possible VVT pulley fail Any recommendations for LEICESTER .

[gatos]

Shamelessly borrowed from here: https://www.brickboard.com/RWD/volvo...le%20emissions.

Volvo is using the VVT on exh on turbos and intake on the non-turbos.
On the turbos the VVT is activated to advance cam on cold start for a period during warm-up. Advancing the exh cam allows exh valve to close sooner decreasing overlap and reducing the raw fuel escape that occurs during rich mixture while at the same time opening the exh valves sooner to allow some escape of flame that will contribute to combusion of the raw fuel left in exhaust from last exhausting cylinder. After the warm up period the cam goes back to std position except at idle where it is advanced 7-10 degrees for better idle emissions. Exh cam range is 0-30 crank degrees advanced.

With regards to my cheeky solution, I am not sure if the word "solution" is the right word.... It's just a way to get rid of the noise and avoiding an EML light. This bypass, is not going to cause any problems in the engine, short or long term. You may lose a tiny tiny bit of power and slightly worse consumption, mainly during the time the engine is warming up. After that, it won't be noticeable.

With regards to if you can use a spare exhaust side VVT solenoid on a N/A car, or an inlet side VVT solenoid on a turbo car, I am not 100% sure, but I am pretty certain that it would work fine. The VVT solenoids hardly ever fail, so a good used one will be fine.

I am not sure how the ECU determines if the VVT is plugged in. So not sure if bridging the wires will do the trick, or if the use of some kind of resistor, would send the correct signal to the ECU, showing that the VVT is still on. I have never tried it, so can't really comment with certainty.

Oh, and with regards to where to fit the spare solenoid, I am afraid it will not fit under the plastic engine covers, but it can easily go on the side of the engine.

[acousticplayer]

Hi gatos,thanks very much for that.I think i'll go down that route and find a suitable used solenoid and see where that takes me. One final thing,I note with interest the article you quoted. My V40 is not a turbo so am I to assume that the VVT is on the inlet side of my car as I was working on the assumption it was on the exhaust side.

[acousticplayer]

Hi again. I've just remembered something that may be relevant to this. I saw for sale recently,I can't just remember where at the moment, a blanking plate for the solenoid opening. Presumably to solve the EML problem you could remove the solenoid,leave it plugged in and blank off the hole.

[gatos]

Originally Posted by acousticplayer

Hi gatos,thanks very much for that.I think i'll go down that route and find a suitable used solenoid and see where that takes me. One final thing,I note with interest the article you quoted. My V40 is not a turbo so am I to assume that the VVT is on the inlet side of my car as I was working on the assumption it was on the exhaust side.

Yes, you will have the one on the intake side (I incorrectly said inlet in my previous post). Part number is 9454789.

[gatos]

Originally Posted by acousticplayer

Hi again. I've just remembered something that may be relevant to this. I saw for sale recently,I can't just remember where at the moment, a blanking plate for the solenoid opening. Presumably to solve the EML problem you could remove the solenoid,leave it plugged in and blank off the hole.

Interesting one. I have never seen the blanking plate for these, so I would be curious to see what they look like. So if you don't mind, you can share the link here when you find it. That could be an ideal solution, if the existing vvt solenoid you have will bolt on top of the blanking plate, so you can plug the connector on it too

[acousticplayer]

Yes,that's what I thought [eventually]. Or using a gasket as a template it would be quite easy to make an aluminium plate. I'll have a look for the link.

[acousticplayer]

Here is a link. https://www.ebay.com/itm/263429919720
This is not the one I initially saw but is for a guy in Canada who makes blanking plates for volvo RN blocks, which as I understand it would include the V40. You will see what he says. He appears willing to make custom plates.

[acousticplayer]

Hi Gatos. I've sent you a private message.Not sure if it actually went. Please let me know.

[acousticplayer]

Alex [gatos] Your private message box is full. Thanks for your help,I'll follow through on FB.

[acousticplayer]

Hi All.By way of conclusion and hope it may help others who maybe unsure about replacing a faulty VVT pulley. By way of a pre-amble there are those who consider it unnecessary to replace a broken VVT pulley. The thing to do is by-pass the VVT by simply disconnecting the wiring to the solenoid that controls the camshaft. This will stop the tell tale rattling and will cause no harm to the engine and no noticeable difference to performance. There may be a small difference to emissions. However it will throw up an EML warning. The solution to this [per our good friend Alex Gatos] is obtain a spare solenoid, a second hand one will be fine, and plug the existing connector into this and this will trick the computer into thinking the VVT is still connected so no EML. I can say that this works fine. Here is a photo of the second solenoid in place on my V40. A couple of pointers. I'm presuming that the "dummy" solenoid will continue to click in and out as it will be receiving the necessary signal. Normally this would be lubricated by the engine oil so it would be wise to keep it oiled. To this end i"ve made a rough blanking plate out of a sheet of brass and bolted this under the solenoid before giving it a splash of oil. This will keep the oil in. Secondly, where to put it. On the top of the block you may find a pair of existing holes which have centres almost matching the centres of the mounting holes on the solenoid. If you drill out these holes by a mm or two and use long bolts on the "dummy" solenoid you should be able to wedge the new solenoid onto the holes. Finally when I have more time I will make a bespoke blanking plate and fit this under the "proper" solenoid which should produce the same outcome. PS Photo to follow