Snapped cam belt ??

Grant

Grant

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So, a friend of mine has a peugeot 206 (yes i know !!).

Anyway, I saw her yesterday & she asked me if I could here a ticking noise.
Only when she asked me & I listed for it, did I hear the noise.
I open the bonnet & there is a quiet ticking sound coming from the general location of the cam belt.
She tells me the noise has been there for a few days.
The car is idling very smoothly and is cool, although I noticed the coolant tank appeared empty.

I go with her to the shop, pharmacy etc & the car is running perfectly - can only hear the slight ticking sound again when we pull into a parking.
She drops me off and goes home.

I get a call this morning.
Panic, the car wont start. I ask her if the engine is turning over.
"yes, it's turning over, but not starting" she tells me.

She gets a mechanic out (dont know who) & he tells her the cam belt has snapped.

I get hold of a mechanic, who specializes in french cars, relay the saga & ask for a vague quote based on my description.

He sends me an email with a quote to do the entire job, valves head gasket etc - but adds
" I would advise you to get a second opinion on the broken belt"

So I'm thinking, is it the cam belt or something else, given the car did not even get to start.
The car apparently had a water pump replaced very recently - but the coolant tank was empty when I took a look under the bonnet.

I am inclined to think the problem may be related to the water pump.
If the pump has seized, could that cause enough tension on the other belts / pulleys etc to prevent the car starting ?

Any ideas, how does one check if the belt has in fact snapped ?
 
It uses the same engine as my car, first of all:


Open the oil cap and see if anything looks like chocolate milkshake, if yes the water pump snapped and is now knocking against the broken part. IE, overheated and blew the gaskit

If its not that then you can easily remove the tappet cover and physically check (its only like 2/4 screws) once its off you can give it a small crank and check.
 
ponder said:
Visual inspection? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Woz9fGCziYw

Was the cam belt not changed at the same time as the water pump?
Click to expand...

just asked her - she has no idea what all was done re water pump.
however, some time back the car was going for a service (maybe 6 months back) and i asked her if she knew if the cam belt had been changed - she did not know. when it went for the service, she specifically asked about the belt & when she got the car back he said it was perfect.

i sometimes suspect mechanics (and others), see a pretty blonde & claim anything is faulty & charge what they please for whatever work "was done"

i think it may be an idea to go through to the workshop in the morning with a mechanic to get the 2nd opinion as advised
 
Rickster said:
It uses the same engine as my car, first of all:


Open the oil cap and see if anything looks like chocolate milkshake, if yes the water pump snapped and is now knocking against the broken part. IE, overheated and blew the gaskit

If its not that then you can easily remove the tappet cover and physically check (its only like 2/4 screws) once its off you can give it a small crank and check.
Click to expand...

i only found out a little earlier that the car has already been taken to the workshop
 
The AA would be a good route as if there is anything dodgy they will blacklist the mechanic.
 
One of the easiest avoidable, expensive repairs on a car...

Cam belts last way past the 80k recommended for replacement.
 
Pitbull said:
One of the easiest avoidable, expensive repairs on a car...

Cam belts last way past the 80k recommended for replacement.
Click to expand...

When cam belts snap it is often a case of valves bumping into pistons with horrendous damage.
I saw, years ago, a Peudeot 404 piston with a hole punched through it.
 
Why do people ask for this type of advice on an internet forum?

Only a physical inspection is going to be conclusive.

Inquiring about what to look at, is okay. But asking for a diagnosis is pointless, unless you provide detailed technical observations.
 
As far as I know if a cam belt snaps it completely stuffs your engine up... the more you crank the more you stuff the engine up.
 
GreyBush said:
As far as I know if a cam belt snaps it completely stuffs your engine up... the more you crank the more you stuff the engine up.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily, most of the time the piston just bends the valves. And its not really that extensive.


Unless your valve has a thick stem then it will fsck up the engine.
 
Rickster said:
Not necessarily, most of the time the piston just bends the valves. And its not really that extensive.
Click to expand...

It is only a huge issue on an interference engine. But most small engines use that design.
 
silver6933 said:
Why do people ask for this type of advice on an internet forum?

Only a physical inspection is going to be conclusive.

Inquiring about what to look at, is okay. But asking for a diagnosis is pointless, unless you provide detailed technical observations.
Click to expand...

Because here we're a close community of geeks and we feel comfortable asking for advice from fellow forumites, visual inspection or not, its still not that big of an issue to ask. :)
 
A valve this big (12cm) might cause some damage if the belt/chain snapped :)

DSC00283.jpg
 
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