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2001, I replaced the Timing Belt on a B21E, without ever knowing about this excellent forum or giving it a second thought. I never had any apprehension, just banged that Crankshaft Bolt right off and replaced the Timing Belt. That was then. Been through hell in the last 4 years . . . ex-wife and immigrating to Australia . . . a 25 career that I built from scratch, down the crapper. I am starting life over at 50. I have lost a lot of self-confidence and forgotten a helluva lot. That's life. Today, I have to research every aspect before doing a job, to be 100% sure.
Regardless, there are a lot of first-timers whom would benefit from step-by-step processes, tool sizes, torque settings, practical experience, pitfalls, etc. It will save them grief, sweat, getting hurt, and spending money unnecessarily, if they screw something up.
I have never used "the rope trick". I never heard of it. How much rope or how little, nobody ever specified. When one contributes to the forum, one should not assume that everyone is on the same sheet of music, has done the job before, or has the same experience. After reading about "the rope trick", I went to the local hardware, found a paint tin about the size of a Volvo cylinder and began filling it with rope. I never had rope lying around for odd jobs, but I do now. And, now I know another in-the-field trick, when one lacks a compressor or doesn't want to use one, for whatever reason.
We are here to help each other, if we can, and learn from others' experiences. Nobody has all the answers. Look at Chilton and Haynes . . . How many times have they got it wrong? What crap, and someone made money from all of us who purchased those crap Shop Manuals. It is all about keeping money in our wallets and keeping our cars out of the hands of inexperienced kids at over-priced dealerships whom don't care about our near classic Volvos, anyway, and about avoiding those disreputable independent shops, so we can enjoy the confidence the job was done right, and knowing there really are new parts installed under the Valve cover, or where ever, when the job is done.
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