2001 v40 won't start after timing belt+cam nseal change

vonladamann · Post by **vonladamann** » 17 Jun 2018, 15:09

Backstory: Last time, Nov 2017, it ran, it rev'd but no speed. Once home would not start.
Local Volvo guy said compression OK, but timing belt covereed in oil + slipped a few teeth
on intake cam gear. Cleaned up oil, installed n t, both cam seals (using retainer)
crankshaft seal, +waterpump. Started but sounded out of time, so shut down.
Re-checked everything.(crank timing marks + cams). Replaced ratty coil paks, plug wires +
harness. Also VVT gear, VVT solenoid. Won't fire. Checked fuel pressure: 45psi.
Been worked on intermittently outside since Nov'17. Not ideal.

jefe · Post by **jefe** » 17 Jun 2018, 21:34

That was a little confusing. It started after replacing the timing belt, but wasn't running well? And then you rechecked timing, replaced ignition coils and plug wires, the VVT stuff, and then it won't start?

What is it doing when trying to start it? Just cranking endlessly?

I did the timing belt job/oil clean up recently on my wife's 2001 V40 and kind of had the opposite problem. After replacing the timing belt, the car would not start. It would just crank and every now and then act like it wanted to start but wouldn't. I then discovered I had installed the plus wires that run off of the ignition coils incorrectly. Fixed that and then it started up right away, but ran rough. Discovered one of the ignition coils was no good, so I replaced both ignition coils and both plug wires. After that the car ran great.

Sounds dumb but something as simple as the plug wires out of order was enough for mine not to start.

Boosted40 · Post by **Boosted40** » 18 Jun 2018, 22:46

Have you readjusted the timing after skipping the teeth and not just marked it out of time? If it sounds out of time, it may very well be. Also, rotating the motor manually to double check timing marks may be a good way to check.

A year or two ago I did a timing belt on an older Celica, thought everything was aligned, but the tension on the belt wasn't adjusted entirely, so I was a bit off. Ended up having to adjust it a few teeth. Spun it manually and went over my timing. It ran great after that.

If everything is in working order, you have spark, etc, perhaps check to see that the valves were not harmed. But make sure that you have spark and everything else before hand. Emphasis on before hand. Hope it goes well man. Good luck.

Post by **alschnertz** » 19 Jun 2018, 03:16

Not sure what is meant by "ran, rev'd but no speed".

Was a proper camshaft holding tool used to set the camshaft sprockets?

Did your guy realize that the crankshaft is not at TDC when setting the cam timing?

vonladamann · Post by **vonladamann** » 19 Jun 2018, 05:42

Rev'd but no speed is what my kid said happened on way home.
4300 or so rpm, no road speed. Used Volvo cam retainer to set
cam pulleys. Crank pulley marks line up perfectly. Took it apart
twice to make sure. Crankshaft pulley between the 2 marks.
Compression: #1 180 psi, #2 180, #3 165, #4 180.
Haven't changed oil, plugs or fuel yet. Should at least fire
or run badly if the rest is OK..?
I've wracked my brain, tried the patience of the Volvo guy,
still come up w/ nothing but a Swedish Gremlin... lol

Post by **alschnertz** » 19 Jun 2018, 14:23

Dang, I wish I could remember if the crank was lined up between two marks. Off the top of my head, I thought it was lined up with one mark. Can't be sure though and would have to refer to my Haynes. Regardless, I know it was very hard to see whatever the crank alignment mark was.

How do you define "sounded out of time"? So it does run?

Maybe it's time to pull the spark plugs and crank it over with them connected (but not installed) to at least confirm spark.

jefe · Post by **jefe** » 19 Jun 2018, 14:36

The crankshaft pulley has two teeth with marks on them which line up with a single notch on the engine in the middle of those two teeth as shown here:

vonladamann · Post by **vonladamann** » 21 Jun 2018, 06:34

Last night was a revelation.To paraphrase Buckminister Fuller:
If the theory does not hold up in practice, check your premises.
So I checked the compression again. #1 50 psi, #2 120, #3 120, #4 50
How come..? Think the oil seeped out as V40 was in the sun..?
I'm going to pull the plug. (as well as all the new parts)
Thanks for tips + encouragement. Thanks MVS.

jefe · Post by **jefe** » 21 Jun 2018, 10:29

After I changed my timing belt (and other things) and my volvo wouldn't start, one of the first things I did was test compression and I got low numbers as well. Something told me not to trust them completely. Since the car wasn't starting and just cranking, I thought maybe that wasn't the truest compression test.

Sure enough, once I figured out my issue and got it started, I rechecked compression and all cylinders were completely normal.

Boosted40 · Post by **Boosted40** » 21 Jun 2018, 11:55

Yeah, after the oil seeps down, you may get non optimal numbers. I might suggest squirting a small amount of oil on the walls around the piston and then waiting for a minute or two to see if the oil stays or if you have actual bad compression.