Broken serpentine belt/timing chain

[ATC86]

Driving my 08 Altman yesterday and the serpentine belt broke. Replace it but was warned not to start the car without checking the timing chain because the car was in gear when the belt broke. Is this a concern I should have or not?

[Ace2cool]

Serpentine belt and timing chain are two totally different systems. What's the concern? If the serpentine belt broke, the only thing that would happen is your water pump, power steering, alternator, and A/C would stop working all at once. The timing chain doesn't have anything to do with the serpentine belt, though. If the timing chain broke, you would know. It would be a god-awful sound and the car would stop immediately.