looking for a cheap set of the timing tools to set timing on my 94 850 please help.

 

What timing are you trying to set, the cam timing?

 

There's a print out for that, but otherwise they do not make tools to set cam timing other than the marks already on the cams.

 

Yes my mechanic removed the head had it rebuilt and did not mark the cam gears prior to removal?? I was told you have to have a 400 dollar tool to et them as there are no marks and the tool is used to old the cams and and crank to do the procedure? If ther is another way please let me know I dont want to haave ppurchase thes tools for one time use. her is alinkon ebay that they say u must have

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VOLVO...motiveQ5fTools

 

Make the tool from this link.https://volvoforums.com/forum/general-volvo-chat-5/cam-locking-tool-fabrication-38396/
Then make sure the crank timing marks are lined up correctly. Then you should be good to go as long as everything is lined up correctly.

 

Tech,

I have a 94 850 turbo with no markings on the cams, during my mechanics repair of the head gasket, after removing the cams, the crank spun, and with no marks on the crank, they were stumped how to get it timed, they have given up, and I am going to attempt to time it back, will this tool allow it to be timed incorectly? Or if I use it, it will always be in time? It seems like the tool would allow it to have the cams flipped a couple different ways because of the slot. I just am a bit confused, if someone could please explain what they would do to get my car back in time?

 

I don't know if it is the same on your 1994 Turbo 850, but I am doing the head gasket right now on my daughter's 1996 850 (non-turbo). What point is your engine assembly at? Have the heads been put back on? If they have, you don't want to spin the crank or cams (out of sync) because this is an interference engine and you can cause (expensive) valve damage.

ONLY if the head HAS NOT been put back on, you can do the following (at least if it's like our's). To set the crank in time, just rotate it clockwise (looking at the timing belt end) until the #1 cylinder is at TDC (the #1 piston will be at the uppermost point of its travel). If you remove the starter (which isn't hard if the head is off, as the intake manifold will be off too), there is an access port behind the starter on the front of the block right next to the starter opening. Take that plug out, take a 3/8" drive extension (at least 2" long) and slide it in there a little ways and rotate the crank until there is an opening created that you can slide the extension into at least 2". This locks the crank in place at TDC (at least from rotating backwards). The cams and head can then be put back on. To have them in time, secure the camshafts with homemade tools that are very simple - all they have to do is hold the camshafts in place from falling out or rotating while you tighten down the top portion of the head.

Secure the camshafts in the top portion of the head (and you have to spread that sealant out on the top portion first) in such a position that once the top of the head is in place the front (intake) camshaft will have the groove running parellel with the seam of the head on the back, and will have two bolts holes on top on the front end (making an inverted triangle). Then do the exact same thing with the exhaust camshaft, only it should have one bolt hole at the top on the front end (making an upright triangle). I hope this helps, and I have pictures I can upload or send or something if this is not clear. I plan on doing a tutorial on the head gasket job (with a LOT of pics) after I am done sometime.

Tracy

 

My 850 is back together entirely, and I am unsure whether they bent valves already, I asked them about it, and they said they spun the crank by hand, and they said they felt no resistance, but I am not sure you would feel a valve bend?

What I was going to do was take the valve cover back off, take the cams out, do a leak down test by pressurizing the cylinders and check for leakage out the exhaust or the intake, and if I have no leaks, then proceed to set the cams in there as you have explained, I will make the locking tool, then use your procedure to set the timing.

If I line up the timing mark on the crankshaft, and then use the cam tool to set the alignment on the cams, will that work ok? I just shouldnt spin that crank until the cams are out?


Thanks for all your help, I am a computer guy, reading manuals to do my first cam removal, first timing, etc. I have done a few things here and there, alternator, etc. but nothing this intricate.

 

You leave the cam cover on to do a leak down test. You don't need the cam lock tool to do it. And there's really no way to know if there in time or not with out some sort of marks on the sprockets. If you spin the crank by hand, you will feel resistance when there is contact with a valve.

If you really wish to redo the cams. Remove cover, remove cams, set crank to TDC, remove both assemblies on driver side end of cams, set cams back in place and make sure grooves are parallel on the ends of the cams and lobes up on cylinder one and down on cylinder five, remove ALL of remaining chemical gasket on head and cover, use a roller to roll on new chemical gasket (USE OEM VOLVO PINK GASKET ONLY), place cam cover back on head, working your way from in to out tighten down cover slowly and evenly WHILE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION THAT CAMS STAY IN TIME AND THE ENDS ARE PARALLEL TO THE ENGINE, once cover is torque down (~12ftlbs), fine tune the cam timing if they moved at all, realign cam timing marks on sprockets so they align with timing marks on tbelt cover.

 

We all have looked for about an hour with a magnifying glass and heavy light, and I cannot find any marks at all, the only thing on the cam gear is a M stamped into it. I looked in the haynes manual, and you can lightly see this M stamped into their cam, I was wondering, in relation to this M, can timing be set. It appears to be five teeth away from their timing marks, is this the same on everyones?

That is the biggest problem, we have a mark on the crank, and none on the cams, and it appears that the cam locking tool would allow the cams to be upside down since it is just a slot, they appear to be able to be flipped one way or the other 180 degrees. I just guess I am stuck at what everything should look like when it is in time, but with no timing marks. I just want to make sure I understand how it works so I can not bend these valves.

And as far as the leak down test, dont I have to remove the cams so that the valves would be closed? How would I distinguish an open valve from a bent one? Again, I am a computer guy, not a car guy, so any extra explanations for me are extremely helpful.

Thank you all so much for your time, you are all getting me excited to drive my baby again...

 

If you have the crankshaft gear on the crankshaft, you line it up like the Haynes manual shows with the SMALL cut portion of the gear lining up with the mark on the oil pump housing behind it (I was giving directions for aligning it with the gear off like mine presently is). It can be secured (from rotating backwards) with the method I described last time.

As far as lining up the camshafts, you really cannot go by "marks" (or at least not on mine). I lined up the crank mark (on a car that was running fine in time - doing head gasket) and could find one FAINT mark on the intake camshaft sprocket and NONE on the exhaust one. The best way is to line up the back end of them with the slot running parellel to the seam where the top and bottom of the head meet as I described last time. The front end should have two holes on top for the intake sprocket, and one hole on top for the exhaust sprocket. That will get you VERY close at least.

The mark on my intake sprocket was so faint, and there was not one on the exhaust sprocket. So, while they were all in time and the crank mark was right, I took an engraving pen and etched a (deep and easily seen) mark on the back timing belt cover (top piece) that was centered on a corresponding sprocket tooth where I engraved the same notch (not interfering with the function of the sprocket. I also engraved the end of my camshafts with an "F" for front (intake) and an "R" for rear (exhaust) with the letter positioned on the top side and not in a way that would interfere with the function or integrity of the camshaft ends. That way, after I soaked everything in diesel fuel and cleaned it up, I still had marks to go by. Hope this helps.

Tracy

 

This helps very much, do you have any advice on checking those valves? Should I need to take the cams back out so that the valves are shut in order to check them?

Also do you know where I would buy a leak down tester cheap? Does harbor freight sell these?

 

Also, should I take the cams out anyway so that I can align them with the tool? I understand I shouldnt spin them while in the engine for I may bend valves? Can you confirm this?

You have been a great help, thanks so much.

 

So should this will be my order of events?

1. Remove the caps at the end of the cams along with the distributor.

2. Remove the Timing belt.

3. Remove the valve cover.

4. Remove the cams.

5. Pressurize each cylinder and check for leakage.

6. Line up the crank with the mark.

7. Paint valve cover gasket back on

8. Put cams back in following these instructions:
"The best way is to line up the back end of them with the slot running parellel to the seam where the top and bottom of the head meet as I described last time. The front end should have two holes on top for the intake sprocket, and one hole on top for the exhaust sprocket. That will get you VERY close at least."

9. Put the cam locking tool on that I will make.

10. Install the timing belt.

Does this sound correct?

 

If everything was out of time and they put the cams in they bent valves.

You can carefully crank the motor by hand only if you need to set it up.

He is how you do it. You slowly(and I mean SLOWWW) turn it till the pistons touch the valves. Then back it up a hair and turn the cams a little. Then you should be able to turn the crank more. You continue to do that till you get everything lined up properly.

Then install the belt and do a compression test and see what the numbers are.

 

[QUOTE=d33dvb;226660]
That is the biggest problem, we have a mark on the crank, and none on the cams, and it appears that the cam locking tool would allow the cams to be upside down since it is just a slot, they appear to be able to be flipped one way or the other 180 degrees [\QUOTE]

That's why I said the lobes need to be up on cylinder one and down on cylinder five. That will be the correct timing with the crank at TDC. Then when that's all done, you can just put on your own timing marks if you cannot find the other ones. They should be there, I would try cleaning the sprockets real good, they can become covered by rust over time.

 

I would cautiously do what "tech" said, remembering that when it is all in correct timing, the camshafts can be verified by the configuration of the holes and the slots (both visible without removing top of the head again) and naturally the crank by the marks for it. I just put my new head gasket on this afternoon, then applied the liquid gasket (mine was clear from FCPGroton) and put on the top of the head.

 

One problem with adjusting the cams depending on when the pistons tap the cams is that now you're messing with cam timing. If the original poster is really worried about the cam timing I would start over and make sure that both cams are at 0*.


And that liquid gasket you got from FCP, be prepared if it fails in a couple weeks. I used the same stuff from FCP and a week later I had oil seeping through half of the bolts, took it off and applied Volvo OEM gasket and not a single problem. And you're supposed to apply it to the cam cover to make sure you don't get any sealant in any of the oil passages that are between the cam cover and head, if you applied it directly to the head, you may have gasket in a lot of your passages, assuming you applied a single layer to the entire head.

 

Nope. I just put a thin layer on the top portion of the head, then placed the camshafts, putting a dab of grease on each journal and cam lobe, then bolted it on.

 

Wow this is painful. I feel for you.

https://volvoforums.com/forum/showth...t=36440&page=4

https://volvoforums.com/forum/attach...6&d=1259451453

Just a few marks and a sharpie to mark the cams and sprockets takes very little time and takes all the guess work out. Maybe you should take this picture to the shop that did the work.

But don't feel bad though the motor in this picture needs to be done again because I didn't trust the bore gauge and I didn't break it in right. We live and we learn.