88-240-47: Since last week I could not budge my distributor. Good suggestions from all including in the FAQs a tip telling to dribble ATF from the power steering dip stick, handy as it is.

After six days, and feeling like taking a two pound sledge to it, it freed up this evening with gentle tapping using a five inch long small ball peen hammer applied to a two and ahalf by one half inch piece of fir to the slotted projection.

After setting to 12 degrees BTDC, the vacuum came up from 15 to 19 Hg, which according to the vacuum gauge, is normal. Now, on to the next fun task.

I particularily like it when anyone having success with one of these vexing Volvo idiosyncrasies tells of their solution. I'm surprized when setting the timing, and checking back inside repeatedly to see where the RPM was registering, the tach was steady?? Not dead. The only other thing I touched was disconnecting both the IAV and the AMM electrical plugs. Which were given a dab of dielectric grease before re-assembly. I wonder if this solves anything else??