S40 V40 Cars: Variable Valve Timing Pulley & Solenoid

[badger146]

recently got s40 sport not knowing about noisy vvt pulley,took off solinoid plug then management light on , noise vanished connected back the plug but light still on. 90% sure its the pulley but any point in fixing? from what i gather have to remortgage the house to get this fixed.how do i get this light out anybody know. its been serviced regular upto 70k now at 80k this is doing my head in. this is first volvo , it will almost be my last. s40 poor design and volvo know of this very commen problem and yet charge astronomical money to fix,shame on you. had 4 alfas before ,time fore 5th , anyone open to make me reconsider your welcome to try . its a bit of a shame cos its a nice car...... long live alfa romeo

[magnuz]

The EML can be turned off using a basic code reader.
The VVT pulley is probably the only really significant item that lets this type of volvo engine down, other than the VVT they are a good engine !
It's really up to you to decide whether it's worth fixing the VVT, but you don't need to use a volvo dealer, most independent garages will do it a lot cheaper, or if you are a competent mechanic & know what you are doing,& have a cam locking tool( or are able to make one) you can even do it yourself ?

[skyship007]

Originally Posted by Paddywelshman

By running the car with solonoid pulled off, will it cause engine damage

Only in Wales boyo!

As far as I'm aware the VVT unit stays with the valve timing in a position that results in a rich mixture if the solenoid is disconnected. So in the long term it will damage your wallet and cause Carbon deposits.

If the rattle is beyond economic repair and not too bad, try using an idle flush additive just before changing to a thicker oil. Using an oil additive like LM Ceratec to coat the bearings with hBn (Hexagonal form of Boron Nitride) should help reduce the noise and wear rate, unless the bearing is breaking up. For real bad bearings, the best oil in summer is probably Mobil 10w60 EL (It's a high mileage oil), or if you can't afford that, Castrol GTX 15w40 is thicker than most Xw40's when warm.

Does anyone know if the EML has to be off for the MOT ?? It might be OK as it's an advisory not a warning light.
There might be a risk of failing the emissions test with the solenoid plug pulled, although I would have thought the risk of visible smoke when booted is not so significant.

[pierremcalpine]

Here is a guide if you are interested in taking this on.

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=204876

[canis]

It's not an MOT failure if the EML light is lit (mine passed that way), but the cause of the light might be. For example, exhaust emmissions will fail the test not the light itself.

[steveo59]

Hi, the EML is on, not because the vvt is not working but because by disconnecting the wiring plug from the actuator solenoid it is now showing an open circuit in the control for the vvt.I ran my car for over 6 months with the EML on when my vvt pulley failed with no ill effects beside slight loss of power and increased fuel consumption. For the MOT I reconnected the wiring plug to the actuator solenoid and used a code reader to delete the fault code which extinguished the EML. It then passed no problem.
I bought a second hand vvt pulley off ebay and did the work myself because the quote I got from an independant volvo specialist was as much as the car was worth.

[badger146]

ive tracked down a bit more history too my s40 sport, one of the owners lived in small town only doing 1500 miles a year for 3 straight years,but correct me if i am wrong, but this could n,t do the engine any favours , are the meant to be motorway munchers.would this afect the vvt to start failing . then was told by last owner had it on round trip 500miles or so with no issues or NOISES only a few months ago. so then i start thinking ill do same (on motorway) changed oil and filter,- for about 1 1/2 hours , all temps needle where should be, now hardly any rattle, but was wellying it 100+ to get the fresh oil to the bits.gave it rally round backstreets if rattle is there ,its hardly noticeble when upto temp, now im even more confused.com. ive seen a post on utube where someone takes the end off the solenoid and dips it in somekind of fuel injector cleaner because of oil varnish and sludge build up. if i take out the coil is there a small black gasket here if so is it actually fixed. this is my only option now any thought s would be very grateful,this does not help,,,,then im afraid its aff too the big hoose (or the nuthouse). only had a month now, starting to go grey lol

[badger146]

Originally Posted by magnuz

The EML can be turned off using a basic code reader.
The VVT pulley is probably the only really significant item that lets this type of volvo engine down, other than the VVT they are a good engine !
It's really up to you to decide whether it's worth fixing the VVT, but you don't need to use a volvo dealer, most independent garages will do it a lot cheaper, or if you are a competent mechanic & know what you are doing,& have a cam locking tool( or are able to make one) you can even do it yourself ?

thank again, but my problem is this,getting someone willing and knows what they are doing, one glitch then it kaaput. asked about garages to test the water as it were, one guy said(i kid u not)"with the older cars you have to watch and depending where everything is and what s got 2 be removed NO I WOULD NT DO IT,older cars hes got 3 cars there 5 years older than mine(03) the job was only timing belt change.......thats what im up against. ill try with code reader, thanks again

[steveo59]

Hi, as you probably noticed, the vvt pulley only makes the noise when idling not when driving. If the actuator solenoid is disconnected and isn't trying to alter the vvt pulley then no noise. The vvt pulley seems to be damaged if the engine oil level is not kept topped up or if the oil is not changed regularly.
If you can change the cam belt then you can also do the vvt pulley as very little extra work is involved, it's just the cost of the vvt pulley that makes it expensive.

[badger146]

ill try to explain a bit better,when starting cold ,it chatters , then if accelarator pedal pushed ,but only slightly it chatters,if pedal pushed a bit more goes away, then temp needle goes to normal its hardly there. would a code reader pick up a faulty vvt either soleniod or the pulley. i know what your saying about the oil being topped up,in my service manual it was last in with 62k serviced at this stage in 2012. so say next in 70k. i received at just under 80k replaced oil,filter right away, this break in oil replacing surely would n t use this much oil to drop that much to cause the pulley to start to fail? AM I BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE HERE? as i said the car was on a round trip of 500miles or so,with no nioses . can there be something else. its a 2003 s40 sport