No. After I priced the parts it dawned on me I should do one before I spend the $$ and make sure the engine is worth that kind of repair. So, I put it back together, warmed it up and did it. It didn't run very well with the vacuum leaks I found still present, but I managed just the same. All cylinders tested in the high 160's to the low to mid 170's. I'm beginning to get the feeling that the car was fairly well maintained. Timing belt looks as if it has been replaced not too long ago along with the tensioner and idler, the hoses and passages for the pcv system have very little build up in them, air filter is fairly clean, and so on.

I know it was alot of extra work to put it back together and do it and I should have done it first, but I'll consider it a lesson learned. When I filled it with oil to look for the leak I saw no oil coming from the front crankshaft area and the back of the flywheel is pretty clean, too.

I have it apart again and I am making the lock tool tomorrow. Then I'll be ready for the parts to arrive. I ordered them at lunchtime today (East Coast) but I haven't recieved the email from FCP Euro saying they have shipped. I payed for three day select hoping to have them by Friday but it'll probably be Monday before they arrive.

If all goes as well as I think it will I can see myself bringing the paint back (a little oxidized) and the glove box latch is broken. Who knows, maybe it'll see 300-400k miles or more.

Oh, one other thing. I pushed the front camseal back in just so I could do the test and I was kinda suprised. It still leaked a little, but nowhere near the volume it was before I found it out. Still going to do them all, though.

 

If anyone can help I would be most appreciative.

I made the camshaft tool referenced in my last post. I used steel for strength and it came out perfectly. I put it on, tightened the bolts, and went to remove the bolt holding the sprocket on the exhaust camshaft. The bolt never budged and I promptly bent the tool I just made. <bangs head wildly on wall>

Am I missing something?? The bolt is only torqued to 90 ft-lbs (CVVT system). Is it left hand thread?? I really need to make sure the front exhaust seal is good before it goes back together. At a total loss here.

 

Ok, figured it out, that bolt is just on that tight. I did a youtube search for "Volvo VVT" and found a good video that explains it all. It's actually going ro be real easy to do. So, I broke down and bought the camshaft locking tool. Found a used one on ebay for $80. Won't help me get it back together this weekend, but at least I can get to that seal to replace it and get it timed correctly when it goes back together. Like I said before, there is no way it's going back together without replacing the front exhaust seal.

 

If you have enough pressure to push out the cam seal it might be that PCV passage in the block and pan is plugged. To prevent it from happening again you need to make sure the passage is open going down into the oil pan.

 

Got it all back together yesterday. Block passages were all suprisingly clean and clear. Between the restriction in the breather box, numerous vacuum leaks, and a hole in one of the turbo hoses I wasn't suprised that it popped the seal out. I pushed the seal back into the bore before I took it apart and it went all the way back in with one finger.

I've put about a hundred miles on it, both around town and on the highway and it runs very smooth and has plenty of power. Runs better now than when it was bought. As far as I can tell it currently has zero oil leaks as there are no drops of oil showing up underneath even after a high speed run and then sitting idling for almost 30 minutes.

I also did an oil change that included 200ml of lubri-mol (molybdenum disulfide additive) before I started it. Sitting at idle after warm up the engine does not make a sound, not even the slightest tick.

I even brought the finish on the paint back to life while I was at it.



Not too shabby. I think this project has turned out to be a complete success and I should be good for another 200k miles.

 

Life is good !!