Supra Down
 

So, this is my first post, but a very necessary one. I recently bought a 87' turbo slick top, and everything on it was fine until last night. I was babying the thing, pulled out of the store, got to a red light and it just died. The cam gears don't move when the engine is cranked, everything else does however. I can give some more info if it's needed, but I really need help on solving this issue asap. I have a friend who knows Supras, and he was saying something about the key of the crank pulley being stripped I think? Idk, was real hard to pay attention when I was with a group of idiots and was "lakndkaw" about the car dying on me.

Timing belt is gone if the engine turns over but the cam's aren't. Not too bad a fix, but you'll need to be sure about getting the timing right aftward. It doesn't have to be off by much to keep the engine from running, and that goes for the mechanical timing (10 deg BTDC IIRC) as well as the CPS alignment.

(edit)Oh.. I didn't read that you said the belt was toast. The belt is still holding tension, and SEEMS to be all intact from any angle we could look at it at 3am with a cell phone.(edit)

Would the timing being off keep it from turning at all? And how would it even happen..? Coasted to a light, came to a complete stop, and just off it went. Supposedly it's easier to jump timing at idle? I planned on replacing the belt since it needs it, but I haven't even had the car 2 weeks yet(needed a pay day). I get paid tonight/tomorrow, so I guess now is an okay time. Any thoughts on the crank key/pulley or something? Getting the car towed home tonight, and will hopefully have my answer of what exactly is wrong then. Hoping I can just re-time it/replace the belt and be good to go. Car is in real nice shape, and I got it for a good deal, so it's worth fixing for me.

No. The timing being off could and often does keep the engine from running or running properly if you can get it cranked, but it wouldn't stop your cams from moving.

The timing belt is like any other belt on the car, they break sometimes. In this case one of your cam gears could be a little off-center or a little loose causing excessive belt wear, could be the same type of problem down on the crank. Or the belt could just have been old and tired and decided that since you were already at a red light it was time to call it a day.

Since the timing belt is what links your crank to your cam's, when it goes there's literally nothing there to control the rotation of your cams.

Edit: So let me make sure what the situation is... the belt appears to be intact, but the cam gears aren't rotating when the engine is turned over?

Yes, exactly the situation. Appears intact, pulled on it and it is tensioned still. Crank the car, all the other belts move, but the cams+timing belt do not. The belt is starting to die though. Idk if it's possible, but MAYBE some teeth got stripped somewhere and they are no longer catching?

I suppose it's possible that the pulley on the crankshaft is shot, teeth missing (or ridges missing from the belt itself). Could also be that the belt tensioner isn't keeping sufficient tension on the belt for it to turn the cams. Those are my best guesses for the moment in any case.

Well, once I finally get more info I will let you know. Hoping if I need any parts except the belt, I can find them locally :-/. I emailed the PO seeing if theres anything he can offer me as far as advice. A friend suggested the key or whatever being stripped from the crank/pulley because he once had a cressida do this. He also said he fixed it with jb-weld until he got the parts, so perhaps the PO did this as well except for the getting the parts thing? hah. Thanks for the help though. The car will HOPEFULLY be back here tonight. I really wish I had something more than an 88 Corolla at my disposal.. hah

A damaged keyway or missing key on the balancer can cause all sorts of problems, including this one (though it's pretty uncommon). Once you get into the problem let us know what you find.

Went back to check the car out/pick it up tonight. The belt broke, but not like I expected. The teeth did in fact sheer off in sections. Some of them broke though, and the belt was starting to come apart, like teeth and outer section. Will have the car back up and running in a few days, real glad I don't have to hunt down any parts. This will also give me an excuse to put on the a/c belt and see how the a/c is for not being used for a year or two. It was completely serviced minus the compressor in 2005 at the dealer, but the compressor squealing when not in use is what caused the belt to be taken off. I however don't mind running it at all times in this 100 degree every day weather. This will give me an excuse to clean it up real nice while I wait on fixing it at least.

Your compressor shouldn't squeal, especially when it's not on and the magnetic clutch is disengaged. It's pulley should be free spinning unless power is going to the clutch, so it sounds like you may have a bad clutch on that compressor. Never had to replace one before, so I'm uncertain how much that'll run you.

Glad you found the trouble with your timing belt, hope it was just a case of age and wear.