2005 Neon Se...Broken Timing belt, bent valves?
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2005 Neon Se...Broken Timing belt, bent valves?
Hi guys, I'm pretty new to the forums and a noob to car repairs in general. That's why my neon is in the shop right now, not in my driveway, lol.
The timing belt on my neon broke the other day when I was on the interstate. My car has ~165,000 miles. I know I should have had it changed prior to that, I just didn't.
So i carried it to the repair shop ( local dodge dealer ) and he said he thought the timing belt was gone. Tore it down, and sure enough, it had completely broken. So he replaced it, for $380, which I thought wasn't too bad. Got it cranked back up, and it ran ragged, missing alot. Did a compression test, and 1,3, and 4 were good, but the #2 wouldn't hold compression. So he told me he didn't see any other way to fix it but to tear the head down and do a valve job., which he quoted to me for $900-$1000 more.
My questions are as follows: Based on my description, is a valve job what I need? Does that mean replacing all the valves, or just the ones for the #2 cylinder? Does $1000 sound like an appropriate price? How intensive is a valve job, is it something I can do myself, or with a friends help?
I'm just curious. I'm already in this for the $380 plus $100 for a 25 mile tow, and I really don't have $1000 to spend, even if that's all that's wrong with it, but I need the car - It has been a dadgum good car thus far. Even if KBB says it ain't hardly worth what it's gonna cost to fix it.
What are my options here, and where is my money and time better spent? I just figured I'd ask the group of people more likely to have experienced this.
The timing belt on my neon broke the other day when I was on the interstate. My car has ~165,000 miles. I know I should have had it changed prior to that, I just didn't.
So i carried it to the repair shop ( local dodge dealer ) and he said he thought the timing belt was gone. Tore it down, and sure enough, it had completely broken. So he replaced it, for $380, which I thought wasn't too bad. Got it cranked back up, and it ran ragged, missing alot. Did a compression test, and 1,3, and 4 were good, but the #2 wouldn't hold compression. So he told me he didn't see any other way to fix it but to tear the head down and do a valve job., which he quoted to me for $900-$1000 more.
My questions are as follows: Based on my description, is a valve job what I need? Does that mean replacing all the valves, or just the ones for the #2 cylinder? Does $1000 sound like an appropriate price? How intensive is a valve job, is it something I can do myself, or with a friends help?
I'm just curious. I'm already in this for the $380 plus $100 for a 25 mile tow, and I really don't have $1000 to spend, even if that's all that's wrong with it, but I need the car - It has been a dadgum good car thus far. Even if KBB says it ain't hardly worth what it's gonna cost to fix it.
What are my options here, and where is my money and time better spent? I just figured I'd ask the group of people more likely to have experienced this.
Professional
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 185
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Sounds like you definately have some bent valves. I just flipped a Neon that had a broken timing belt and it had 6 bent valves. It's not that difficult to do. You need a good set of hand tools, floor jack, jack stands and a manual. The only special tools required are a 3 jaw puller and valve spring compressor. The manual says you need a special tool to hold the cam sprocket to remove/install the bolt, but you can improvise on that. Once you get the head off, it might not be obvious which valves are bent, but here's the easiest way to check them. Remove both rocker shafts, install the spark plugs and flip the head over. Fill each combustion chamber with gas and watch for leakage. The gas will leak out either the intake or exhaust ports and you'll know which valves you need to replace. If you plan on keeping the car another 165K you might want to go ahead and replace them all. They're only about $8-$10 each. Get yourself a stick with a suction cup, a tube of valve grinding compound and lap ALL the valves. It's a good idea to replace the valve stem seals at this point also.
Repeat the leak check and you should be good to go. The most critical part of the whole job is to make sure you get the timing marks lined up when you put the timing belt back on. Otherwise it was all for nothing. I think the parts for that cost me about $200 and that included the timing belt, water pump, head gasket, valves, valve stem seals and valve cover gasket. Good luck if you decide to do it.
Repeat the leak check and you should be good to go. The most critical part of the whole job is to make sure you get the timing marks lined up when you put the timing belt back on. Otherwise it was all for nothing. I think the parts for that cost me about $200 and that included the timing belt, water pump, head gasket, valves, valve stem seals and valve cover gasket. Good luck if you decide to do it.