Head Gasket... Do I need the cam locking tool?

[777funk]

I believe I have VVT in this 2004 XC70.

Do I need the cam locking tool to replace a head gasket?

[Krons]

Anytime you are pulling the timing belt it is good insurance to lock the cams. If a I recall right they aren’t too expensive of a tool.

[dikidera]

If you have to ask, then yes.

[777funk]

If you have to ask, then yes.

With my limited knowledge, I would have to ask on any Volvo. I know very little about which models require it which is why I posted the question.

Perhaps a better question, is when/when not is the tool a requirement?

For what it's worth, I do not believe I will be pulling the VVT hubs/pulleys. Only the cams out of their journals.

[dikidera]

Vvt alignment is for when you've finished the repairs. Once you take the cams out you absolutely need the tool or A tool. Some people can and do make them at home.

How about the cam cover tool? You need that one as well, they are all part of the kit.

[BlackBart]

One bit of advice from experience - DO NOT crank the bolts of the tool down into the camshafts - snug is fine. You only need the big teeth to engage with the slots in the cams. The bolts are only 7mm and made of cheap steel, and I sheared one off INSIDE the camshaft. It became an ordeal to fix.

[abscate]

You can leave the hubs on the cams and then slide the seals from the rear of the cams to their position on the front of the engine. It’s not a textbook procedure but it works.