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  1. #11
    Marty Jackson
    Saab Addict Finding41's Avatar
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    17 May 2013
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    Sadly a Volvo XC90
    Quote Originally Posted by DnstrDan View Post
    I too am about to break my old chain so as to roll in a new one. However, I need to know how to correct misalignment of the camshaft(s) w.r.t. the crankshaft. I understand where the timing alignment markings are and how to read them. However all the procedures I've read basically say "verify that timing alignment is correct." None of them prescribe how to adjust a misalignment when the chain remains in the engine (to be rolled in), especially after the tensioner has been removed for inspection. In my case, I can get at most two complete crankshaft revolutions and no more. I fear that I may have possibly nicked a valve (but I'll do a compression test before pulling the head), though I'm hoping that I wasn't too forceful when I felt obstruction as i hand-turned the crankshaft. With so much slack in the old chain now (with varying amounts of cam backlash due to valve springs compression and release) I'm afraid to roll in the new chain though I'm committed at this point. I feel that -two- complete crankshaft revs - corresponding to four camshaft revs - would constitute a sensible go-forward indication. Advice appreciated.
    STOP!
    If you are hitting something it is a BIG problem!


    I'm not a mechanic so take this with that in mind.
    You have ether got the chain bunched up down the exhaust side. (Probably not as the crank won't usually turn a whole rev.)
    OR You are hitting a valve!

    This is what I would do.
    Remove the timing chain tensioner.
    Undo the cam shaft sprockets with the broken chain attached still via zip ties. Check that none of the pistons are at TDC or up. If so gently lower them which ever way they will go with out hitting anything.
    Turn cams with a wrench on the other end to get all the valves up.
    Now set the cams to the marks.
    Now gently set the crank to TDC.
    Put the sprockets back on and hook up the chain.
    Insert the chain tensioner. Big part first then spring and plunger part.
    I had a bit of a problem with the exhaust side going one tooth ahead when I did mine.

    I hope you haven't bent a valve already.
    PM me if you need to be talked through some part.
    finding41
    Marty Jackson
    www.northchannelcharters.com

  2. #12
    Saab Fan
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    17 Aug 2013
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    Saab(s)
    1999 9-5 SE (LPT), 2004 9-5 Aero
    finding41 - thanks for your advice. I just got a six-point 27 mm socket and a 1/2" breaker bar; this should give me more control over crankshaft rotation. I should note that the tensioner was already removed when I ran into this problem. Two friends of mine (one an M.E., the other a former Saab mechanic) advised me to put the tensioner back in before readjusting the timing - since it worked perfectly before I mucked with it. Stand by for further developments...

  3. #13
    Marty Jackson
    Saab Addict Finding41's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DnstrDan View Post
    finding41 - thanks for your advice. I just got a six-point 27 mm socket and a 1/2" breaker bar; this should give me more control over crankshaft rotation. I should note that the tensioner was already removed when I ran into this problem. Two friends of mine (one an M.E., the other a former Saab mechanic) advised me to put the tensioner back in before readjusting the timing - since it worked perfectly before I mucked with it. Stand by for further developments...
    The slack side of the chain is ware the tensioner goes.... So it makes no difference to the timing. It has to be installed of course.
    But!! Set the timing from the exhaust side of the engine. That side has to be tight.
    I pulled the (each I think) cam ahead to get the chain on the right tooth of mine.
    Read my post rebuild my 2.3T Here; http://saabworld.net/f9/rebuild-my-2-3t-b235l-29151/ and the one about the timing being out. Here: http://saabworld.net/f9/having-major...ems-how-29057/
    I had a hell of a time!
    I've gotten so proficient at adjusting it I don't even take the tensioner out. I remove the spring etc but I use a stiff wire to push the little tooth catcher on the adjuster up and the plunger back in.
    Good luck.
    Enjoy the read. Hopefully it will save you some time and $ in parts.
    finding41
    Marty Jackson
    www.northchannelcharters.com

  4. #14
    Saab Fan
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    Saab(s)
    1999 9-5 SE (LPT), 2004 9-5 Aero
    Update: I enlisted the help of a friend who is far more experienced mechanically than I. He thought that the chain and sprockets were in good shape. I ultimately decided to abort the procedure, as I had not yet broken the chain. I learned that the crankshaft could not be turned through two complete revolutions with the timing chain tensioner removed! We removed and reinstalled both camshaft sprockets to get the timing marks to line up, after getting the marks on the crankshaft pulley and timing chain cover properly aligned. Use of a flywheel lock was a big help. After reinstalling the tensioner, I was able to rotate the crankshaft without any restrictions whatsoever. Put the engine back together and got it running again. So no bent valves, whew! However, it was still rough and stalling at idle. At this point, I pulled the ripcord and braved 50 miles of freeway driving to take the car to my best Saab mechanic. Best $150 I ever spent! Turns out that the intake timing was off by a tooth -- the mark on the camshaft needed to be set just behind the corresponding mark on the journal. I've put 3,000 miles on the car since then and it's run perfectly on the old chain. Only parts I replaced were the rubber pad on the inside valve cover (above the sprockets), and the timing chain tensioner plastic insert, gasket and o-ring.

    I wholeheartedly agree that this job is not for beginners. In the end, I decided that the timing chain was not likely to fail on me in the foreseeable future. (The chain wasn't making a racket before I'd started this misadventure!) Perhaps I overextended the plunger when I extracted the tensioner, such that the extension was greater than the true amount, thus making an unnecessary decision to attempt a timing chain replacement in the first place. But it was a great learning experience.
    Last edited by DnstrDan; 13 September 2014 at 06:10. Reason: technical corrections

  5. #15
    Marty Jackson
    Saab Addict Finding41's Avatar
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    Sadly a Volvo XC90
    Yea.... I found those timing marks are just kind of rough guides. I drove mine for a few days with each shaft ahead and or back one tooth. Surprising the poser it still had.
    Glad it's going again!
    finding41
    Marty Jackson
    www.northchannelcharters.com

 

 

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