Just want to triple-check to insure this is set up correctly before I start sealing up the engine with all it's gaskets and covers. I know this probably seems OCD to some who have been working on these cars for decades, but this is my first engine rebuild of any type, and I've got a lot of time and dollars tied up in it. I'd hate to make a small but critical oversight at the 11th hour.

First off is the timing relationships for the distributor drive gear. With #1 piston at TDC and timing marks aligned, does this drive gear orientation look correct?




Secondly, how critical is the positioning of the timing gear squirter? The black marks indicates the current orifice location. Being a tapered thread it's difficult to get it simultaneously tight and aligned with the mesh point of the gears.

You have the drive gear in 180 out. When the timing marks are together, that's TDC of the compression stroke on #4, not #1.

The timing gear oiler orifice should point at the junction of the gears, not directly at the cam gear. The edge that sticks out the least will be parallel to the cover gasket.

Perfect. Thanks.

Phil's right. (As usual!)
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George Downs Bartlesville, Oklahoma

You have a 50-50 chance it's correct, you must have the TDC on a compression stroke to line up the dist. gear, If you have the head on and valves adjusted put you finger in the #1 plug hole rotate the engine till you have air comming out , thats the compression stroke, then line up the pulley with the mark on the cover to TDC and insert the dist. gear

There isn't a head on the block at the moment. I almost fail to believe there isn't a "sure fire" way to insure everything is timed correctly before having a head on there. The valves are only doing "what the cam tells them to", so it seems like only having the cam in there should be sufficient. Surely someone would have designed it such that the bottom end could be assembled with better than a 50/50 shot at getting it right?

I understand the #1 piston is at TDC TWICE: once at the top of the compression stroke, once at the top of the exhaust stroke. Shouldn't the marks on the timing gear set only be aligned ONCE during that cycle (at "true" TDC, on the compression stroke)?

There is a way of getting your timing sorted out without a head and rocker fitted - just as sandyuman said. Check the position of the valve lobes in relation to the position of the pistons. If both lobes are "up" with regards to #4 exhaust and inlet and the #4 piston is at the top of its stroke then the #4 cylinder has just completed the exhaust cycle and about to start the induction cycle with #1 cylinder firing and starting the power stroke.

Remember that the crank gear goes around twice to make the cam rotate once. For some reason Volvo has the gear marks come together when #4 piston (rearmost) is at TDC of the compression stroke. This seems counter intuitive but it's the way it is. When the gear marks are together, the dist. drive gear should be just opposite what you have pictured and the rotor fires #4. Turn the crank one full turn and then the drive gear should be the way you have it in the picture and the cam mark will be in line with the crank mark but on the opposite edge and #1 fires.
If your timing cover is on, just find compression TDC of #1 and drop in the drive gear as you have it shown. If the heads off but the lifters are in, put two pushrods into the #4 (rearmost) lifters and hold them down with your fingers. Find the point where they change one to the other (top of exhaust stroke) and when the 1 and 4 pistons are fully up #1 is at firing point.