Hi all,

First post, this site is incredible! So, I have three problems to be addressed. My car broke down the other night and had to be towed home. We were able to move it in neutral out of the roadway, onto the tow truck, and off the bed into two parking spots. Afterwards, when I attempted to move it while still in neutral, the car locked up and wouldn't move anymore (Problem 3). It really needs to be in a single spot or risk the pirate kind of towing, so this problem needs to be addressed first. A friend mentioned that this could be caused by a neutral safety switch issue.

The next morning, I discovered my timing belt had broken! Woe is me. I found that the belt was hitting the cover wall, and had worn down. I realize my valves are probably bent to hell, but I am in desperate need of a car, so this must be fixed asap. (Problem 1) After spending day 1 taking things out, I'm left to remove a crankshaft pulley, aka harmonic balancer, its' bolt, and lower timing belt cover. I've seen some videos in regards to cracking the bolt where they affix the socket head to the bolt, stick the wrench handle against the inside wall in the direction the engine turns, and then use the starter motor. My trans is automatic, so I understand this may not be advisable.

Once I have these things removed, I will need to adjust the cams to their marks. (Problem 2) How will I adjust them into position if my belt broke off? Wouldn't the belt breaking cause them to spin slightly more before the engine cut out, thus changing the timing? Is it just a matter of attaching the belt and rotating the engine until they align? Please forgive any ignorance in this area, it's new territory for me. I can't stress the desperation enough, my job depends on me having a car, and money is tight; I paid rent for this month and have no way of making next without it. Please help, this is my face right now

Tallahassee, Fl

UPDATE:

Problem 3, about the car not moving, has been solved. It was the emergency brake.. -_-

Bump. Is there anybody out there?
Cue Pink Floyd

you might want to post in another forum:

engine-tuning.html

Thanks for the forward. Updates:

I finally got the crankshaft bolt, pulley, and lower timing belt cover off. I resorted to the get a friend method for the bolt. Now I am trying to adjust my cams to their marks and attach the timing belt, and I think it's possible to just rotate the cams around manually, ie by hand. Currently researching exactly how. Once I get the timing belt on, I'll be left with the uncertainty that the valves are bent, which won't be fun; I've already seen a video on what this looks and sounds like. Ok, all for now! Comments still appreciated, and I'll be cross-posting to the other forum.

Update:

The weekend was a bust, as it rained all Sunday and into this morning. I've decided to just do the valve replacement, so that's the end of this thread. See you in the next one I'll be making about this project!

good luck, hope it works!