Does the engine sound funny when you turn it over? That is how I found out my timing belt broke. I thought I did not have any spark either, but the engine cranked as if I lost all compression.
Just my 2 pennies...
Your engine must have been one of the minority type, "non-interference." Otherwise your engine would have been totally destroyed by timing belt breakage (or even in the case of timing belt skipping). Got to hand it to the Japanese - all their timing belt engines are NOT "non-interference." When a belt breaks on one of theirs, its popcorn inside. But they do make great cameras.
Would you buy another car with a timing belt, Dave? Or demand durable gears or a timing chain and sprockets which normally lasts the life of the car and sometimes the owner? Chrysler has slim pickin's in that department, but Mercedes will sell you a good one for around $50,000 plus. Used to be you could buy a Chevy with the same good stuff inside for under $3,000.
If you ask Chrysler about gears and chains they'll tell you it was okay in the days of pushrods, but overhead camshafts make it impractical because run is too long and creates too much backlash, noise, weight, and expense. Hogwash! There are other choices. A right angle hypoid gear drive shaft is the perfect solution to those objections. One shaft with two meshing gear sets with the shaft splined for thermal compensation. Very simple. Very durable. A high school kid with a drafting course under his belt could design it.
Student Muckit, why do you always go for the overengineered solutions?
Motorcycles, which are just about all OHC types, (except for thise rediculous Harley designs) use long timing chains with no problems. The reason that the automakers don't use them is simple - the belts are cheaper.
Ted
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