Mitsubishi Repair: messed up, mitsubishi eclipse, knowlage


Question
96 mitsubishi eclipse 2.0 automatic
hi i was driving my car and the check engine light was flashing repeatly and than i heard knocking under my head and than it died and than i took my head off and i cant get that time chain cover off and it looked fine to my knowlage and i put it all perfectly back together and it wont start and first of all it wouldnt start from the start

Answer
Dustin,
Your timing belt may have slipped, the belt tensioner may have failed, or even the cam angle position sensor could have failed.  All of these can cause the problem you experienced.  
Unfortunately if the timing was thrown off enough while at high RPMs, that could have bent valve and caused internal head damage.  A compression test would be able to determine that.

I'd recommend bringing your car to a mechanic to inspect the head and replace the timing belt and tensioner if needed.  If your current timing belt has over 60,000 miles on it, it's due for a change anyway.
Good luck!