timing belt question
 

My dads 87 maxima died and we suspected that it was the timing belt.

We pulled of the distributor cap and tried cranking and the distributor did not turn so the belt is broken.

Should we expect anything to be broken? In my searching I read that in a 3rd gen the valves will break because it is an interference engine (dont fully understand this yet), is this similar to the 2nd gens?

Is it possible that the belt is not broken and the teeth have slipped only?

Thanks for your help

All the VG engines are interference engines. What this means is that there is not enough space in the comustion chamber for both the piston to be TDC, and EITHER of the valves open. If the belt breaks, it allows the pistons to make contact with the valves.

The extent of the damage will vary from case to case, and depends alot upon how fast the engine was turning over when the belt gave. If the engine was idling, it's possible, but not a garanty, that there is no damage, and installing a new belt PROPERLY would restore the engine. The most common symptom will be bent valves, requiring the heads be rebuilt, with new valves, etc...in a worst case scenario, the pistons could have hit the valves hard enough to crack the piston, or the piston breaks off in the cylinder, and the engine continues to turn a few more revolutions, tearing the hell out of the block. The only way to know for sure is to pull the heads. If you're not able to pull the heads yourself, it may jusy be cheaper to buy a used engine from a wrecking yard, and have it installed - AFTER insisting upon having a new timing belt, water pump, and all front and rear seals replaced.

thanks for the detailed response

No problem...