I'm going crazy
 

I bought this 2000 Volvo s 40 from someone I thought was a friend, turns out the car has some issues.....it ran good for about a month.....maybe some one out there can help...I'm driving down the hill to go to town on the 4th july and all the sudden I loose power to everything and coast to a stop. I am not a mechanic by any means, although i can do some stuff. It turns out the serpintine belt shredded. easy fix right, NO, i got the belt on right and went to start the car.......no start....i go though every possible reason that it wouldnt start. I went and bought a foxwell NT301 plus OBD2 code reader/ battery tester......batterIEs good, i checked the car for codes came up 5 codes and i replaced all the parts...thermostat sensor, cam shaft sensor, crank shaft sensor, ignition coil a, and b. I also replaced the spark plugs and wire harness that goes with the ignItion coils, i replaced the altenator and bought the starter but havent put it in yet.......the car will not start....when you turn the key to start it makes an electrical whirl sound, i determined that was the fuel pump kicking on, and still nothing PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT I'M MISSING.....ITS GOT AIR/FUEL/BUT NO SPARK I GUESS.......HOW DO I TEST FOR SPARK / WHAT DO I DO NEXT/ I NEED THIS CAR RUNNING ASAP i ALSO NEED A DRIVERS SIDE FRONT COIL SPRING.....I DONT HAVE THE FOGGIEST IDEA HOW THAT BROKE, AND NO AUTO PARTS PLACE WILL SELL ONE

Sometimes when the serpentine belt shreds parts of it get caught in the timing belt and cause the cams to get out of alignment. Then the valves get bent. Easy to tell - does the engine spin over faster than it used to?

Or - check your compression. Or check your cam timing.

If the valves are bent that requires a valve job. It can be a DIY job but is very complex and you will need special tools to realign the VVT gear.

It does sound a bit like the timing belt broke, doesn't it? that would have had to dislodge the head if you're going to get a "whir" during cranking. Could be ready for the junkyard.

I'm always alarmed when somebody isn't clear on whether or not the engine is cranking. If the engine is not cranking, then you won't need a scan tool. If it is cranking, you won't need batteries and starters. If you pull the oil filler cap I think you can tell easily if the camshaft is stationary.

you can also pop off the timing belt cover to have a look for any damage there. As to the coil springs, the gen 1s eat them as a snack. Easy enough to buy a replacement but the 2000s use a different strut bushing vs the 01-04s , the newer ones are beefier but use a different spring so you would need to to both to upgrade. Note also on the S40s the coils are very long so your standard death-stick spring compressions may not have the reach to compress the strut.

when i turn the key to start the car, the brass hose connected to the top of the exhaust manifold would blow out of its fitting...that to me says it was loosing compression so i fixed that temporary so it doesnt come out. how do you check cam timing?

timing belt is in tack, not sure if its been interfered with when the other belt broke, doesnt appear to be, but i dont know for sure.....how would i tell if it has been or if the timing is out of wack

You take the cover off and line up the timing marks - hopefully the crank and the cams are still aligned.

What are your compression readings?

SO, today I went out and took the timing belt cover off looked that over real good , nothing jumped out at me, it all looked good......I took my obd2 out and erased the 5 codes it give me in the beginning and tried to see if the cam was moving when turning over It is in fact turning.........I also got a clicky click click when trying to start......,.,put the charger on the battery and we'll see what happens in a few hours.......if it doesnt work........its up for sale........wish me luck or it luck

the timing belt is in tact and seem to be ok, the cam rotates when turning the key, the whir sound, i think is the fuel injection coming on, .....ive replaced the surp belt , spark plugs, ignition coils and cables to the other 2 cylinders, themostat sensor,camshsft sensor , crank shaft sensor...........its a possablity that the timing belt jumped a bit when the serpentine belt shredded. if that is the issue and the timing is off, how do i fix that......the other day i tried to start it and i got the battery clicky click so i recharged it and back to where i was no start.....i also fixed compression .........what do i do now?

??What does that mean?

Have you checked compression?

If you have compression, have you checked fuel pressure?
If you have fuel pressure, have you used a $5 noid light to verify the injectors are firing?
If injectors are firing have you removed a coil, plugged in a spark plug, grounded the plug, spun the engine over to see if there is a spark?


How do you "fix cam timing" - you align the crankshaft and camshaft marks. You should have someone knowledgeable/qualified do it. For if you screw it up - you WILL have bent valves if you don't already.

Have you tried to jumps start it ? that is if its a manual , its seems to me like your battery is bad check it under load when you start the car , before these belts go they dont charge properly and could have killed the battery just a thought , a dead cell even after you charge will not start the car
Had many belts break and never did damaged to the cambelt
Good luck

Have I checked compression....or did i fix it....in the beginning right after the belt shredded there was a brass hose coated black that comes out of the top of the exhaust manifold, that kept blowing out of the fitting every time I'd turn the key to try and start the car. new that wasnt right so I fixed that issue, i would think that would be compression....right? as for fuel pressure no i have not done that...just watched a video on that and going to go check it now.

have not jump started it, its not a manual , its auto trans, my foxwell nt301 plus said the battery was good, and its only a year old

You fixed a vacuum leak on the intake manifold. One possible reason it started blowing out after your belt incident is - injectors spray fuel, spark plugs spark to ignite the fuel - but if the intake valves are not closed that explosion can explode into the intake manifold - and blow out your fitting.

Compression is tested by removing the spark plugs and screwing a compression tester into each plug hole, then spinning the engine over for 5-6 seconds. The gauge will measure In pounds per sq inch (psi) how much compression the pistons make in each cylinder. I would expect 150-200 psi - turbos might be near the low side of that. Important thing is that they are even. It takes a minimum of about 100 psi for a cylinder to run.

OK, this is were Im at.......The timing marks are lined up or at least in the same spot relitive to the gears the marks are on, so im sure its not timing.....i put in a new battery. fuel pressure is good, i found the valve stem and pushed in the stem and gas shot out in a good size spray. i dont have a compression checker tool/ gauge .....will check to see if there is spark by doing what was previously mentioned and go get a $5 noid light to check injectors whatever that is........I know Im getting close....i reset the obd2 and tested again 1 code came up ignition coil B/...i went through that made sure it was connected properly because its new, discovered a bad wire connection, fixed it and still nothing......../getting very upset with this f%^&ing car

All three gears? The crankshaft gear marks and the cam gear marks are all aligned? Is the crankshaft mark visible on a 4 cyl s40 without removing the front motor mount pedestal?

Have you tried to borrow/rent a compression tester from your local auto parts store?