Help! Timing Belt damage

[Vicki120]

Hi. We have a 2005 PT Cruiser (2.4 non turbo). The timing belt went while I was driving. My husband changed it. Then he found we had at least one bent valve. My question, because I'm not real car knowledgeable, is, does the entire engine need to be replaced, does the valve need to be repaired or can you get another valve from, say, a salvage yard. (Also, what the heck is the valve cover? Is that what is bent? My father-in-law has a friend who said he could repair it for around $700. I don't know if that is for one or for however many could be bad. We are trying to come up the most reasonable cost. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Vicki

[slartyblarfast]

Here is what happened: The valves hit each other. SO which ever ones hit are your problem. The only way you can tell the extent of the damage is to take the head off. Most likely you will be able to get away with just replaceing the valve(s) and a valve job. Worst case if the head of a valve got knocked off and hit the piston top then you will need a motor. Bottom line is you won't know till it's torn down.

[mopar_man]

Originally Posted by slartyblarfast

Bottom line is you won't know till it's torn down.

Pretty much and even then it might not be totally obvious. I had the timing belt in my car break and I couldn't tell if everything was alright. I took the complete head to a local rebuilder and had it checked out just to make sure no valves were bent or any guides got buggered. I think it cost about $200 but I'd rather that than take the whole thing apart again to find that what looked OK turned out not to be. If you would rather skip the head check, you can get a rebuilt one on eBay for under $500: link.