Timing Belt Broken: Need Help!

[Lonewolf64]

Hello, I am new to the forums and a proud new owner of a '92 gvr4. Unfortunately it was not in my cards to enjoy my new car for a almost any time. Today a couple of hours ago as I was driving my timing belt snapped. I'm afraid I have 16 bent valves due to interference engine and I was wondering if some of the more experienced car people on the forums could break down the work I will have to do to get her it runnning, how much it will cost minimally for just getting the head fixed (I plan to actually put everything back in myself), and then how long I should expect this job to take.

I'm sorry if this is a newbie question or if this is in the wrong part of the forums for it...I'm absolutely new to this forum but this seems to be the most logical place to start asking questions.

Thanks in advance!

 

[s_firestone]

Congratulations and apologies.

The best advice is start at the DSM VFAQ site. There are detailed FAQs and instructions for a lot of the procedures common to the 4G63.

DSM VFAQ site

If you snapped the belt with the engine running, you will want to check compression and know the valves are operating and sealing. so you don't do all the work to replace a timing belt and then find out the head needs new valves. Getting a working head and starting from the point of basically an upper rebuild kit is the least time consuming way to go.

Essentially to get it all in one shot:

A working head (or remove yours and take it to a machine shop, or buy replacement valves and DIY)

An upper gasket set, or upper rebuild kit(valve seals, ect).

A timing belt/water pump kit that includes the hydraulic adjuster(timing belt, balance belt, idler pulley, timing tensioner pulley, balance belt pulley, hydraulic adjuster, water pump & gasket/O-ring).

Accesory belts (Alternator/Water Pump, Power Steering, A/C)

Theres a checklist on the VFAQ but it assumes you are not replacing or removing the head.

Good Luck,
Stephen Firestone
1992 Galant VR-4 #918 of 1000

 

Quote:
Today a couple of hours ago as I was driving my timing belt snapped.



You should have joined his group a little sooner. The first "must replace", if it hasn't been done lately, is the timing belt. If you choose to replace it yourself, be sure to read and reread the VFAQ to be sure you are VERY familiar with how to properly install and tension the belt, and be sure to also replace the hydraulic tensioner. If you don't know the history of the car, figure another $85 for a new harmonic balancer/crank pulley, while you have it off.
I bought a beautiful remanufactured head off eBay for ~$300, including shipping, and return freight for my old head. It was some machine shop in West Virginia, or someplace around there, that specializes in refurbing heads.

 

[Lonewolf64]

I'm sorry I didn't specify...I do know the history of the car because it belonged to my brother who sold it to me as I was looking for a car. The timing belt was in a very good condition with under 25k miles on it so I was suprised when it went. Everything in the car was kept in a really good condition and most parts already replaced for wear.

Thanks again.

P.S. I am the younger brother of Whistler on this forum.

 

[Bimmubishi]

A couple of things really quick..

You should spin the balance shaft and the oil pump sprocket to make sure that they turn well without binding.

You could have opened yourself up a can of worms "should I take my balance shafts out?" Should I rebuild the block with the head off?

I think that you should consider eliminating the shafts when the engine is out, if you decide to remove it. Make sure you find out why the belt broke with such low mileage on it. Ie: too tight, balance shaft failing and grinding to a halt, oil on belt etc..

Alex

 

[Whistler]

Let me give a little background information:
The car in question is #889/1000, Nile Black with sunroof. I rescued it about 2 years ago from another board member. The car had 130K miles on it, a grinding rear end and a busted center diff. I brought it back to life to serve as my daily driver.
The car received all new timing components including hydraulic tensioner, all idlers, balance shaft belt and timing belt. All the oil seals were replaced at the same time. Everything except for the timing and balance shaft belt were genuine Mitsubishi parts and the belts were ContiTech.

Since then, the car has done many open track days, lots of autocross and daily commuting with almost 0 problems. The only failure I had was a separated harmonic balancer.

Skip to now...The odometer reads 153500. On May 4th, I gave the car to my brother for his birthday. Yesterday, I get a phone call that the car died while coasting to a stop, and does not restart. When I show up at the scene, the timing belt is broken. There is no oil on the belt, there is no fraying, no cracks or signs of fatigue. The belt is sheared in half.

Last night, I pulled the head to inspect the damage. Valves are bent but the damage to the pistons is minor and the cylinder bores look great. The head is going to the machine shop Monday.

It was getting late so I did not pull the timing cover to see what really happened. When I do, I expect to find a broken balance shaft belt.

I will snap some pictures of the belt, the next time I work on it, but here is an action shot of the car...

 

My Belt Accident

 

[s_firestone]

Sounds like he is in good hands.