Replacing camshafts blindly after head replacement

MikeTheMechanic123 · Post by **MikeTheMechanic123** » 11 Apr 2010, 10:23

I was hoping the subject line would get someone knowledgable enough to read this thread. Hi, I'm Mike and new here... I am a general auto mechanic and I will rarely turn down any side job and a head job on a 2001 Volvo S80 was no exception... I usually find ways through my knowledge to get the job done right and as cheap as possible... I have a problem where I honestly didn't have the tools to lock the camshafts in place, so, right now, that's my biggest issue... I removed the camshafts blindly and I removed the variable Valve Timing pulley from the camshaft (It is on the INTAKE camshaft on my vehicle). The engine is a 2.9 inline 6 NON-turbo vehicle...

Been reading a few other posts, one of which, is I put the timing mark aligned and the #1 does not go to top dead center... Seems like that was set for guys like me who need that extra leeway when doing a timing belt...

Secondly, there ARE marks on the cams as well as the eccentrics in the REAR of the camshafts... It's just that when making a homemade tool, it seems like people are lining them up directly, when I thought one would go up and one would go down; I gathered this from the VADIS system, which I downloaded, but it isn't really clear there...

Also, I removed the Variable Valve Timing unit and there is NO keyway whatsoever! The pulley can go on 360 degrees; it doesn't matter... I took it off for the ease of changing the cam seal and for the ease of installing the cam cover because I had a hell of a time trying to remove the cam cover BECAUSE of the pulleys... I don't want to damage anything so I took the pulley off the (VVT intake) cam but I have not removed the 3 bolts for the solid pulley for the exhaust cam...

There are marks on the cam and pulley, but it's rather odd and doesn't seem to make sense; I gather it will, though, when I install the cams correctly to begin with; it's something that I don't have a tool for...

So, if ANY of you master Volvo techs know what to do next, let me know...

Pretend that someone gave you a 2001 Volvo S80 to fix and the cams, cam cover, VVT pulley are ALL OFF the car and YOU didn't take it off... What's the best way to get it all together.... I apologize, but I'm a guy who takes things apart and relies of literature to get me through the job, but the information is a little vague... Everyone wants you to mark everything first and I simply did NOT do that....

Thanks
Mike

Post by **vegasjetskier** » 11 Apr 2010, 12:30

Take a look at the fourth post down in this thread: https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 10&t=26251

MikeTheMechanic123 · Post by **MikeTheMechanic123** » 11 Apr 2010, 15:00

yeah, looks like how I thought with the centerlines of the rear of the camshafts being offset to each other... It's just that I removed the VVT pulley, so I need to buy the tool unfortunately and do it that way (the right way)... Using a homemade tool may work if you're ONLY changing the timing belt and the pulleys are not removed, but because of the head removal or seal replacement, that homemade tool is not going to withstand torqing that 55 Torx bolt on the VVT pulley...

Mike