I was driving down the highway and all of a sudden my car stalled, when i tryed to turn the key only the lights on the dash lit up and it made a clicking sound. I took it to a mechanic and was told the timing belt poped and it might be causing an interference(almost $1800). When i look at the timing belt it seems perfectly fine. I was wondering could it be anything else that might be causing my car to not turn over,its a 2000 vw passat. The power in the car seems fine, so i dont think its the battery. When i turn the key it makes a clicking sound, but doesnt turn over.
When i look at the timing belt it seems perfectly fine.
Well are you sure you were looking at the timing belt? It is well hidden and requires a fair amount of disassemble to see it.
Even if it looks good it may have slipped a few cogs and that can cause serious damage. BTW I believe that is an interference engine which means it can cause this kind of damage.
The only way I know of to tell is to do the disassembly.
Good Luck
PS how many miles on it and has the timing belt been changed? I was likely due at 80,000 miles.
I’ll bet you need a new battery.
I have this happen to me. The battery has enough juice to turn on the lights and radio, but not enough “oomph” to kick in the starter.
Another possibility is the starter solenoid is shot. But testing the battery’s a lot easier than testing the starter, so I’d check that first.
Are you sure you aren’t looking at the accessory belt instead?
I guess that we should be glad that the OP told us the make, model, and model year of the vehicle in question, but without the vital odometer mileage reading, it is very difficult to give an opinion regarding the timing belt. However, if the mileage standard for replacing the timing belt on a Passat is 80k, it is likely that this procedure is a few years past due, on the basis of elapsed time.
OP–Please enlighten us as to the odometer reading on your car. Also, please tell us whether the timing belt has ever been replaced, and tell us what your maintenance schedule (likely sitting in the glove compartment) states regarding the odometer mileage value and the elapsed time value for replacement of the timing belt.
Also–as has been intimated–are you sure that the belt that you were looking at was the timing belt, or could it have been the serpentine belt?
Did you find out what the problem was? I have a 2000 Passat with the same problem. Car suddenly ran rough and stalled. Now the starter makes a winding noise but the engine doesn’t turn over. Possible coil or solenoid? Please help?
The most likely single point of failure (for the engine to stall and the starter to not be able to turn it over after that) is a broken timing belt.