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Yup.
Last October, this was me:
[url=https://postimg.org/image/calva2mz3/]
I was merging on to the express lanes of Hwy 401 in Toronto, and all the sudden I heard a quiet noise that was hard to describe, and the car started losing power.
I safely made it to the shoulder of this busy highway and tried starting my car a time or two. It sounded oh so wrong as I was cranking it. I called CAA (think AAA, but in Canada). When asked what the problem might be with my car, I told the lady on the phone, “my motor is acting just like it broke a timing belt.”
But I had just replaced it 50,000km ago. (that’s 30,000mi).
[url=https://postimg.org/image/mypm8wwy7/]
It turns out a little plate that was sandwiched in between my crankshaft pulley and the crankshaft timing gear got bent the last time I did my timing belt. That plate must be a dust shield? It interfered with the timing belt and slowly shredded away at it. After that little mileage, it was approximately half it’s original width.
Well I had already watched your video on “what to do when your timing belt breaks.” And it worked for you on a Civic, and it also worked for briansmobile1 on a Mitsubishi Lancer. I did try putting a new timing belt on it before pulling the head. But, long story short, the valves in my engine really ended up like this:
[url=https://postimg.org/image/ammpvf93j/]
I’m thankful that it happened in October of last year and not July, because I drove this car to last year’s meetup! All the while I was unaware my timing belt was slowly being shredded away! This happened in the city I live in, and all was well.
The ironic thing is I was on my way to my parents’ house to work on my other, older car; an old reliable 97 Ford Escort, which was also registered and insured. I just switched cars and tinkered away at my Kia’s motor in my spare time!
I actually put all new valves in the head, and decided that the pistons still looked okay. All 16 new valves, one headgasket kit, a new head bolt set later, this motor’s running again.
I put more care into my 2003 Kia Spectra with 250,000kms than most people would. I had thought about scrapping it. But, after eight years of doing mostly oil changes in the dealerships I worked at, I had actually never done this type of job on a car before. I’m glad I chose to get this experience!
Years ago, when I was employed at an air force base on Vancouver Island, I was rattling along some old logging roads when I came across a stranded outdoorsman whose truck had stopped running and wouldn’t start. Coincidentally, his truck was nearly identical to mine, an old POS early 70s Dodge 1/2 ton, so I figured there couldn’t be much wrong with it that I hadn’t seen before.
I took the cover off the air cleaner, and the air cleaner housing was completely filled with an enormous salmon that this guy had caught illegally and tried to hide from any wildlife officers that might have come along. The fish was blocking all air flow to the carb. Salmon removed, truck ran fine.
So, if you experience a sudden engine failure, always check you air cleaner for fish. I now keep a jar of tartar sauce in my glovebox just for such occasions.
Yikes. It always sucks when you’re the cause of a failure like that. I’ve had a few of those myself. Glad you figured it out and got it sorted. Even more glad it didn’t break down when you traveled to the ‘Meet Up’.
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