from the cartalk guys - the click the clack

Ray: Unfortunately, your car IS what we affectionately refer to in the shop as a "motor wrecker."

Tom: The technical term is "interference engine," because the valves open so far into the cylinders (they "interfere" in the piston space) that if the valve timing isn't perfect, the valves can be struck by a piston.

Ray: The "interference" design actually increases the engine's efficiency, because the wider the valves open, the more "stuff" you can get in and out of the cylinders. But when the timing belt breaks on an interference engine, the pistons and valves can collide, and then it's "bye-bye valves."

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big rich in arkansas '62 544 132K, 85 244 210K, 95 855 105K