cam belt change

[jpliddy]

hi all
i finally had my cam belt ,water pump ,tensioner .and idler changed the mechanic had not done this job before on this engine he got there ok. when he attempted to remove the bottom crank bolt he jammed a bar into the fly wheel at the back of the engine , it slipped a few times i was getting a bit concerned but eventually the bar held and the nut came off i have read before how tight this bolt can be and was concerned about his method i think he was some how jamming the bar into the flywheel teeth is that a method you all woud be happy with just to put my mind at rest ,
regards jim

[ngoma]

Well there's a Volvo special tool for locking the fllywheel that avoids the risk of chipping the teeth. Your mechanic didn't have that so used the brute force method.

Tool 9995112
file:///C:/Users/pc/Downloads/2003%20XC90%20T6%20flywheel%20removal.pdf

How did he tighten the crankshaft bolt?

[v8volvo]

Yes, as ngoma said, he needed to use the complete tool set designed for this task, or an appropriate substitute (which his method was not).

Tools 9995187 and 9995188, used together as a matched pair, are REQUIRED per factory procedure to loosen that bolt and then (critically) to properly torque it on reinstallation. Home-made copies of those tools can also work, OR substituting an extra high capacity torque wrench for the 9995188 extension is also possible. BUT those flexibility options only apply if one understands exactly what the purpose of the factory tools is, and how they are intended to work and be used, and if the home-built or alternate systems fully achieve exactly the same result as the factory setup. Using completely different corner-cutting methods such as impact guns or screwdrivers in the flywheel is almost guaranteed to lead to catastrophe either sooner or later.

If he lacked those tools, did he also lack the tools for setting camshaft and injection pump timing correctly?

Are you able to have his work checked by a properly equipped diesel mechanic? Someone well versed in VW engines such as those used in the old LT vans would be your best choice for this.

Does the engine run any differently than before? Changes in cold starting/smoke, power, fuel economy? Those differences would be more signs that the job may have not been done successfully.

Beware that if that center bolt was not torqued correctly, it could loosen up and DESTROY the engine. You are also correct to worry that damage to the flywheel ring gear could have occurred due to the mechanics improper work-around method of trying to jam the engine that way.

If I were in your shoes, I would have stopped the mechanic's efforts as soon as I heard that he was going to try to do the job while lacking the necessary equipment, and taken it elsewhere to a qualified mechanic at almost any cost. But given the situation you're in now, the main goal will be just ensuring that he didn't cause any long term harm. That should be possible for anyone with the right equipment to verify.

[jpliddy]

thank you both for the comments , my situation regarding this post has problem happened due to my own situation , i have been doing all the basic service work on this car for 24 years , then taking it to a skilled mechanic to do the cam belt and the odd job i have not been able to do myself , but now this chap has nearly retired except for standard service work he did not want to do this job so thats how i ended up in this situation ,
i am hoping my new guy has done the cam belt part of the job correctly as its been used daily over the last week , and the car starts first time every time so i take it the timing is still correct , i had asked numerous garages some were honest and said we do not have the special tools for that job , some said they had not done work on this engine but could carry out the job . then theres a few younger chaps who have done this job but live a very long way from my place so really too far to travel , im farily confident at moment the crank shaft bolt is tight enough , i also supplied the lock tight glue which i tested on 2 nuts bolted together the lock tight took some presure to undo and that was just 16mm nuts on standard threaded bolt, where as the thread on our 27mm crank shaft bolts is very fine so shoud hopefully be ok , only time will tell then , on the negative side will the bolt fail at any time if its not to the correct tension, the guy said it was quite tight to undo but not horrendous , after 6 years and 60000 miles of use , i worry about so much some times the lock tight i used was quite strong im thinking too , , do you have photos of the crank shaft locking tool and were it fits?

[Goteborg Vapenfabrik]

4C77E797-5241-4EA1-B589-E0671AF52939.jpg

Here is a photo of the tools.

[jpliddy]

hi all
my car has been running most days for the last week and starts like its always done 1st time so im just hoping every thing is ok after the front cam belt change etc , no coolant leaks either we used genuine volvo blue /green coolant as always i do have that small oil leak on the front cam shaft oil seal but nothing major at the moment will keep a eye on it , and like V8 VOLVO says find some one who carries the correct tools for this job ,like i said hope i got away with that job this time ,