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Timing chain jumped?

10K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  RandyStark 
#1 ·
My 2003 3.1L V6 will not start, so to make a long story short my mechanic says the timing is off and that the chain may have jumped one or more teeth on the sprocket. He indicated it could be $$$ to repair and once he gets into the engine there may be more damage so it may not be worth it. Car was running fine until one morning it just wouldn't turn over. I never heard any noises or anything indicating something broke. Has 141K miles.

I'm trying to decide whether or not to just junk the car and give up. Is this an "interference" engine? How many hours would it take a typical DIY mechanic to replace the timing chain and sprocket on the 3.1L, and are there any potential snags I may run into? Any special tools needed?
 
#3 ·
Find another mechanic or at least get a 2nd opinion from one. I'd be surprised if it was the timing chain.

It's hard to say how many hours it would take a DIYer to do this job but I would just estimate an entire weekend without knowing the skill or intelligence of said DIYers. A novice could get this done in a day and a mechanic should have it done within 4 hours. You'd just need a gear puller and installer kit just like when removing pulleys.
 
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