244 Diesel, Removal of camshaft sprockets

[cnp11]

Does anyone know of a puller to remove the camshaft sprockets on the 1984 Volvo Diesel? Or, any suggestions for making one?
Thanks, Please contact me by email.
CNP

[Jason]

Hi,
you don't need a puller. The rear one should just fall off once the bolt is loose. The front is a taper fit, however you can usually tap on it with a hammer and punch and it will pop off without too much effort.

Jason

[cnp11]

Thanks for your response.

It is a taper fit but in this case taping it did not work. I also warmed it up ( but not the camshaft) that did not work.
Ultimately I had to remove the radiator so that I could install a puller. That worked. There had been a point inside where
the camshaft had developed a spot that looked like rust. When I pulled the sprocket off there was a cracking sound, but no indication of damage to either the camshaft or the sprocket.

However, a further question I have concerns the end of the camshaft. It has a slot in it perhaps 10mm from the end
and is perhaps 25mm long. There is no slot on the sprocket to receive any kind of a key. What is the purpose of this
slot?

Constantine

[cnp11]

I am now attempting to slacken the timing belt following Volvo's instructions.
Can you identify which bolts they want slackened. They are referring to the bracket and not the pump. I can directly access only three on the front side beneath the tubes. Lift off pump belt

[cnp11]

113
This is the Volvo manual I am using.

[cnp11]

114115114115

The attachments are of the removal of the front camshaft sprocket on the 244 Diesel
using a Kukko puller after other methods did not work.

[cnp11]

117

This is a second attempt to show the use of the Kukko bearing puller removing the
front camshaft sprocket on the 224 diesel.

[RLDSL]

I am now attempting to slacken the timing belt following Volvo's instructions.
Can you identify which bolts they want slackened. They are referring to the bracket and not the pump. I can directly access only three on the front side beneath the tubes. Lift off pump belt

You need to loosen teh water pump bolts to get the belt off, the water pump doubles as the tensioner. Do not use a puller that grabs the outside of theteeth as shown, that is the fastest way to break the gear. Sears and others sell a 3 legged puller with a tensioning cage on it to keep the legs in position, get one of those in a size that will reach the holes in teh hub of teh front cam gear. Put it n and give it a few turns to put it under tension, then take a torch and lightly heat the center of the hub and it will usually jus tpop right off while heating, occasionaly you may need to give it an extra turn before it will pop.

[v8volvo]

There is a way you can use a hammer and large screwdriver, tap the screwdriver into place gently, and pop the sprocket off easily without bending the rear T-belt cover. If you insert a flat-blade screwdriver between the back of the sprocket and the front of the cylinder head on the driver's side of the motor, in such a way that the force will go against the head itself and not just against the tin rear cover, then gently strike the end of the screwdriver a few times (after having loosened the cam sprocket bolt of course). The sprocket will pop off easily. It's the best trick for this that I've found so far. Tom Bryant showed me this method, so he is the one who deserves credit for it.

Don't worry about the slot in the end of the cam -- it doesn't serve any purpose, it's just there. There is not supposed to be any kind of key there. It is an infinitely-adjustable taper fit, and the taper fit is able to hold more than enough force to turn the cam if the sprocket is installed and torqued properly and the surfaces are dry and clean. VW has been using this method for decades, all the way up to the late-model TDI engines, and it works perfectly if done right. Some engines, like the Ford Zetec, use just a flat friction fit, not even a taper... that does scare me a bit. The VW taper design is just fine though.

Don't forget to find a way to counterhold the sprocket when re-tightening the bolt (the manual shows Volvo tool # 9995199 being used for this, but any similar generic sprocket-buster tool will work). You'll also need to get your hands on the tools for removing and reinstalling the front crank sprocket assy, which requires massive torque to remove and reinstall.

I'm wondering if "the board" ought to have a set of crank counterholding and timing-setting tools, that could be rented out to members for a deposit and small fee? I would be willing to help invest in a set of group tools, since it is hard or impossible to do the job without several of them, and questions about which tools are needed and procedures for working on the timing belts come up again and again.