Hi,

This sounds like a simple problem. I thought I would get the wisdom of the forum on this. My 240 has three fan belt circuits. Dual belts from the crankshaft vibration damper / fan pulley and alternator, one belt between the damper and A/C compressor and one belt from the A/C compressor to the power steering pump. Each circuit makes it's own noise from a high pitched whistle to a low Waa, Waa, Waa sound. Applying belt dressing makes the noises even louder. Frighteningly louder. The belts are Volvo brand from the dealer. I bought the car from someone who only put 10,000 miles on it between 2001 and 2005. Does anybody have similar symptoms with their 240? Belts appear OK, but could the rubber be old? Volvo belts no good? Too much belt dressing, etc.?

Thanks,
Mark

 

Sounds like to me that the belts are shot. Thay should be fairly inexpensive, I would get them from the local parts store, and easy to put on. Good luck.

 

I would replace the belts too. Sometimes you have to replace the rubber mounts for the alternator if you notice the pulley is not straight in line but at a slight angle. www.fpcgroton.com i think has them i know www.ipdusa.com they are $$ imho

 

Belts are most likely Glazed. Also Very important to check is the Crankpulley (DAMPER) Over time the rubber will come loose on them and they will spin. When it does it also sounds like a belt noise.

The easiest way to check it to make a mark with paint,White out, or something like that. Make it from the outside to the inside. Then start up the car and Rev it a couple of times. Then turn it off and see if the marks still match.

 

Hi Everybody,

Thanks for all your help. All the belts were shot. They were hard and sunk down below the edges of the pulleys. The A/C compressor was also slightly out or alignment with respect to the crankshaft and the power steering pump. I used a washer to bring it back into place. All the rubber mounts are getting hard and one has a minor cracks in it. I may have to replace them sooner or later but for now everything is straight and runs quiet. All the information you all gave me shortened my repair time because I knew what to look for immediately.

Thanks,
Mark

 

Everythings in line. Belt is newish. Bushings ok. Not too loose, not too tight, but it screams when its cold. Even here in AZ!

SOB.

How about a bad belt, maybe made with wrong components? I replaced the belt myself some months back. (It was a bitch) Seems it screams now more than then.

I really don't get it. I'm ready to dump the car because of it. I can't bring myself to lie on the ground again.

Give me back my old Chevys and VW's - One bolt, one belt. Simple.

 

[quote=ppjasper;293849]Everythings in line. Belt is newish. Bushings ok. Not too loose, not too tight, but it screams when its cold. Even here in AZ! quote]

Tech makes an excellent point.

When I got my first Volvo I used to get what I thought was belt noise when I first started it in the morning, even though the belts appeared to be tight. Turned out to be the harmonic balancer/crankshaft pulley coming apart. The center of this pulley is rubber and it deteriorates over time, causing the pulley to move out of alignment and/or to rotate on the shaft.

As IPD says in their catalog "Volvo began using a crankshaft vibration damper in 1985...a small section of rubber separates the inner and outer portions of the crankshaft pulley. Over time the rubber begins to weaken and allows the outer section to rotate around the inner piece. This can lead to squeaky noises coming from the engine compartment that sound like loose belts. The ignition timing marks will no longer line up and when using a timing light you will see the timing marks slowly rotating as the outer pulley slips. Some owners have reported cases of the outer pulley moving inboard enough to allow the belts to rub on the timing belt cover. If yours is exhibiting any of these problems, you should replace it before it fails and leaves you stranded."

In my case, the damn thing moved forward, toward the radiator, and finally threw the belts off, causing me great inconvenience. Hopefully, this isn't your problem, because the pulley costs about 80 bucks and you're gonna want to do the timing belt at the same time. . Still, something worth checking, given your symptoms.