Originally Posted by JimBlake
Why would a broken chain destroy anything outside the engine? The timing cover is normally not plastic...
I heard that broken chain can break even a metal timing cover.
It may get jammed around crank pulley and because of a high velocity it may crack something else on its way out of timing cover. Low chances of course but you are right that before it brakes it gets loud.
What I wanted to say that if it is a chain it shouldn’t be left unattended at all.