Timing belt questions

mrjay62 · Post by **mrjay62** » 18 Sep 2018, 13:37

Hi Everyone.
Im in need of some help in the way of information,
I have a 2002 V70 xc.. 187+ miles last Friday while driving the Timing belt jumped off , 2 year old water pump From the Volvo dealer seized up without warning, also replaced the belt and pulleys at that time...
Today I sent mt camera down into each of the cylinders and each one has Contact marks... Hard to tell how deep they are...

Getting a replacement lower mileage head isnt a problem .So my Question is if the contact points are not too deep can I sand or grind down if need and be ok?

Other than that problem the car Ran and Drove Very well. No leaks No hard Starts was just Super reliable. Plus my dogs enjoy riding in it...
I have all the necessary tools to do the job myself and the time... Im just not sure about the Contact Marks or gouges to the Top of the Pistons.

Thank you in advance for any help or information you can offer..

Jay

Post by **abscate** » 18 Sep 2018, 14:18

Jay - the pistons come with little half moon 'gouges' new - the problem is usually not the pistons but the bent valves (I believe its only the exhaust valves that hit)

mrjay62 · Post by **mrjay62** » 18 Sep 2018, 14:48

These are shinny new marks they seem to have 3 to 4 contact spots... if I had my camera oriented right I would say the intake side had deeper markings of contact.
I have no doubt the valves are shot.....
I guess next is to remove the head and really see for sure how bad it is....

Post by **SuperHerman** » 18 Sep 2018, 15:08

Agree. Pulling the head will give you the most information. Before doing it if you can do a quick compression test that may help down the line. Most likely you have bent valves, but the compression test will tell you how many.

From there, I would pull the valves (number them) and check them visually on a drill. Just stick them in the drill and see if they wobble. If they wobble they are junk. Clean up those valves that survived and do a price check on rebuilding your head vs buying a used one. Regardless you will need a head gasket set (which includes valve stem seals). So if the price of replacement valves exceeds the price of a used head - go used. You can also buye used valves.

Personally I would have the head milled, change the valve stem seals and lap the valves on any used head.

mrjay62 · Post by **mrjay62** » 18 Sep 2018, 17:16

Dont think I can do a compression test, intake cam shaft wont turn more then a 1/4 of the way around, water pump is Completely shot.and I removed it already...
I have someone nearby that has the same year model car with deer damage on the passenger side 120k miles on it , he's a big vovlo fan ..

He offered it to me for a very good price less than half the price of pulling a head from a junk yard and i get the whole car.

Im thinking I will go that route.
If the Pistons are shot I may junk this car.... would hate to but I can not pull the complete engine out of both car for a swap.
That would damage me....
Over the next few days ill work in getting the head off and see whats next.

Post by **SuperHerman** » 18 Sep 2018, 20:17

A compression test clearly won't work.

I would seek advice on pulling the entire engine and transmission from forum members. I have never done it, but having a lower mileage engine and transmission as an option makes it worth investigating. Not sure on your space, but pulling spare parts along the way could be fruitful. You have CV axles, drive shaft, rotors, brakes, shocks, springs, fuel pump, ... I believe you can drop the subframe engine and all - not sure have to ask to see what members have done. Once you pull all the parts you need or may need call a wrecker and have it towed away. From there do the transplant. Of course you can pull it all from the top, maybe rent a cherry picker or ask around if a pal has one.

I do hear what you are saying about the scope of the project, but it is worth looking into all your options. My guy does engine swaps for $500 for remove and replace - bump that up a few hundred for two removals. Maybe look around and get some quotes from smaller shops.

Throw the old transmission on Craigslist for $100 as well as any other parts you don't want. It is work, but the weather is easy this time of year. One last item - timing belt on the donor car.

mrjay62 · Post by **mrjay62** » 18 Sep 2018, 21:08

Thanks SuperHerman.

Due to an injury of my neck im limited to what , when and how much I can do..
So far I think ill remove the head if the Pistons are ok ill purchase the other and swap heads. I think I can handle that , may take me longer than most but Ill get it done.
Then Order a Victor Reinz cylinder head gasket kit , new timing belt pullys , water pump.. I think ill also order new head boths even though I read others say its not necessary and they reuse the old ones.
Im looking at options for the water pump the one that seized after 2 years was from a volvo water pump from a Volvo dealership... Now it could of been a fluke that mine failed , Or everyone is making substandard parts... Very expensive failure.

Ill keep this post up dated and post a picture once I get the head off...

Again Thanks for your input.....

Post by **abscate** » 19 Sep 2018, 02:25

I should be able to give some time this Fall before the nasty weather comes In. Do you have a dry place to Work? Heat doesn’t matter.

Erie VOVo is in between you and me in Utica, so a decent engine is easy to source

145express · Post by **145express** » 19 Sep 2018, 02:51

Is this a Volvo dealer that replaced pump+pulleys+belt 2 years ago, and now the belt has snapped due to the pump seizing up?

Unless you have been driving two times around the globe in those two years I do think that original Volvo parts replaced by a Volvo dealer should last a lot longer than that.. I would contact the shop manager at the dealer and ask him what he thinks about that, while pumps do break, and old cars can break down anytime...I think that it is reasonable to assume that original parts replaced by a Volvo dealer should last longer than that - after all parts+labour are not cheap so one is entitled to expect top quality work.

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 19 Sep 2018, 04:47

I think ill also order new head bolts even though I read others say its not necessary and they reuse the old ones.

Reusing head bolts is not recommended, it is strongly advised against.

Stretching a head bolt twice, stretches the bolt beyond it's design limits. You might get away with it or the head bolt may snap under normal operating conditions.

Getting a snapped head bolt out of one of these engines is not something one would want to experience.

The quickest and most cost effective way to get something done is to do it right the first time, that way you don't end up doing it twice.