my code reader says ignition coil B primary secondary circut. if im standing in front of the car looking at the engine which one of the coils is B? does this mean it needs replacing or is it a faulty wire or plug

 

Does your car missfire/run bad - any missfire codes? What year and engine 4 or 5 cylinder? Does the code come back after you erase and drive the car? Are the coils plugged in securely and there is no corrosion on the connectors? When were the spark plugs replaced last?

An easy free test - swap the/some coils around and see if the code moves to a different coil, that's the cheapest thing to try first. ( it's free)

 

I bought this car used from a friend so i thought. On the fourth of july the sepintine belt broke on the way to my kids place. since that day it wont start, it cranks over but no spark...ive narrowed it down to that. i bought a code reader and it gave me five codes. replaced these parts crankshaft and camshaft sensors ignition coils A & B and thermostat sensor. wont start....i put in new battery new spark plugs and wires harnesses. ive gone though fuel systems its fine, pressure is good. i erased all codes and rebooted the code reader. retested ignition coil B primary secondary curcit p0352. all that is brand new stuff. recheck same. went though to see if i did it wrong ...it checks out.....in the morning im returning that stuff for replacement and trying it again.....figured out 2nd cylinder coil wire may be bad. HAD TO WALK AWAY FROM IT FOR A MONTH OR SO ITS REALLY GETTING ME HOT. FIRED UP MAD AT THIS POINT

 

Is the car cranking very fast? I fear that when the serp belt went, it may have interfered with the timing belt and possibly caused the timing to skip, which is why you got crank and cam sensor codes. BTW, those sensors hardly every go bad, the code is there because it is doing its job and noticing something wrong. I would do a pressure test on the cylinders

 

Yes - your first step will be to either do a compression test or line up the crank and cam timing marks to verify the cams are timed correctly. Unfortunately a common occurrence when the serpentine belt shreds is some of it gets under the timing belt and puts the cams out of time with the crank,

All of those sensors/ coils/wires are not going to go bad at once - the cam, crank, and coil codes don't mean those parts are bad - they mean the signals are incorrect - like maybe happening at the wrong time because they are not timed properly .

Out of a hundred or so timing belts I've seen that have come off or "slipped" - only one has not resulted in bent valves, it was only a couple of teeth off - so there is hope that the valves are not bent.

Here's how the marks should line up - and it sounds like you have the 4 cylinder s40 where the front engine mount is in the way to get to/see the crankshaft marks. Crank mark is very difficult to find - the 2 marks on top of the teeth of the crank gear. that line up with the bump on the oil pump housing

 

in relation to the gears of the top two it seems lined up, as for the bottom i havent been under any further than i have too. picking the car up is the next step in this wonderful adventure of volvo. Im a rock guy staging is my game heavy truss sling car lift with chain motors .........wheres the rigging points on this thing?

 

The crank gear is viewed from the top, you don't need to lift the car - but you will need to support the front (left side ) of the engine when you remove the front motor mount bracket to be able to get to the timing belt.
A floor jack works nicely.

Or get a compression gauge - test the compression - if the timing is off enough it will have 0 or close to 0 compression - that info will tell you what needs to be done.

 

how would you tell they all line up without manually turning the cam and crank. if the engine has been running for years and the marks have rotated so many times? so is there a number of teeth on the gear that can be counted? The top two are easy. if they are the same in relation to the marks. A.----- B.-------- C.----------Right timing?

 

Put a socket on the crank pulley nut, spin the engine clockwise until the crank marks are lined up. Then see if the cams are lined up also.

The marks on the crankshaft timing gear are very hard to see! just two notches on the tops of two teeth

 

on compression, ill buy the kit, how much psi is normal per cylinder? do i need to test all 4 cylinders? I didnt know they were so cheap. I wont pick the car up.... thanks for the help

 

i would have never thought of that....clockwise.....i should have taken an automotive class or two......thanks...just orderd the compression test kit at 300psi...will talk again soon im sure, let you know what find.....thanks again you rock