The exhaust cam seal on my '03 S40 is leaking oil and it appears to be getting worse so I'm ready to replace it but I don't know if there are any special tools I need. I've replaced the timing belt and water pump so I am fully versed on aligning the timing marks. What do I do to remove the center bolt on the cam gear? Will I need to hold the gear to keep it from turning? Can I just mark the cam gear before I take it off, replace the seal, and than put the gear back on? I've read the Vadis repair manual and it references a "camshaft adjustment tool" 999 5452. Is this used just to keep the cams from moving? Will I be able to loosen and tighten the torx screw on the cam pulley without one?

 

Is the cam seal leaking or is the CVVT gear itself leaking? Mine was the gear itself and it ran all over the timing belt until the belt finally slipped.

You do not want to remove the CVVT gear without the Volvo cam locking tool or a home-made equivalent. The CVVT gear is not keyed so it can be installed in any orientation. I marked mine thinking it was keyed and I could easily put it back together and was rudely surprised. It took me 4 tries to get the gear on correctly so the car would not set the CEL. That was after making a cam holder out of mild steel.

If a cam locking tool is not your cup-o-tea you can remove the entire cam cover and slip the exhaust seal over the cam to the opposite end. You will need spark plug hole O-rings and RTV plus the 3 seals and plug (2 exhaust - 1 intake - 1 plug). The intake cam gear only installs one way but mark it for assurance.

Cam locking tool: VOLVO CAMSHAFT ALIGNMENT GAUGE

Leaking CVVT gear. Oil was being thrown from the little plunger thing as the gear rotated.

 

I believe it is leaking at the seal since I don't have all that oil on the gear or the T-belt but there is oil leaking down to the ground that appears to be coming from behind the gear. Looks like the oil follows it's way behind the timing cover that is pressed against the engine block down to the point where the front top cover meets the bottom cover and then off towards the lower control arm on the passenger side. I don't quite understand why the gear cannot be somehow marked before removing it. Is the center part of the gear round and smooth so it can turn? How could I make a locking tool out of metal? I've seen this locking tool in place on the opposite end of the cam shaft (drivers side) in the Vadis manual but I'm not sure how to fabricate it.

 

You can mark the CVVT gear no problem. The issue is just how precise can you replace the CVVT gear to it's intended position. See the center bolt on the CVVT gear will try to spin the gear and the cam when you tighten the bolt to (IIRC) 80 lb/ft. The gear is indeed round and smooth with no key or locating pin. In order to exert enough force you must hold the cam from turning as well as hold the gear from turning. The gear you can mark and hold with a cam gear holder tool or, through practice, move the gear left of the final mark and stop tightening when the gear moves right to hit the mark. Either way the cam cannot be allowed to move as it's position is relative to the CVVT gear. If the cam is off then no matter how well you mark the gear it's going to be off. And +/- 4 degrees is BIG in cam performance but very small on a 360 degree gear. (Plus it sets your check engine light if it's too far off) Also, when you remove the timing belt the cams try to spin due to the valve spring pressure. You must hold the cams in place before removing the belt.

I made my tool with mild steel from the hardware store that I bent into a L shape in a vice. I used a drill to make a mounting hole that matched the bolt hole for the cam position sensor cover. It was allot of trial and error until it worked. I bought a spare bolt from the hardware store so I didn't mess up my original bolt.

Here is what the cuts on the driver's side cam ends look like: (notice how the top edge of the exhaust cam cut is even with the parting line for the cam cover? This is to tell if the cam is in the right position. If the cam is 180* turned then the cut will not be straight with the parting line. The intake cam gear mounts one way so it's easy)



Here is the cam gear locking tool I bought for timing belt replacements to keep the cam gear from moving.:
Kent-Moore Camshaft Locking Tool V9995714

 

Thanks that helps. I have done four timing belts on four different Volvo's so I'm fully versed on how the cams can move when the belt is removed (850 was the hardest). This is not a big issue for me but I can now understand how this could be a very serious issue when you remove the exhaust cam from the cam shaft especially when you go to tighten the bolt and the shaft turns. I'll see what I can do about shaping a piece of metal to lock the cams on the opposite end of the shafts.

 

We just fixed the leaking VVT mechanism on a 2000 V40 w/turbo. In the picture above in this article it shows a little pin under the outer attached timing gear. This is where our leak was. This is very easy to fix if you can just take the three bolts with the funny heads out. Make sure you mark your belt to both pulleys timing marks. We used white out. Bring both to the top cover timing reference mark. Also scratch mark the the outer gear to the VVT mechanism. Work the timing belt off both pulleys a little at a time. We used vice grips to take out the three bolts. It would be nice to have the correct socket to remove them. Used a sharp wrap with a hammer to break loose on the vice grip handle.

Once the gear is off check the little button and it will feel loose and probably your major leak. When the engine is running you will see oil flinging off this gear. Under the button is a spring. Don't loose it but leave it in. Pull the botton out and you will find an hardened and brittle bubber ring that is difficult to get off. We used a thin tipped needle nose pliers to pinch it off. Volvo does not have the o-ring, but thay have plenty of VVT pulleys. For about 89 cents, at ACE hardware we found an o-ring that fit tight to the the inner diameter and a little larger than the outer diameter. We had to force it in it was so tight. Then install the belt by putting around the gears and try to install the bolts working and rotating the cams. You can clean some of the oil off with brake cleaner. This will save $213 for a new pully and the jobe of getting the timing back.

Any other way is a great deal more work and you need a tool to hold both cams in position from the other end. With all the over engineering on this you would think they would have put a timing pin or key to the inner mechanism of the pulley to the cam shaft.

 

I've read another thread where the OP also replaced only the o-ring. In that thread the leak returned in a couple of weeks. Personally I hope yours stays fixed as I love this kind of stuff. Do you remember the size o-ring used?

 

To Hudini and others,

The size of the oring I do not remember. Measure the ID to be the same or snug on the middle diameter of button. the thicknes should be at least as wide as the middle undercut of button or lager. Our O-ring was so big we had to drive the button in with a hammer. it was sealed good. The original may have been a square type of o-ring like in a brake calipher.

I will let you know if and when it fails again. My son said it has stopped leaking for now. A clean drive way at last.

Hope this helps someone or Volvo releases the o-ring and the type of socket to remove those bolts with the strange heads. Then we can go another 120,000 miles till we change it again. LOL

There is a large thin o-ring that seals the oil pressure in the mechanism to the camshaft when the cam advances. We weplaced it also since we had ours off the hard way. If this 0-ring leaks it only returns to the engine. However it may be the cause of failure if it gets noisy. We replaced it any way, but that was not our leak and our mechanism was quite.
Keep it clean, the drive way that is

 

2/16/2013 Its been over a month since we replaced the button seal under the VVT pulley. I just talked to my son. He said it is still dry. No leaks. I do not think it will leak till it gets old, hot and brittle like the original equipment did. This method saved the loss of the timing, since you never remove the center bolt holding the VVT mechansim to the camshaft. I cannot believe that Volvo has not had problems with this slipping.

To make sure this is what is leaking remove the cam cover on top. Start engine. If the button is leaking you will see the oil fly off this exhaust pulley for timing belt. Ours really flew out.

Hope this helps!

 

Thank you for posting the information. It does help.

 

Any chance you could post a photo of your homemade tool?

 

Unfortunately no. I can get you one when I get home later this week. It's really simple though. Really no more than a piece of steel bent at two angles with a hole drilled in it.

 

I'm glad I found this post! I'm having the exact same issue... during the replacement of timing belt/water pump we determined a leak I had was in fact the CVVT pulley (that little pin slings oil everywhere when the engine is running). Stealership says $187 for a new pulley and $492 for the required cam-lock tool... I thought they were joking but apparently not. No way I'm buying that.

Hudini, if you have some sort of picture or a link to what the homemade tool looks like I would be eternally grateful!! (I'm not sure what angles are necessary and where the hole should be drilled)

 

According to another thread here the poster said he removed the outer ring on the CVVT gear without removing the center part of the CVVT gear from the cam. This allowed access to the little plunger mechanism and the O-ring that is the source of the leak.

See the funny rounded off looking bolt on the outer ring? After carefully marking the alignment of outer to inner, remove all those bolts and the outer ring. I would be careful to watch the plunger in case it's spring loaded and tries to shoot out. I don't remember reading that though. Apparently you then simply match the O-ring as close as possible. I believe the other person used vice-grips (!) to remove the bolts. A star socket looks like it would fit.

 

Thanks for the post. I'm in the middle of trying to access and remove the plunger and have a few questions. When my cam gear marks are lined up the plunger is near the bottom, basically in the 7 oclock position and not accessable. Did you rotate everything so the gear plunger was at 12 oclock and double mark the belt to the gear?(one for timing and another for r&r) Also I'd like to not have to remove the lower timing gear cover and was wondering if that was possible, how do you keep the belt from coming off the crankshaft gear and messing up the timing? I don't see a way around not having to basically do a timing belt replacement procedure and having to remove everything to see the crankshaft marks. I've loosened the 3 gear bolts and was thinking of basically securing the timing belt position on the intake gear using lock pliers and instead of removing the belt I could slide off the exhaust gear. Getting the gear back on with the belt tension might be a little tough. Basically , what prevents the belt from dropping off the crankshaft gear once you work off the belt with your method? Thanks

 

Ok, had to read that a couple times to picture what you are doing. You are right, it may be tough getting the outer gear back on with the tension. Speaking of which, I'd really suggest going the extra mile and handling it like a timing belt change. You are not talking about a great big time difference. I would be afraid of the tensioner loosening up and causing greater problems later.

 

To Hudini and others,
My son just got an 03 S40, 200k miles Same oil leak,but to me it looks like the exhaust cam seal and not the vvt hub. hub makes noise as engine is warming up, then goes away. P0015 code.I will be changing everything. I've never done a timing belt on a volvo before.I have been doing tons of reading. I guess the main question i have is , if there is no key on the cam. do i have to pull the top cam/valve cover to make sure the cam doesn't move? 20 or 30 little bolts gaskets etc?. If so i think it will be done slowly and expensively.

 

The only 100% sure way to keep the cams from moving is a Volvo cam tool. This bolts to the cams on the back side (drivers side of engine). The price has come down quite a bit.

VOLVO CAMSHAFT ALIGNMENT GAUGE V9995452

I used a home made tool with some steel shaped into an L and bolted to the hole used to hold the cam sensor cover. This was allot of trial and error getting the P0015 code to go away.

Removing the cam cover is an option too. There is no gasket, only RTV. With this option you can physically remove the cams from the head and pull the cam seals off the backside without ever removing the CVVT gear.

 

You have to remove the VVT to replace the seal in the head. You may as well replace the timing belt, Crank seal and the intake cam seal. Maybe the water pump and the idler and belt tension pulleys. There are package deals on these parts. Try AutohausAZ.com . There are pictures in these threads that show how the alignment of the two cams is indicated on the rear of cams. The cam sensor and plug needs to be removed from driverside of cams. There is a slot about 1/4" wide that shows the timing is to be in line with each other. The slot is offset a little on each cam. Make sure you know there orientation with each other and timing with crankshaft.

I have heard about the noisy VVT mechanism. I am curious why this is? There is a seal where the VVT pulley goes over the exhaust cam. I wonder if that is the cause of noise. If this seal leaks it would only loose oil pressure and oil to return to the internal part of engine. It is a 1/16" or less thickness and about 1 3/4" diameter. Should get one with new VVT pulley. If not you will need one. What does code P0015 mean?

Hope this helps a little.

 

The p0015 means exhaust cam over retarded. I've done a lot of reading on that too. the new vvt gear may or may not fix it. but this car runs great. a little more info:
The timing belt, tensioner, water pump,and idler pulley. were done only 30k ago. So i know I will have to change the belt cause it's getting wet with oil. I'll replace the vvt gear because I'll have it off. I agree the noise is weird. it sounds like an exhaust leak. Intake seal looks very clean. not sure about crank . haven't got it apart yet. I'm in the process of getting everything I need Today I am getting parts and looking into making that tool. I wish somebody would rent one to me.Does any one know the proper belt tension adjustment? I'm glad I found you guys. Thanks for your help. I'll keep you posted.
Here is a video I found for a s60