OK, so to start off, let's go through what I've done to the vehicle:

125k miles - TB change, TB tensioner change, Water Pump replaced, Serpentine belt and TB replaced, VVT gasket replaced. I also replaced the oil trap (which caused the gasket to blow out).

After I started the procedure (meaning after I took off the timing belt), I figured out that I should have the cam lock on. So, I applied the lock to the other side of the cams - from what I could tell, it worked perfectly, since it could only line up in one way. I then replaced the gasket on the VVT gear, and torqued the center bolt to the amount mentioned in the manual. I re-assembled the gear so that, when tightening the center bolt, it moved the timing mark in to place. After putting on the belt, I took the cam lock off.

After re-assembling, the car runs just fine - though the idle is a little rough at start. After about 3 or so starts, the CEL came on and threw the P0017 code. Gas mileage is the same, so I figure timing can't be that far off.

I've read through this thread:

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...0-1-9-a-62518/

And I have some general questions about the exhaust cam and the VVT gear:

1. Is the pre-loading really necessary? And does this just mean going past the mark and a quarter back?

2. The cam lock can only go on one way, right?

3. If the crankshaft didn't move (it didn't), how in the hell am I off?

Thank you guys for any help you can give me - I'm trying to sell the car (leaving the country for a bit), and this CEL is hurting that effort.

 

Hey bud, sounds like to followed all the steps correctly BUT can you confirm that when you re-tensioned the tensioner (i.e. putting the dial to 12 o'clock) that you made sure that the belt was nice and tight between the crank and the front cam first? if you don't do that you run the risk of shifting the tension ever so slightly such that it causes this error. One way to check that you've done it right is to make sure that you rotate the belt a whole turn and then check to make sure that the tensioner still shows 12 o'clock. If it does not, start again.


Of note - if you have removed the VVT and replaced or put back on, it does not matter where the timing mark ends up. Locking the cams will ensure that timing up top is perfect. Make a new mark if you have to but note that the old mark is probably no longer valid.

 

official Volvo step by step on pdf attachment