I just broke my car =(

[Wipeout]

I was driving 30 mph at about 5% throttle when I heard a pop then the motor shut off. The valves aren't moving. The cam gear doesn't spin, but the lower gear that moves the timing belt does. Is the belt just slipping? How do I fix it? I lost my Haynes manual :(

[garyft]

I was driving 30 mph at about 5% throttle when I heard a pop then the motor shut off. The valves aren't moving. The cam gear doesn't spin, but the lower gear that moves the timing belt does. Is the belt just slipping? How do I fix it? I lost my Haynes manual :(

I had this happen on a different car. What happened was that several of the teeth sheared off the timing belt, so the the drive pully was basically just spinning inside the belt without moving the belt. Either way, my first and best bet would be timing belt.

[Wipeout]

Yeah, Thats what I was thinking. I guess I can take off the lower timing belt cover and check out the belt.

[FyreDaug]

Yeah let us know, it sounds like a timing belt, but make sure you check everything out with the valvetrain

[88Accord-DX]

Yeah, Thats what I was thinking. I guess I can take off the lower timing belt cover and check out the belt.
Take off the top timing belt cover to check out the belt. It sounds like the belt broke. The links you see underlined is the how to on removal & installation.

[2drSE-i]

lol i like his subject line tho, makes him sound like a total newb :kekeke:

anyway, id say it is definately the timing belt

[Wipeout]

The timing belt didn't break. It doesn't even feel that loose. It must have had the teeth sheared off on the bottom, because the lower gear spins but the belt doesn't move. I dunno; maybe the valves all got stuck :P

[88Accord-DX]

Well, if it was a metal timing chain on the bottom sprocket I could see it shearing off. Don't see that possible. Let us know what happens.

[FyreDaug]

So the lower gear still spins freely but the belt doesnt move at all? Does the belt smoke?

I doubt all the valves are frozen lol. Take the belt right off, because if the belt wasnt screwed before, it is now.

[Blkblurr]

Pull your spark plugs out and rotate the upper cam shaft pulley with a socket wrench. If it spins and your belt moves with it, you broke teeth off the belt at the lower pulley or you sheared a shaft/pulley key

[Wipeout]

I already messed up the relationship between the crank and the cam. Which way does the cam spin? How do I put them back on the right teeth again?
The belt shakes back and forth a little like it's stripped on the bottom. The bottom gear thing turns just fine. It looks like I sheared some teeth off, but I'm not for sure. I'll have to check. Is it possible the belt came off the lower gear? Is there an easy way to get to that lower gear?

[nswst8]

Counter clockwise.

Since you were not on the hwy when this happened the chances are good that the only thing affected is the belt.

There has been alot of discussions the this is an non-interference engine.

[Wipeout]

Really? I've heard of people bending valves from their timing belt breaking with the A20A1 motor. How would that happen? That's good to hear though, I guess :)
I was going 30 mph in third gear when it happened. I also got pushed back home with another car, and had to spin the motor some by letting out the clutch on a downgrade to get brake boost back so I could slow down.

[88Accord-DX]

Many overhead camshaft (OHC) engines are non-freewheeling or "interface" engines. On these engines, a no-crank condition may be caused by piston-to-valve contact. This is common occurance when a timing belt slips or breaks, but it may also occur on engines fitted with a timimg chain & spockets. On many belt-driven OHC engines it is possible to easily loosen or remove part of the timing belt cover. Do this, if possible, and check for obvious signs of belt failure.

Just some info. I have posted on this site.

[lostforawhile]

everyone says this is an interference engine but i don't believe it when i wa working on my valve train i could drop the valve down to the keeper groove with the piston at top dead center before it would hit there is no way it could hit that piston with the spring and everything on. i broke mine at 80 some miles an hour and 6000+rpm and didn't bend or break a dam thing. believe me i indicated every valve stem and checked everyone of them for proper height even checked the pistons with a borescope, not mark on them. if it was gonna blow it would have blown. if you could get someone to help who knows what they are doing now is a great time to replace the valve stem seals and cam seal and crank seal. it is very involved doing all this at once though, i am farmiliar with every nut and bolt on my car and it was still involved to fix.

[AccordEpicenter]

they say it is an interference engine but ive never seen one break from blowing a timing belt. If you wanna replace seals, only use genuine honda seals... ALWAYS

[lostforawhile]

i got my valve stem seals from the engine rebuilder here in town and he's been in buisness for 50 years, i can't remember the name of the seals but he had to order them he said he has used them on honda engines for years.he needed the engine code to even order them. if you aren't anywhere near a dealer i would say find someone who knows honda engines and ask them what they use. the rebuilder i got mine from says they have been improved as far as heat resistance. i guess in 20 years seal technology has gotten a lot better.

[88Accord-DX]

i broke my timing belt in my 87 lx.... valves were bent....

Just letting you know..

[lostforawhile]

i figured that when my belt broke i would have broke the engine but after trying tht on both intake valves and the exaust valves there is no way it could have hit. there must be a slight compresion difference between the bs and a series. i know they are almost the same but there must be some small difference.

[Wipeout]

I bought the car for $30 as a winter beater while my Fiero is garaged, so I don't really want to put time/money into it that I don't absolutely have to (especially since I just spent $1500 on a Getrag transmission and 3000GT dash for the Fiero..). When I get around to it I will pull the belt and see if it did indeed shear some teeth off. Thanks for the replies.. this is an always helpful forum. :)

[Cant Stop]

it's no big deal it definitely sounds like the belt is shot
pop it off and put on a new one pinto's were known for this as well and were non interference engines as well since your lower spins and the bely doewnt move this is a strong indicator of the belt being worn out especially if you did'nt put this timing belt on. as for putiing new seals on it if it didnt burn oil before then dont bother
just get your beater fixed and continue driving since it will most likely out last your fiero anyways
i'm not saying your fiero is junk, just that they are known "fireboxes"

[Wipeout]

I doubt it'll outlast the Fiero. It's in great shape, and the 4.9 is one of Cadillac's longest lasting motors. The motor has 31,000 on it, while the Honda has 266,000 on it. I'm not saying my Honda is junk, just that it has a specific place in my lineup: as the winter beater. :)

Or did you not know I swapped the motor? :p

P.S. clearing up some false facts, as of 1999 there were 106 documented engine fires in Fieros. I know that the 2000 & 2001 model year Focuses had more engine fires than that, in just two years. The '84 Fieros were the ones noted to "catch on fire", even though they used the same 2.5L Iron Duke that basically every other GM uses. The oil pan was slightly shallower; otherwise they were the same motor.

Anyway, I get kinda antsy when I hear stuff about Fieros catching on fire, because not many people actually know what went on. They weren't cancelled due to engine fire problems..

Oh well, I still call my car the Fire-o :)

[Wipeout]

I'm to the part where you pull off the crank pulley and it won't come off, not even with a lot of prying. What gives? :(

[lostforawhile]

did you get the bolt out? if the bolt is out you might need to get a puller to get it off,maby you can rent one or something.

[TheWatcher]

You know why Pontiac stopped producing the Fiero, right? Fiberglass. Any damage to the body and you have to work w/ fiberglass. I don't see any Fieros in the jy, (or on the road for that matter). So no cheap body parts.

If you don't want to spend money on getting the 3g running, then don't. But if you have to use the Fiero and some soccer mom hits it w/ her SUV, while talking on her cell phone... :lol:

Peace.

[lostforawhile]

my aunt had one of those things when i was younger and it was always breaking down, she bought it brand new and did every bit of maintinence on it when it was supposed to be done. I remember it many times coming back on a tow truck. It blew a head gasket at 30000 miles.

[Wipeout]

I'm sorry you either bought a lemon or your mom doesn't know how to take care of a vehicle.. :p they're no less reliable than any other motor with a 2.5/2.8 (basically all GMs in that time period). Not the most reliable, but not the least either.

Funny you should mention the Fiero getting into an accident. Some guy in a minivan backed into me going pretty fast.. probably 7-10 mph in reverse. He was lost and went to turn around in my parking lot. I followed him in and he stopped right in the entrance. He threw it into reverse and smashed into me.. what a moron. The good news was that the damage was pretty light to the Fiero. The minivan was an '03 Town and Country, and had substantial damage to the bumper/rear quarter panel. It broke the fiberglass on the fender in a 3" strip on my car. Insurance is taking care of it though, so oh well. Anyway, looks like I'm gonna need a puller for the crank pulley. =\ Anybody in Mankato have one so I don't have to buy one and return it?

One thing I thought I'd add.. the Fiero is a much safer car than our third gens.. :(

[Blkblurr]

I'm sorry you either bought a lemon or your mom doesn't know how to take care of a vehicle.. :p they're no less reliable than any other motor with a 2.5/2.8 (basically all GMs in that time period). Not the most reliable, but not the least either.

Funny you should mention the Fiero getting into an accident. Some guy in a minivan backed into me going pretty fast.. probably 7-10 mph in reverse. He was lost and went to turn around in my parking lot. I followed him in and he stopped right in the entrance. He threw it into reverse and smashed into me.. what a moron. The good news was that the damage was pretty light to the Fiero. The minivan was an '03 Town and Country, and had substantial damage to the bumper/rear quarter panel. It broke the fiberglass on the fender in a 3" strip on my car. Insurance is taking care of it though, so oh well. Anyway, looks like I'm gonna need a puller for the crank pulley. =\ Anybody in Mankato have one so I don't have to buy one and return it?

One thing I thought I'd add.. the Fiero is a much safer car than our third gens.. :(
I'm glad you like your Fiero. I liked them too when they came out but the car is not safer than the Third gen. It twitsts up like a pretzel if it gets hit. You may never get it back on the road after that. The primary reason they stopped making them is because of the lack of structural integrity. This gave them a bad rap. I worked with a woman that had one and she kept having to put tires on it because the tube frame was too weak to keep the car in alignment. We took it into our fabrication shop and did an analysis of the frame. After 3 days of adding tubing and braces it finally kept it's alignment. this would be a good car to buy after that but it weighed about 200 lbs more.

[88Accord-DX]

If I remember right, there was a recall on the Fiero engines. I'm not sure of what years.

Good link on it. The 84's had the bad motors.

http://people.clarkson.edu/~dessinsj/fiero_general_information.htm

[Wipeout]

I got a harmonic balancer pulley puller. NO idea how to use it. To you guys, this must be like trying to teach a blind man how to......

......replace a timing belt. :I

[Wipeout]

Any hints?

[88Accord-DX]

Just screw the puller in where crankshaft bolt goes. Depending on what kind of puller you have. There are bolts on most if any I seen that thread into the balancer. Tighten while tapping on the puller will help losen the balancer.

[Wipeout]

EEhhhhhhhhh it was the wrong style puller. Exchanged it and got one that worked. The belt's on and the car runs like crap - the belt's off a tooth or two. Beh!

[lostforawhile]

don't give up you'll get it right. at least you are learning something. when i did my timing belt i did the stem seals too and a bunch of oil got into the engine,when it started back up it nearly smoked me out of the garage.

[Wipeout]

Haha I can't say I've done that yet, but I am still trying to get it right. Hope I don't stretch the belt too much from pulling it off a few times......

[Wipeout]

SWEET got it on the right tooth! Raced an automatic V6 Firebird tonight and won!