Effects of Timing Belt Failure 2000 Trooper

[LEM]

What are the effects of a timing belt failure on a 2000 Trooper, 3.5L V6 4WD while it's running? Would it result in a dangerous situation if cruising down the highway at 70 mph?

Thanks.

[trooperbc]

generally what people want to know is whether it is an "interference" engine or "non-interference" engine -- i.e. whether or not the valves and pistons will smash into each other without the timing belt on or misadjusted.

your engine is non-interference which means should the belt actually break you won't do any fatal internal engine damage.

however, you shouldn't let the belt go much more than 100,000 miles. it's not the only thing to consider. there is the timing belt tensioner which is the thing that usually goes first and causes the belt to be not tensioned correctly resulting in possible jumping a tooth and the infamous thrownrod-like knock. there's the water pump which is driven by the tb and can and does seize its bearing and takes out the belt and sometimes the belt starts slippping sideways off the pulleys and cuts up the tb covers.

so don't let it go just because it is a noninterference engine.

ontheotherhand, should the belt just break, the biggest concern would be the driver's reaction to a loud sharp whop as the belt end snapped into the tb cover.

//bc