Mitsubishi Repair: timing cover, crankshaft pulley, mitsubishi galant

Question
1999 mitsubishi galant 2.4L es
My steering on my car went out.  I took it to a "Repair Shop" to have the problem fixed.  I was told the belt had come off, and I was told a crankshaft pulley was needed.  The repair person called back and said, I would also need a timing cover and replaced that too.  three days after the repairs were done, the car started acting up.  I took it back to the repair shop and was told, "If the service engine light don't come on don't worry about it."  The next day the car didn't start.  What could have caused the problem?

Answer
Anita,
Here is a possible scenario.  At some point, your crankshaft pulley became unbalanced or damaged.  That can cause your power steering belt to slip off and crack your timing belt cover.  That could explain your need for a new belt, pulley and cover.  That's just one possible cause for your initial problem, and there could be dozens more.  But it's hard to guess without more history of the car.  Now, the timing belt cover is not necessary to keep your car running, it's just to protect your timing belt from being damaged by foreign debris.

I'm not quite sure what could be causing your starting problem now.  When you mention that your car was "acting up", you should go back to the repair shop and tell them exactly what was happening up until the time you could no longer start it.  My guess is that they are at fault.  They may have slipped the timing belt or pulled out an ignition wire while installing the new belt, timing cover, and pulley.  If you can not get it to start, have it towed to that repair shop. Insist they fix the car for free if they are at fault.  The components in a car that allow it to steer are completely different from the ones that make it start.  Your steering problem was not the cause of your starting problem, so I'm guessing the repair shop screwed something up in the fix.
Good luck!