[NickR]

One possibility (that will give you some hope): the timing belt broke, then the remains of the timing belt jammed the crankshaft pulley against the timing belt cover, so it won't turn over. Open up your timing belt cover and have a look.

[soccerman58]

Hi
Well, I guess the good news is that I didn't see any evidence of a rod or anything else smashing through the block...I assume if that happened, even if I didn't see the hole (which seems unlikely) there would be water and oil all over the place, and there isn't.

One of the reasons that I thought the timing belt might have shredded is that I walked back up the freeway looking for the part that I am sure I heard go banging and clattering up the road and I found some pieces of shredded belt which may or may not be mine. But now you mention it, the belt is enclosed, so it's unlikely to be pieces of mine. I am just so certain that I maybe saw and definitely heard something pretty heavy and clunky come flying off, but it was definitely dark, so...

Later
Phil

[Tercel GTS]

If the car is a manual transmission you can put it in 4th gear and push the car. With no compression it should be fairly easy to push and this will tell you if anything in the engine is jammed. I'd throw a new belt on and see what happens.

[soccerman58]

Hello
I didn't think you could just throw a belt on. I realise you may be using that expression because you have perhaps done it many times and for you it is very easy, but as far as I was aware, even if it is a non-interference motor as Geek thinks it is, the relationship between the pistons and the valves is very critical, and if I just "throw a belt on" I best I could hope for is not to damage anything further. I don't think I could expect it to start.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks for putting a new belt on please? I will know tomorrow if this is the culprit (I think it is; I would expect a timing belt coming apart at 60mph would make quite a bang) and I sure would like to save this little car for 20 bucks or so.

If I take the cam cover off, would there be any evidence of internal damage to be seen there? Holes where valves might be or something?

Thanks
Phil

[tyler88]

tips for taking the timing belt cover off...yr goin to have to loosen the valve cover, removing teh wheel makes it a whole lot easier. if you have access to a hoist that would help a bunch

[soccerman58]

Hi there
You mean take off a roadwheel to get at the cover from underneath?
A hoist tho...why would I need one of those?
Later
Phil

[NickR]

First check that the timing belt has in fact broken. This is the easy bit. You remove the plastic timing belt cover, on the passenger side of the engine, and have a look.

Removing the valve cover won't neccessarily let you see whether there is damage.

If it has broken, replacing it is not especially hard, but it's not easy either. You will need detailed instructions, in order to get the valve timing right. Indeed, you can't just "throw it on". Buy a Haynes manual.

[tyler88]

yes buy a haynes manual. it will give you step by ste.ive got one and its the best investment ive made yet