mistake when changing timing belt

[325ix89]

with the old belt off i turned the crank with a spark plug out to line it up with the markings. i reached a dead spot and thought it was some compression still left in the motor so i put in some more effort and it spun thru but at the same time it made a tapping noise in the valve cover area!

i realized he camshaft markings where off by a good bit and came to the conclusion that it was the piston hitting a valve.

i lined up the cam markings and and put the belt back on, gave it a few rotations over by hand to make sure everything was good and lined up while listing for that same noise... as was quiet so i bolted it all back up and started the car

it fired up but was running very very rough. i pulled the valve cover and found ROCKER ARM #6 on the exhaust broken!

i have new parts on the way and am going to replace the rocker with out removing the head as i dont the the money to lift the head or replace all the rockers and i need the car back to drivable condition ASAP.

my question, IS the valve likely to be bent from doing this? or did the piston hit the valve causing force on the arm and it made it snap? i have no chose to replace the rocker and find out....but want to hear your guys thoughts

car has 205k on it and ran smooth but definitely not babied around.

thanks

[MrBurgundy]

the valve is toast bro

[e30davie]

That was an expensive mistake.

[zaq123]

with the old belt off i turned the crank

this is when your mistake occurred. You basically simulated what happens when belt brakes on the running engine. Before belt can be removed, both TDC marks (cam and crank) must be lined up and both should not move until the new belt is installed. On some cars with interference engines, the belt replacement is done with special tools that lock cam/crank/injector pump etc during the job and keep them from any slight movement. VW TDI for example.

[325ix89]

Great, haha.
Any chance the car will run half way decent when I replace that rocker arm, say the valve is just slightly bent ?
Do the rocker arms always break when there is interference ? Or does it just cause the valve to bend?

Crazy that you can do so much damage with hand turning

[jeffnhiscars]

A "slightly" bent valve is like being a little bit pregnant. You either are or aren't

[e30davie]

Put a rocker on it, and do a compression test. Should tell you fairly quick if its wrecked.

If it were me id get one of those USB inspection cameras and have a look inside. I think you can get them to connect to your phone these days for pretty cheap. Should be able to get an idea from that.

I mean it doesn't sound good though...

[325ix89]

Sounds good, I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
It just amazes me that the rocker snapped, maybe it had a crack in it already and wit the pressure it gave?

I would guess that the valve would have bent and that’s it.
Would the car still start if the valve was messed up? As of now tho the valve is shut and doesn’t even work with the arm busted? So should work a little better with it opening in theory right ? Haha

Would I peak they the spark plug hole with the cam? To see if the valve is seated correctly or if the piston is chipped?

Basically I’ll be feeling lucky if it works out. Feel lucky enough that it’s the 6th cylinder so I can atleast have a chance with replace thing rocker with out lifting the head.

Thanks guys
I’ll report back with how screwed or lucky I am

Any positive possible outcomes are appreciated haha

[jgilber0]

Good luck! Hoping this works out OK for you.

[zaq123]

Put a rocker on it...

which will require to take the head off to do it properly. You might as well inspect/ replace the valve at that point. There might be a trick to do #6 without lifting the head but make sure no hammering is involved. if the rocker shaft doesn't move by hand, something will be most likely damaged during the disassembly

[325ix89]

I was able to slide the shaft forward and slip the broken rocker off. Eaiting in parts to reinstall, will update when everything’s back together and readjusted.

[325ix89]

ok sooo good and bad news, need some help/advise/thougths

i got the new rocker on and adjusted it.the car started and drove (OK) missfiring for about 30 min, then completly died on me on the highway and wouldnt start back up... sounds like no compression

i left if for the night and the same thing is happening this morning, i took the valve cover off and cylinder 3 rocker had moved/slide of the valve. so i moved it back...still no start...... the valves seem to be lose on all cylinders and out of adjustment.

so my quation is. would missadjsted valves cause the motor to not start?

[heifetz17]

No. When you adjust the valves all you're doing is setting the clearance between the valve stem and eccentric in the rocker. Bent valves, however, will cause a no-start because the engine will have no compression. You've bent some valves and the head will need to come off the block so you can properly assess the damage and fix it correctly.

[325ix89]

would the car not start in the first place tho? it drove for 30 min after the new rocker and out of no where it decided to bend valves to the point where it wont start at all?

[digger]

Adjust valves and Do a compression and leakdown test
Why are the rockers moving sideways dont you have the clips on