Heard a bang! Not good

[Blane1992]

Hi guys, I've got a mk 2 clio 1.2 16v, my coil pack on it has been a bit dodgy for a while, the light sometimes comes on and the car will cut out and you have to rev it until the light goes off to stop it cutting out, anyway I was at some traffic lights last night and my car cut out, I turned the ignition back on and the coil pack light stayed on, but because I was at the front of the traffic lights and they had turned to green I tried to start it anyway, which ended up or just turning over for ages, I then turned it off and turn it back on, waited for the light to go out, it started to turn over I then heard a bang, which sounded like it came through the exhaust, a sort of compressed air sort of bang, after that it wouldn't even try and turn over. And yess I was still at the front of the traffic lights holding everybody up, wasn't good haha! Anyway my mate came, we tried jumping my car off his, it started to turn over then made the same bang again but not as loud. He immediately thought that was the sound of the valves meeting the pistons, we got it back to his took the casing off the timing belt, put a wratchet on the crank and moved it, he said if the timing belt had slipped and the valves and the pistons and met or bended you wouldn't be able to move the crank around at all (hope that's true) so our next port of call it's getting a friend with the same car and trying my coil pack on their car and see if her car works, if it doesn't then we know it's the cool pack, if it does then I have no idea what is up with mine.

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated guys!
thanks blane

 

[Spinksy]

Sounds to me like the timing was out mate... the 'coil pack light' isn't just for the coil pack, its for the timing aswell (which is why its a light of an ECG - electro cardiogram), it might have done some damage to the engine I'm afraid as the coil pack shouldn't make a bang noise unless the electrics are blowing... But as I say it sounds like your timing was out a lot and this may have caused some serious damage.... Hope you get it sorted mate :/

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

Paragraphs are good.

 

[Blane1992]

The timing belt only got changed less than 3,000 miles ago, surely I've got some sort of warranty for a certain period if anything goes wrong with the timing belt?

 

[Spinksy]

If say the timing belt snapped or you can prove that it was not set up properly when they did it but there are a few things which can 'knock' the timing out whilst driving get it looked at asap mate and I hope you get it sorted

 

[Blane1992]

We had a quick look last night and the belt looked fine so if it is that then belt must of jumped or something, we are gonna change the coil pack later today to see if it is that, reckon its gonna be a case of trial and error, cheers mate me too

 

[Spinksy]

Did it work fine when you had the belt done? Or did this start when you had the belt done? Belt could have jumped out of time if you have hit a bump too hard or have jumped if you have pushed the engine too hard and its missed timing...

 

[Blane1992]

Yeah everything worked fine when I had the belt done, I had it done nearly 3 months ago but I haven't been driving too much over summer so have only done around 3,000 miles with the new belt, and because of how low it is I don't tend to hit speed bumps hard and I rarely really push the engine too hard and it happened in the middle of town when I came to a stand still

 

[Spinksy]

Yeah I read that it was in town mate, seems like because the timing was out that it has led to something possibly getting jammed or stuck which has lead to something breaking... had it been struggling before the timing belt was done?

 

[MartinR]

I doubt its timing related

 

[Blane1992]

Martin is right, put jump leads on it earlier as it was totally dead, It started up first time straight away, I couldn't believe it! It must be something to do with the dodgy coil pack, right?

 

[Dr HMS Derv Destroyer]

battery flat? had to jump start. you sure you havent snapped the aux belt? ( not timing belt )

 

[Blane1992]

I'm not sure why the battery was flat tbh, no the belts are fine, it has started up first time all night, fingers crossed it carries on to do so, pretty sure it will be the cool pack causing it

 

[Stefan.]

or the alternator?

 

[Blane1992]

If it was the alternator surely it wouldn't keep starting after I turned it off as they would be no power in the battery?