First some background:

I was replacing the front seals, Cam, Interm, Crank - I had solicited some suggestions here:

http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=1111389&show_all=1

I used the rope trick and neanderthal techniques to avoid any Volvo special tools. Put everything back together (no extra parts!) and started the engine. It sounded kind of rough, but had been sitting for some time. Drove for about 5 minutes, eliciting the following symptoms:

Low power
whirring sound when stepping on the gas (belt slipping?)
Check engine light appears (near the end)
smoke coming from what appears to be a bolt on the exhaust down pipe (passenger side, behind the exhaust manifold, near the firewall).

I will assume that problems range from belts slipping to pistons and valves meeting in a shrieking dance of death commonly known as "Prelude to a Rebuild".

About myself - graduate student in the humanities with more time than money, and a second car to keep wife unit mobile. Slightly above average technical ability, but learning about cars via a 92 240. No garage, though I have access to one for semi-limited time: my brother's, but his wife doesn't dig long-term projects. Substantial access to pick 'n' pull parts of numerous 200/700 series cars.

I would like to use this temporary setback to gain knowledge and skill, so I was hoping that you guys could give a few thoughts on how to go about this. Assume I can work outside year-round (very So-Cal), and have some limited storage (like the trunk.)

If all else fails, I'm going to do a tear-down with my Haynes and Blue Book - I'm sure to learn something good.

Thanks for the input,

Yours in unwilling ignorance,

Lanval
--
92 240 GL, 25mm IPD Sways, Virgos, Tach/Oil Temp/Oil Pressure/Volt gauges 147,000mi

HI THERE.

We have, an officion time, repair timing belt. I`ts all 200 series under 1 hour.Check all those issues, which guyes thoeld to you. I think, it runs.

Yrs; WEBERMAN A.M.O. Ylander

Lanval,

One quick check you can do if you haven`t pulled everything apart yet is to first loosen top half of the timing belt cover over the camshaft gear so you can see where the timing mark is on the gear, then pop the distributor cap off so you can see the position of the rotor, then take a breaker bar with a 24mm cup to the center bolt on the crankshaft pulley and turn the crankshaft a couple of times. The crankshaft pulley timing mark should be at 0 mark on the lower half of the cover, the camshaft gear timing mark should match the mark on the rear piece of the cam cover and the rotor should point directly to the no.1 cylinder. Every 2nd turn of the crankshaft should show an alignment of these 3 points.
Also make sure that the belt is properly tensioned, that the tensioner is seated correctly (flat plate behind what the roller is mounted on is flush against cylinder head).
Check all your external belts.
Check all other items that maybe involve a good tune up including a new 02 sensor.
Let us know how things turn out. Hope this helps.

Jim S. `86 245 in windy and leafy central CT

Well, no matter what is / went wrong, you can rest assured that the valves did NOT meet the pistons! (You should be jumping for joy right now). The B230F is a non-interference engine, which means if the valves are fully open and the piston is all the way up, they will NEVER touch! Nice design touch eh?

Check the timing belt marks and make sure they are all correct, being off one tooth can make these engines barely run. Dumb question, did you release the timing bent tensioner so it can do its job?

jorrell
--
89 244 171K miles, 92 245 241K miles, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup

Jorrell,

I did remove the pin (well, I was using a drill bit, per the blue book instructions, though I can't be sure it was an 1/8) - since it stuck out quite a bit, I wouldn't have been able to get the timing cover back on.

I suspect, given your, and other comments, that in fact it may be the timing. (note: I was working on this for 7 hours today - I'm not literally leaping for joy 'cause I'm too tired, but I am VERY, VERY comforted... I had thought that I read somewhere that the B230F was NOT a non-interference [SP?] engine.) I have never changed, or so much as touched a timing belt before, so I am reasonably sure that I lack the necessary experience to know for sure when I'm making a mistake.

I seem to recall that when I was tightening the camshaft bolt, the camshaft sprocket may have jumped - I was talking to someone as I was doing it, and not paying close attention.

If that's the case, is it merely an issue of taking all the covers/crap off, and realigning the sprockets and belt, and then retightening, or do I now need to check something else? - i.e. does having the timing off end up killing the oxygen sensor or some such thing?

Yours in spiritual jumping for joy,

Lanval
--
92 240 GL, 25mm IPD Sways, Virgos, Tach/Oil Temp/Oil Pressure/Volt gauges 147,000mi

I had thought that I read somewhere that the B230F was NOT a non-interference [SP?] engine.)

You were probably reading the Haynes manual, the edition that covers up to the 1993 models. There was, apparently, a Europen model that was an interference engine. The B234F engine is interference. that's the 16-valve engine.

Good Luck,

Bob

:>)

Probably the timing belt is off by a few notches. This can happen very easily when you are tightening things up. You have to be very careful and check your work before buttoning things up. Do a Google search: Timing Belt, Brickboard and you will find some helpful hints on getting things right. Good luck!

Just pull off the covers and realign things. Also make sure the tensioner roller moves freely, if it is "chunky during rotation", replace it!

Welcome to the world of a bulletproof engine design!

jorrell
--
89 244 171K miles, 92 245 241K miles, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup

FCP Groton saved me from the roller issue. Frankly, the old one seemed fine when I had it off, but our pals at FCP had a 'kit' that included the seals, belt and tensioner. So, assuming I did it right, the tensioner should be fine.

Do I need to consider the belts? I put the alternator back as best I could, but I was gettin' kind o' tired, so maybe those belts aren't tight enough? I ran it with the hood up first, to see if everything was turning, and it appeared they were...

Also, the 'check engine' light? Should I check the diagnostic code to see what it says?

Finally, there was a thin wisp of acrid smoke coming off what appears to be a bolt (it was getting late)on the downpipe of the exhaust... I did spill some synthetic when I was topping off the engine lube (as I said, it was getting late) so maybe that's what I was smelling (i.e. lube was running off the top of the motor and just happened to land there... I quickly checked my Haynes, but couldn't kind any key component on the exhaust at/around that location).

Thanks for the assitance,

Lanval
--
92 240 GL, 25mm IPD Sways, Virgos, Tach/Oil Temp/Oil Pressure/Volt gauges 147,000mi

"Finally, there was a thin wisp of acrid smoke coming off what appears to be a bolt (it was getting late)on the downpipe of the exhaust"

You're probably right about that -- spilled oil. It should burn off after you run the engine a bit. Don't worry about it until after you've addressed the timing belt issue.

If it continues to smoke, you could have a leaking valve cover gasket or something along those lines. In that case, you'd see a trickle of oil going down the head and onto the exhaust manifold. Look for leaks and re-post if necessary, but you probably won't need to =).

Don't get discouraged about the timing belt. I'm remembering the times I finished a repair, only to tear it apart again to re-install the extra bolt I had left over. Just part of the learning process, and the "fun" of doing it yourself.
--
'92 245 5-speed, '92 944 GL auto

240 Wagon -

Thanks, I don't mind too much - this won't be the first time I do something 3 times to get it right... that's how I learn, no? It is true, though, that I won't be able to get back to this until December though (my Ph.D. exams are coming up and I'm buried in reading), but when I do, I'll repost on this thread for additional advice or confirmation of success.

Thanks for the boost!

Lanval
--
92 240 GL, 25mm IPD Sways, Virgos, Tach/Oil Temp/Oil Pressure/Volt gauges 147,000mi

While you're in there again, make sure that you replace any damaged plastic timing belt covers.

Chips and bits from cracked timing belt covers caused one of our bricks to jump timing belt teeth. So don't skimp on the covers, buy new or used as needed to have clean ones on your car.

After fixing that one, we had the same mechanic (Aye Roll) change the belt on my own daily driver. He found small bits of cover material packed into the gear cogs. Belt was running OK but he could see that if enough material got in there, it could cause trouble.
--
Sven: '89 245 NA, 951 ECU, open-front airbox, E-fan, 205/65-15's, IPD sways, E-Codes, amber front corner reflectors. Wifemobile '89 245 NA stock. 90 244 NA spare, runs.

What if...

The timing belt jumped one or two teeth in the retard direction?

The question I have - for the Volvo gurus on the BB - would that cause the symptoms encountered?

Why? Tensioner not tight enough? Key holding crank gear to drive pulley not in place?

Before spending any $$$, spend the time to check the timing of the cam and intermediate shafts.

Good Luck,

Bob

:>)

Your engine is non-interference, so any "damage" is only to timing or mixture. Start by checking timing per the FAQ: is the timing belt on correctly? Then examine the exhaust manifold for gasket leaks. All sensors correctly reconnected? Any loose vacumm hoses or intake hoses?