Volvo Repair: Volvo 850 2.4 non-turb, head gasket, volvo 850

Question
I replaced the head gasket and installed the cams attached to the cam cover like book indicated and had the back cam lines parallel like book said. When attaching gears I bolted them onto cams then had to turn cams so marks lined up. Car backfires and wont start. Is there an adjustment for timing? Thank you. Paul

Answer
  Paul, you had better pray that you did not bend any valves. The setup is critical. I forget the exact procedure, but I do not remember having to move the gears other than a 1/2 tooth one way or the other to get them to line up??? Could you have had both the cams 180 degrees out of time? They will still "line" up. Could you have accidently swapped the gears or put them on wrong?
 Most cheap repair manuals are not clear on the timing. You have to have the bottom set right too before spinning it. Go here: and invest the $20-30 to get the right information. It will seem really cheap compared to if you really did bend valves. www.alldata.com

Mark