QuestionQUESTION: Kevin- Here's a question I asked Roland a few days ago, but he is "maxed out" so I can't follow up with him. Here's my original question:
My wife was driving our 2003 4 cyl (2.4L) Caravan and it suddenly quit running after she pulled onto the highway. It hasn't started since. It turns over, but sounds different, like it is struggling. Freshly charged battery. My main concern is the white smoke coming out of the air fliter housing when I turn it over. Blocked catalytic converter? Ran fine until that point. The only code I get via the on-off-on method is P1684.
FOLLOW UP- When I turn it over there are puffs of air coming from the tail pipe, so that excludes exhaust system blockage, I think. There in no water on the dipstick and the radiator is full, so I don't suspect a head gasket. The white smoke that is coming from the air intake when I turn it over smells like standard exhaust (not antifreeze). I removed the timing belt cover and saw that my belt is damaged: a 1/4" x 6" strip is missing, and another smaller portion is missing , but it is still present and moves all the gears as I turn over the starter. This obviously needs replacing, but can I be sure that it is the problem? Where are the timing marks, and how should they line up? Perhaps the missing strip got lodged between a gear and the belt and it slipped. Would this cause exhaust smoke to be forced out of the air intake? Thanks for any advice, and sorry for such a long question!
ANSWER: Hi Eric,
That timing belt slippage theory is plausible. For a quick check you could turn the engine over by hand via a wrench on the crankshaft pulley bolt. The cam shaft sprockets are engraved on one spoke with the words "up^": and on the opposite side sprocket "2.4L front". The timing mark is on a tooth at that same point on that opposite side. When the cyl 1 piston is at TDC of its compression stroke, you should find the timing marks on the two sprockets in exaxt oppositon to one another where they meet (horizontally) at 3 and 9 o'clock. The TDC is shown on the crank sprocket mark which you won't be able to see unless you remove the crank pulley and the generator belt tensioer to allow for the removal of the lower timing belt cover, so if you will simply insert a thin stiff wire in the #1 spark plug hole you can probe for the movement of the top of the piston to determine if it is at the top of its stroke (and if the marks are 180 away then you are at the top of the exhaust stroke so turn the crank a full 360). You may even find that the sprockets have slipped and won't line up, though that is less likely than that the slippage is between the them as a pair and the crank sprocket.
All your symptoms point to that being the problem. If you would like the full instruction for how to put on the new timing belt please let me know.
May I ask a favor of you? I appreciated your rating my earlier answer "10's", but did you notice the question just below that which asked if you would like to nominate me to be 'volunteer of the month'? That recognition is based on the number of 'Yes's I get from questioners like you, one 'yes' per answer being allowed. I very much appreciate your giving me a 'Yes' on this answer, which I am completing at 4:27 am here on the west coast!
Sincerely,
Roland
P.S.:Sorry for the delay in answering as the question was sent to the Pool by Kevin and wasn't posted until midnight, 4 hour ago.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: First, I very much appreciate you volunteering your time to save me $$$! Long live shade tree mechanics! Yes, I'll take you up on your offer for timing belt replacement procedures. Also, as I look at the engine from the front of the vehicle, which cylinder is #1? Damn those sideways engines! Thanks, Eric
AnswerHi Eric,
The pages that cover the entire job are about 10 in number scattered through the engine section of the manual. I would prefer to xerox copy and mail them to you which I can do today. I don't have a document scanner. So let me know a postal mailing address. After you get the pages you can send me back three 44-cent stamp to cover my copy/postage cost.
The #1 cylinder is the one closest to the front end (right fender) of the engine, i.e. it would be the left-most cylinder looking from the front of the vehicle.
Roland
PS: Thanks so much for your very kind comments earlier and the nomination. Under the site rules, you are entitled to rate/nominate each separate answer (which is not how I have thought about nomination limits previously, but rules are rules) so please do it again if you would like. I appreciate that very much.
PPS: I see you anticipated my request, thanks again.
