Just like the title says. The ignition coil is warm to the touch, the engine will crank, but a timing gun shows there is no spark. I changed the timing belt a month ago, so there is a chance I could have bumped something loose, although everything does look OK. Any ideas?
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1983 240 -- This car is a gas to drive!

If the timing is off, you'll still get spark, though not at the right time. Pull a plug wire and check for spark (hold wire near engine block while turning engine over).
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1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb and M46 trans

There is no spark at all. The light on the gun is not firing, and the engine is not showing any signs whatsoever of ignition. I have verified the cam and distributor timing before reassembly, and the engine did run after the change.
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1983 240 -- This car is a gas to drive!

If you hadn't put in a new timing belt, I'd think that it is the belt that is gone. (You haven't said that you checked the timing belt ie. removed the belt cover to see if everything lines up.)

Anyhow, a quick check to see if the belt is working is to pop the distributor cover off, and watch for rotor rotation while engine is being turned over.
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1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb and M46 trans

Trevor, please take the time to READ MY QUESTION...and my first response!!!!
THE COIL DOES NOT FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The belt is FINE. The rotor is TURNING. (which it would anyway even if the belt was broken).
EVEN IF everything was misaligned, The coil would still fire, just at the wrong time.
PLEASE STOP ANSWERING QUESTIONS I AM NOT ASKING!!!!



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1983 240 -- This car is a gas to drive!

There is one way to get people to stop answering questions - is to find a site where:

1). - there are less knowledgeable folks than those who camp on the Brickboard.

2.) - Stop asking for assistance - if you possess the complete realm of knowledge on that topic.

Folks here tend to have thick skins - and we have all experienced the joy of owning a well running volvo, then the complete frustration of a "stumper" problem, and the ecstacy of relief when usually a simple fix gets things back on the go.

The Volvo's are an interesting car - unique strong points that mostly outweight the frustrating weak spots.
(Almost like a balanced marriage).

I hope you reconsider your frustrating "shouting" (use of upper case letters) in your last reaction to Trevor - there is nothing in it for him except a warm fuzzy feeling for helping another brick owner ...

Have a Merry Christmas - and good luck with your brick

Goldy

I am aware of the caps situation. The first answer Trev gave me did not address the specific question I asked, hence my more than polite first response. Neither did the his second answer. I assume he means well, but being told repeatedly about the timing belt when I have an electrical problem (and recently changed the belt, AND rechecked it anyway) does me no assistance when I have two young children to transport. I suppose I could post irrevelent answers to every question as well, but I doubt it would help anyone out there.

I DO have a problem with people who have to put their two cents in without first reading the complete question. The first time was forgiveable, the second not.

However, I did receive several constructive answers to my second repost.

FWIW, I was hooking the gun to the wire between the distributor and the coil. Since the rotor is turning (and the belt is new) the light would strobe if there was a spark, no matter how far the timing was off.

Thanks to all.









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1983 240 -- This car is a gas to drive!

Shrug.

From your first post my impression was that you were using a timing light to verify spark. I suggested you just pull a plug wire and hold it near a ground.

Your next post again indicated that you were using a timing light to determine spark. But since the timing light would only show spark at the plug it is connected to, if the distributor rotor was not turning you wouldn't detect spark. As you hadn't indicated that you had gone back in and checked the timing belt, there was a possibility that it was loose (belt tensioner) or broken. So I suggested you check for rotor movement.

Contrary to your statement, "The rotor is TURNING. (which it would anyway even if the belt was broken)", the rotor will not turn if the belt is broken as the belt drives the idler wheel/pulley which turns the dist. rotor.

Anyhow, I gave it a shot.
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1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb and M46 trans