Changing a Cam in a Redblock Engine

[245gti]

Changing a Camshaft

The first step is to remove the timing cover. Actually, to make it easier, the very first step is to remove the alternator and power steering belts as they restrict access and movement of the timing cover. There are 3 10mm bolts and one 13?mm bolt. Two of the 10mm bolts are easy to see and get at. The 3rd 10mm bolt is just above the crank pulley and to the left of the timing marks on the cover. You can't see it but you can feel it if you reach in there. The 4th bolt is at the very bottom of the cover and is easiest accessed from under the car.

Once the timing cover is off, you can see each of the pulleys and the tensioner. The first thing to do now is loosen the nut on the center of the cam gear. Just break it free, don't take it out. You'll understand why soon enough. If you're replacing the cam and adding an adjustable gear at the same time, there is no need to break the bolt free as you won't be needing that gear anyways. It can stay with the cam. Once the cam gear bolt is free, turn the engine over by hand and set it at top dead center by the mark on the back of the cam pulley. To release the tension on the belt, loosen the 17mm nut in the center of the tensioner. Once that is loose, grab the belt and pull hard. You'll see you're pulling the tensioner back. When the tensioner is compressed, tighten up the bolt again. Now you'll have a loose belt. Try not to move any of the pulleys as you may have problems getting everything lined up again when you're putting things back together.

Now get your 10mm wrench and take off the cam cover. Of course, you'll need to remove one end or the other of the plug wires. I tend to pop off the distributor cap and flip it over the cam cover. That way all the plug wires remain in place and there's less chance of mixing something up when you put it all back together. Once all the acorn nuts are off, the cam cover will come off. You'll probably want a new gasket for reasons that will become more obvious when the cam cover is finally off. Now you have access to the camshaft...

You need to remove the bearing caps on the camshaft before it'll come out. Be careful doing this for a couple of reasons. The first is the studs for the cam cover seem to always be in the path of the ratchet handle when you break one of those 13mm nuts loose. They aren't very forgiving and will take the skin off your knuckle in short order. I use an extension to get the ratchet handle above those studs. There is supposed to be an order that you loosen the bearing caps. I tend to loosen them all one or two turns at a time. The reason for this is the cam is under stress. If you look, there will be some valves depressed no matter what position the cam is in. If you've ever tried to squeeze a valve spring together, you'll understand the stress being put on the cam. Carefully loosen all the bearing cap nuts. There are spring steel washers under every nut. Remember this. You may find that as you loosen the nuts, the bearing caps remain in place. That's typical. What you need to keep in mind is that with the pressure of the valve springs, they may pop at any time. Back to the washers. If you don't remove the washer as you remove each nut, when the cam finally pops up, you'll have washers spread all over your garage or driveway. You'll understand what I mean when you reach this point. If the cam stays put after all the bearing cap nuts have been removed, you'll need to gingerly pry the bearing caps up. They all have a little lip on them so prying isn't that difficult. Don't use a crow bar here. A large screwdriver is plenty. Once you've got one or two loose, the rest will come. The only advice I have there is keep your fingers away. When it finally pops up, it will be with some force.... Remember the orientation of the bearing caps. They are all numbered and all the numbers face the same way. They need to go back on in the same place....

The cam is now ready to come out. Slip the timing belt off the cam gear and pull the cam out. Take care to keep the timing belt on the lower pulleys and not slip notches. I use a large spring clamp to hold it in place. Many people replace the belt during this process so that may be a moot point....

Replacement is simply a reversal of the removal process. If you are replacing a stock Volvo cam with another stock grind, you may find that you won't need to change any shims. The shims are round discs that the cam runs on. They are actually sitting in little "buckets" that actuate the valves. When the cam is out, you can remove these buckets. The shims are discs that sit on top of each bucket in a finely machined depression. They vary in thickness and you adjust your cam/valve lash by inserting a thicker or thinner shim. If you are replacing your stock Volvo cam with an aftermarket cam from IPD or Enem, you may find that you'll need to make some adjustments. Shim kits are available. You pay for a whole kit. Once you've used the ones you need, you send the kit back. You are then refunded based on how many shims are used.

Be sure, when putting everything back together, that you keep all the timing in place. Nothing is more frustrating than getting it all back together only to find that the distributor (auxiliary shaft) skipped a tooth and the car runs like crap or won't even start. Unfortunately, you need to get most of it back together before you can start the car because the drive belts can only go on after the timing cover is back in place. I would suggest you leave the timing cover off, put the drive belts back on and start the engine. That way, if something is out, you at least have access to the timing belt and can make adjustments as necessary. Once you have established everything is in place and the car runs properly, you can finish up by re-installing the cam cover....

Enjoy your new cam.....

[Blackbrick]

Excellent write-up Dale. I just want to add that when you are loosening the bearing caps and the cam has not popped up yet, to leave all the nuts an washers on a couple of threads and give the cam a bump with a rubber mallet or the wooden end of a hammer. This also keeps things from flying. Also this would be a great time to change the front cam seal as well.

[swedefiend]

There is also a sealant that needs to be applied to the front cam cap (the one that holds the cam seal) on each side to keep it from leaking oil. I cannot remember what the Volvo name for it is but they also sell the stuff at NAPA.

Nice write-up BTW.

[growley]

Once the cam gear bolt is free, turn the engine over by hand and set it at top dead center by the mark on the back of the cam pulley. Would you mean the marks on the back of the CRANK pulley?

[MikeHardy]

this has been made easier since i picked up a complete shim kit on ebay for £13 (sometime ago when i had my 740)

[boostdemon]

awesome, add some pics and let get it published!

[245gti]

Hmmm...I'm going to change the cam in my wagon this weekend....perhaps I'll take some pics while I'm at it....

[medfurd]

Nice job, but could you add how to get the PCV hose away from the top of the cam cover?
Thanks
Ty

[The Aspirator]

Great article Dale!!!!!!!! I've always wanted one of these articles on T-bricks.

Would you mean the marks on the back of the CRANK pulley?Nope, he means the cam gear/pulley. On all volvo cam gears there's a little dimple on the face of it, you line this up with the notch on the top of the rear cam cover to set the timing.

John

[240Psycho]

i think the most difficult part of switching cams is the timing belt. How anyone can keep it from moving off the gears is beyond me. my ignition timing was so far off the car wouldnt start. i had to go get a compressor and a air gun to take the crank pulley off and take the bottom timing belt cover off in order to line eveything back up. it was a serious pain.

also a good time to switch timing belts and if needed water pumps and even a timing belt tensionor.

[Blackbrick]

Also, before getting started, be sure to set your timing marks at TDC. this will make it much easier to get the belt back on properly when you are done.

[Blackbrick]

I'm gonna be changing a cam here very shortly, I'll get some pics and a play by play with them.

[foggyjames]

Having just done this...two thoughts.

One, on an intereferance engine, make sure you install the cam at the right angle, or you'll have to remove it to turn it (beyond a certain point)! DUH! :-(

Two...my two problems both related to the cam's front oil seal.

1) The seal fits *flat side out*
2) The seal fits nearest the front of the head/car - not in its more 'natural' feeling position against the narrower section further into the head. Do the latter, and you'll have an interesting oil leak, and (if your oil pressure is high enough) you'll blow the guts out of the seal, making the leak worse.

cheers

James

[Volv8]

This tool was very handy when I did my iPd turbo cam, but I don't know the specific part #.
http://www.freewebs.com/242tic/Images/iPdturbocam.JPG

[Hard_Rocker]

anyone care to go into more detail on changing shims? how to figure out if you need to or not, etc etc? yeah I feel stupid, but if you've never done it before... :oops:

[foggyjames]

I don't think it's stupid...I'd be interested to hear!

cheers

James

[swedefiend]

http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/EngineMechanical.htm#ValveAdjustmentB230Series

I really should kick them a few bones. I find their site to be pretty informative.

[Canuckvolvo]

Great write-up Dale, (what, 9 months after the fact?) maybe add that before removing the cam is a good time to check the valve clearances with feeler gauges. Clearances are what 0.014-0.016" cold?

I suppose you can add some pics and extra details when we do Matt E's or my cam change with the head mounted dizzy as well....

[245gti]

One of us must be doing a cam change soon. We'll document it and post pics....

Since Matt E's cam is here, perhaps we could do it then...

[Homer]

One of us must be doing a cam change soon. We'll document it and post pics....

Since Matt E's cam is here, perhaps we could do it then...
I'll be doing one next weekend. Pics will be taken. :)

[Freakin]

One of us must be doing a cam change soon. We'll document it and post pics....

Since Matt E's cam is here, perhaps we could do it then...

Matt E's cam is just about to get installed. I took the day off work to get some stuff done, but it didn't pan out. Might as well put the cam in while I have the day off. :badboy:

I'll take some pics while I'm working. I don't have a feeler gauge, so I'm just going to eyeball it. Also, what about torque specs for the bearing caps? Do you have to tighten them in a certain order?

http://members.shaw.ca/matteakin/Volvo/a_cam1.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/matteakin/Volvo/a_cam2.jpg

[The Aspirator]

I believe it's 14 ft/lbs, and YES you have to tighten them in a certain order. I think it goes middle two first, then work your way out one side at a time. Or I think you can tighten down 2 and 4 evenly, that'll lay the cam down flat. Just for gosh sakes don't start at one end and work you way to the other.

Feeler gauges would be a wise investment! All of like $5.

John

[Captain Bondo]

"I would suggest you leave the timing cover off, put the drive belts back on and start the engine. That way, if something is out, you at least have access to the timing belt and can make adjustments as necessary. Once you have established everything is in place and the car runs properly, you can finish up by re-installing the cam cover...."

A)buy a little spring clamp or hair clip and another slightly larger (big enough to grab the crank gear and belt. Most Vise grips will work too they just get in the way a little more. If you use them obviously set them up tight enough just to hold the belt on the gear.

B)Before you untension the belt, clip the belt onto the two gears. Mark a line on the belt where the dot on the camgear is.

C)Put the mark on the belt back lined up on the cam gear during reassembly. Once you have belt tension and BEFORE you put it all back together, slide the crank pulley onto the snout of the crank (you don't have to bolt it up). Use it to rotate the crankshaft two complete turns. make sure the marks line up. Now you can assemble it completely without worrying.

[foggyjames]

Just out of interest, what would happen if you did start at one end of the cam and work your way to the other (tightening the bearing caps)? I didn't do this, but I didn't go from the centre out. IIRC, I did what I had to do to get the cam in place...ie: I did the ones I could do first.

cheers

James

[245gti]

Just out of interest, what would happen if you did start at one end of the cam and work your way to the other (tightening the bearing caps)? I didn't do this, but I didn't go from the centre out. IIRC, I did what I had to do to get the cam in place...ie: I did the ones I could do first.

cheers

James

It really depends on the position of the cam in terms of timing. If the cam lobes on #4 are pointed down and you tighten up #1 bearing cap, you may snap the cam in two....

[foggyjames]

I see....so basically avoid bending the cam at all costs?

When I fitted my K (without the insertion tool) I had to do that a little bit or it'd have never gone in, but I certainly wasn't torquing them down - just enough to get the other caps on, then proceeding in a 'kind' sequence. I can't see how else you could do it.

cheers

James

[Freakin]

I put that A cam in today, but didn't take any pics (Sorry Dale). My hands were too greasy to operate the camera. Anyhow, your instructions were pretty good. The only problem I had was taking off the timing cover. I ended up taking the fan and pulley off of the water pump just to get enough room for the cover to come off. As far as the sequence on the caps went, I put them all on finger tight then turned them all about 1/2 a turn each starting with the back ones (the cam lobes were down on them), then working my way to the front then started over again until I had them at 15 ft/lbs. Worked for me. Now I just need to figure out what setting to run the cam at with one of Dales gears and bolt everythng back up. That was my first time really in that engine bay (short of replacing a distributor), and it took me a couple hours. It'll likely be 3-4 by the time I'm back up and running. Not bad for a n00b with hand tools.

[sick78_242GT]

should there be assembly lube in this cam changing

[245gti]

should there be assembly lube in this cam changing

It wouldn't hurt, that's for sure....

[Freakin]

I just dipped my finger in to the small pool of oil in the top of the head and wipped it all over the cam. Ghetto, yes. I was in a bind and figured it would do for the startup. I should have it all together tonight and running. *crosses fingers*

[Jono780]

For the A cam on a B230ft, do you need to have an adjustable cam? or is it just optional?

[The Aspirator]

Optional, and it's an adjustable cam "gear".

[Jono780]

right, forgot to put the "gear" part in

[foggyjames]

I wouldn't even think about using one with an A - it's really not that hot. 360s with a B200E start losing it about ~5000rpm, and 740 TIs with a B230ET notably fall off above 5500. A 'V' holds right out to 6000, while a K is good for 6500+. Obviously those are generic values, but they ought to give you a sense of comparison.

In summary (and in my opinion), anything up to a K is daily drivable without any concerns when timed straight up. Only with the K do you have to start thinking about adjusting the timing - but I've not found that to be necessary...yet.

cheers

James

[The Aspirator]

I just noticed that the title says "Redblcck", notice the extra C. That's weird, I'm sure I would have noticed that by now if it were always like that. Did it somehow get changed??

[Jono780]

Well it would sure be better than my T cam im sure. It starts dropping at 4000 :P

[foggyjames]

Ah, exactly - if you timed it down, it would drop earlier, so you'd not feel the advantage so much!

cheers

James

[thelostartof]

good write up .. i'll try to get a step by step w/ pics soon once i install a cam in a local friends 760

[Homer]

I've got pics!! Detailing the cam swap. I'll post em later this afternoon.

[245gti]

I just noticed that the title says "Redblcck", notice the extra C. That's weird, I'm sure I would have noticed that by now if it were always like that. Did it somehow get changed??

Fixed...strange 'cause it was me that started the thread...

[86_740_ti]

[QUOTE=245gti]The first thing to do now is loosen the nut on the center of the cam gear. [QUOTE]

When I did the HG on my B230FT, I couldnt get the bolt even cracked on the cam gear. I tried every which way (other than using a belt to hold the pulley) to try and keep the gear from moving when trying to loosen the bolt. Nothing worked. Luckily I figured it out, but I'm gonna need to know when and if I get a better cam. Is using an old belt really the best option? Otherwise the engine just kept turning over... Maybe if I had someone hold the crank pulley in place...

[The Aspirator]

To the guy above, you could buy a strap wrench to wrap around the cam gear, that would work well. The ultra ghetto-tastic way is to slap some vice grips on one of the rough surfaces of the cam itself.

Dale, I just did some cam work and actually had a few questions I wanted to ask. I know there are hot and cold clearances. In the green manual I think it says 14-16 cold, 16-18 hot.... Why would it have MORE clearance when hot? Metal expands with heat right? I would think those numbers should be the other way around, but obviously I'm missing something here.

When measuring the shim clearance, do you point that lobe straight up at the sky or do you rotate the cam so that both valves in that cylinder are closed? Meaning the two lobes are facing at like 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock. Or does it not matter? I'm thinking that the profile of the cam lobe is the same thickness on the bottom half, until it gets thinner up top, though I might be wrong.

Ohh and last thing, I think one of my cam bearing cap studs *might* have stripped out in the head :omg: . I was tightening it up with a torque wrench to just 14 ft/lbs and right before I expected it to click it got way easier. I didn't know what to do so I just left it there. I'm actually not 100% positive that it stripped, but it seemed like it. Do I have any options incase it actually is stripped? Time-sert?

And for you cam newbies this might be insightful. I ended up putting my timing belt on one tooth off during re-assembly, cam being one tooth retarded (counterclockwise), the crank and intermediate shaft were still perfect. Car started up and idled fine, but was completely GUTLESS. It got me the 30 miles I had to go no problem, just with no passing power. Then I changed it again, but I must have rotated the cam 2 teeth clockwise instead of just one. Car started up and idled fine, seemed to drive just fine and dandy too. When it got warmed up I started romping on it. My K-cam used to get up and go hard at about 3000rpm then kicked in even harder at 5000rpm. Well it had normal low end power but just died out up top, something was weird. I went home and rotated the cam one tooth counterclockwise and I was back to normal and good to go! It's been a fun day.

John

[frpe82]

I have an adjustable cam gear that I will install as soon as my new cam arrives.

How much torque should I use to tighten the nut on the cam gear to the cam?

My engine type and such are mentioned in the specs. but I´ll tell you anyway. B230FT!

I would be very thankful for a fast reply, the days with the T-cam are soon over...

[acbarnett]

now all we need is a whiteblock cam/timing belt changing article....

[swedefiend]

now all we need is a whiteblock cam/timing belt changing article....

Maybe a belt changing guide, but I think you are gonna find that the cam changing part would be best left up to those that have done it before.

A whiteblock is nothing like a redblock in terms of getting the cam out (or putting it back in)

[Neil Peart]

I pulled my B cam outta a 242GT, using a full size shovel.

[96 t5 wagon]

I've got pics!! Detailing the cam swap. I'll post em later this afternoon.
where they at !!:badboy:

[harley]

i've done about...6 cam changes. if you have a cam bearing cap that won't go on at first, rotate the cam to get the base of the lobe on the lifters instead of the lift part (forget what its called) it'll drop in like slackjawed yokel. of course, thats with the other bearing cap nuts on finger tight. i usually take the cam gear off by holding it with one hand with leather glove or towel and a wrench on the nut. works for me, but i'm probably a little stronger than average. pulling the timing cover is easy with my ghetto timing cover method. i've posted it a couple times around here...search for it if you happen to read this far without getting ready to flame me. setting tension on the accessory belts? pshah! take off that crank bolt! pull the pully, change the timing belt, bolt it back on. don't forget the keyway though.

i think foggyjames (i could be wrong) mentioned something about the placement of the oil seal on the cam. i've placed it in all the way into the front bearing cap or just flush the the front of the head. i've never noticed any oil leaks with either position. however, my flame trap is always clean...

[foggyjames]

i think foggyjames (i could be wrong) mentioned something about the placement of the oil seal on the cam. i've placed it in all the way into the front bearing cap or just flush the the front of the head. i've never noticed any oil leaks with either position. however, my flame trap is always clean...
Bit of an update on this...there are two types of seal. The older orange Elring seal is better quality, and doesn't seem to cause a problem. You also can't put this one in the wrong place, as it's deeper. The replacement Volvo one will definitely give you trouble if you put it towards the rear of the slot it will fit in.

cheers

James

[The Aspirator]

Also, something that totally screwed me up for like a week when building my first motor. Cam bearing caps are SPECIFIC TO THAT HEAD! Meaning you can't take caps from one head and use them on another, because they might not create a perfect circle when put together. Tried that, cam would not spin at all. Finally I scrounged around and found the proper bearing caps for that head.

[Captain Bondo]

If using a volvo replacement seal, carefully note any wear on the cam snout where the seal rides. Being able to relocate the seal lightly deeper or shallower on the snout will allow you to place the seal on a part of the cam that is not worn.

Whiteblock timing belt at least pre2000 or so takes 20 minutes. Easyist thing in the universe. For the cam swap- the Haynes manual has a really good description/pics on how to make a home-made cam holder.

[boostdemon]

what about rusty cams... you know what i mean when you grab a nice B cam from the junk yard and its been sitting there w/o the valve cover on or something and its got surface rust all over it.

Tips for cleaning/sanding/etc?

oh, and the best clamp to have around for automotive stuff like holding a timing belt in place is a spring hand clamp - $2 from sears. Big enough to wrap the belt over the tensioner and hold it there
http://img.epinions.com/images/opti/9a/a5/Fuller_Spring_Clamp_Shop_Tools-resized200.jpg

[foggyjames]

It should only be surface rust...in which case I'd say some metal polish, and a few minutes with a little elbow grease...

cheers

James

[harley]

btw- there is a hole in that retaining rod (the one with the spring around it) on the belt tensioner made specifically for holding the belt tensioner back when changing belts. just loosen the nut on the tensioner, push on the belt and after the tensioner goes back far enough you can put an awl or nail or something in there to hold it out of the way.

[boostdemon]

It should only be surface rust...in which case I'd say some metal polish, and a few minutes with a little elbow grease...

cheers

James

well yeah, surface rust is easy... im talking about minor pitting that still has tiny dots all over the place even after wirebrushing the lobes
should i just leave it and say "hey, it helps keep oil on the cam" or should i ditch the cam and find a more recently used set

[Dfer10]

well yeah, surface rust is easy... im talking about minor pitting that still has tiny dots all over the place even after wirebrushing the lobes
should i just leave it and say "hey, it helps keep oil on the cam" or should i ditch the cam and find a more recently used sethmm i would ditch it if it where me but....

[stylngle2003]

f that...it's fine.

if anything, get an emory board (emory cloth??) (the nail file things) and go to town with that, then coat it in oil. it's just minor rust, not like it won't be covered in oil while it's in the car, and as long as the bearing surfaces are flat and the lobes are still lobe shaped, i can't see why it would be a problem

[940T_Drifter]

Nice article, I'll be needing this soon enough :D

[Acid8000]

So do you just put the Cam in the general same way the stock one came out, Im lookin to change my Turbo cam for an A Cam. So Im fairly sure I wont need to do any real changes, just swap cams. But I was wondering on what positioning the cam goes in at TDC?

[foggyjames]

Line the pin up so the gear's mark will line up with the timing belt cover mark. The other way of putting it is that the lobe-peaks on #1 pot will be at 10 and 2 o'clock. Does that makes sense?

cheers

James

[Homer]

Finally got these things uploaded. I will add captions later when I have more time.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1503.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1504.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1505.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1507.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1508.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1509.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1510.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1511.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1512.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1513.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1514.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1515.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1516.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1517.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1518.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1521.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1522.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1523.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1525.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/StereoGuy430/DSCN1526.jpg

[Tha VZA]

great now add some descriptions to the pics then it'll be perfect for Dale's article

ciao

[Hagar17]

yes I will need this article ! Good job!

[fivealive]

Ok, I just recently swapped an A-cam into my 1981 242 Turbo to get rid of that lousy T-cam. I painstakingly took pictures of it all, and I have included a modified version of Dale's write-up to include the pictures. Dale should get all the credit here for the writing, I just added a few edit's to explain the pics, shown like this: [edit: text text text]


Changing a Camshaft


The first step is to remove the timing cover. Actually, to make it easier, the very first step is to remove the alternator and power steering belts as they restrict access and movement of the timing cover. There are 3 10mm bolts and one 13?mm bolt. Two of the 10mm bolts are easy to see and get at. The 3rd 10mm bolt is just above the crank pulley and to the left of the timing marks on the cover. You can't see it but you can feel it if you reach in there. The 4th bolt is at the very bottom of the cover and is easiest accessed from under the car.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/wegladlypresenttoyou/camswap/IMG_0525.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/wegladlypresenttoyou/camswap/IMG_0524.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/wegladlypresenttoyou/camswap/IMG_0527.jpg

Once the timing cover is off, you can see each of the pulleys and the tensioner. The first thing to do now is loosen the nut on the center of the cam gear. Just break it free, don't take it out. You'll understand why soon enough. If you're replacing the cam and adding an adjustable gear at the same time, there is no need to break the bolt free as you won't be needing that gear anyways. It can stay with the cam.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/wegladlypresenttoyou/camswap/IMG_0533.jpg

Once the cam gear bolt is free, turn the engine over by hand and set it at top dead center by the mark on the back of the cam pulley. To release the tension on the belt, loosen the 17mm nut in the center of the tensioner.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/wegladlypresenttoyou/camswap/IMG_0535.jpg

Once that is loose, grab the belt and pull hard. You'll see you're pulling the tensioner back. When the tensioner is compressed, tighten up the bolt again. Now you'll have a loose belt. Try not to move any of the pulleys as you may have problems getting everything lined up again when you're putting things back together. [edit: You can use a clamp of some type to keep the timing belt from moving, as shown below:]

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/wegladlypresenttoyou/camswap/IMG_0550.jpg

[edit: Another method is to compress the tensioner spring with a pair of pliers and insert a nail into the hole in the tensioner shaft.]

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/wegladlypresenttoyou/camswap/IMG_0554.jpg

Now get your 10mm wrench and take off the cam cover. Of course, you'll need to remove one end or the other of the plug wires. I tend to pop off the distributor cap and flip it over the cam cover. That way all the plug wires remain in place and there's less chance of mixing something up when you put it all back together.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/wegladlypresenttoyou/camswap/IMG_0556.jpg

Once all the acorn nuts are off, the cam cover will come off. You'll probably want a new gasket for reasons that will become more obvious when the cam cover is finally off. Now you have access to the camshaft...

You need to remove the bearing caps on the camshaft before it'll come out. Be careful doing this for a couple of reasons. The first is the studs for the cam cover seem to always be in the path of the ratchet handle when you break one of those 13mm nuts loose. They aren't very forgiving and will take the skin off your knuckle in short order. I use an extension to get the ratchet handle above those studs. There is supposed to be an order that you loosen the bearing caps. [edit: According to the Bently manual, caps 1, 3, and 5 should be removed in that order, and then caps 2 and 4 should be removed by loosening each nut (4 nuts total) about one half of a turn at a time.]

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/wegladlypresenttoyou/camswap/IMG_0562.jpg

I tend to loosen them all one or two turns at a time. The reason for this is the cam is under stress. If you look, there will be some valves depressed no matter what position the cam is in. If you've ever tried to squeeze a valve spring together, you'll understand the stress being put on the cam. Carefully loosen all the bearing cap nuts. There are spring steel washers under every nut. Remember this. You may find that as you loosen the nuts, the bearing caps remain in place. That's typical. What you need to keep in mind is that with the pressure of the valve springs, they may pop at any time. Back to the washers. If you don't remove the washer as you remove each nut, when the cam finally pops up, you'll have washers spread all over your garage or driveway. You'll understand what I mean when you reach this point. If the cam stays put after all the bearing cap nuts have been removed, you'll need to gingerly pry the bearing caps up. [edit: as shown below. You can also use a dead blow hammer or some other type of rubber hammer to tap them loose.]

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/wegladlypresenttoyou/camswap/IMG_0568.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/wegladlypresenttoyou/camswap/IMG_0564.jpg

They all have a little lip on them so prying isn't that difficult. Don't use a crow bar here. A large screwdriver is plenty. Once you've got one or two loose, the rest will come. The only advice I have there is keep your fingers away. When it finally pops up, it will be with some force.... Remember the orientation of the bearing caps. They are all numbered and all the numbers face the same way. They need to go back on in the same place.... The cam is now ready to come out.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/wegladlypresenttoyou/camswap/IMG_0573.jpg

Slip the timing belt off the cam gear and pull the cam out. Take care to keep the timing belt on the lower pulleys and not slip notches. I use a large spring clamp to hold it in place. Many people replace the belt during this process so that may be a moot point....

Replacement is simply a reversal of the removal process. If you are replacing a stock Volvo cam with another stock grind, you may find that you won't need to change any shims. The shims are round discs that the cam runs on. They are actually sitting in little "buckets" that actuate the valves. When the cam is out, you can remove these buckets. The shims are discs that sit on top of each bucket in a finely machined depression. They vary in thickness and you adjust your cam/valve lash by inserting a thicker or thinner shim. If you are replacing your stock Volvo cam with an aftermarket cam from IPD or Enem, you may find that you'll need to make some adjustments. Shim kits are available. You pay for a whole kit. Once you've used the ones you need, you send the kit back. You are then refunded based on how many shims are used.

Be sure, when putting everything back together, that you keep all the timing in place. Nothing is more frustrating than getting it all back together only to find that the distributor (auxiliary shaft) skipped a tooth and the car runs like crap or won't even start. Unfortunately, you need to get most of it back together before you can start the car because the drive belts can only go on after the timing cover is back in place. I would suggest you leave the timing cover off, put the drive belts back on and start the engine. That way, if something is out, you at least have access to the timing belt and can make adjustments as necessary. Once you have established everything is in place and the car runs properly, you can finish up by re-installing the cam cover....

Enjoy your new cam.....

[edit: You should torque the bearing caps down in the reverse order of removal - that is, do #2 and 4 first, then 5, 3, and 1. You may want to put cap 5 (but not tightened) before you tighten caps 2 and 4 because otherwise it can be difficult to get on.

The bearing caps get torqued to 15 lb-ft (180 lb-inches).
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/wegladlypresenttoyou/camswap/IMG_0582.jpg

The timing tensioner and cam gear both get torqued to 37 lb-ft.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/wegladlypresenttoyou/camswap/IMG_0590.jpg

Also, make sure to oil up that new cam thoroughly when you install it, and make sure that the inside of the bearing caps get a lot of oil before they go back on.]

I have thumbs of all those pics plus a few more in my pbase folder as well. The thumbs have a "t_" prefix to them (i.e. t_IMG_0590.jpg)

Hope that helps!

[frpe82]

Carefully loosen all the bearing cap nuts. There are spring steel washers under every nut. Remember this. You may find that as you loosen the nuts, the bearing caps remain in place. That's typical. What you need to keep in mind is that with the pressure of the valve springs, they may pop at any time. Back to the washers. If you don't remove the washer as you remove each nut, when the cam finally pops up, you'll have washers spread all over your garage or driveway. You'll understand what I mean when you reach this point.
I didn´t have any washers under my bearing cap nuts...

The cam has never been touched before I got the car.
That has to mean that it doesn´t have any washers when it comes from the factory.
It is a 1998 B230FT by the way.

I have been driving 3000 miles since the cam swap.
The cam is still in there... It has not come loose.

What do you guys think about it???

[Homer]

I didn´t have any washers under my bearing cap nuts...

The cam has never been touched before I got the car.
That has to mean that it doesn´t have any washers when it comes from the factory.
It is a 1998 B230FT by the way.

I have been driving 3000 miles since the cam swap.
The cam is still in there... It has not come loose.

What do you guys think about it???
I did not have any washers either. Flange nuts but no washers. most likely a design change.

[frpe82]

OK. Maybe I can stop worrying then. Thanx!

[Blackbrick]

OK, I think this one is about ready for the vault.
Nice work guys!

[245gti]

Excellent job with the pictures... Nice work...

[frpe82]

This is from my cam swap T - KG2T, but the pictures don´t include any cams getting swapped since that have already been covered. Those pictures just show the same things as posted previous in this thread and won´t be uploaded.
I thought I would upload some other pictures in case someone needs to take a look at some details or so, for some other useful purpose.

And the cam you might see in the pictures is the T-cam, before the swap.

Number seven is me, thinking about how to line up the cam and crankshaft.

Well, here they are:
http://xs64.xs.to/pics/06031/Kam.jpg (http://xs.to)
http://xs64.xs.to/pics/06031/Kam2.jpg (http://xs.to)
http://xs64.xs.to/pics/06031/Kam3.jpg (http://xs.to)
http://xs64.xs.to/pics/06031/Kam4.jpg (http://xs.to)
http://xs64.xs.to/pics/06031/Kam5.jpg (http://xs.to)
http://xs64.xs.to/pics/06031/Kam6.jpg (http://xs.to)
http://xs64.xs.to/pics/06031/Kam7.jpg (http://xs.to)
http://xs64.xs.to/pics/06031/Kam8.jpg (http://xs.to)

[lammmy]

I was just wondering, how do you know if you need new shims or not? I was thinking of going from my stock 86 740ti cam (T i think?) to an A cam. If you buy the kit, do they say which shims are for which cam?

[lammmy]

double post, sorry

[fivealive]

shimming depends on the cam. often, you don't have to change the shims in order to go from a volvo-grind cam to another volvo cam (i.e. T->A, M->B etc.) The three most commonly used Volvo cams are A,B and K, and the three most commonly replaced cams are T, M and L. However, you may still have to change some of the shims depending on you're feeler gauge readings.

I didn't even bother to measure mine since I didn't have a shim kit anyway. You can't really predict what shim's you'll need so you need to have a whole kit ready. I just swapped the cams and figured I'd be able to hear the valve's clattering if the shims were too small. I suppose they could've been too large and now I'm wearing out my nice A-cam so in retrospect I should have probably at least measured the clearance.

You can rent a shim kit from IPD. They mail it to you after you plunk down a deposit and then you mail it back and they return your deposit minus any shims you used. I think you can also get the shims from the Volvo dealer.

[lammmy]

Awesome, thanks for the reply, now one more (noob) question. When you are checking the gap with a feeler gauge, what gap are you checking exactly? Is it the gap between the shims and the cam? and what should the gap be exactly? Again, sorry for resurrecting this old post with dumb questions, but better than a whole new thread I guess :) I'm just trying to get the most prepared I possibly can.

Thanks again!

[frpe82]

Awesome, thanks for the reply, now one more (noob) question. When you are checking the gap with a feeler gauge, what gap are you checking exactly? Is it the gap between the shims and the cam? and what should the gap be exactly? Again, sorry for resurrecting this old post with dumb questions, but better than a whole new thread I guess :) I'm just trying to get the most prepared I possibly can.

Thanks again!
Measure the gap between the shim and the cam with the lobe pointing straight up (+10/-10*) on the shim you are checking.

[EvanSargent]

<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~evansargent/crosssection.jpg">
This picture should show you where you need to measure your clearance

[acbarnett]

torque specs would be helpful, aside from breaking the stud yesterday I was able to swap mine in about 30 minutes going about it slow and gingerly, and that was my first try too.

Oh and the T-cam sucks for NA driving, it has all of the top-end weakness of the M-cam with none of the low-end grunt of that cam. I need an A, B, or K cam ASAP...

[EvanSargent]

I think it is already mentioned that its 14ft/lbs

[acbarnett]

ok I'm going back and checking all of my bearings now.....

I might need to replace all the studs...

[volvo944ti]

i've got a un slotted b cam laying around. let me know if your interested. one of your buddies in the machine shop at wpi should be able to machine the dizzy noches into it for ya.

[lammmy]

so what should the clearance actually be? I couldn't find anyone who said that yet.

[frpe82]

0.35-0.40mm

[EvanSargent]

0.35-0.40mm
I thought you wrote 'in' at first instead of 'mm'

Great write-up Dale, (what, 9 months after the fact?) maybe add that before removing the cam is a good time to check the valve clearances with feeler gauges. Clearances are what 0.014-0.016" cold?

I suppose you can add some pics and extra details when we do Matt E's or my cam change with the head mounted dizzy as well....

[growley]

I'm going to be doing this on Saturday. I was wondering what extra work you would have to do to replace the valve absorbers.

[foggyjames]

The silencer jobbies? Just pull the tappets / lifter buckets out.

cheers

James

[EvanSargent]

The silencer jobbies? Just pull the tappets / lifter buckets out.

cheers

James

An Ice Pick or air compressor+rag works well to take these out