Ford Repair: 1995 Ford Probe SE, radiator cap, alternator belt

Question
Hello,

I just recently bought a 1995 Ford Probe SE 2.0L 4 cyclinder automatic from a private seller who is a mechanic. I got a good deal on the car, mostly because it had high miles (140k). He said the car was well maintained for and ran great with no leaks or major problems. Well, no more than a week later, the car started to make a grinding noise, which almost sounded like the muffler scraping against the road. Well I immediately pulled over and got out to check. There was some white smoke coming from under the car towards the front and out from the driver side front tire, but the muffler was still in place. I figured it over heated because the temperature that day was in the mid 90's and I had the air on. I let the car cool down for about 15 minutes and had my father and brother meet me on the side of the road to check it out. They removed the radiator cap and the anti-freeze bubbled out. They determined the problem to be a stuck thermostat and it appeared that the water pump belt was frayed. Well we let the car cool down for a couple of hours and poured some water in the radiator. We came back and my father drove it back home. I left it at my parents so that my brother could replace the thermostat because I was going out of town. The next day, my brother installed a new thermostat, started it up and it sounded fine, no grinding sounds, no rough idling, no smoke. Well later that night, they drove it up to McDonalds, no more than a couple of blocks away, to test-drive it. They were sitting in the drive thru when the car just died. There was no noise, no shaking, it just died out and would not restart. A tow truck came and tried to jump it and it sounded like it would turn over, but it wouldn't. They then saw that the alternator belt was missing. I had it towed to a local mechanic to see if they could put on a new belt and charge the battery. Well, the mechanic proceeded to tell me that there was more damage. He said that when the alternator belt broke, it caught the timing belt, which caused mis-alignment between the pistons and cams, or something along those lines. Anyways, he said the total cost of repair would be about $1800 for a new cylinder head, timing belt and external belts. Well, this is NOT what I was expecting. So I called the mechanic I bought the car from, and he said that there is a timing chain, not a timing belt, and that just replacing the alternator belt and charging the battery should be enough to get the car started and that this other mechanic is basically trying to rip me off. He also added that the gasket head might need to be replaced, but that he could do the labor if I could find a cheap gasket at a salvage yard. My question, finally, is could the alternator belt have caused this damage when I heard the grinding noise and thought it over heated? And if this is the case, why was it possible to start the car and drive it home? Also, do you think that just replacing the alternator belt is enough to get the car running? Lastly, could the mechanic I bought the car from have sold me the car with a damaged gasket/cylinder head? I am extremely upset that I just bought this car and have not even driven it for more than a week and now I'm being told that I should basically junk it. Any advice or suggestions of what course of action to take would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Andrew

Answer
Hello and thanks for the question...I'll try to help.
I think that the first mechanic is full of it. The 1995 Ford 2.0L HAS A BELT..NOT A CHAIN, and is a dual over head cam engine. Also, a head gasket is NEVER reused....anyone saying this isn't a "good" mechanic.....just a hack. As far as the alternator belt "catching" the timing belt, it could happen. I hate to say this but get a third opinion, from an HONEST mechanic/garage. I wouldn't suggest that you try to start it with out having the timing belt done. IF it is off, it will cause damage and ruin the engine.
Erik