99 Mitsubishi Gallant Starting Problem

Timing belt should always be moving whenever the engine is turning over. My guess is you probably have a stretched or broken timing belt - especially at 157K miles if it has never been replaced before. Engine crank & cam need to be positioned according to Mitsubishi specs before replacing the timing belt.

Thanks hotrox, Can i fill you in on where I'm at? 1. i removed the bottom timing belt inspection cover and verified that the belt has stripped some teeth. Is there any way to check for internal damage so I could know if replacing belt/pump/cam sensor/idlers ect is worth it? my fear is that I could go through all of this effort and expense only to find that there is piston/valve damage and I'm back at square one also, would you recommend just replacing the belt and stuff and seeing how (or if) it even runs? also, if i do replace the belt should I just cut off whats remaining of it so that when I align the various timing marks that it does not move other marks? Any advice on how to proceed is greatly appreciated

There is a video on YouTube that shows how to change the timing belt & water pump on the Mitsubishi 2.4L engine. After you view the video, you'll see that you need to do a little more than just cut off the old belt and slip on a new one. One thing you could do to see if there is any piston/valve damage is to replace just the timing belt and then do a compression check. Poor compression on any cylinder could indicate a bent valve. If compression is good, then you need to decide what other components to replace to complete the job.

I would recommend pulling the head even if the compression test turns out good. At 157k the head gasket may be failing. You will also need to check all tension and idler pulleys as well as counter weigh belt. The timing procedure is complicated. I think you can get various gasket and belt kits depending on the work you want to do. The value of the car and weather you want to keep it will also help make your decisions. I just did all this work on a 2003 galant with a 2.4 had no rust. Posted Jan 12, 2020.