My car broke the tensioner bolt on the tensioner for the timing belt. The car was rolling along at 60 MPH when this happend.

I have since replaced the oil pump (tensioner screws into the oil pump housing) the tensioner and the belt.

I bought the special tool 6442 from Miller and aligned the camshafts per the FSM. I reinstalled the crank sprocket at TDC. The crank sprocket is keyed so I am fairly certain I installed it correctly.

When I try to start the car, it gives me a weird sounding starter engagement, but the crank is turning the timing belt, it tries to start, makes a sad back fire noise deep in the engine and then turns off. It will not fire after this unsuccessful start. I have to reset the computer.

I need ideas!

1. When I bought and used the camshaft alignment tools I thought their purpose was to hold the cams at the correct position relative to TDC of the crank. I thought once I could get the alignment tool installed, the cams were in the correct position.

2. The crank sprocket is keyed, I thought installing that along the keyway properly lined it up with TDC.

The car is not throwing codes. It threw one, P0016 the first time I tried to start it. That does not make sense if all the above is true. Ideas?

Is the purpose of the cam tools to index them or merely to hold them in place? I remember doing belts on older(late 90's) 3.5 and don't remember a problem with markings, or needing a special tool. I just did a 3.2 and the marks were clear also, it even had the "tdc" on the oil pump to line the notch up with. It may be that you ended up with bent valve or valves, surely would be a drag. From working at chev, I know the old twin cam 3.4 was so obnoxious that a cam holding tool was used on one head, then belt gets installed and crank gets turned one revolution, then the same tool is used to hold cams on remaining head...weird.

Bump for night crew.

On these new computer controlled engines, if I have bad compression, will it keep the car from firing?

Did you ever do a compression check after you put the belt back on or have you just tossed it back together hoping for the best ?

Bent intake valves can make it hard or next to impossible to start depending on how many "got it"
Your comment about sounding funny on the starter tells me that either you`ve completely missed the timing somehow or you have some valves that took one for the team.

Check the compression !!
Anything else at this point is a haphazzard guess.

Rick

I will do a compression check. This is a 2002 3.5L Intrepid.

Yeah, I kinda threw it all together hoping nothing was bent. But, before I got home and could look at the car about 5 people tried to start it with the belt broke. So I think the question is, HOW MANY valves are bent.

I guess I will do that tonight. Of course, my stupid compression check probably won't thread into the head so I have to figure that out.

As far as the crank sprocket, I aligned it with the keyway, the rotated assembly to TDC. I did nto explain that well. So far as I can tell, I am timed exactly right.

I bought the cam alingment tools before I fully thought through and understood the timing marks on the cam sprockets and crank sprocket. I kept thinking I could be 180 out. But, even though the crank sprocket turns 2:1 to the cam sprocket, in the 1st alignment with TDC on the crank, the cams are pointing down, then the second alignment with TDC on the crank, the cams are between the dots. I am positive I am timed right.

I guess heads are next.

Of course, there is a hemi charger in FL I am bidding on that is going to go for under $14k.......

Well if you end up doing the heads you will need the cam tools.

I'm just hunting for the compression test adapter for those spark plug threads. I will be doing this, this weekend. Bad compression, I will pull the heads.

In the meantime we have been renting a car. That's gonna stop. I am either buying a replacment, low mileage, newer car, or a stand-in, high mileage, older, this weekend.

The heads will take a couple weeks at the pace I work!