Bought a 91 Teg (170k miles) off a friend. Didnt run so we towed it to a mechanic. After some testing he reported it had thrown a timing belt and destroyed the head. He said the tensioner may have "let go". I bought a used head for cheap and got all the parts I need. I got the head off and we're putting on the new timing belt and new tensioner.

My question is: What can I check for in regards to Timing belt area to make sure I fixed the problem? The old tensioner looks fine, old spring looks fine. Old belt had 80k miles on it and looked fine also. Suspose it could have jumped a tooth but that cannot be verified now. I just wanna make sure I fix the problem before I put it all back together. Any tips on what to look for?

 

New tensioner, belt, and water pump. That's pretty much all you can do as far as the timing belt is concerned.

At 170k, the piston rings might be going or getting to that point. You might be better off just replacing the engine. But if you already got the parts...

And how did the old head look? Standard procedure for a broken timing belt is a new belt and compression or leak-down test. Amazing as it might seem, replacing the head is rarely necessary.

--
Tom

 

Is there a way I can check the tensioner to make sure the new one is doing its job right? And if I screw all this up and the timing is NOT right, will starting the car up destroy my valves and/or head? I dont wanna run the risk or starting it up unless I have verified this is all good!

Thanks

 

When the timing belt is off so much the car wont start does that normally bent valves and basicallly destroy the head? You said replacing the head is rarely needed. I bought a used replacement head anyways, but am just wondering if it was nessecary. What is usualy the threshold for timing belt related damage to the head?