1998 Volvo S70 Non-Turbo, 173k miles. Retime cams

[erikv11]

Did you check the slots on the rear of the cams, under the distributor and under the cam position sensor? In this case you really must. Those cam slots will never ever lie to you, whereas like cn90 said you can very easily put the sprockets on in the wrong position, then the cam sprocket and TB cover markings won't really mean what they are supposed to.

Use these three marks:
(1) crank is no the mark as per any timing belt job
(2) rear of intake cam, slot is horizontal (actually parallel to the head) and above the seam
[broken images removed]
Don't be fooled that it says "front" in the picture, he just means the front cam. That slot is on the rear of the cam.

(3) rear of exhaust cam, slot is horizontal and below the seam
[broken images removed]

images from Volvo 5-cylinder: How to Replace the Head Gasket

Then take the spark plugs out just to ensure there is no resistance due to compression, resistance from compression can fool you. Then try to turn it over by hand it should be smooth and not require much force.

[erikv11]

Also, you never had the cams out, right? So you don't have to worry that you swapped them, put the intake cam on the exhaust side and vice-versa.

And if in fact it is perfectly timed (yay!), then try 1 teaspoon of oil in each cylinder, as I posted above. It is a common problem, easy and free and harmless to try out the solution.

[volvojosh]

This might be a silly question....how do I remove the bolts on the rear without turning the camshafts? Do I need a special tool?

[erikv11]

Nope, just a regular 10 mm socket back there, I've never had the cams move when pulling those.

Later on, when you are putting it back together, you will have to ensure the little metal plates (one under the cap and one under the CPS) go back on in the correct orientation. I would look at that Tracey's link above, it has pictures that show it clearly.

Volvo 5-cylinder: How to Replace the Head Gasket

[cn90]

volvojosh,

As long as you don't fire up the engine using the key in ignition, you are OK. Turning the crank by hand is unlikely to damage the valves, unless you used tremendous force to turn the crank.

erik is correct, best is to look on the driver side (rear of engine) for the slots for alignment.

Info in the "Rear Cam Seal" DIY below. NOTE: use this only to access the area, the photos in the thread below do not show cam alignment in a horizontal manner. This is because I replaced the rear cam seals, thus no need to put the engine in proper alignment (as is the case for timing belt job):

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=50752

[volvojosh]

UPDATE: I checked and reconfirmed alignment on back of engine and the cams are aligned with the seam around the engine. I put an ounce or less oil in the spark plug holes and it still will not start. However, now I am getting code 410.

Any thoughts? It ran perfectly before I replaced the camseals.

[erikv11]

Alas, I had high hopes for the oil in the cylinders. Good news on the timing.

Code 410 is for the SAS air pump system. It is usually an annoyance code that has no effect on the engine running.

I think you have little choice but to now go through the routine for a no-start
- Is there spark? Pull a plug wire, crank it, see if spark jumps to the cam cover.
- Is there fuel? Check for pressure at the rail.
- Is there a metered amount of air? Check all vacuum lines (less likely a problem).
- Is there compression? Especially now that you have recently dumped some oil in, check each cylinder for compression with a gauge.

I wonder if the CPS happened to go bad (would cause no-spark), or a sensor came unplugged.

[Ozark Lee]

When you last aligned the cams, when you were on the mark with the crankshaft, how far off were the cams when you started?

The P0410 is a SAS air pump problem. It won't prevent the car from starting or running just fine after it starts. After all of the dust settles there is a modification in the repair database to just get rid of the air pump altogether. For right now, don't add any new variables into the equation until the car gets running again.

...Lee

edit - I see I got beat to some of the answers.

[volvojosh]

When I try to start the engine, the engine turns but I don't hear any cranking. I can physically see the TB and SB turning but no cranking noise.

Could the starter relay or starter be bad coincidentally?

I checked the relay and it had a little bit of black on part of one of the prongs.

[Pauloil]

if the TB is turning, the starter is turning the motor over