my timing belt broke 97 850 base are my valves gone ?

 

The engines are an interference engine, so yes, it is quite possible you have some valve damage in the engine. The only way you'll know is to dismantle it and have a look.

 

Yes.

If you don't mind, please share with us why the motor jumped timing? Did the belt actually break? Was it old? How many miles on the car? Does the ODO work?

A quick compression test will let you know. Buy that would involve you installing a timing belt which would be a waste of money unless you get your hands on some used parts to test it. I can send you a set if you cover the cost.

At any rate, if you are NOT willing to drop over $800 into installing another head just cut bait.

 

All of a sudden i think it was the tensioner started to make noise 2 seconds later the car stalled i had ordered a timing belt and water pump the day before, I do have access to a freshly reman head for about 150 my odo broke 4 years ago at 345k i will put a new head on and what ever else it needs i paid $200.00 for the car 7 years ago body is in great shape a/c replaced new starter and alt also replaced rack i did all the labor myself just never gone into this type of motor. I pulled back timing belt cover belt and belt was extremely
loose but did not seem broken

 

Were you idling or going down the road when it died ??

 

So basically the belt did NOT break, it tossed the tensioner roller.

Are those miles or kilometers?

Also, you have no knowledge of the actual mileage since the last tensioner change?

 

 

The engine doesn't care if the belt broke or just lost tension. What happens is if the belt isn't keeping the crankshaft and both cams stable in a synchronized rotation, the pistons get a chance to hit a valve and damage that valve and possibly the head. The belt breaking or the water pump or idler bearing failing or even the tensioner weakening and allowing the belt to "jump" a couple teeth can have fatal results on your valves.

 

HaHa; nothing like a visual..

 

I like to get the data so people can read it for themselves. Most of the time it is not the belt breaking, but rollers falling apart. My guess is that less than 25% are from broken belts.

Mechanic: "Time for a timing belt change, you really need to do this."
Owner: "How much will that cost?"
Mechanic: "Well, the belt is $35, the labor is $350. However, the rollers also cost money."
Owner: "Well, how much are the rollers?"
Mechanic: "The rollers, tensioner, water pump will cost another $240. So all together it will cost $800."
Owner: "Since I only ever hear about belts breaking, just do the belt for $350. Thanks for helping me save money. "

A year later the owner sells the car and tells the new owner that the belt was changed and it's good to go. Six months after that one of the roller jumps time and the owner is told that the belt broke.

 

I was on the brake coasting to a stop sign

 

shot in the dark, but is it possible the OP avoided valve damage if he was coasting and the RPMs were probably low? I was told by someone that its possible to avoid damage if the RPMs are low, but I AM NOT speaking from personal experience here

 

All it would take is one "r" (revolution) with the cam off by more than a tooth or two and you're done.

 

So, if the car stalls, and you try to start it, it will damage the valves. It's a trap, no way to escape it on this motor.

I have never read about anyone dodging that bullet. One guy started his car and his dad heard an awful noise and had him shut it off. Pulled the belt cover and see the roller apart and the belt loose. Crazy thing was, it hadn't jumped time yet and they installed new parts and was ok. I had a roller seize and changed it before it tossed the belt. But once the belt jumps, and the car stalls or fails to start, you've been handed a ticket to headville.

 

ah, i gotcha. i hope i never learn first hand

 

Yup, good hypothetical. If you can't document that the belt, tensioner, and pulleys were replaced, just do it. Isn't worth the consequences. My original owner told me the belt had been replaced. He couldn't supply documentation and pulling the belt showed the claim was bullsnot. So I just replaced everything, including the water pump.

 

Turns out the belt did not break it was the water pump i am going to take a chance on another motor with less miles I was up around 400k

 

Do you know how many miles was on the water pump?

 

Remember to change out the timing belt, WP and rollers.

I know it's expensive but it's the first thing I did when I got my 850 and unless you really know the previous owner and can trust them I wouldn't trust them about a timing belt. It's just too easy to think it's only a year or two old when the guy really changed it when his teenager was a toddler

 

Unfortunately though, a lot of owners of our cars, and older cars generally, are by nature or necessity frugal, so it's painful, if not physically impossible, for them to fork over $800 for one maintenance item on a 4-5k car.

When freeing mine from its state of neglect, I found things that made me simultaneously laugh out loud and scratch my head. One shiny new wiper blade on one side and an ancient one on the other, cheap Korean tires in different sizes front and back, one cheap blue eBay headlight bulb, fancy Bilsteins and IPD springs out back but the original struts and springs up front (don't ask how the ride was with this, er, setup) were a few things I encountered.

But as they say, it's not smart to be penny wise, but pound foolish. The timing belt job is one not to skimp on.