Volvo: 1992 volvo 240 smog failure - timing / distributor, smog place, smog shop

Question
Major issue:  I'm new to california so took my 1992 volvo 240 to be smog checked. it passed emissions but failed 'functionality' - the smog place said that the timing was at 12 degress after TDC and should be at 12 degrees before TDC.  I took it to my volvo mechanic who looked at it, said no, the timing/distributor is fine (and it's non adjustable on the 92s). so i went back to the smog place and again they said, no, it appears that the distributor was put in incorrectly and it's 12 degrees off center in the wrong direction, probably a simple mistake, etc.  So i took it BACK to the volvo mechanic, a different mechanic looked at it and again said, no, the pully is fine, the distributor is fine, the smog place just is reading it wrong. HOwever, the smog place seemed very competent, the head mechanic there showed me that it was reading 12 degrees to the right instead of the left of zero (or vice versa, whatever it was...). anyway, i don't know what to do - take it to a new mechanic or a new smog shop? either way, i'm going to have to pay more money. AND, my car has been feeling a bit sluggish, which might be due to the distributor being in wrong. HELP!! thanks!


Answer
I'm going to have to side with the Volvo mechanic on this one.  The first thing that struck me was that if the car was 12 degrees off like the smog shop said, it probably would barely run.  Second, you're right, the timing is controlled by a knock sensor and the ECU computer, and unless one of those has failed, it's got to be the right timing.  You mentioned the car was sluggish, but it's hard to tell how severe it is.  Expect in the summer time for the car to be a little worse because it is breathing warmer, less efficient air.  However, if the power loss you're experiencing is really bad, it might be the timing caused by a failed knock sensor.  Depending on how well you know your Volvo mechanic, and assuming he specializes in Volvos, I would take it back to him first, and see if you can get him to do a quick test on the knock sensor and ECU computer.  If everything checks out, and he gets no error codes, I would take the car to another smog shop.  Good luck!