'05 Liberty Sport 6spd 4cyl ONLY 82K mi. TIMING BELT BROKE

navkat · **Joined:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 4:24 pm **Posts:** 5

I'm a US Navy veteran and single mom going to school for a Paramedic degree in Alabama. I have to drive an hour to school and an hour back plus drive my little boy to/from school and these days, I'm pretty broke.

My Jeep has been both my best friend and the bane of my existence (PLASTIC window regulators? Really?). I don't know a WHOLE lot about mechanics or electronics but I'm smart and can figure stuff out and can usually understand if someone takes the time to explain things to me.

I was driving on I-10, going 72 MPH this morning to get to school and all the sudden, the engine just...shut completely OFF. No clunking, no grinding, no other symptoms, just...kaput. I had enough momentum to pull over and just HAPPENED to be just in the right spot to hit an exit off-ramp and get all the way in the shoulder.

Thinking it was just a power/battery problem (My battery ran down last month somehow and I needed a jump. My to-be-ex let me use his battery recharger on it and the indicator said it had only managed to charge up to 91% and wouldn't go any higher), I found someone to give me a jump and tried to start it up. That did nothing. I should have known it wasn't a power issue because the headlights, blinkers, power steering and power brakes were working fine for the entire minute-and-a-half it took for me to coast and steer the thing all the way across two lanes and into the shoulder of the ramp.

I had it towed to a local mom-and-pop but reputable (meaning, notorious for cutting people a square deal) auto repair place. I have just talked to the guy and he said it's the TIMING BELT.

In the 3.5 years I've had this thing (second owner, I bought it with 30K miles on it), I've had to replace:
1. brakes AND roters (I was told the roters on this thing CAN NOT be turned)
2. Master cylinder (brakes were intermittently not braking hard enough)
3. Alternator and battery
4. window regulators
5. those pad thingies that cushion the engine block
6. was told I have a miniscule leak in the A/C system, not worth paying to repair just yet.
7. I also have a bent shifter fork thingy--I have to try several times to get the shifter to go in reverse and stay. I can't afford to have that fixed at $1,600. just to have the thing go out of whack again as soon as I hit a big bump

Have I gotten a lemon? Is this normal?

The mechanic, without yet getting a good look to see if the thing has any further damage, told me the repair for JUST THE TIMING BELT will cost me a minimum of $450. He has not yet been able to assess for further damage.

Does that sound about right to you guys?
Should I expect other costs?

Again, I heard no other clunking or grinding noises when the car quit, it just died. I tried to start it up two times, once when I first pulled over and again after trying to jump it. Now, you know how noisy these things are so would I have even heard a thing like that?

The car is out of warranty, of course and aside from a recall on the suspension I just found while trying to google my problem, I don't see anything else online about a timing belt breaking early. Do I have any recourse?

Can I save myself some money by fixing this myself? Or having a smart, mechanically-inclined friend help?

Sorry this is so much, I'm just scared. This car is all I have and my life basically comes to a complete halt until I manage to find the money to fix this.

Any and all words of wisdom, encouragement or advice will be infinitely appreciated.

dgeist · **Posted:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 5:27 pm

If the mechanic is known for square deals, ask him/her to explain to you why they think it's a timing belt. Your thoughts (lack of any noise other than silence) are reasonable. A good mechanic who is not trying to hide anything can walk you through the thought process and will understand if you tell them you're just trying to be cautious and want to double-check on the repair before you pay a lot of money. Don't be afraid to write things down. If you're polite and respect their time and if they're truly an honest professional, they should be forthcoming with you.

Dan

navkat · **Joined:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 4:24 pm **Posts:** 5

Thanks, Dan.

I'm still waiting to hear back from him. I'm stranded at school at the moment (I have someone picking me up later) but I'm wondering what other damage this might have caused. Looking on google, it seems that some cars have a mechanism that forces the engine to shut down when the belt breaks to avoid further damage. Is that true for my model? Could it be possible that all I'll need is a belt replacement with no other damage?

It's going to be awhile before he's through so I'm literally biting my nails and on the edge of my seat, waiting to hear back.

What is typical in this case for this car?

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 6:38 pm

Well there is no official timing belt change interval for the 2.4 but it is highly recommended to change it,and water pump,every 60,000 miles.With that being said the 2.4 is not a interference enginer per say,in high RPM operation(4000rpm's+ in most cases) if the belt breaks the valve can touch and cause damage but generally not a issue.Just have the belt,tensioner,pulley's,and water pump replaced and away you go.Checking for a broken timing belt takes seconds on the 2.4,just unbolt one or 2 of the cover bolts,pry away a little and have some one crank the engine,if the cams don't turn alkso the belt is broken.

As far as the other repairs..........

Brakes are a wear item and must be changed when they wearout.

Why replace the alternator? The alternator is controlled by the PCM and is rare for one to fail since the most common fail point is the voltage regulator which is no longer in the alternator.Batteries fail every few years,again another wear item.

Motor mounts are wear items also,rubber dry roits and cracks after time and must be replaced.

AC systems leak after time also,it happens to all vehicles.

navkat · **Joined:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 4:24 pm **Posts:** 5

This is probably the most encouraging thing I've heard. It's still in the thousands for the repairs though, right?

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sat Jan 26, 2013 9:27 pm

navkat wrote:

This is probably the most encouraging thing I've heard. It's still in the thousands for the repairs though, right?

Should not be over $1000 total.The last 2.4 KJ I did a timing belt and water pump came out to about $850.

swiftv8 · **Posted:** Sun Jan 27, 2013 9:16 pm

To me $450 is an absolute bargain. Libertys are easier than cars though, I just fixed a stratus (has the same 2.4 engine as the liberty) where the previous mech installed the timing belt with the exhaust cam 180 degrees out. The engine was cranked over several times like this and there still wasn't any additional damage to the head or valves. I recommend doing what tjkj said, just have a new timing belt, tensioner and water pump installed and you'll be good to go.

navkat · **Joined:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 4:24 pm **Posts:** 5

Well, the mechanic replaced the timing belt and it's running again but now it's acting weird. The day after I got it back, it started "chug-chug-chugging" like it was going to stall. It was that same "chug-stall" thing a car does when you put it into gear and don't give it enough gas before engaging the clutch. Later that day, it came very close to stalling out while I was in fifth gear and going pretty fast with the tach around 2300. The check engine light came on and I immediately pulled over and shut the car down and called the mechanic.

The mechanic couldn't duplicate the issue and told me it's an operator problem--a problem with the equipment between the seat and the steering wheel. LOL. Very funny.

It's stopped doing that "chug" thing, for the most part but now, when I drive it, it feels like something's...IDK, tight? I mean everything is harder--I have to give it more gas to keep the RPMs high enough to get it in gear and there's no leeway between too much and too little. Driving it requires a much heavier foot than it used to and I often feel like I'm driving the car with the parking brake on...it's just that sluggish. The gears are working that hard against me now and there's less "coast time" when I use the gears to slow the car down to stop at a light. It seems like taking my foot off the gas IMMEDIATELY "grabs" the car and slows it down and I have to give it more gas.

What the heck is the problem? I don't even know what to ask a mechanic and besides: I'm already tired of being condescended yo like a dumb woman who doesn't know about cars, trying to tell the mechanic how to do his job when CLEARLY, I'm the one who's crazy and the car is juuust "fine." You guys have been very helpful and respectful so I figured I'd ask here again.

Thanks, y'all!

swiftv8 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:40 pm

Glad to here it's running again but sorry to hear it's having more issues. You said the check engine light came on the last time it acted up. Do you happen to know what code was stored in the jeeps computer? I assume the mechanic would have checked this when you took it back. It's hard to say without a starting point and a diagnostic trouble code is a good place to start. As for the jeep feeling like it's being held back, did you have any other work done to it while it was at the shop, maybe brakes? I put new pads and rotors on my liberty in the rear and both my rear calipers started sticking afterwards. It would hold the jeep back while driving. Easy way to tell is really hot rotors and burning brake smell after a trip, wheels would be pretty warm also.

navkat · **Joined:** Thu Jan 24, 2013 4:24 pm **Posts:** 5

Still having problems with this thing. Now the Check Engine light is on and it keeps stalling out on me. The engine knocks and shakes something fierce.

I managed to to the on-off key trick and the following fault codes showed up:
P 0301
u 0140

Anybody got any ideas? I'd hate to end up stranded in this thing, 30 miles from home while I'm at school.

Thanks, guys.

infernicus · **Posted:** Tue May 07, 2013 5:56 pm

Sorry to hear.

According to http://www.obd-codes.com/p0301, this is a
P0301 Code - Cylinder #1 Misfire

Good luck.

Austerity · **Posted:** Tue May 07, 2013 6:43 pm

P0140 - 02 Sensor Circuit No Activity Detected (Bank 1 Sensor 2)

Read more at: http://www.obd-codes.com/p0140
Copyright © OBD-Codes.com

Between that and the misfire I would look for an electrical connection under the hood near the timing belt cover that the mechanic may have disconnected and forgot to hook back up. If that's not it, you've got more serious issues. :oops:

Rich · **Posted:** Thu May 09, 2013 9:45 pm

Many moons ago I was a big Neon head... before I start spouting things off, how similar is the KJ's 2.4 to the Cloud car/minivan 2.4?

audiboy86 · **Posted:** Fri May 10, 2013 7:56 am

They are pretty close in design but sounds like and issue caused by the shop or the timing belt snapping. But i would start with cheap and simple pull the spark plug in the first cyclinder and check it if it measures out fine have someone turn it over to see if it is firing. More then likely one of those 2 will show up bad. The oxygen sensor was more then likely caused by this same issue and will probably have to be replaced if you were closer I would be more then happy to have a look at it for you. Good Luck

Rich · **Posted:** Sat May 11, 2013 7:46 pm

If the shop got the cams a tooth of it will cause very rough running. I did this on my 2.4 build, the one tooth will not trip the CEL. Rough running can be caused if the plug wires are reversed on the coils (assuming they are the same wasted spark style packs). First off, I would pull the covers and check to see if all the timing marks line up.

'05 Liberty Sport 6spd 4cyl ONLY 82K mi. TIMING BELT BROKE

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