I own a 1996 dodge avenger SOHC 24valve v6 2.5L coupe with a manual transmission. My water-pump broke and I replaced it myself the car drove pretty good accept maybe the timing might of needed to be adjusted a tad accept the tensioner pulley fell off causing the timing belt to also fall off. The incident happened while I was driving the car I didn't hear any noises but the cars engine suddenly lost power. (stalled) I brought the car to econo lube to have the tensioner pulley and timing belt put back on. The mechanic said to me that he would have to make sure that the car was still ok before he could put on the timing belt. $90 and a compression test later he says to me that cylinders 2 and 6 don't have any compression. My questions pertaining to his diagnosis:

1. To perform a compression test doesn't the car need to be running or cranking? (Meaning including a timing belt)
2. Could he determine compression issues with naming the cylinders with accuracy
3. Its a SOHC it has 4 valves per cylinder and it has 6 cylinders, What would be your best knowledgeable hypothetical answer to the intensity of the damage? Meaning could the cars engine have a safety mechanism to where it stops the engine in a position where to cylinders might not have compression? Or is likely that the valves, lifter, or pistons are damaged.
4. If a compression test cant be performed then is it possible that the mechanic skipped the labor of putting the pulley and timing belt on and just checked trouble codes?
5. From this information is it possible that my car might still work if the timing belt is put back on properly? Or is it likely that the car is going to need an estimated $2000 + or - to repair.

Reason why I'm skeptical is because I didn't hear anything except for the silence of the engine, I didn't try starting the car after the engine stalled and when I brought the car to Econo Lube it had a dead battery and after diagnosis it still had a dead battery. Doesn't the car need a battery for a compression test? Also isn't the catalytic converter suppose to be warm as well as the car for accurate compression testing?

Please get back to me because I just happened to pay off the used car and got into an accident putting me on disability leaving me unable to pick up my car from econo lube (Even though on several occasions the mechanics agreed that the car was safe and If I couldn't find a way to tow the car that they had just acquired there own tow truck in which they could tow my car to my house (which is less the 5 miles from the shop) except they said they had to finalize the pricing of the towing services and still had to figure out the towing fees. So I said ok and they said the car would be ok because the property manager impounds cars without notice there. Just my luck I get in a wreck, cant work, apply for disability, and was bed ridden on pain medication not to mention I was completely broke and to my surprise without a letter in the mail or even a phone call from Econo Lube warning me that my car was being towed and if I wanted to keep it I better go down there right away. Instead I get a DMV notice of lien of sale and after contacting the tow company they say I owe them $3000 for storage fees. I bought the car for 4500 payed it off repaired the water pump and put it in a Econo lube automotive shop where the mechanics were cool in assuring me that the car might need $2000 of work to fix, and seemed nice to ensure me that they (Econo Lube employees) that they would look after my car so that it wouldn't get impounded. Well it was impounded and the mechanics didn't give me any legal notice of my time period of removing the car and now the towing company is going to auction it and I am forced to pay the remaining balance of 2000-3000 dollars of storage fees. To make a long story short I'm wondering if my car might of been improperly diagnosed and if not does compression checks cost $90?

Thank you your input is greatly appreciated and desperately needed.

 

The venge u have was that a custom job making it standard. I have a 96' ES 16V DOHC 4 cly. I was gonna get the V6 but they all were automatic.

Are cars or interfe. engines meaning that the vavles hit the pistons. So you saying that your car has no compression I guesing that my worse fear has come true on your car, that either your valve(s) are bent or you piston(s) are cracked. That gonna cost you big sorry to be the one to tell you this. As far as an compression test I never done one so I don't know how they work.
I wish the cars did have a saftey mech to stop more damage to them but they don't. Also to if you did broke either of those parts i mentioned earlier its best to replace them all will the block is out of you car. But you talking 24 new valves 6 new pistons, journals, and copression and oil rings. You would be better off buying another engine than paying them for the hours to do all that work. Sorry to contradict myself.

As far as that whole towing and impounding thing goes. Each state has a differnt law bout those, they mechanics are not allowed to do anything to your car unless they have you permission, and depending on how long your car sat in the shop if you don't make payments on it or do not get in touch with them about repairing or moving it yes they can impound it and charge you storage. No eith your case of being disabled and not being able to pick it up, you could of had them drop the car off at your house and paid the tow and compression fee. I think you can keep you car in a shop up to 3 days b4 they do anything drastic.

I'll hafta look more into your situation and get back to you cause there are alot of factors in your situation that could make this go either way. Like I said b4 each state has different laws and different shops have different policies about customers cars.

P.S How did you know u were having belt problems cause I can't afford to have what happened to you to happen to me.