97 GS Spyder Timing Belt Broke

[The_One]

Hello,

Yesterday, the timing belt on my sister 97 gs spyder broke while she was driving, and i have a few questions regarding to possible damages that could have caused to the engine.

It's a SOHC:
1. Do i need to purchase a rebuild/new head due to possible valves damage and how do i check/know if the valves are bended or not?
2. I live in Lakewood, Could anyone recommend me some reliable and reputable shops in the area that i could bring the car to if my sister decided to fix it.
3. What is the possible price range for the fix so i can let her knows.

Many Thanks
V

[robert]

It has probably bent the valves. The head will need rebuilt and reinstalled. This can be verified with a leakdown test. There are a couple of good shops out there who know how to do his very well and they are members on this board. Do not take it to the dealer.

[The_One]

It has probably bent the valves. The head will need rebuilt and reinstalled. This can be verified with a leakdown test. There are a couple of good shops out there who know how to do his very well and they are members on this board. Do not take it to the dealer.

Could you please give me the name of those shops


Thanks

[Jack(IAT)]

I am one and even though it is a SOHC, it can still have bent valves. It really depends on the RPM it was at before the belt broke. No need to replace the head, it can be rebuilt. We charge $400 for head rebuilding here, plus labor to remove and install, plus timing parts and water pump. 719-243-5305

Jack

[v413nc3]

I don't think I have ever paid attention to the SOHC, is it an interferance engine?

[Jack(IAT)]

I have seen one with bent valves, but another didn't. I think at very low RPM these heads can survive a broken belt, but doing a leakdown test is the only way to know for sure other than pulling the head...

Jack

[The_One]

Hello All,

Can i perform the leakdown test without the timing belt attaches to the engine. The reason i ask this question is because i want to know whether the 2.4L N/T has any bent valves or not ?


Thanks

[fhudsonjr]

Probably not, because when you fill the cylinder w/air it will turn the engine over.
If you have a Pro football tackle or a WWE wrestler w/a grip like a pair of Visegrips, he might be able to keep it from turning over when you have it at top dead center. :D
You might be able to do it w/ a breaker bar and socket on the crank bolt.

[fhudsonjr]

I believe you can, but the engine may want to turn over w/o the additional resistance from the belt and accessories.

You should be able to use a socket and breaker bar on the crank bolt to keep it from tuning over when you have the valves closed.

[ba109296]

If you try to do a leak down and use a breaker bar to keep it from moving you will end up hurting yourself. We did it that way in class and the 2 biggest boys there tried this and the pressure moved them right along the floor and almost pinched their hands. The key to the motor not wanting to crank is making VERY VERY sure that the cylinder your testing is at top dead center. Also another trick on smaller engines is leave the spark plugs in on the rest of the holes. This way that one cylinder is trying to fight the 3 others and usually that combined with it being at tdc it will not move. Please don't try the breaker bar. You also want to leave the cylinder your testing for more than a few minutes and trying to hold that will be impossible. If there are bent valves it should be pretty apparent though.

[The_One]

Right now the marking on cam does not align with the marking on the head. It's ok to rotate the head by itself so it meets with the marking and can i do the same for the crank too ?

Thank You Very Much guys

[dbl_clutch]

I don't think I have ever paid attention to the SOHC, is it an interferance engine?

Yes Its just a 7-bolt 4G64