Hello all,

I am just looking for some verification about quotes I have received for repairs, and whether someone is pulling my chain or not. I am not car literate, and am looking for advice.

I took my 2004.5 S40 2.4 i Volvo (90K) into the dealership for a 90k check up.

They hit me with a $3,000.00 quote for:
Timing belt & Cam seals (850), Cracked axle boot replacement (720), Shock replacement(1,020), Engine mount replacement (220).

Of course, I wanted to shop around before paying that amount of money. I received a quote for ~1500.00 and got most of the work done.

I have gotten the timing belt, cam seals, and boot replaced by another mechanic. About a week after the repairs, my transmission slipped, (went into neutral, and I had to turn off/turn on my car to get back into gear), and I parked it, scared that something was screwed up.

Took back to dealer, and dealer is now saying they need to replace timing belt again. The other mechanic is saying that the transmission wouldn't slip out due to a timing belt issue (i.e. if the belt is off a tooth, which is what the dealer is saying is the problem.)

So I guess my question is:

Would an incorrectly installed timing belt cause the transmission to slip out of gear?

Thanks much!

 

That is a new one. I can't imagine how that would happen unless there is some dependency on engine performance.?. There may be special procedures for installing the belt since these cars have variable valve timing. Make sure all vacuum hoses are connected. They may have knocked something off when they worked on your car. Also check the that the tranny fluid level is good.

 

Yeah thats just ridicoulus.Your problem might lies with the axle boot replacement.The axle might not sitting fully in the tranny I dont see tho how when you stop the engine then restart could fix the problem but I had similar problem when on my 01 s40 the passanger side axle has slipped out which is held only by a bearing in its place.Lost drive intermittendly depending which way I turn the wheel then lost it completelly.Just an idea to check out.

 

Timing belt replacement at 90K miles? I thought Volvo maintenance schedule didn't call for replacement on non-turbos until 120k or 10 years. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Ok, so....

I took the car into the dealer, and he took apart the engine to look at the timing belt and pulleys and such. Attached are the photos.

He said the timing belt marks were spot on, BUT the pulley below was off. The last picture shows this part. He says this was causing a number of issues with the belt, and caused the car to go into "limbo". Just looking at these pictures, can anyone confirm that or not? The mechanic stated that often times you have to manually turn the engine a few times and check the marks again to confirm they are still in line.

Thanks!

 

I can't tell from the photos. The 2 cam alignment marks would need to be visible and aligned and the lower pulley aligned too.

Did you have a bad seal? it looks pretty oily.
Stan

 

As AutoNaut said, it's a bit difficult to see the timing marks on the cams in the pictures. If the cam gear timing marks are indeed aligned with the notches on the plastic cover then the last picture does show the crank not aligned properly. The small timing mark on the crank is about an inch left of the timing mark on the engine block.

This is quite a bit off and would indicate to me that the timing belt has slipped a few teeth. I had a similar situation in a 2001 due to oil pouring out of the VVT hub, except mine moved enough to bend 8 exhaust valves. Yours going into "limp home" mode means you are lucky.

Just make sure you never turn the engine past the timing mark (clockwise) and then try to move it counter-clockwise to correct because the timing belt will have slack. You must always turn the engine another 2 revolutions to align the timing marks without ever going past the marks so that the timing belt remains under tension.