So i started my car yesterday and while it was on i wiped something off my valve cover and when i pulled away a part of the rag got caught onto the belt and it got cut up and got stuck in the cam gears. So i pulled off my valve cover and got out the rest of the rag out very slowly. I think there was a bit more slack on the timing belt but i started it anyway. It kind of hesitated to start. There was no power at all when i tapped on the gas so i shut it off. I saw that the belt tightened up a bit more but now im sure my timing is off. Could that be the only problem? Any help?
I cant believe this **** happened..

 

most likely the timing belt skip couple of tooth. so set the motor to tdc and check....

and yes having the timing off will cause lack of ppower

 

Yea thats what i was going to do. But alright what should i do if its not aligned? Which im sure its not

 

if you are only off a couple of teeth, you should be able to turn the crank to tdc and adjust your cam gear enough that you wont get any interference.

 

Im not quite sure how you got a rag entangled in the cam gears,mine are completely covered...anyway,Depending on how many miles are on the belt its a good idea to go ahead,and replace the belt,tensioner,and water pump.
You can pull the belt off,and re time it,but your taking a chance....

 

I dont have a cover on it. But i only have probably 4k miles on it. I barely drive my car...so i dont really think i should have to change that again unless i have to

 

You need to take it somewhere that can check your timing before you destroy your valvetrain. I would have the belt changed as you dont know how much extra tension was placed on the belt when the rag got lodged in the gear. Roll the dice.

 

^^X2

 

Im not driving the car..but yea im def going to change the belt. Should i just go get the whole timing redone?

 

If you go somewhere to get the belt changed they will fix your timing provided you have not damaged any valves already. Part of putting a new belt on is to make sure the cams are timed to the crank.

 

I wouldnt drive anything with that belt exposed to the elements.Any oil,grease,water can get on it,and come back to "bite you".Good luck.