ok..ive searched the forum couldnt find anyhting to help so many you lot can.

this morning the mrs dropped me off at work headed home , the car started jerking,smoke coming from under the bonnet,(from what she discribes it wasnt much) the inside light came on and so did door warning light then it just **** itself. when i got home from work i walked up to where she left it and tried to start it i heard a rattle in the front of the motor like a chain and it sounded like it was grabbing on something so i didnt wanna try to start it again so i pushed the sucker home ... over a kilometer ffs ..well thats how far i got till a old fella pulled up and gave me a tow lol. anyway i got no idea, something in the back of my head tells me the timing chain has snapped..
its a 1993 TR magna automatic
any help would be great...
cheers

take off the timing chain cover and looksee

mate im a complete idiot with cars i dont even know where the timeing chain cover is lmao

mate im a complete idiot with cars i dont even know where the timeing chain cover is lmao


I dont have any experiance with the 2nd gen motors, or 4cyl, but look on the right hand side of the motor where all the belts are. There will be a plastic or metal cover with bolts on it.

Someone correct me if im wrong about this?

ok cheers mate ill have a look

ok i had a look i cant even get into where the timing chain is without pulling a heap of other stuff out to

You have a 4 cylinder....

Sorry mate, i havent even seen the 4 cylinder motor in a magna before let alone know anything about them...

Im sure someone on here will know how to help you.

EDIT: Also to add that if you are not confident that you can do anything to fix it yourself once knowing what it is, either go to a mechanic or ask someone you know to do it for you.

If you have no idea what you're doing why aren't you talking to a mechanic?
There's nothing we can do for you unless you can diagnose the situation for us :).

But i can say if the car was still driving, the chain wouldn't have snapped (at least not completely). If your chain snaps you wouldn't have gone any further. Rattle and smoke? Could be a damaged exhaust manifold?

ok..the cars not drivable after the last noise i heard im not game to start it after the first attempt it sounded like it wanted to start but it was extremly low on power(not the battery) and sounded really sick and jumpy then just cut out after about 3 seconds .. i know abit about cars enough to get me outta trouble i guess... i just dont know alot about these east west motors im just after a rough idea of what could be wrong so i know what kinda price im looking at to fix it
worse thing is i only got it a months or so ago...no probs till now..grrrrrr typical aint it soon as the warranty expires it dies lol

are u sure the starter hasn't come lose causing the rattling sounds. u could take off the timing cover but u will need to replace the gasket. it's on the passenger side above the alt belt \air-con belt. did it have a rattle sound before something went wrong? what i mean is was it due for a timing chain? is that why u think it's the timing chains. how many klm's has the car done. Has anyone done any mech work to it latey.
hard to tell what it is unless we're there or have more info to go on.
is it manual or auto . im guessing u have the 2.6lt Astron II 4cly. magna buff u more than likey be able to help more aswell as madmagna and old fart. so send a pm and pick there brains for other causes. im sure they'll help:D

if it is a snapped chain u won't get it to start and alot of the valves would be bent ( more than likely). so if thats the case u might only be up for a new head. but it's really hard to say untill u crack it open to have a look. hopefully it's not that serious and only a worn alternator bushes ( hard to start as u said) and a worn out ring gear on the starter(rattling sound). take it to someone you trust to go over it.

the red circle is where the chains are . thats the place where buffs pic is of just with the covers removed.:D oh and your starter motor is at the drivers side corner of the engine block pretty much under the plendulum (sp? square alloy thing with eci writen on it between the firewall and block) reach ur hand own there and see if it's lose or a bolt may have fallen out. atleast if u check it and it's fine then u can cross it off the list of causes. another thing to do is take out the 2 14mm ( i think) bolts and diconect the wiring for the starter then pull it out and have a look what conition the starter gear is in. as in does it spin freely , is the teeth worn etc etc.

yea but for someone who claims too know nothing about mechanicals if he looked at that he might mistake the wiper motor for the dizzy etc etc:D :bowrofl: :D

PM old fart in bunderberg you can fix him up later he has tr/ ts parts

found your problem i think its in your engine modification

Engine Modifications:
replaced the rubber band today, i gotta replace the hamsters wheel next

hehe thats better:D . atleast u've got a sense humor which is more than i can say for most.

I know what was wrong, but I'm not tellin ya's......nyaaah nyaaah :P lol :D

Member mobile again .......... another AMC team success :D

It there was a bit of smoke from under the bonnet and a massive amount of rattling, yet the car was still able to start, I'd say the oil pump/balance shaft chain has broken. If the main timing chain was broken, as others have said, the car will not start. The rattling sort of gives it away that it may be the oil pump chain, especially if it is very loud. If the engine was vibrating significantly more than usual, it's also possible this chain has failed, as there will be no counterbalancing weights to act against the vibration. If this chain fails, the oil pump does not work either, which means much of the engine will run without oil. Hopefully if this is the case the engine is still OK and hasn't had significant damage done! :confused:

Don't try to start the car in that condition - find a mechanic who can come to your place and investigate it. Smoke from under the bonnet is a worry in itself!

oh just a small thing i assume you checked - you didn't run out of oil did you?

I know what was wrong, but I'm not tellin ya's......nyaaah nyaaah :P lol :D

Member mobile again .......... another AMC team success :D

well done old fart

once again you contribution to the fourum deserves nomination of becoming a life member

It there was a bit of smoke from under the bonnet and a massive amount of rattling, yet the car was still able to start, I'd say the oil pump/balance shaft chain has broken. If the main timing chain was broken, as others have said, the car will not start. The rattling sort of gives it away that it may be the oil pump chain, especially if it is very loud. If the engine was vibrating significantly more than usual, it's also possible this chain has failed, as there will be no counterbalancing weights to act against the vibration. If this chain fails, the oil pump does not work either, which means much of the engine will run without oil. Hopefully if this is the case the engine is still OK and hasn't had significant damage done! :confused:

Don't try to start the car in that condition - find a mechanic who can come to your place and investigate it. Smoke from under the bonnet is a worry in itself!

oh just a small thing i assume you checked - you didn't run out of oil did you?
Broken a balance shaft chain before. It's a hell of a ruckus, mainly, and then you can get an oil leak from sudden changes and loss of pressure, you won't be able to rev the engine hard enough to notice the lack of counterbalance weights.

I know what was wrong, but I'm not tellin ya's......nyaaah nyaaah

Member mobile again .......... another AMC team success :D

lol thanks ol fart lol


cars running fine again and no i wont be admitting what the prob was..or i shall be banished for ever under the title of "complete idiot" lol

thanks everone for trying to help me out and thanks to ol fart for coming over to have a look..