I'd appreciate some help. I installed a new timing belt, idler pulley, tensioner and serpentine belt on my friend's 2000 S40 1.9 turbo. After completing the work, the starter spins the engine, but it does not start. There was no indication of mechanical interference, resistance to spinning, or unusual engine noise. When I first turn the key on, I can hear what sounds like the fuel pump running up to pressure. The car was fully functional and running perfectly before I worked on it, so I am assuming that I did something to it rather than that the fuel delivery or ignition systems just happened to die. My thinking is that I either:

1. Damaged some sensor at the "belt end" of the engine routing the belt or removing the plastic covers, or
2. That I messed up the timing relationship even though I was EXTREMELY CAREFUL not to.

When describing positions, I am viewing the engine looking across the car facing the side of the engine with the drive belts. Left is toward the rear of the vehicle, and right is toward the front of the vehicle.

I followed the procedure outlined in the Volvo factory manual (VIDA2010D) with a couple of exceptions:

1. I immobilized the three pulleys and installed the new belt without turning any of them. The timing marks were far from obvious. The right hand (intake) pulley had one tiny line on it, but I saw no mark at all on the left hand (exhaust) pulley. Since I couldn't establish the reference marks, I decided to immobilize the sprockets and install the belt with the existing timing relationship. I an ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that the camshaft sprockets did not move a degree (wedged in place). I did not notice the crankshaft moving, and assumed that it would take some effort to do that. While attempting to fit the new belt, I noticed that the belt became slightly slack between the crankshaft and the right hand camshaft pulley, but this seemed to be due to the slack belt falling down as it approached the crankshaft from the left. If the crankshaft turned without me knowing it, this engine must have zero friction and no compression.

2. I did not rotate the engine through two revolutions and recheck the timing marks (because I could not see the timing marks).

My plan is to go back to the car and reinstall the timing belt or at least check the marks IF someone can describe what the marks look like. I know what the marks are supposed to look like on the crankshaft. It's the two camshafts that are the problem. I am also aware of the two reference points on the plastic cover for these pulleys.

QUESTIONS:

1. Assuming that the timing is correct, is there some sensor at the belt end of the engine that I might have damaged? The crank position sensor seems to be near the transmission end.

2. Can someone supply a picture or a very complete description of where the timing marks are on the camshaft pulleys?

I'm open to all advice and any suggestions. This car is at a remote location over an hour from my home, so I won't be able to run out and look at the engine. I just need to gather advice and info before traveling up there to have another go at it.

Thanks very much in advance.

EDIT: http://volvospeed.com/volvo_repairs_how_to...iming_belt.html This article mentions that the timing mark on the pulley is only a tiny hash mark. I believe I see that on the intake pulley, but there is nothing at a corresponding position on the exhaust pulley.

 

If the cams and crank pulley did not move and you have the belt routing correct, then I believe your issue is elsewhere. You could be a tooth off on both cams and it will still run.

I would first check the fuel pressure. The noise you heard could be the electric motor on the brakes. Did you disconnect the battery when you did the work? I've seen the fuel pump fuse blow for no apparent reason when reconnecting the battery.

If you have fuel pressure then I'd check the spark. Again, strange things sometimes happen when you start taking things apart like your kid wanders over during your lunch break and "helps".

Here is the timing mark pic I have. It's not a 2000-2004 S40 cam gear though but very similar. Just a little slash mark. You need good light to see it.

 

Thanks for your helpful reply. The timing was wrong. See next post.

 

I've got the car running, so I'll update this thread in case it might help someone else.

I did, in fact, mess up the timing, but not enough to do any damage. Just enough to cause the engine to not start and to cause the check engine light to come on. I am guessing that the computer detected a discrepancy between the camshaft position sensor and the crankshaft position sensor and stopped the fuel and spark. Engine would still crank.

Depending on where you are in the 4-cycle sequence, some of the valve stems may be up on the eccentric of the cam and under spring tension. If that's the case, when you release the tension on the timing belt, the two overhead camshaft sprockets will rotate one direction or the other until the spring tension is relieved. In my case, I released the belt tension and both sprockets moved about "five minutes" in opposite directions. I hadn't expected this and assumed that sprockets were still properly timed with the crankshaft since I did not move them by hand. Since they had rotated slightly on their own, when I put the belt back on, they were mis-timed.

There is a tool you can buy that fits between the sprockets and immobilizes them in relation to each other prior to releasing the belt tension. See below. It's worth the money.

The reason I did not simply line up all of the timing marks is that they are nearly impossible to see. There was a very small but distinct scribe on the intake pulley. There was the merest scratch on the exhaust pulley which I took on faith. The two distinct teeth on the crankshaft pulley were visible, but I never did find the reference mark on the oil pump or block.

I put a small line of white paint on all of the marks. I set the crankshaft mark pretty much vertical along the axis of the engine (which is at an angle in the engine bay). In order to get the cam sprockets lined up on the engine cover reference points, I had to turn the by hand against the spring tension and lock them in place. I did this with a couple of small pieces of wood similar to the wood shims you buy when replacing a household door. This does no damage, but it is extremely awkward to do. Buy borrow or steal on of the immobilizing tools I described above!

LISLE - Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC) Lock Tool (36880) is one example of a sprocket immobilizer that sells for as little as $25 online. There are other tools designed to do the same job.

Once everything is locked, you put the new timing belt on starting at the crankshaft and and going counter-clockwise over the top. After just starting the belt onto the water pump, you finish up by sliding it over the tensioner. The new belt is very tight, and I am pretty sure this is the only way it will go on. Set the tension on the belt per the manual. Rotate the engine through two complete revolutions using the 30mm crank nut (I used a monster adjustable wrench) and recheck both the timing marks and the belt tension. I had to readjust the tension slightly.

After this, the engine started up and has run perfectly since. Unfortunately, I had cranked the engine a number of times before correcting the timing, and the check engine is on. I have read a couple of things about this. One is that the check engine light may correct itself after a few days of running properly. Another is that disconnecting the negative terminal will clear the light, but you will lose your radio code and all of the fine-tuning self-adjustments the computer has made to your driving style. Finally, simple code readers are available for $50-60 that will allow you to reset the code.

I hope this helps someone else who is doing this job for the first time.

 

Good to hear you found it. You can get your local Advance, Autozone, and similar to read the code and turn out the check engine light for you. The code reader is nice though if you do allot of work on cars.

Here is my pic of the crank mark too: