HELP! the timing belt broke...

[04rebel]

New member here, 04 2.0 SOHC motor with 168k miles on it. Been running perfectly, it's my son's ride for college(commuter).
I know they are a bit of a pain to get at, side plate removal(done that once already). Don,t know history of belt changes being done. Not worried about how to do the belt (tips appreciated), as I am worried about valve damage. I've heard both ways on "getting lucky" with this interference motor. This incident happened in college parking lot at idle as son was on break between classes, My son is not naive to how a motor works(sounds) and said he only cranked it long enough to tell something was really wrong.
I figure the BEST place to get GOOD info is from a site like this from people that actually have them and seen the whole gambit of what can happen with these nice little cars! My skills are more than adequate to the work(retired auto tech), but any good advice is sought, as due to circumstances I need to lay out a good work strategy due to time involvement and Physical limitations) AND would really prefer avoiding out and out taking the head off if possible.
YES I know I'm dreaming big to the "by the book" folks, but I know that SOMETIMES the real world can be a bit different, and why I'm here for some "straight scoop".

[occasional demons]

RPM doesn't really matter. If damage is happening, it's happening. It's just a matter of how many times the piston hits the valve(s) after the first hit.

The simplest way to see if you need to pull the head, is to remove the valve cover, then pull the rocker arm assy's, and lay a straight edge across the tops of the valves. If they are all even, you might be lucky. If there are some that do not come all the way up, the valves have been hit.

If they all appear even, then you could try just replacing the timing components, including the water pump (could be what snapped it), and see how it runs. I would do a compression check, after putting the belt on, just to see if any of the numbers are excessively low, before running it. You can do that before installing the covers and crank balancer pulley.

[04rebel]

Thanks for the reinforcement of replying here too! I had the "poor little car" towed from college to home(30 miles + $$$$), and now am dolly towing it to my parents NICE garage for exploratory surgery and hopeful repair. NO WAY am I doing this in WNY rainy cold weather out in my dirt/stone driveway!
I'll post up findings and status in a few days when the "dust has settled"!

[04rebel]

Well, as I posted on my introduction page thread... All is going well valves are OK, installed new H2O pump, tensioner and belt. Have given a short start/run and all is good, nice smooth start,no noises and smooth idle/acceleration. BUT am hunting salvage yards for a replacement outer timing cover(plastic of course) that busted all up at the crank pulley area that could not be seen till the crank pulley was removed. Or I will have to buy a new one "online, yup already have researched that but just hate the idea of a week to 10 days to get it!
Will post up when the "poor little car" is back on the road!

[04rebel]

After calling various Dodge/Chrysler parts sites and finding out that they are just normal DEALERSHIP parts departments...
I called our local Dodge Dealer and they said NO they don't stock the needed part , BUT their "area's warehouse" has one and immediately ordered it for me, said it would be there in the morning!They also said if there was a problem, that they would call me back, no call so far! Won't get the reduced price of "online", but I'll have the part in hand tomorrow and can get this "poor little car" back on the road where it belongs!

[04rebel]

And to top things off.I had called 2 salvage yards(somewhat local), one said they only had an 00 model and the other(first called at 9:00 am did'n't think they even had a Neon...They called at 4:00 pm while I was out picking wife up from work saying they had my part for me! They were closed by the time I got home and heard the message! NOW I have 2 covers in the same locality to buy! I hope the used one doesn't have a sky high price tag! Even though the new dealer part would cost more, that company has ALWAYS done well for me in a number of odd part problems over the years!

[04rebel]

Last installment for this timing belt fiasco....Got the Dealer part for $68. The salvage yard had to get it pulled out yet, so was ok about not buying it. Spent 3 hours putting everything back together and road test to be sure before driving it home.
The "poor little car" will live on longer(and actually seems to run a fraction better), until my son does something else to harm it! The 30 mile drive to bring it home was pure sweetness of motor performance! Thanks for the support and responses!

[04rebel]

POST OP. UPDATE: Well with 400 miles put on the odometer already, ALL is GOOD! Runs just like the "top" that it always did, and with the 50 mile(30mph to open road 60mph) one way drive to his summer job, the MPG has gone up from a 30mpg average to 36mpg . Just a week before the timing belt problem, we did plugs and wires, oil and filter. I don't mind doing the mechanical work on cars in fact on Saturday I just did same timing kit job on daughters 09 KIA Spectra(as preventive Scheduled maint.). BUT as I stated somewhere the lower outer edges of the now "happy little car" are looking kind of shabby, and one thing I DISLIKE the most is doing body work...and body shops charge WAY TOO MUCH for what this base Neon is worth!