[bvw]

on belts and chains:

I guess I didn't read that to my Olds 2.3 Cutlass's timing chain. Which had the decency to break a link while starting up one cold winter morning, thereby limiting the damage to the cylinders. A $2700 rebuild. I forget how many miles were on the engine, maybe 115k.

[XBob]

124 - "I guess I didn't read that to my Olds 2.3 Cutlass's timing chain."

I am not familiar with that engine, per se. However, if it is one of those 'half' endines they have built at various times - 1/2 a v8, the only car I do remember with timing chain problems was an olds V8 in the 70's, which had plastic 'shoes' on the timing gear to make it run more quiet and smoothly. Sometimes the plastic would come loose and jam the chain/gear, which would break. It was always wise to change that gear at about 100,000 miles.