Volvo: engine replacement, professional mechanics, flex plate

Question
I am in the middle of replacing the engine of my '89 740Gl to a '92 940. My brother and I have decided to do the mechanical work ourselves and we are doing fine, but I've been told that even professional mechanics have trouble 'timing' an engine. Will I have to hire a real mechanic for this bit and can it be timed once it's been installed? I don't even know what it means to 'time' I just know that it has something to do w/ a time flywheel.

Answer
Joe,
If the engine that you are putting in was a running engine then I do not see that you will have to time it. The 92 Year Model you can not set the timing other than making sure the belt is on correctly and the flex plate is in the right place. The control unit makes timing adjustments. The flywheel has all the windows in it so the crank pick up knows what cylinder is up and the next one in line. If you remove the flywheel make sure you put it back in the same spot.