Timing belt pully popped off! ... Today my festiva has died

[FoxProGT]

just wanted to know if its a odd thing for the cam pulley to pop off? my car is in the shop now to get it back on but could it mean that something else has gone wrong if the pulley comes off like that or could it just be a fluke that happens now and then?




*Edit*

i just got the call from the mech. and he says the head seized up causing that pulley to be ripped off. he says it could be 800 bucks to replace the head and work on that problem but could also mean that there was a problem some where else that caused all this to begain with. he didnt seem to sure if he could find parts for "such and old car" so he says it might be to hard and not worth it for that car. best bet he says is to replace the motor but since i dont have the cash for that kinda work..

at lest i got the 150k miles id had hoped to get out of her :cry:

[anomoly40]

If it's been worked on then maybe the screws worked themselves back out.

[nonamekid]

there is a screw that holds it on, and if the screw worked it self out, that is ok as long as the threads are not messed up. If the screw is still there, then the pulley is shot and if they stick it back on, it will happen again. I have never seen that happen, neither have I heard of it.

[jglutz]

Very odd!. The sprocket is stamped metal and not bored like others. It would not have stayed in place with the screw 1/2 way out. Also It should have made a lot of noise prior to falling off. Are you sure the tech didn't mean your tensioner? I reinstalled my to factory torque not noticing the head of the bolt did not bind down the inner casting part of the bearing (i never had the bolt out and did not notice all of the thread locking on the threads). I was lucky, lasted 5 yrs/45k before it self destructed and put a gouge in the oil pump casting.

[David88]

I had one do that same thing. It was the first festiva I ever had. It was in 1999. This was before I knew all I know about these cars. I had never worked on one, so I took it to the dealer for an estimate and it was $1200! I only paid $800 for the car two years before. Needless to say I towed it home. That was in '99 to repair the 140k mile engine. Weird. For just a bit more now I could have a new long block. Coarse then I'd be putting it in myself. I ended up lucking out and scored an 88k mile engine/trans from a salvage yard wreck for $400.
Anyway, they said the pulley popped off the cam and screwed stuff up. In hindsight I likely could have gotten by with a new or used head on that motor and gone another 140k.

[FoxProGT]

"If it's been worked on then maybe the screws worked themselves back out."

i did have a new timing belt put on in the begainning of this year..but not sure why they would need to take off that pulley to put a new belt on but who knows.




"Very odd!. The sprocket is stamped metal and not bored like others. It would not have stayed in place with the screw 1/2 way out. Also It should have made a lot of noise prior to falling off. Are you sure the tech didn't mean your tensioner?"

not sure how long it could have been loose for.. i was driving along and then the car just shut down and i got the "check engine" light for the first time ever and when i opened the hood i could clearly see that the upper puller cut a hole in that plastic belt cover.. i can jiggle the pulley around with my finger and it is the most upper pulley that is loose.. not the tensioner.

[FoxProGT]

mechanic called saying he found a motor for 500 bucks and could install it for 1100.....

still cant do it tho