misfire and my cam belt is very loose , help ???

[darrenwall]

i need a bit of advice , my mi16 started misfireing a few nights ago and when i listened to it it was making a sort of whiring noise from the engine and what sounded like a belt slapping , the noise stopped when i reved it but the misfire got worse and it was really down on power . i tested the plugs and they are sparking really well but when i looked under the cambelt cover the belt was VERY loose between the 2 cams , the cams are only about 8 inches apart but i could push the belt down at least an inch and i know it should be very taut between the cams . if i have damaged the valves would the car run at all or would i not notice it ? im gonna have the belt changed this weekend but is there any way of knowing what damage is done without taking the head off ? thanks guys

[puggy]

sounds like it may have jumped a tooth is the tensioner knackered ??

[steve_earwig]

Stop running it! Without an endoscope it's a bit hard to tell, if some of the valves are a little mangled it might have enough compression left to run, best thing would be to compression test it. After the belt (and whatever else is wrong) is fixed of course.

Good luck!

[mikey s]

i doubt very much it would of slipped a tooth, they will still run even if it has jumped and not damage the valves, my brother mi16 did it. its more likely tat the belt has gone very slack and the cam timing is being thrown miles out.

just dont run it. its not worth the risk.