Not in timing chest
I just wanted to correct the post in case someone reads it in the future. The alternator belt cord was NOT in the timing chest as I stated, it was wrapped around the HES behind the alternator belt housing, the plastic one with 4 bolts holding it. Since I didn't even know at that point what a HES was, I misstated where I found it. So this had nothing to do with the timing chain tensioner breaking and the tensioner piston coming out and getting chewed up (why it jumped time). It just broke on its own after 110K miles. The design seems likely to wear out, a static plastic bar being pushed against a spinning metal chain by a metal piston (only being held captive in its sleeve by the plastic bar) under pressure from a pretty strong spring. Even in an oil bath this couldn't last forever. Something else to think about for preventative maintenance purposes.The cord absolutely looks like it's from a broken alternator belt. It's not uncommon that a strand like that will wrap around the shaft behind the lower pulley and damage the HES, but I've never heard of it migrating through the seal into the timing chest.