2002 Volvo S60 AWD Turbo Cranks but not starting

[Buckone]

I have a 2002 Volvo S60 AWD Turbo with 132,000 miles on it. It was throwing a code for the camshaft position sensor which was replaced but code still showed. It ended up at a dealer who said it was the ECM. The car was hard to start but ran..until..it died on me after existing the highway (key point?). Second dealer checked it out and said again it was a bad ECM. I replace ECM through Xemodex. I no longer get any codes, but it still won't start. Engine cranks, timing marks look good, noid light fires on injectors, injectors were cleaned and tested good, new fuel filter, fuel pressure is 50 psi on the rail, spark plugs fire both on the block and with indicator light, new air filter, battery is fully charged. After the car set for a week, there was a brief sign of ignition then it quit. Regardless of the ECM, I have fuel pressure, injectors firing, and spark. I intend to check compression, but this thing should at least give me an occasional sign it is starting. I keep going back to the fact it died on me as I existed the highway, so it was running to that point. Any ideas on what to do next?

[Buckone]

OK. I just checked the compression and got 60 psi on each cylinder. I put everything back together and cranked the engine. It tried to start and abruptly died. Sounded like I got fire on 4 or 5 cylinders.

[precopster]

Apart from a blown gasket (head) I can't think why your compression is so low. Does the throttle unit respond to pedal movement? I haven't heard of anyone starting a turbo Volvo with such low numbers.

Time to squirt some oil in each cylinder and try and get those numbers up.

[sergio]

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Just an idea. I was in the same soup couple of winters ago. The engine would crank crank but would not start all the times. After lots of thoughts and trials, I ended up removing the rear seat and cleaning the contacts and voila;
the culprit!

The wires were burnt!

Have a look at yours.

If this the case I will show you how to build your own tool for $ 3.00
.

[precopster]

Sergio how does that explain 60psi conpression in the cylinders? Also the OP has fuel pressure.

[sergio]

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Sorry Mike, I started my suggestion by saying "just an idea".
I only wanted to share an experience, a frustrating one, in a very very cold winter.
I don't know the pressure of a compressed cylinder with or without fuel mix in it.
Just thought that it was worth checking. (checking is free)

.

[precopster]

Nothing wrong with personal experience if it helps someone

Fuel doesn't need to be present to maintain cylinder pressure. In fact OVER fuelling of the cylinder walls can significantly drop cylinder pressure because the oil can wash down the cylinder walls causing the dreaded "lawn mower syndrome"

[Buckone]

Just an update on this. I took the vehicle to a local garage that works on Volvos. They pulled the top off the engine. The valves were NOT bent. So the question remained. Why is there no compression? They think the timing of the intake and exhaust cams is off (or has slipped). They are ordering a tool that is needed and will let me know next week.

[Buckone]

PROBLEM SOLVED. It turns out the the crankshaft timing belt pulley had stripped out. The mechanic said he was getting pressure reading that varied from 60-170 psi on the cylinders that kept changing. He put a monitor on it that showed the intake valves not opening at the right time. It led him to checking the crankshaft. He was able to turn the pulley with his hand without the crankshaft turning. Amazingly the crankshaft itself was not harmed and the valves didn't get bent.

[precopster]

Thanks for completing the thread. That is certainly a rare condition to have the belt teeth on the crank pulley stripped out. Or was it the fine teeth which mate it with the crank that were stripped?

You certainly are VERY lucky no valves were bent.