Strange things happen when a timing chain breaks. This chain drives the camshaft at exactly half the speed of the crankshaft. If the chain breaks it could jam the crankshaft so that the engine can't turn, even by hand. If the engine does turn and the chain is broken, you will hear an uneven cranking sound coming from the engine.
What usually happens is that one or two cylinders end up with all valves closed, and this causes a high compression as the engine is turned by the starter. The valves on the other cylinders remain open all the time and there will be no compression on these., so the engine sounds as if it is turning fast, then slow in very quick succession.
It often happens that, because the timing is out for the short while that the engine turns without the timing chain, the valve timing is out by so much that the pistons strike the valves and bend them, so that there is no compression whatsoever, and when you crank the engine with the starter, the engine just spins freely. In any case, whatever the symptoms, the engine will not start!
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