After doing some research (and doing half the job so far, I'm done with tearing everything down), I'm surprised at how often I've read that this is an easy timing belt job. I just did my Camry's belt earlier this year and my nissan truck's timing chain two years ago. Granted, the disassembly is very simple on the V90) but this job seems way sloppier.

My gripe is with the complete absence of any useful timing marks on the any of the pulleys. Honestly, all they're good for is to show you when the engine is at TDC. How is it that Volvo couldn't see far enough to put the cam timing marks at 12 o'clock for TDC, and put the crank timing mark at 6 o'clock? That way, they could make/sell timing belts that have the marks already printed on them. (NOTE: I understand that the reason they did this is because the cam pulley's are slightly adjustable forward and back. I get it. But that, too, just seems like a situation where you're begging for mechanic error.)

Between the marks that I put on my cam and crank pulleys to highlight the factory timing marks (yellow kid's paint), and the marks that I put on the belt/pulleys to mark where the replacements should go (red kid's paint), and the marks that I put on the cam pulleys and the cams to make sure they all line up after I replace the came seal (again, yellow paint)... the front of my engine looks like a friggin' 5-year-old's arts and crafts project!

I am confident that my handmade marks are accurate, but it sure would instill more confidence if everything had just come ready to go. This jive of transfering marks from the old belt to the new one just seems like a great way to miss a tooth on a pulley.

Alright, I've gotten that off my chest. I'm over it now. Time to get back to my finger painting class.