Chrysler Repair: 2.4 dohc timing belt broken: interference damage?, alignment marks, cam shaft

Question
my 1999 dodge stratus 2.4 dohc just threw the timing belt. the car was at very low speed. is it likely that the valves have been damaged?

Answer
Hi Chris,
I checked the '99 manual and it says that the pistons have indentations that allow for valve 'free-wheeling' which means the pistons will not damage the valves if the timing belt brakes. The '03 manual says that the valves can interfere with oneanother if the camshafts are rotated independently of oneanother (as when repairing the engine) but it is moot on what happens when the belt breaks. I would think that if the rpm was low and thus the camshafts stopped moving simultaneously and had less momentum when the belt broke that you may be alright. Take a look at the cam shaft sprocket alignment marks to see where they stopped and compare to how they are supposed to be relative to each other when first set up (are they rotated the same number of degrees from the starting point which would be directly across from oneanother, less 1/2 a tooth?). That might be a good indication as to whether the valves interfered with themselves at the time the belt broke.
Roland