looking at buying a 96 mirage with a 1.5 engine in it. the people selling it said it ran great before the timing belt broke. my first question, is this an interference motor? My second question, if it is how much damage can be expected on the inside, they said they were only doing 10-15 mph when the belt broke and that they were in the middle of shifting so the clutch was pressed in. they didn't hear no metal on metal contact either. all opinions welcome and thankyou in advanced.curtis

 

it should be an interference engine..

You will most likely have multiple bent valves.

 

so the pistons would be ok then? I could live with reworking the head and valves.

 

what does interference engine mean??

 

Basically a interference engine means the valves travel a longer distance and can come into contact with the top of the piston if the timing is messed up,like what happens when the timing belt snaps. Trust me change the timing belt at the right interval or sooner,it will save you a lot of headaches.