So, I stopped at the feed store and went to leave, turned the key and heard something snap down under the vehicle....somewhere in the vicinity of the motor. You know how sounds can travel, so I wasn't sure at first. Tried to start again, but all I got was the starter cranking. The motor would not turn over. Called a Toyota tech at the dealer...real helpful..honestly. He said sounds either like the thrust washer (allowing the crankshaft to push forward from the clutch thereby misaligning the flywheel with the starter) or the starter itself breaking. Couldn't do anything that night, so I went back today. No play in the crankshaft pulley, so I mostly ruled out the thrust washer. Fortunately, the feed store's right across from O'Reilly, and so I got a starter. Took about an hour to change it out (tip: if you can, pull the oil filter off to work the top starter nut on the stud and can clear the fuel filter) with little luck. The motor now turns over, but very slowly and will not fire. I'm getting fuel and spark and air and all that jazz, though. One guy at the feed store suggested the timing chain may have snapped, so yanked the valve cover. Turn the crankshaft over by hand and it turns the timing chain and cam pulley. Still intact. One thing I noticed when pulling the vacuum lines to remove the valve cover was steam coming out. Unburned fuel in the plenum....not supposed to be happening. The even more crucial thing I noticed, though, was that when I turned the crankshaft by hand there was little to no resistance in the crank from would be compression. After telling a mechanic I trust all the symptoms, he said it sounded like a bent valve/s....which would explain no firing and no compression resistance. (BTW, had the battery tested at the place I bought it...which is fortunately right next to the feed store where I broke down....even though it's brand new. It tested strong. All my connections are intact and clean.) Anyway, the mechanic suggested....possibly...the bent valve theory suspecting the timing may have jumped from a "push pin/dowel rod" having sheared.???? In the process, the motor must have temporarily seized breaking the 7+yr old starter.
I've never done a timing chain and not familiar with this rod/pin, so does anyone have an experience such as this? If so, what can I look for? Also, how can I further deduce if the valve/s is bent without actually pulling everything apart just yet? When I get it towed homewards tomorrow, I will run a compression test.
This all happened completely out of the blue with no warning that I'm aware of. I have had some intermittent timing chain noise (with an associated slightly high idle) for a little while, but the guides are intact and I figured it was just some slack from the 70k age of it. Don't know if this even related to the recent event, but maybe.?????
Any input? Similar experiences? Need more info? Could you follow my post?
Thanks