Crank But No Start: Sounds and Symptoms of a Loose Timing Chain or Belt

Listen to the distinctive sound of an engine turning but not starting with the cause revealed. Shown is a 2.2L Ecotec engine in a 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier.

[@stephaniepynes]

Welp..answered my question. Outstanding info. Thank you for getting to the point. Most don't.

[@johnferguson4989]

Plastic chain guides & tensioners: Engineered failure points, a throwback to the plastic cam gear teeth in 60s-70s pushrod engine vehicles.

[@forrestyoung6588]

Congrats on 20 thousand subscribers!!!!

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

Thanks

[@kimblehosey7930]

More sound effects during start please

[@damarisvillanueva9203]

Right to the point. Thanks!

[@MartinSage]

I have old 85 Toyota pickup. The truck starts and runs strong, smooth and cool….until yesterday. It was 85f and after driving an hour on the freeway it started getting warmer than norm…but not in red. I pulled off to buy something but when I tried to start her she refused. It turned over but NO ⚡️ SPARK. Next day after towing her home I pulled the rotor cap after tracing power from battery to coil and now distributor. I turned the engine over many times but the rotor never moved. I pulled out the distributor to inspect the drive gear. No damage visible😃 I will be taking the valve cover off to inspect the cam gear and timing chain. Is it possible the chain broke? How will I know? There are Zero loud noises when she turns over.

[@ElenaLL-kh2so]

I have that issue I changed the belts and lined it and it still sounds the same

[@finchi55]

Wowwy, might have saved a $1,000, imma try to see if this is what is wrong with my 05 malibu, parked it, came back and this exact problem

[@ADRI626.]

Same here! With my 11 Malibu parked it then came back and this!

[@ashleed1402]

i have an 05 chevy classic with the 2.2L ecotech engine, it drove just fine to pick up my friend and then 10 minutes later it wouldn’t turn over.. it was making a harsher sound than what was shown in your video and when i looked under the hood i noticed the cover had a small crack where the timing chain is located, is it possible that the chain snapped and cracked the cover? and if so is it possible it did damage to anything else in there? am i gonna have to get a new cover or is there a way to patch the crack? i’ve worked on plenty of cars but i’ve never touched an engine so i have no idea what i’m doing or where to even start. i’m dreading getting that cover off and finding out if there’s more than i’m suspecting

[@theowlsofouterheaven]

Hey! I have an 04 Chevy Classic with this same engine. Any update? I was going down the road and the car died and it sounds like something is spinning in my engine and hitting where the timing chain is located. Haven't torn it apart just yet. Did you have any massive engine damage? I was going about 40mph.

[@AlKhal269]

Similar happened to my corolla and the mechanic said your cranck is broken or so there is no pressure in your engine and the timing chain is it place :/ i am bretty sure its timing problem but i was mad and just bought another engine. :(. . Funny thing it happend suddly while driving And before i had cam shaft sensor code and tried multiple sensors and everytime it show up again the code and the car was weak specially going up hills

[@AlKhal269]

I still don’t believe the mechanic i think he is not experienced that much

[@tituswafula8952]

engine was very noisy after head gasket replacement not running smoothly

[@panzerichi3837]

Can limp mode make no compression in multiple cylinders ? I know it can effect timing

[@prosniper3090]

I need help my car start but it's not all the way in time need help to get it put in time I had a Cherry bomb muffler on it and it back fired and blew it in half

[@K.j.5280]

If the car has zero compression does that mean the engine is done for and you have to swap it out ?

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

Maybe, but miss- timing will cause that too. The valves being open at the wrong times will prevent compression from developing.

[@404Master-G]

Have u tried switching out the cam shafts sensor Crankshaft sensor, or fuel pump relay ?

[@simplelangperorock]

Hi chief, Would you be able to assist or tips on BMW n51 engine? Car has one short-time ‘rattling sound’ heard. next day, idling normal in my garage suddenly died. P0365 shows on code. I replaced 2 Camshaft sensors and the crankshaft PS. Still No-start. No cranks or fast crank and battery resets. NO long cranks. Please advise, thx

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

I would start by checking the engine and chassis grounds. Make sure everything is tight and clean from the negative battery terminal to the grounds. I had a frustrating experience with a Corolla a few years back and made a video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3W4XombntWMack

[@nikkiberryman4367]

Ok so I have an 04 cavalier and I just installed a whole new timing kit and every was lined up where it’s supposed to be and I made sure it was at top dead center before removing any of the old parts. Like I said everything was lined up percent according to the marks on the chain but when I tried cranking it, it still doesn’t have any compression so wtf am I missing or doing wrong????

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

If the reason you changed it due the chain slipping or breaking, I would worry that there is valve damage as this is an interference engine.

[@qatanisrael9092]

My 97 Chevrolet lumina makes the aame aound it did the same thing someone told me it could be my fuel pump.but I had a brand new one bought on online 3 years ago

[@fyvnyn0990]

Is there a way to get a vehicle to start, even if this scenario exists? I’m asking because I want to know how a mechanic would move a car around the shop to diagnose and then repair.

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

If it slipped out of time it won't start. They have to either tow it or use some other method I'm not aware of.

[@ad5331]

push

[@superwhosuper]

My car sounds like this but the chain isn’t loose. What should I check next?

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

This is the sound of a complete loss of compression. Check to see if the timing is correct. A blown head gasket might also sound like this.

[@Tmassicotte187]

Same, but timing is correct, and the head gasket isn't leaking. Drove fine, parked in my driveway over night, went to start on the morning and exact same sound. As though the starter solenoid isn't working properly, although the engine fast "cranks" like this video

[@clarencevelajr5179]

Figure it out?

[@theowlsofouterheaven]

I have a 2.2 ecotec in an 04 Chevy Classic. It doesn't quite sound like this, mainly a spinning rattle in the engine. Won't start and it died going down the road 40mph. How screwed potentially is my engine? I hear metal hitting where the chain rests in the engine.

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

Doesn't sound good at all. Can't say for sure just from that, but valve damage is a real possibility when it happens at 40 mph.

[@garylove2836]

My 2009 ford Taurus with a 3.5 liter engine v6 starting making a strange noise and I jkept driving it eventually it conk out on me on the road.and when I try to start it it does the same thing your car on your illustration makes I thought my serpentine belt snap but it didn’t.my car only has 58,000 original miles do you think I should get repair or junk my car?

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

It would be the timing belt or chain issue, not the serpentine belt that would cause the engine to sound like the one in the video. With those low miles I would certainly have a competent mechanic look at it.

[@garylove2836]

thanks for your advice,im going to ask some competent mechanics about how much would they charge hopefully they wont break my bank.i know for this engine you have to remove the intake manifold and the valve covers.to get to some of the screws to remove the timing chain cover.and also you have to align the gears with the chain.

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

Yeah, timing chain service is quite challenging. @@garylove2836

[@R3zzRhino]

Yea my 04 cavalier came to a stop sign then stalled out tried to start it wouldn't start after that

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

I hate that kind of shocking development too.

[@MrWilliamsAlex]

WHERE IS THE LINK ???

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

Yeah, your right it vanished. I'm trying to fix it, but in the meantime here is a link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqauiniKl8ugq7c

[@MrWilliamsAlex]

@@TheOriginalMechanic I found it ..! THANK YOU !!!

[@kingcol1533]

My opel astra 1.6 ecotec made this noise after I switched the car off. When I tried swinging the ignition again it made a similar noise, if this happened at a standstill, do you think there will be any extensive damage?

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

Those are similar to conditions to how it happened to us. We didn't have bent valves.

[@pataleno]

Did you get it fixed. and was there any damage. Happened to me on driveway. No damage.

[@kaslol55]

Would the valves possibly be bent because of this?

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

On interference engines like the one shown valve damage is possible. Fortunately we lucked out on this 2.2L Ecotec engine.

[@clarencevelajr5179]

I replaced chain and it’s still sound like this trying to start

[@kidsavage86]

2014 rt crank no start what u think

[@Bandboyz5280]

Cams and lifters

[@wick9181]

Question is, is this a fixable thing?

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

Oh yes, but not easy. kzbin.info/aero/PLNa0SKAbm6QqyAtpkyo_3bgU8ZyZX5saO

[@rl2905]

Is that a non interference engine? No valvetrain damage?

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

This is an interference engine. Got lucky with no valve damage.

[@Snowly06]

Could this cause white smoke comin from intake

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

That's a sign of burning coolant which most often is a blown head gasket.

[@mariacadena5730]

This is something wrong with my car , I have an 03 Toyota Camry that won’t start and making the same sound , how much does it usually cost to get it fixed ?

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

Replacing a broken timing belt is not a cheap repair. I'd call around and they should be able to give a ballpark figure.

[@promiseb4620]

My car Lexus RX 300 Jeep jump timing and doesn't start engine

[@Official.blazed]

This is exactly what sound my explorer is making but my mechanic told me the engine is blown..

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

The 2.2L Ecotec engine in this video was also condemned by a mechanic. We replaced the chain and reset the timing and it ran. Be aware, though, that a broken chain can result in valve damage in some engines.

[@hbodro4064]

Are u in the DMV area??

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

I don't know where that is . I'm in the upper Midwest of the USA

[@Tmassicotte187]

My 05 cavalier 2.2 ecotec sounds exactly like this, but the timing chain is taught, and the marks are correct. So strange. Has fuel, air... going to be fun checking for spark.

[@SamSam-ih6nt]

No compression

[@Tmassicotte187]

@@SamSam-ih6nt that's the strange part... shouldn't just miraculously appear over night. Drove it, and parked in my driveway, went to start, just fast spins the crank, no turn over. Weird to all of a sudden have no compression.

[@crxess]

@@Tmassicotte187 Exactly how it happens. Under power the Chain is bound. The Guide usually fails. Turn the engine off and the chain whips, settling with slack between the Cams. Back under cranking tension, the Cams are no longer aligned and the compression of gone. No compression prevents the load that would do farther damage.

[@rodneyuarredondo6593]

@@crxess great reply

[@theowlsofouterheaven]

Did you ever figure it out? I have an 04 Chevy Classic with the 2.2 ecotec. Driving down the road, and it died. It sounds like spinning almost in the engine and hitting where the timing chain is. Is it possible my engine isn't toast? Did you figure it out?

[@uglycustard1]

This exactly what happened with my 2.2 Vectra same sound.

[@armandoskylar7625]

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[@kylenleonidas1131]

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[@daytondario6216]

@Kylen Leonidas yea, I have been using Flixzone for months myself =)

[@armandoskylar7625]

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[@kylenleonidas1131]

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[@promiseb4620]

Hi

[@angelapetersen8861]

Mine sound just like that but we already did the timing

[@clarencevelajr5179]

U figure it out?

[@Adam19832]

Jumped teeth probably bent valve on these interference engine, mostly at the intake side

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

Actually got lucky and the car ran well afterwards

[@Adam19832]

@@TheOriginalMechanic good news for you my friend, my valve had same noise and 10 exhaust valve job to do

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

@@Adam19832 Wow, sorry to hear that. That's about as bad as it gets.

[@Adam19832]

@@TheOriginalMechanic I already fix it ;-)

[@edgaral]

​@omarabshwoy9027 how? how much did it cost? did you do it yourself? any context on your problem?

[@marcmcclinchy9774]

What if mine sounds likenits cranking slow with no strt

[@TomorrowisYesterday]

Battery

[@hippitymcstribbs4906]

Or crank position sensor if u have fuel delivery 👍 usually runs like crap first though with bad cps, at least on my model

[@215brannew]

hey give me a call