Ok i have a 98 intrepid with a 3.2. that is an interference engine correct?

I was driving down the interstate last night and it just died on me. i took it to the mechanic and he still has to get it in. if its the timing belt then the valves are pretty must toast right?

I am slightly mechanically inclined but do not know a lot about dodge engines.

could i replace the heads if the pistons are not damaged or would they be to screwed up too?

any help would be much appreciated!!!

 

If you were driving and it just died, it could be several things from mechanical to electrical. To many things have to be working to keep the car in motion.

The most common problems would be timing belt, alternator which are nothing. Expensive but not major. It is it the timing belt then NO your valves will not be harmed. Your good there.

On the major side of things is poor engine maintenance. If you are low on oil and you seized up the engine or something, THEN you can look at valves/heads/block problems.

Pretty much though, you are going to have to wait until you hear from your mechanic. Hope he is trustworthy, this is one of those areas where a garage can really screw you if they want.

Once you get your call, come back here and we might be able to shed some light on what your are told.

BTW, welcome to the forum. Hope you like it here.

 

according to the books, 3.2 is an interference engine. but just because the engine dies dont always mean its a timing belt unless you tried cranking and it didnt sound right like no compression

 

Start with basic, remove the spark plugs and do a compression test. If you have compression, you need to start looking for the reason why it died on you.

 

sounds familar: " but just because the engine dies dont always mean its a timing belt" just cranking the engine over a semi-trained ear can hear if the compression sound on cranking sounds right or not. then there's always check for spark, check for fuel etc.

 

Ok here goes i got my car off my dad after he went threw a hell of a divorce(step daughters car awarded to him by judge.) it had no oil leaks that i could find 186,000 miles needed minor front suspension work $700. so i got it as a work car.

Now i was driving down the interstate engine died everything else was fine.
got to the side of the road tried turning it over and it just clicked really fast.

towed it to the garage the next day, then posted here,

tech said it was the timing belt, $867.00 to fix but he is replacing water pump, tensioner and front crank seal, little high i thought but it looks like a pain to work on with no room up front so i understand.

i thought if it was an interference engine then the pistons at TDC would hits the valves on the cylinder that had the valves open when the cams stopped.

i also have a 98 mustang gt and i know if i change the cams in it if they are not degreed then i will have PTV issues, isnt that the same as this 3.2 sohc dodge motor?

 

if my engine is toast what engines can i pit in there along with my trans axle and engine harness/ computer that will work with relative ease and be the cheapest. my uncle works around salvage yards all the time so i could get a pretty good deal on a whole swap?

 

only install the exact same engine . that's the easiest and cheapest way to go and if you have an uncle that deals in salvage vehicles shouldn't that be cheap anyway?

what do you mean clicked really fast? a really low dead battery does that youjust get a rapid clicking noise as you hold on the key.

 

ok thanks i didnt know if any could be swapped or not. i maybe thought the 3.5 was a bored and stroked 3.2 or something like that where the blocks, heads, and accessories where the same.

i was driving at 11 pm when this happened and lights and everything else worked fine, when the battery is low i thought the starter would click a little slower than what it does.

update: tech called me back and said it was an interference motor, did a compression check and a cyl. on each side had blowby. so now i am getting back to my house and will deal with it.

i am sure i will be on here a lot more in the coming weeks. thanks for everything, responding quick and being welcoming.

Any pointers or links i could get as far as head removal and installation or engine removal and installation would be helpful, just got a haynes manual so anything besides whats in there.

Thanks again!!!

 

it's impossible to do a compression test on an engine with a 'broken' timing belt and a compression test will never show blow by, only a leakdown test will. if u put a 3.5 in place, you would also have to change the computer and maybe a bunch of wiring too. its always easiest and cheapest to use the same engine unless u want to do a bunch more work and buy more parts
starter clicking is when the solenoid creates a magnetic field. when u have a normal running car the starter clicks once and then the starter motor engages and turns the engine over. a low battery, the solenoid will click and kickout repeatedly making a rapid clicking noise but there isn't enough power to apply the starter motor. so ur terminology has me confused.
sounds like ur going to have a lot of money into this technician since theyve done quite a bit of work on ur car already.