1996 volvo glt cam timing

kenl 47 · Post by **kenl 47** » 31 May 2014, 17:51

I need help with setting the timing on the cams f o r a 1996 volvo got 2.4 litre motor. I messed up when I pulled the timing belt off by not marking the cams before pulling the belt off. I an the second owner of this car and it looks like somebody replaced the timing belt before because there are some marks on the cam gear done in black sharply. Any info would be much appreciated. Thank You, kenl 47.

Post by **dosbricks** » 31 May 2014, 19:04

Welcome to the forum. The cam sprockets have hairline marks stamped into them (probably under the sharpie lines), but the cams must be in the right sequence with the each other and the crankshaft. So are you saying you removed the belt without rotating the crankshaft by hand to the TDC position to align all the marks with their individual reference points? If so, the first step would be to put the belt back on without disturbing anything and then bring everything into the proper relationship. We need a bit more info here.

kenl 47 · Post by **kenl 47** » 31 May 2014, 19:40

Yes I did. A really big screw up on my part.i should have known better. I just got to careless. Also I have read that there is a timing mark on the crank gear that the belt rides on that I cant locate. There is however a mark on the crank pulley that the serpentine belt rides on. Is this the timing mark I need for the bottom end of the motor.

kenl 47 · Post by **kenl 47** » 31 May 2014, 19:57

This is my first volvo and I love the hell out of this car. Plus it is built like a sherman tank. It has 197 thousand miles on it and it was going strong until it blew the rear main seal. Thank god it wasnt a turbo model. She gets 28 mpg on the highway and about 18 in town. Not bad for a 4000 pound tank.

Post by **erikv11** » 31 May 2014, 20:29

Do you know if the cam sprockets or crank have rotated at all, since you took off the belt?

Post by **erikv11** » 31 May 2014, 20:42

Well, if they haven't then your best bet is to just put the belt back on, and reinstall the tensioner. Don't worry if the timing is off by a fwe teeth, that will not be a problem for what you will do next.

Next, you want to rotate the crank by hand until the mark on the oil pump aligns with the timing mark on the crank pulley. Might as well pull the plugs first, it will make it easier to do. Study some pictures of the crank mark, there are tons available on this site, so you know what you are looking for. It can be a notch between two teeth on the crank gear pulley, or two notches up on the teeth themselves. Use a flashlight if needed, makes it easier to see. While you rotate the crank, pay attention that you don't meet hard resistance from the pistons witting the valves, which would happen if the car is way out of time.

Once you get the crank on the mark, you are out of the woods. Take off the belt and move the cams around as needed, to get them where they belong.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 31 May 2014, 20:43

erikv11 beat me to it!

If you haven't moved things much or at all you can recover easily. Slap the belt back on and hand crank the engine to a point where the crankshaft mark is indexed. If the cam(s) is/are off a tooth it will still clear OK. Once the crankshaft mark is lined up you can rotate the camshafts 360 degrees, in either direction, without hitting a piston. Since you have a full range of motion you can easily line the camshaft marks back up and then finish the procedure.

Pull the spark plugs first and, if you encounter any significant resistance while you are turning the crankshaft, stop and move the camshaft timing until things clear. You may need to walk the cams back and forth several times as you rotate the crankshaft to get the crankshaft mark back in position but at least you aren't yanking the head.

...Lee

Post by **rspi** » 08 Jun 2014, 03:55

Did you ever get the timing set?

kenl 47 · Post by **kenl 47** » 08 Jun 2014, 23:52

Yes I did. Thank you for the help. The timing on the exhaust cam was out by 4 teeth. I also found the cut out mark on the crank pulley. I marked all the timing marks with a yellow marker. Thank you for all the info.