2002 XC70 Timing Crankcase Gear Failure Help Needed

tchefman · Post by **tchefman** » 05 Jun 2016, 12:03

First time poster but have visited before and thank others for information passed along the way. This is a long post with a couple questions and could be lesson for others. Please read and comment. Any advice is appreciated.
I have a 2002 Volvo XC70 that has fallen victim to catastrophic engine failure and need help from this forum. Have owned and maintained this car for a few years. It was brought to an independent service garage for a coolant leak. Will call this “garage A” for future reference. Head gasket was diagnosed bad and replaced along with new timing belt kit including tensioner and water pump. After a long wait and numerous visits to question the timeliness of service the repair was finally completed. It took 3-4 weeks and they admitted to running into problems with getting timing set correctly along with other struggles. This garage does not specialize in imports.
The car was brought back to them within a week because of a massive oil leak. After their incompetence was recognized the car was brought somewhere else to determine where the oil leak was coming from and if it was caused from the recent repair. It was determined to be from the turbo return line. The leak was only noticed when up on a hoist and at high RPM’s it just spewed. Garage A said it was not caused by their repair because the turbo was not removed taking off the head. I was told by the mechanic he has done enough work on turbos he does not have to remove it and to save time he just flips it up and out of the way. I questioned and suggested that this could have caused the gasket to fail. They repaired it for no charge but maintained it was not caused by them.
Four months and 6000 miles later the car dies on the side of the road. It was towed to another garage and told by a quick inspection there is no compression and it appears the car has jumped timing as the belt looks loose when cranked but still in place. Garage A gets the car back and looks deeper and tells me the crankshaft timing gear is stripped and caused the problem. It was determined because the gear could be turned by hand and upon removal confirmed. A scope camera confirms the valves are damaged.

I have attached a picture of the inside and outside of the gear.

They said they did not remove this initially and it was difficult to remove because of corrosion. They are not accepting responsibility for the toasted engine.
Getting closer to my questions.
I have spoken with three separate garages about the cause of this and to see if I have any recourse or case to determine fault with Garage A.
Two said they have never heard of this part failing and would not have noticed this doing the timing belt repair and the gear would not need to be removed in the process. A third garage which specializes in European imports and works on Volvos everyday said they are fixing another exact issue and said the cause of the gear getting stripped splines is because a bolt was not installed on a lock collar attaching this to the crankshaft and it would need to come off for the timing job.
Can anyone confirm if this part would need to be removed?
It seems to me if this was not removed it should have been inspected or its wear noticed during repair and replacement suggested. Is this a realistic expectation with this type of service?
There is a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty on the repair, should this be included?
Do I need to have Garage A perform repairs or can I give them bill to have someone reliable fix correctly? Can I fight for book value of car and wash my hands of it?
I am prepared to seek legal counsel if it can be proven this could have been avoided. Studying Michigan consumer law to determine if this is how to proceed as Garage A is ducking calls and blame.
Is this just dumb luck?
Lesson learned by me is to not always go the closest garage or with lowest quoted estimate. Lesson for others is to check your crankshaft timing gear to avoid my dilemma.
This car has 140k miles and the repair set me back $2100.

Sommerfeldt · Post by **Sommerfeldt** » 05 Jun 2016, 13:43

Someone with more experience with your model will probably chime in, but in my meager experience in TB work, I'd say your third specialty garage is 100% right. There's the same percentage chance that your garage A messed this up - I've never even heard of that part failing.

Condolences on your engine - I'd say take that garage to the cleaners.

- S

Post by **chrafael** » 05 Jun 2016, 14:39

Check out shadetree_v70's post from a couple of weeks ago about timing belts. It'll explain why a mechanic that has never worked on a Volvo would have trouble with timing. I don't know about the spline problem.

PS78 · Post by **PS78** » 05 Jun 2016, 14:52

If garage "a" had no experience doing service on your specific model or the ability to obtain specific data on the procedure they should have passed up doing your repair and possibly recommended another shop. I would seek legal counsel.

Post by **abscate** » 06 Jun 2016, 03:59

Based on the pictures that crankshaft timing belt pulley is not stripped. There is no way you could turn that on those splines.

It is indexed, I wonder if they jammed it on over the index mark in the wrong place?

It's tough to collect on these claims when they are complex like this, on an old car where complex and rare failures can be reasonably expected. Remember you are 10000s ahead in car payments..the Average Sven has replaced his car two times now, compared to your 2000, and is about to buy his third

I just did 1000 bucks on unnecessary engine work on one of my other cars due to a misdiagnosed sensor by the dealer, but I'm kicking myself for not checking it myself first.

tchefman · Post by **tchefman** » 06 Jun 2016, 21:57

abscate I am confused by your reply. Can you please assist further? Not sure what you mean by indexed. The mechanic spoke about key ways but this is foreign to me too. I can change oil, brake pads and spark plugs but it stops there. You think that the gear is not stripped. Do you think there could have been a different reason for the timing belt failure. Could it have not been correctly tensioned? Would the car drive fine for a few months before noticing and then stop running? I ask because of the diagnosis after the initial tow that revealed bad compression and visual inspection of loose timing belt. I also have pictures of the installed tensioner. Garage A has not phoned me for weeks since the car was returned and determination was made the engine is fried. Their silence makes me think they have some fault in this. Or its like a game of chess and they are waiting for my next move.
I am not ahead in car payments unfortunately as you suggest. This makes the situation more frustrating. I borrowed money to buy this car and still owe a few grand. I paid this garage to fix the head gasket and extra for preventive maintenance to ensure this car would last. I understand parts wear out and used cars need attention to stay on the road from time to time. I appreciate the knowledge of most garages and trust they will honestly take care of me and my car. I will gladly share my hard earned money for piece of mind knowing an issue has been resolved and will not reoccur after they have done their diligence. This is my second Volvo and I have also owned a couple of older Audi Quattro's. The cost of ownership for me with the abundance of used parts is typically lower than a higher monthly payment for a newer vehicle. This particular failure seems related due to the fact that work was recently preformed in the vicinity and connected to the timing belt. If I am wrong I will move on and determine how to make the most of a bad situation but the feeling I have is not good about any of it.

Post by **FLXC90** » 07 Jun 2016, 16:39

There was a thread in the XC90 forum regarding a stripped timing belt gear. The XC gear had corroded at the joint and the splines stripped. I think it was on a 2.5L.
Splines in your picture look like they are good at front end, but stripped starting about a third of the way in. The comment about the collar not being bolted in properly leads to maybe the gear "walked" out from the crank end, and then the torque stripped out the splines ? If that were the case then yes, it could have taken time to occur, and yes, it could be due to improper initial repair. The court challenge though will be to PROVE IT.

Best of luck in any case

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 07 Jun 2016, 18:10

I have moved this to the correct section of the forum as it was in the section through model year 2000.

nsjames · Post by **nsjames** » 08 Jun 2016, 09:39

FLXC90 wrote:There was a thread in the XC90 forum regarding a stripped timing belt gear. The XC gear had corroded at the joint and the splines stripped. I think it was on a 2.5L.
Splines in your picture look like they are good at front end, but stripped starting about a third of the way in. The comment about the collar not being bolted in properly leads to maybe the gear "walked" out from the crank end, and then the torque stripped out the splines ? If that were the case then yes, it could have taken time to occur, and yes, it could be due to improper initial repair. The court challenge though will be to PROVE IT.

Best of luck in any case

this sounds like the most plausible explanation.

splines don't simply strip out unless they're not engaged properly. (or in the case of angle gear collars, inadequate material)
I would not expect anyone doing a timing belt service to remove that and inspect it. that's beyond the scope of that work. once that piece is installed by the factory it should never need to come off.

Post by **chrism** » 08 Jun 2016, 11:56

Those splines don't get messed up as long as the crankshaft nut remains good and tight. My guess is that shop "A" didn't torque it properly. This allowed the pulley and sprocket to slowly wander off the end of the crankshaft. About a 1/2 inch before it totally slipped off the crank it started wobbling about, messing up the end portion of the crankshaft splines. Finally the sprocket either fell completely off or it had such minimal interface with the crank splines that it DID slip - BAM - end of engine.

Take a look at the inside of the plastic timing belt cover. Look for evidence of the belt and/or other rotating parts digging into the plastic.

BTW - in the first photo, which I assume was shot from the inboard side of the sprocket, the splines look slightly flattened or worn off. They are often built this way to make it easier to install the sprocket. Looking deeper into the sprocket, the splines look entirely worn off but I think it's just the obscure lighting that give that illusion. If you look all the way through the sprocket to the other side, the splines are visibly still in tact.

Tell shop "A" to just sit tight and your lawyer will be in touch with them.

What's their explanation for how beat up that one bolt is? Oh yeah, and where's the crankshaft nut?