2002 Sportage killed while driving and will not start again

[95 Silverado]

Hi. My girlfriend's 2002 Sportage killed last night while she was driving it. We've tried starting it numerous times, but it won't. It seems to turn over faster than usual which leads me to believe that the timing belt has broken, especially since the vehicle now has 96K miles. However, before settling on this diagnosis, I want to be able to rule out the possibility that the fuel pump is broken / malfunctioning. Today, I disconnected the fuel tank line from the fuel filter and tried turning over the engine for a few seconds. When I did, no fuel shot from the line. Should I expect fuel to come through that line when trying to start the vehicle like this or is there some failsafe or something like that? Maybe the fuel pump won't work when the timing belt's broken. Do you think it's the fuel pump or the timing belt?

[hvac1000]

Look under the timming belt cover. I bet the belt is your problem. if you need a belt make sure you put a new water pump on also.

[alaskabigdog]

open the oil filler opening in the valve cover and look to see if the cams rotate while you crank the engine, if they do not, the belt is broken.
If the cams move and you still have fast cranking, that might indicate low compression due to another problem with the valves not sealing or the piston rings not dealing. My money is on the belt.

[kzarrrrr]

I just got home from helping my brother work on a 2002 sportage and am stumped. my bro had the same problem. when we try cranking the starter the starter spins like there is no restriction and i could see the pulleys and fan turn. but it was like the crank shaft was disconnected based on how fast the starter would turn. but like there where no pistons to hold the starter back.

what i want to know is based on the replies is, could it be the timing belt? and if so, i thought that if the timing belt rips that that would cause the piston to come up and hit the valves and completely kill the motor. isn't the crank shaft connected directly to the fly wheel, and the cams and valves connected to the timing belt? (basing this on a 2005 maximum i killed by dropping a bolt on the timing belt area when i tried changing the water pump. )


only looking for some answers because my brother is very worried about how much this is going to cost him, and i feel bad that i can't really answer his questions. he is 550 mile away from hitting the 100k mark.