Manager Forum

dodge neon 2.4 l sohc

broke timing belt. replaced timing belt, tensioner, water pump. started engine, had missfire on cyl 2. compression test revealed bent valves on cyl.2. r&i cyl head, replace 2 exhaust valves. reassembled engine. no compression on all cyls. loosen rocker shafts and compression returns on all cyls. lifters too tight. why?

has anyone else had this problem? if so, what is the correction?

i'm betting t/belt broke because of an internal engine issue. when you crank down the rocker nuts they'll float the valves. either crank them down while someone is cranking the engine (kill spark) or if you crank it for 30 seconds and let it sit, do it again, and compression should return. a far as i know this isn't an interference engine so something bent the push rods.

What year and model is this? The neons I am familiar with are all 2.0 and are interference. I see a 2.4 in 05 and 06 in my catalog but it is a DOHC. I am betting the belt is off a tooth or two.

Tighten them up and walk away till tomorrow, when you dis-assemble it, the lifter plungers will extand out and cause the valves to be slightly open, with the valves tightened up, the spring pressure should push the lifter into its natural possistion and allow the car to start.

for a 2.0 sohc you might ck. if the alignment pin has been sheard off and let the timing get off a tooth or two you would line it up correctly and still be off good luck let us know how it turned out.

My thinking is that if it were a timing issue ( which I have seen the sheared pin you speak of), it would not build compression by loosening the lifters.....

my engine is indeed a 2.0 sorry for the confusion lifters stilll pumped up to no avail

if the valves were cut improperly they can be opened when the cam is installed. depending on the year there are two different 2.0's and the spechs may be different. i've seen heads that the seats were ground to deep causing the valve length exiting head to be long enough so no matter where the cam lobes sat they were putting a load on the rocker.

Hmmm... good think Steve. Want to know how this one turns out.