I was driving 110km/h on the highway and then I heard a small “thud”, then I lost all drive from the engine. I pressed the gas and I got no drive. I ended up at the side of the road on the 401. I assumed it was the transmission let go. I got a small smell of rubber being burnt.

I flagged down a tow truck and then I got call from my dad to wait since he knew a tow truck driver who’d tow for free since he is one my dad’s clients.

Both tow truck drivers said it looked like the timing belt is gone. Thing is that I got the timing belt changed in the spring about 5-6 months ago. So I think my dad’s mechanic screwed it up when they changed it.

Car is at my dad’s mechanic garage right now. I hope I didn’t damage the engine and hope it can be fixed.

Question: Do you think there was any engine damage when I pressed the gas? As well, how can a new timing belt break?

My car did make a small chirping noise for a couple months like this video. But I didn't think it was a timing belt issue.

 

hard to say if any damage was done.
your dads mechanic should know if anything is wrong when he takes it apart.

 

When they did your timing belt 6 mo ago I hope they also changed the tensioner pulley, idler pulley and tensioner too. If any of these fail then it's no different than the timing belt snapping.

 

thats what I was thinking,,did a basic cheapie job without tensioners
One fails and belt snaps same as if it were old

engine rpm at time of failure, high probability of exhaust valve to piston contact= bent 1 or more exhaust valves = new heads

essentially, loss of tbelt at speed creates a new boat anchor
a used/junkyard engine from a TL is the way to go
just make sure a complete 105 kit and service is done,,adjust valves,clean egr etc

DO NOT let the mechanic say We need to do the timing belt before we can see if anything else is wrong,,ck the compression etc,,
guess what-they always find it because we have `interference engines`

a good tech/shop knows this and warns you off further spending
a shady place gets a grand to fix the tbelt, then finds $1500 in additional repairs!!

You can get a complete engine and do all the work to it for under a grand!!

 

I'd say the shop should cover it completely. If they didn't do the tensioner, pulleys, and water pump you should have been informed of the risk and had to sign a waiver. You have a reasonable expectation that the timing belt should go as long as the original one did. I have no idea what kind of legal leverage you have in Canada, as far as a bureau of auto regulation, or if you just end up in the courts. Good luck.

 

shops is the USA do a wp and tbelt with no tensioners every day of the week
and say nothing to the customers

Ask how many ziners had that experience,,think they got a deal ....
then come here and learn half the job is not done!!!
shop may look and say, the wp isnt leaking now,,, so dont replace it!
same thing on tensioners--oh its not leaking now and it spins ok
IS NOT the same as- this will go another 120kmiles before needing replacement

If it breaks before that- you bought a motor- maybe they will get the job!!

 

That really sucks !!

This is the second time I've heard on this site of some one losing an engine AFTER changing the T-Belt and yet I've never heard of an original one failing. I just had mine changed a few weeks ago and I could not detect any wear on the old one at all and I would have felt fine running on it until the bitter end. In my case, I took no chances and provided the parts myself to ensure that only OEM parts were used.

110 KPH (~3K RPM) will pretty much guarantee the engine had enough momentum to destroy itself. If you engine isn't completely pooched, you will shock a lot folks on this site, me included. As for the mechanic, what can he do ? He's not going to replace your engine and in my view, the best you can hope for is a refund for the original work.

In any case, there'll be no happy ending to this story......

smarty.

 

Well i can tell you for certain your timing belt did NOT snap. Your motor would not be running if it had.

 

he heard a thud and it quit-- if i read correctly,,sounds like tbelt

for those who never heard of broken belt--read stories on here, or this personal experience
on the old teg, wife went 175kmiles in 10 years of 90 mile per day commute
then one day there was noise under the hood,,kept revving it but that didnt fix it,
finally burnt rubber smell and total stoppage of engine

T belt was ripped to shreds, wrapped around pullies,valves bent,engine effed

 

Agree. If the timing belt snapped, the engine won't run at all.

 

Thanks for the info. If it is as bad you say it is. I am going to scrap the car since I would be in the market for a new car in 1.5 yrs. I guess I am shopping now.

Would would you recommend of similar size and performence to the 1999 TL?

I was thinking a 2008 TSX, 2008 Toyota Avalon, or Nissan Maxima. And even a Honda Insight.

 

get the 08 TSX!

 

The video shows it running. It does sound like you can hear valve chatter. The belt could have slipped causing that and the motor shutting off if a tensioner went bad.

 

isnt that vid a different car- for demonstration of noise heard for 2 months?

I didnt watch it but am guessing noise on OP car was a tensioner or roller/idler pulley getting ready to fail
then it did

remembering the ac belt tensioner on my car,and the bad noises as it went,,
and that wasnt even the roller part of it!

 

kris - dont we have an inspection port-visual, for the belt
if its broken it wont be in the little window?
or is it less work to remove tbelt cover?

 

The upper front portion of the timing belt cover is so easy to remove. It has 4 or 5 bolts and just takes a couple of minutes. You will see the belt on the front cam sprocket. You don't need to remove anything else.

 

Yea, there is a small hole, but like victus1 said, there are just a few bolts to remove and you can take the front sprocket cover off and look.

 

Update: Engine is destroyed.

Getting a new rebuilt engine installed for $1000.

 

.....and do you think this is good ? What about the reason as to why the belt broke after being just replaced ?

 

I would not pay a single dime... 5-6 Months from a Replaced Timing Belt?? = THEIR FAULT!!! SUE THE MECHANIC ASS...

 

Avalon,would be comparable.
Update, hopefully your father's client isn't the same mechanic installing the motor into your trashed TL, or you may be back in the market again after the tranny fails.

 

I couldn't agree more, and I don't take mechanic bashing lightly. You're paying for "professional" service, which comes with responsibility. I've been on the other side of this before, and it sucks, but shit happens and you make it right. $1000 is a good price for an engine swap, but nothing you did makes it your responsibility to pay. Go to court if you have to.

 

If it were me, I'd want to know why the T-Belt broke ?

That would determine my next steps with the mechanic. For example, if I went and bought a cheap replacement then told the mechanic to install it, I'd be feeling pretty stupid and the mechanic would be saying; "I told you so.." but, clealy is not responsible. On the other hand, if he charged you a fair price to replace the belt and is now saying; "not my fault" then, I'd have a totally different response.

In the end, you have to be satisfied with whatever remedy.

smarty.

 

The timing belt is straight-forward....just align the teeth of the belt in the grooves and center it properly and there is no reason for it to break other than age. The mechanic installed it correctly because it was working fine for 6 months.
The problem arises when another part fails or seizes, like the idler puller, tensioner pulley, tensioner or water pump. This will cause the belt to break instantly. The mechanic has to warn the customer about these parts and put it down in writing if the customer refuses to change them.

 

Exactly. It isn't as if this were some new phenomenon. Water pumps have been failing and taking out timing belts since the 70s. So have idler pulleys, hydraulic tensioners, leaking seals, etc. It's common enough knowledge that any "professional" should know better. If you, the customer, are informed, but decide to cheap out, it better be in writing. Outside that, you put your faith in this shop and they are ultimately responsible.