Chrysler Repair: Timing Belt?, crankshaft position sensor, distributor shaft

Question
Hi Roland, I have a 4cyl. 2.5L 92 LeBaron. It has never given me
any problems. The other day it stalled out and won't re-start. I
looked up the trouble codes (12 and 11) on-line:
11 No ignition reference signal detected during cranking (bad
Hall effect) OR timing belt skipped one or more teeth; OR loss of
either camshaft or crankshaft position sensor. Can cause the
engine to stop working entirely with no limp-home mode.
12 Battery or computer recently disconnected.
Though I am not afraid to try and fix things myself I do not
know near enough to troubleshoot a problem. I asked around
and was told to try the Ignition Coil. I replaced it but the car still
would not fire. I was then told to take off the distibutor cap to
see if the "bottom part" (pardon my crude terminology) would
spin when turned over. It did not, so it was explained to me that
the timing belt was bad. Does this sound accurate to you? It
looks as though I will have to take off the alternator as well as
some other stuff to change the timing belt. Is this a repair I
might be able to do myself with detailed instruction? If not how
much should I expect to pay a mechanic to fix it? Any help is
greatly appreciated as I do not want to take it to a garage with
out having a very good idea of what needs to be done. Thank
you so much for volunteering your time and expertise.
Dennis

Answer
Hi Dennis,
If the distributor shaft is not rotating when the engine is cranked that pretty much confirms a bad timing belt. How many miles has the engine gone since new/the last time the belt was changed if it is not the original belt?
The changing of the belt is not that difficult a job, but you need to have a good set of tools to efficiently remove and replace bolts, and you need a scissor or floor jack to support the engine (with a wooden block under the oil pan) because you have to unfasten/separate the engine mount on the front of the engine in order to put the new belt in place (the old belt could be cut and removed, but you can't put a new one back without a clear pathway to the front of the engine for the belt to reach the plane of the sprokets). The accessories that are driven by belts have to be loosened so their belts can be removed also, but you don't have to remove any of them. The crankshaft pulley has to be removed (2 bolts, but you need the socket and extension to get to the bolt heads) and likewise the water pump pulley. Then you loosen the timing belt tensioner and remove the old belt. Assembly is the reverse.
I have the pages from the '89 manual that shows how to do it. I haven't had to change mine yet, only have 96,000 miles on the 2.5L in my '89, and so keep inspecting it. I have the tools and jack so I will do this myself, but I think I have the tools necessary to do it without a lot of frustration. I will send you copies of the pages by U.S. postal mail if you would like to have them. You could offer them to the shop for reference or of course try it yourself. Just gime me a mailing address.
It is a typical timing belt replacement job, so I would call around to various shops and see what kind of a bid you can get. The belt is around $20. Also, see if you can get any referral/recommendation from previous customers when you narrow down your choice. I don't know the shop-hour time to change the belt, but go by what the total bid/estimate is from each of the possible shops.
Roland