Hey guys, I have a problem here and hoping someone can give their 2cents.
92 dakota. 3.9L 4x4. Stick shift

Yesterday, I'm driving around town going up a hill in 4th gear at about 1800 rpm. As I'm driving up the hill, a loud bang, or pop, happened and I lost all acceleration. Not knowing what in the hell had just happened, I immediately turned the key to shut off the engine, and pulled to the side of the road. I tried starting it again but, no luck; it did have spark and fuel pressure.
I had it towed to my local mechanic but they won't be able to look at it until tomorrow afternoon.

My thoughts is that the timing chain snapped, but I'm not too sure since I never had any experience with one. If that is the case, is the engine ruined and need to get a new one, or is it repairable? Also, how labor intensive is this job?

Any thoughts or opinions would be great. Thanks

 

If it was the timing chain then there is a good chance that it warped pushrods and maybe even some valves. It is repairable but III t requires pulling the top end down on the motor and having the heads repaired. It maybe cheaper to find a good used motor and do a swap or if you have the extra money go ahead and repair yours.

 

Aww man, this is going to be a miserable talk with the mechanic tomorrow. That's going to really ruin my week if that's what happened.
While this is all speculation until I talk with the mechanic tomorrow, I'm not sure if I'll keep the truck or buy something new. And by new, I mean leave the truck scene for a while and get an 89 trans am. Decisions....

 

Well even if the motor has to be replaced you can usually pick a used one up for around $300-$600 and that is alot cheaper than buying another ride. Plus if you do the swap yourself you will save money and gain experience.