Celica Forums General Discussion Exterior Timing chain snapped

Need some advice on what to do. My timing chain snapped while the car was running in parked. Been working on it for a week now since it sat for about 4/5 years. Drove perfectly fine until the timing chain snapped on me. My question is, should I change the timing chain and see what happens or completely swap out the motor with another one? Mileage on engine was around 108k no leaks or any other issues with it also.

Damn. Breaking that timing chain is a major problem, probably got rusted sitting unlubricated too long.

You would have to remove the front timing chain cover and jiggle the engine to remove the long pulley bolts, about 10-hour job for experienced mechanics. If you have time, you would have to get under then car, jiggle the engine up and down for clearance to remove the long bolts and pulleys. That's the time consuming part of the work. After that you can remove the chain tensioner, replace the chain, make sure the timing marks are positioned correctly, check the water pump for leaks, reinstall the tensioner, replace the front and valve cover gaskets, add silicone RTV to tricky spots where more than 2 surfaces mate to prevent oil leaks, torque all bolts carefully to that soft Aluminum block, don't strip any threads, reassemble all pulleys and serpentine belt and hope your timing set up is correct.

Don't know if other parts were also damaged by the broken the chain. lf you can find an experienced mechanic who does good work and charges low hourly rate, it would still be $500- 600 labor plus part.

To swap engine, most shops want $1,500 fo used engine plus $1,500 for labor, so $3,000.