Crank no start, engine or timing chain?

2013 CHEVROLET EQUINOX
148,000 MILES • 2.4L • 4 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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ST45733
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I drove to the store and, when I left the store, the car cranked but wouldn’t start. I had it towed to a shop. The mechanic called me the next day and said that the engine had no compression and needed to be rebuilt or replaced. I asked hot that was possible and he asked me if it had been running hot or while low on oil. I spoke to another mechanic who said that it may only need a new timing chain. Is it possible that the first mechanic was mistaken, and that the engine doesn’t need to be replaced?
Jul 30, 2022 at 8:56 PM
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SQM
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Hello,

If the timing chain breaks, then you won't have any compression.

Did the first mechanic say if the timing chain is broken?

Now a broken timing chain can damage the internals of the engine. This is an interference engine which means if the chain breaks when the engine is running it will bend the valves and can-do other damage. Which will require the engine to be rebuilt or replaced.

Let me know of any questions.
Thank you.
Jul 30, 2022 at 10:10 PM
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ST45733
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I don’t think that he mentioned the timing chain. He just said that the engine has no compression, and that means that it has to be rebuilt or replaced. When I asked him how that might have happened, he asked if it had been running hot or driven with low oil. I told him that it hadn’t. Is it normal for a car to go from running smoothly to engine failure that quickly?
Jul 31, 2022 at 12:09 AM
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SQM
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Usually, you will have existing issues. Sometimes noise or overheating like he mentioned.
But the shop should always tell you exactly what the reason is.
When the engine was cranking but not starting, did it crank as normal? with a typical cranking sound? Or did it sound different?
If the chain is broken or there is no compression, the engine cranking will be much faster and will have a different sound.
Jul 31, 2022 at 2:37 PM