| Subject: | Mitsubishi Eclipse 16V AWD, timing belt |
| Question: | i recently bought a
1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse 16V AWD. The timing belt has stripped out and I
have to change it. The two timing gears are locked up, they werent' before
I took off the belt. How do you get them loosened up to put the timing belt
on and get them lined back up? Any advice would help. Tommy |
| Answer: | Tommy, Those 2.0L, Turbo engines are very touchy. I have an Eclipse exactly like yours (but mine is a '90), and I know how crucial the timing belt is. If it was stripped while you were driving, you should have your valves checked. If your car becomes untimed while driving, you could ruin your head. All your valves could be bent and your cylinder heads could be scrotched. Now, that is the worse case scenerio but I have seen it happen. It nearly happened to my car. I would recommend having your car taken to a qualified technician to
have the belt replaced, and your tensioner possibly replaced. I'm very
hesitant in suggesting how to loosen up those timing gears (not even sure
if you're maybe referring to the cam gears). Best to let a mechanic do
it for you. I've seen too many ruined engines, and I wouldn't want it
to happen to your car due to my advise. |