My sons first car, think the water pump went out...causing the timing belt to go out. Took it apart chipping the harm bal pulley...put all back together, ran rough like on 2 cyl., and no power...was told it was timing... tore back apaprt yesterday, yep chipped harm bal pulley, but timing is right on, thinking bent valves, but no mechanic here, have Chiltons book would appreciate help, it's going to be daughters first car now, 149,000 mi.

 

i dunno mine went 2 weeks back but my dads friend who is a mechanic did it for me.

 

timing belt went out due to bad water pump. chances of bad head due to bent valves = very likely. especially since its only running on 2 cyls.

 

Interference engine, so bent valves are very likely, even if they don't look bent. There's also a risk of warping the head if the car overheated, the rocker arms could crack depending on how hard the hit was, and occasionally the valve will put a hole in the piston. A compression test should tell a lot...

You can usually pick up complete used SOHC heads for under $100, DOHC for a bit more. Head gasket and head bolts maybe another $150 depending on where you go. Complete engines from $200-500 would make the job easier and less time consuming. Try the www.neons.org classifieds if you want to go that route. Otherwise, a local shop will probably run you $1200+ for parts and labor (speaking from experience, unfortunately...).

Best of luck!

 

Just thought I'd add that it is recommended to change the timing belt tensioner pulley when changing the belt. It's expensive but we learned the hard way that it is defineately a good idea.

 

Thank You all for your input, and help, was so new to this it took me 2 days to figure out I wasn't logged in, so couldn't respond...duh, got to read alot of good info, and will be checkin back in for help and good reading. We have an A-1 auto with several 95 Neons, so I'll be checking there first for an engine or head, and also a tensioner pulley. Thanks again.