I seem to be getting alot of crap about this part and no one seems to know what it is but me.....I know what it is because mine was broken in about 50 pcs in the bottom off my oil pan...I have pics but I can't load them on this computer I don't have scanner or digital camera....It is a ring about 12 inches and about 1/8 inch thick it has 2 bolt holes and it has teeth like a saw blade....it lines up your crank shaft with your camshafts.....And it costs about $20 but if it breaks it will cost alot more to fix it especially if the dealership "forces" your car to crank and your pistons bottom out on your camshafts...that is what happened to me and it $2200 to fix....that is what the dealership told me about the "tone ring" and that is what they called this mysterious part.....THANK YOU....and now hopefully you guys and girls will understand what this is

 

Just advice, not a request.......

Since you can afford Stage 3 and are looking to buy other mods, you can clearly afford $100 or so for a digital camera to show everyone what you are talking about as far as tone rings, burned pistons, etc.

Not trying to nit-pick your story, but there are alot of words in your posts that don't add up without pictures. If you want to convince someone here on DF of your problem ( or a Judge or Jury for that matter), you need to be specific and not just point fingers at what someone "told me".

According to your latest postings, your car is running fine..........what happened?

You said your mechanic was working on the car......yet you say the "tone ring" thing was pointed out to you by your dealershup.

Please furnish their phone #, I need to know what this is after working on/owning cars for 42 years. Maybe I missed something.

Dusty

 

[sm=bustedsign.gif][sm=laughat.gif]

 

And here I thought I was the only one that big ? mark on my face!

 

I know what a tone ring is. For those that don't, I will explain. It has become very widely used in late models. They are used in engines transmissions and ABS brake systems. They are basically a ring of metal with teeth, holes or slots. They are used on anything that rotates to measure its speed and position. There is a proximity switch or sensor placed next to the ring. As the ring/part with ring attached or even machined into rotates past the sensors pick-up, it creates an alternating electrical pulse or "tone" that is "read" by a processor. These tones are read at each wheel to calculate slip for the ABS or traction control system, they are used to generate a signal for the speedometer inside the transmission usually as ring sandwiched between the trans output yoke and a machined rabbit on the output shaft just inside the tailhousing. They are not usually ground into the shaft itself so the trans factory can change tone rings to match gearing easily I'm guessing. They are also used on the crankshaft and camshaft for the engine to be able to read crank position for computing engine rpms and fuel/spark timing, comparing the cranks relative position the the cam should a cam jump a tooth on the belt or gear. Tone rings are everywhere now and everywhere you have a tone ring, you usually have a "prox" switch or two. These computers on these cars/trucks are reading a buttload of info each second nowadays. The age of the shadetree mechanic has officially ended.
Now I have no doubt there are tone rings in this engine, however, it is physically impossible for the piston to touch the Cams. They are in two different locations, seperated by a lot of metal. The piston could then only hit the crankshaft if the connecting rod was somehow not there to stop it so that is not likely either. I suspect what he means is the crank to cam phasing became out of phase as when the timing belt breaks or jumps teeth, allowing the piston to now contact open valves at the top of the pistons stroke that should not be open at that moment. The valves are controlled by the cams above them and the damage from a piston hitting a valve can transfer through the head to the cam that way. If this is what happened, it is not pretty. If a connecting rod broke that is not pretty. If the tone ring is the only thing that broke, the engine simply will not start because the computer is not seeing crucial info. I doubt it would even run in a limp home mode, unless it could use cam postion as a redundant to calculate crank positon from. A tone ring, especially if it is inside the engine should not just break unless something hits it or pries (sp?) on it.

 

The pistons cannot bottom out, or top out, on the camshafts, it is not possible, especially with the cylinder head being in between them.

 

Ok that is correct Pressurecooker thank you. And maybe I was mistaken and my pistons hit the crankshaft NOT camshafts...and yes my piston rings were broken in the process.....And the dealership forced my car to crank by holding the key forward and by passing the sensor that Pressurecooker so kindly explained....And the sensor was burned up like that it was hit by something most likely the tone ring....I will borrow a digital camera and I WILL get pictures so that you guys will believe me

 

I take my laughing post back, I would like to see pictures, thank you for wanting to provide them. . .

Amanda

 

Not me ..........im STILL giggling, how in the HELL would the pistons come in contact w/ the crank??......UNLESS the motor exploded....LMAO!!

 

this whole thing just sounds off....there's something that is missing from the story. if the rings cracked the motor would not run. period. there's no input for the ecu, and the ecu's #1 job is to protect itself and the motor. they can't "force" it to turn on my holding a sensor or whatever the guy is claiming, it just doesn't work that way. there's more to this story that either the dealership isn't telling this guy or he's not telling us......