Any thoughts on how this could happen?!?

I had the timing belt, seals and water pump replaced by a friend who works at a local reputable Volvo dealer 1 year ago @ 197K miles. The other day, my daughter is driving this thing home and it dies. Poking around I discover the camshaft is not turning and so I decided to peak in to the timing belt housing.

Here I found the camshaft sprocket has become completely unscrewed and is just hanging free. Strange or what? Was this just a complete mess up by the mechanic or is there something else strange going on?

Thanks!

With a little help from my friends (advice mostly), I was able to resurrect this thing from the dead:

1) Removed the camshaft and cleaned up the damaged area using the straight edge of a razor blade to scrape free the protruding surface scuff. Polished it off with 2000grit sandpaper.

2) Same as above for the damaged cam bearing.

3) Re-installed the cam and verified that I could turn it easily from the cam sprocket bolt.

4) Re-attached the timing belt and buttoned everything else up

5) Zoooom! It fired right up and has been humming along great. In fact, I found a leaky vacuum hose I didn't know about in the process. Patched that up and I'd venture to say the thing runs even better than before.

Total cost for this repair: $100 = The crank pulley tool, new cam bolt & pin, sandpaper and a helpful set of ratcheting wrenches. Not too bad ...

Way to go!cheers

Does this mean the camshaft has seized? If so, what are my prospects?

My daughter was driving this for the last 3 months and I had warned her to put oil in it. I don't if she did.

I can tell you a universal truth. Daughters never put oil in a car, never, until they reach an age of maybe 25 or so. The oil light or bad noises will not mean a thing to them. I maintained my daughter's 240 for many years and gradually trained her how to do these things. I always invited her to look over my shoulder during maintenance and repairs.

Sorry to say that but if the engine ran dry the camshaft can very easily seize and maybe shear at the bolt. You would have to take off the timing cover and probably the valve cover to investigate further. If the shaft is broken it is fairly easy to replace, check the front bearing surfaces for damage, get a replacement from a wrecker.
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David Hunter

Good news on this ... There appears to be minor damage on the camshaft itself and it looks salvageable. However, I've lost the bolt and the pin. Any ideas on an online source for obtaining these?

Continuing this with new thread:

http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/volvo/1396837/940/960/980/V90/S90/low_oil_camshaft_seized_opinions_hopes_salvaging.html

When I bought my two kids late model Volvos, I told them explicitly that this was the one and only car I would buy them. If they cared for them, the cars would last a long, long time and they would be free of car payments. If they did not care for them, their next vehicle would be a Schwinn.

I suggest you give this back to your daughter and tell her "Good luck". Irresponsibility should have consequences and they only way they ever learn is to feel them personally.
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See the 700/900 FAQ at the drop-down menu above right.

If the bolt ad camshaft look OK, definitely mechanic error. If either are damaged, hard to say who's to blame, but probably mechanic error.

Probably the bolt loosened a long time ago.

-Ryan
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Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars, GT Braces, Draco Wheels
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars

My thought is that the mechanic hand tightened the Bolt on the Sprocket and meant to back and tighten it after the Belt was put on making it easier to hold the teh engine from turning. just forgot

It is possible that the cam gear retaining nut was not torqued down 1 year ago and it has taken this long to work loose.