Question for the group, is it possible to have good compression on all cylinders while simultaneously having the timing chain set wrong?

I recently picked up a 2011 R56 S with quite the unicorn of issues. I was informed that the previous owner said she was driving it when the motor locked up, the shop essentially told her it needed an engine and did not diagnose further. She sold the car to me with 99k on the odometer.

Throughout my testing thus far, I have concluded the following:

• The engine does in fact crank, just does not start
• Fuel is being delivered to the cylinders
• Coils are providing spark
• JBE is in good working condition
• Turbo is not toast and air is reaching the engine
• No check engine light is present

This essentially led me to consider the timing had jumped and possibly damaged the valves/pistons. Que the compression test.






Compression looks good on all cylinders (I removed cover after I couldn’t believe the results. These are retests)

The timing chain is tight with zero play and there are no metal shavings in the oil. The chain guides look like the old version but seem like a newer install.

I then noticed the timing blocks on the cam shafts are nowhere near being lined up.






Correct me if I’m wrong, but these need to be parallel to each other when the chain is installed otherwise the car won’t start and/or run like crap.

I just don’t see how it is possible for the car to “lock up” while driving (so I was told) and have zero signs of internal damage, yet also be so far out of time with zero chain play and what appears to be zero valve damage.

Do we think the timing jumped, the shop installed the chain incorrectly and then subsequently lied to the previous owner about needing a new engine when it didn’t start?

To that effect, do we think the reason it is not starting is solely related to a horrendous timing chain job?

Worst case scenario, I got the car for pennies and wouldn’t be upset about doing a swap or rebuild.

Thanks for any insight and apologies for the essay of a post!

 

Did you lock the crank with the flywheel pin? If not, then I wouldn’t expect the cams to be in the correct position. If you have the tools, get a couple new cam gear bolts and retime the engine, see what happens.

 

Thats the thing, I don’t know what was done before me. As far as I can tell, someone did a horrible timing job and I need to fix it.

The fun part is going to be trying to find 90 BTDC with camshafts that you just can’t trust are installed correctly.

 

I mean no disrespect, but I think you need to go and read up how to perform a timing job. You don't find 90° crank position from the camshafts, you need to pin the flywheel. Then, even if the cams are 1 tooth off from the chain, they should be close. That's when you find out if the cams are indeed off, when you try to seat the cam tools.

Again, if you are sure the timing is off, get a set of timing tools and new cam shaft bolts. Pin the flywheel, set the cam tools, and re-time the cams. THEN you will know that the timing is correct, and you'll get a better feel for the operation of the engine.

 

Solved the problem. Turns out I was correct about the previous owner doing an abysmal timing job. The cams were never aligned with the timing marks indicative of someone doing a timing chain without the cam locking tools.