So the venerable gray ghost (85 740, 327K B230F) decided that the timing belt needed to go. It did. A free AAA 2 mile tow to the house, and me under the hood after reviewing the very helpful info on the FAQ. Easy fix, thinks I. No problems with disassembly - on with the belt and crank pulley and it's ... time to test! Turned the key and....

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrr. No catch. Rrrrrrrrrrrr. No catch again. It sounds extremely out of time, meaning starter noise, but no putt-putt of any kind... So I checked the marks and they're where they need to be. I used the 'finger in the sparkplug hole compression check' technique to determine when #1's coming up on TDC, so I don't know where I went awry.

One thing - how hard to turn is the cam supposed to be? It was VERY TIGHT, and I first thought that I had a topend lockup problem which had broken the belt. The engine turns over w/ the starter OK, though.

The 93 240 brought me to work just fine... but completion of the 740 issue is looking like it'll consume my Saturday. I'm hoping someone has some insight so I can get the ol' Swedish Meatball back on the road. Any ideas are greatly appreciated!

~gray in FL
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Gray in FL - '85 740 328K , '93 240 145K

Did you bend your valve stems when the belt broke? No compression = no run. Sounds like #1 is still good anyhow, since you did the finger plug to find TDC method.

Can't overlook this, unless someone out there knows for sure that deck/head/piston clearance is NOT an issue.

Thanks for the suggestion, Oil Eater:-) However, this is a B230 and thus a non-interference head, if I'm not mistaken. On the B234 16V, the valves WILL bend if the T-belt goes. Holy.....!

But thanks again - and I appreciate the 'Volvo gestalt' brainstorming all round!

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Gray in FL - '85 740 328K , '93 240 150K People can be divided into two classes: those who go ahead and do something, and those who sit still and inquire, "Why wasn't it done the other way?"- Oliver Wendell Holmes

"... I believe I saw a Don Foster post indicating that the IM shaft timing isn't all that important on this brick..."

You did, it's not, I do 'cause I'm anal (wife says if differently).

"...how hard to turn is the cam supposed to be? It was VERY TIGHT, and I first thought that I had a topend lockup problem which had broken the belt..."

It's not tight at all, but the valve spring tension aganist the cam lobes makes the cam "snap" from position to position as you turn it. You should feel essentially NO binding as you rotate it, other than the spring fotce. That spring force, however, will probably require you to use a wrench on the front bolt to turn the cam.

It sounds from your description as if the cam is not timed. If you timed using the front pulley index mark, you could be misled if the front pulley is beginning to separate and spin on its hub. In that case, the timing mark might point to the Moon. It is far better to set the crank to TDC using the crank keyway and the index mark cast into the seal housing. The service manuals show this method.

In your shoes, I'd remove the timing belt and start over. It's a one hour job, more or less.

The following addresses timing belt installation in the B21/23. Your B230 is similar, but not identical. Look closely at the location and characteristics of the timing marks.

Don't forget...(maybe you didn't forget)
If your car has the the distributor on the side of engine, versus at the rear of the cam, then the timing of the intermediate shaft is critical.

Chris - thanks! But mine's on the rear. I believe I saw a Don Foster post indicating that the IM shaft timing isn't all that important on this brick, but I timed it up correctly, anyway, just to be sure. Any other ideas out there?
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Gray in FL - '85 740 328K , '93 240 145K