I think I BROKE my toy ... :(

Ok so i was tired of my alternator belt squelling and my crank pulley creaking. CAR WAS RUNNING FINE WHEN IT WAS DOING THIS .... well i pulled my car in my garage ... stuck a wrench in my cam gears .. and tightened the crank bolt to make the pulley tighter so it would stop creaking .. because it looked like it was a little loose. I took out the wrench out of the cam gears and i tighted the alternator belt tensioner screw. Took the car for a ride. Car ran but when i pressed the gas .. car was SOOO SLOW ... TOOK FOREVER FOR THE RPMS to rise, and it took ages to get the car up to 40. I turned around when i got to the end of my road and drove home. Undid everything i did .. loosened the crank bolt a little bit and untightened the alternator tensioner screw. Went to start the car and IT WONT START. The car turns over and i see the cam gears moving, BUT IT WONT START. Had my dad check to see if there was spark. There is spark in all 4 cyls. Went and rotated the crank to check the timing, both crank and cam gears line up correctly. plenty of gas in the car. I do not know whats wrong. I didnt think i changed that much to the car for it to stop running. If someone has ANY ADVICE AT ALL..... PLEASE HELP !! ... Thank you guyz. :banghead:

I'm confused, what does the crank have to do with the alternator? It doest matter if the cams line up, what matters is if the cams line up and match the crank at tdc

Yeah, this was a confusing post. Alternator is on a totally different belt than the rest.

IDK what your problem is here. I think it's time for a mechanic to check it out.

I think you fucked up more than you fixed. Timing has to be absolutley right on for the car to run right, not off a tooth or even half. I think when you stuck a wrench in the cam gears (NEVER a good idea, actually it's a very stupid idea, you could bust a tooth off of the gear) that you really screwed up the timing. How did the car run when you took it out after screwing with it? Did it run rough and sound like shit? If so then your timing is off. Run a compression test.

how can you be a half tooth off?

the alternator belt goes from alternator pulley, to p/s, to crank CORRECT ? ... well the crank pulley that has the alternator belt on it was loose. Umm ... when i took the car out, it accelerated EXTREMELY SLOW. And took for ever to move the car, the car ran like shit. Now the car wont even start, and i doubt it even builds compression right now, but i will try a comp test tomorrow after work... do you guys think i messed up the timing ? Is there anything else that could of possibly went wrong?

so what bolt did you tighten the big one or the 4 small ones?

You probably moved the timing belt by a tooth or so. If the cam bolt was loose there is a place for a wrench on the cam you just have to take the valve cover off. Check the timing before you do anything else because you could cause further damage.

Well if the car ran like shit after you screwed with the cams/crank pulleys, then you most likely jumped timing a tooth or more. DO NOT even start the car until you make SURE that timing is 100% correct or you run the risk of bending your valves. Before you do a compression test, make sure that the timing is right, then do a compression test and if you have a dead cylinder, then you most likely have a bent valve or two. These are interference engines (meaning the valve and piston run in the exact same space at certain times) and if your timing is off, then your piston and valves are both going to be in the same place at the same time and guess what, the bigger piston bends the smaller valves. Then it's time for a sweet little rebuild. Let us know how it goes and get us some compression numbers.

how can you be a half tooth off?

It just sounded good.

Check the timing before you do anything else because you could cause further damage.

Haha you learned that the hard way didn't you.

I know I learned the hard way.

It just sounded good.




I thought so but I wasnt sure if I missed that day of class or something where they explained the half tooth

well .... i still havent had any time to run comp tests or redo my timing belt. I am scared of timing belts .. :( ... its kinda like the monster in the closet for dsm folks. How much does the mitsu dealer charge for a timing job ?

WAY to much, I believe its around $500.

WAY to much, I believe its around $500.

Did you forget a figure? Anytime I've ever heard of them doing it, it always turns out to be over $1000.

Yeah, I think LSE here in MN charges like $550 which is a shit ton less than I have ever heard any dealer charge. Every timing belt job I have ever heard of was well over $800 and into the $1000 range.

Do a compression test, check timing, check spark, check for fuel (they way I do this is to just stick my face 8"-12" about the spark plug hole with the spark plug out and have someone crank it over. You will get a nice plume of gas in your face if there is gas getting to the cylinder), and check to make sure you arent leaking air off between the turbo and the tb. After that, I have no freakin idea what could be wrong.

wow F**K the dealers .... thats insane .. i will do it myself! Well ye i am getting spark, and i am getting fuel, and cranks over fine, and the only thing i messed with is the cam gears and crank .. so it MUST be the timing, but then again .. its a DSM .. lol:eek:

Make sure everything's tightened correctly to. Timing isn't that hard, granted it is usually best to practice on a beater...or a students car when you're in auto class..hehehe

Anyway, it's probably just the timing, just take your time and make sure you check over everything twice before continuing on to the next job.

well.... spent all night last night putting my car back in time. Got it perfectly on time, the car is getting fuel, got spark, it cranks over, but wont start. hmmm....
got out my trusty compression tester... 0, 0, 0, and a big 0 .... hmm maybe its broke ? tried my parents car... comrpession test worked perfect. I have zero compression in all my cyllinders. I am thinking my valves are all bent into pretzels.... any feedback from you guyz ????

bent valves and/or hole in the piston

wat are the chances of there being a hole in the wiseco piston from skinny little valves ?

wat are the chances of there being a hole in the wiseco piston from skinny little valves ?



Depends on the metal, hyperuetectic pistons have been known to get destroyed by valves. But if it's one thing i've learned it's never assume anything with engines, i've seen some pretty crazy shit, and i'm only 21 years old. Tear it down and take a look, start over from the beginning.

0, 0, 0, and a big 0 .... hmm

You really rocked that shit didn't ya lol, looks like you have a real project ahead of ya. GL

well ... took off my head last night ... as soon as i started taking off my valve cover i seen that ALMOST ALL of the lifters where jus laying in the tray and not even touching the cams... :( ... i knew this wasnt going to be pretty. Finally got my head off .. flipped it over .. AND EVERY SINGLE VALVE IS BENT ... there might be 2 or 3 that are ALMOST seated good.... lol ... well ill take pics and post them up in a little bit. All the pistons are perfect though. :icon16:

damn, sry to hear that... so how much u want for the car... lol j/k