How to tell if your timing chain is bad on 1994 buick 3.1 engine and if is bad i do i change it a woman along

the car wont start , i was driving it home and just quit running , only 2 lights came on was battery light and oil light ,How to tell if your timing chain is bad on 1994 buick 3.1 engine and if is bad i do i change it a woman along
I own a shop, and I can tell you this; Don't just assume it's the timing chain doing this, but it very well may be. If I remember correctly; the timing chain has a tensioner that will wear out and come apart. This allows the chain to get excessive slack, and throws the timing out enough for the engine to stop running. I was thinking the 3100 had a distributor until 95, but it may not, so you can't watch the rotor to see if the chain has broken. The best way is; do a compression test on the engine to tell if there is something going on with the timing chain, or its components. One must rule out all other factors as being the culprit before reaching the conclusion the timing chain is in fact bad. An engine must have three (3) things to make it run. (1) Fuel, (2) Fire, and (3) Compression. A Fuel pressure test, and a noid light test to tell if it is getting fuel. An arc test to see if it is getting fire, and a Compression test to see if the cylinders are making enough compression to fire the fuel. Now, If all of this sounds complicated, and beyond your know how, then the best advice anyone could give you is; have the car towed to a shop that can find the problem for you. You'll be way ahead of the game. Glad to help out, Good Luck!!!How to tell if your timing chain is bad on 1994 buick 3.1 engine and if is bad i do i change it a woman along
Usually if the timing chain or gears break you will notice that the engine turns over either faster than normal,or it will turn over unevenly.

But there are plenty of other things that could cause the car to die,such as a fuel pump,or a crank sensor.How to tell if your timing chain is bad on 1994 buick 3.1 engine and if is bad i do i change it a woman along
Open oil filler cap, and look inside. If you are lucky, and there is no splash shield - you will see rocker arms. Have somebody crank the engine, and if the rocker arm are moving - the chain is not broken. Now, if you can't see the valve train - your only option is to pull the valve cover.How to tell if your timing chain is bad on 1994 buick 3.1 engine and if is bad i do i change it a woman along
1= check for spark at the spark plug end of the wires. if there's spark like on the other answer check for cam or valve train movement, if the car has less than 200k miles it's probably an electrical problem such as a fuel pump fuse or ignition fuse, if it's the timing chain it would have given you a warning ie rough/uneven idle, pinging and lack of power, this are the first symptoms before it breaks,it's rare that a iming chain breaks.

good luckHow to tell if your timing chain is bad on 1994 buick 3.1 engine and if is bad i do i change it a woman along
This engine rarely has timing chain problems.also it has no dist,dis direct ign system has been on these engines since 87.Have someone ck it to see if it is firing first,if ok ck fuel pressure.