Not my car. Coworker’s car. 2004 Saturn L300 V6. The V6 is an interference engine. The engine just cut out while driving down city roads. Coworker had it towed to a shop. Mechanic said at first the problem was just the serpentine belt. I found that odd. I don’t think a serpentine belt would cause a car to die suddenly while driving.
2 weeks later the mechanic tells my coworker the timing belt looks bad also. So he is going to replace that. The mechanic acknowledges the engine is an interference engine, but says he cannot verify if the engine is destroyed until he replaces the timing belt so he can check for compression. Does that seem right? Could the engine have survived really if the timing belt broke or maybe just slipped? Is there no way to verify the engine’s condition without installing a new timing belt?
2 weeks later the mechanic tells my coworker the timing belt looks bad also. So he is going to replace that. The mechanic acknowledges the engine is an interference engine, but says he cannot verify if the engine is destroyed until he replaces the timing belt so he can check for compression. Does that seem right? Could the engine have survived really if the timing belt broke or maybe just slipped? Is there no way to verify the engine’s condition without installing a new timing belt?
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