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Help checking timing belt on B230 700 1990

posted by  morgen on  Sun Nov 19 16:45 CST 2023
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last visit: Mon Oct 20 09:55 CST 2014
[RELATED]

Hi,

I'm doing my first timing belt and am worried I may have made some errors.

The summary is:

I don't know if I've put the timing belt on with things in the wrong place. Then I rotated the engine by hand.

Is there a way for me to check if the belt is on with correct timing?
Should I be worried that I've caused valve damage with my errors?
If the belt is not on correctly, how can I align the engine when the pulleys may have moved?


Here's the details:

I have an aftermarket harmonic balancer, so the counterhold tool does not fit exactly at TDC (or what I think is TDC). So the crank was slightly of when I removed the belt.

The cam may have moved slightly but I lined up the mark on the pulley with the cover. I think the cam was in the correct position.

The intermediate shaft spun when I was removing the nut. When I put the timing belt on, I simply lined up the mark on the pulley with the cover. Not sure if it rotated a full turn or more before I lined it up.

I put the belt on the first time, but wasn't sure if the crank was correct. I found it hard to see if the double mark on the belt was aligned with the notch on the pulley. So with the belt on I cranked the engine around a full rotation of the belt to see if the double line would align with the notch. This was not easy to determine. And seemed not quite right.


Then I put the lower cover and harmonic balancer on and saw that it might be easier to line up the notch on the harmonic balancer with the 12 o'clock mark on the lower timing belt cover. So I removed the belt and moved the crank to align in a way that looked better.

The second time I put the belt on I thought things looked OK. The cam pulley mark, belt mark and cover mark aligned. The intermediate pulley mark, cover mark and belt mark aligned. And the belt double mark & crank notch looked better, and the harmonic balancer notch lined up with the 12 o'clock mark on the lower timing belt cover.

I thought I had it right. So I decided to test it by rotating the engine a full belt rotation to see if the marks would line up again. They don't seem to line up any more.

So now I am worried that I've totally botched the job. And don't know how to confirm it's right or wrong.

Can anyone give any guidance on how to check or recover from this potential screw up?

Many thanks,

-morgen
1990 Volvo 740


Now the marks on the belt don't seem to align with the marks on the cam anymore.


--
'90 740GL wagon








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    Help checking timing belt on B230- UPDATE 700 1990

    posted by  morgen on  Sun Nov 19 17:57 CST 2023
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    last visit: Mon Oct 20 09:55 CST 2014
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    After realizing that the raised mark on the engine be the crank is the easy way to check the crank position, I checked again.

    All marks - cam, intermediate and crank line up. So I think I'm good to go, assuming my previous cranking didn't do any damage.

    Sorry for the panic message.

    -morgen
    --
    '90 740GL wagon








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      Help checking timing belt on B230- UPDATE 700 1990

      posted by  Dave Stevens on  Mon Nov 20 05:08 CST 2023
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      last visit: Sun Jan 1 02:36 CST 2012
      [RELATED]

      Not at all uncommon for a first effort. Sounds like you've got it correct. Irrespective of belt installation markings, if all sprockets line up to their respective marks on the block/timing cover marks after a hand crank revolution then you're normally good to go. On 700/900 B230F/B234F with the rear camshaft mounted distributor, the intermediate shaft sprocket alignment doesn't matter as It only drives the oil pump, The exception is when you have a torn harmonic balancer pulley. In that case you need to verify the timing mark underneath the crank sprocket is lined up sighting in perpendicular with a mirror and/or confirm piston #1 is precisely TDC using a probe into the spark plug hole. Harmonic balancer failure can also be witnessed noting either screaming under acceleration or a variable alignment to the lower timing belt cover timing mark using a timing light or checking cyl #1 TDC.
      --
      Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now








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        Help checking timing belt on B230- UPDATE 700 1990

        posted by  morgen on  Mon Nov 20 17:09 CST 2023
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        last visit: Mon Oct 20 09:55 CST 2014
        [RELATED]

        Dave,

        Thanks for the detailed and helpful response. You were right, I did get the timing correct on the second try.

        But the bad news is that the car is smoking from the tailpipe on acceleration now. (Never did before)

        Do you think this means bent vavles?

        I checked the FAQ for valve job, but don't see it on there. If anyone has pointers for that please let me know. Or any other way to diagnose/confirm the problem.

        -morgen
        --
        '90 740GL wagon








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          Tailpipe smoke under acceleration 700 1990

          posted by  Dave Stevens on  Mon Nov 20 18:08 CST 2023
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          last visit: Sun Jan 1 02:36 CST 2012
          [RELATED]

          It would help diagnose it if you could read the smoke in addition to saying under acceleration: White? Grey/black? Mostly first thing when cold? You should also read the spark plugs: Black? Tan? White? Plenty of places online with pics to help.

          White smoke first thing only and lasting maybe 5-15 mins can be condensation in the muffler, especially the rear, usually with dripping water out the tailpipe unless it's angled up. White smoke starting and continuing when the engine is hot can be a head gasket leak -typically you'll be topping up fluid more often, like every few weeks (if you suspect that then open the rad cap and warm the engine until the thermostat opens and see if it suddenly rises -see if it can run for another 5-10-15 mins without suddenly boiling up.

          Yes, could be valves, like worm stem seals. Bad rings in high mileage B230F are less common. You would want to do a compression check and a leakdown check. B230F is a non-interference engine so you don't have to worry too much about bent valves.

          Could also be your simply running too rich (the plugs should tell you). Is the engine idling and running fairly smooth, like what was normal. Read out the OBD diagnostic socket to see if there are any codes on port 2 (fuel) or port 6 (ignition) -see the Engine OBD section in the FAQ here. The O2 sensor could be a suspect -see also the FAQ. Black smoke first thing could be leaking injectors -see FAQ. You may or may not also have a cold start injector on the intake manifold pointing, mor or less behind the throttle body.
          --
          Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now








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            Tailpipe smoke under acceleration - RESOLVED 700 1990

            posted by  morgen on  Mon Nov 20 19:35 CST 2023
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            last visit: Mon Oct 20 09:55 CST 2014
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            Dave,

            Thanks again for the quick and again super informative response. The good news is that after another longer test drive, the smoking seems to have stopped.

            So perhaps just lots of condensation from sitting for a few days with colder weather.

            I'll keep an eye on it. But hopefully the ole 740 is good to go again.

            Thanks again for the expert and super quick replies.

            All the best,

            -morgen
            --
            '90 740GL wagon








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    UPDATE - Help checking timing belt on B230 700 1990

    posted by  morgen on  Sun Nov 19 17:54 CST 2023
    Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
    last visit: Mon Oct 20 09:55 CST 2014
    [RELATED]

    After realizing that the raised mark on the engine by the crank is the best way to check the crank position, I checked again.

    All marks seem to be fine - crank, intermediate and cam. The belt is off by a couple of teeth, but is consistent. Hopefully all is OK.

    Sorry for the panic message.

    -morgen
    --
    '90 740GL wagon







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