Hi folks,

As some of you may have seen in my introduction thread, I recently bought a non-turbo 5 speed 94 Volvo 50. I'm new to Volvos, but I did a good deal of research on this and other forums before going out to look at the car. I knew there were certain things wrong with it mechanically, but was up to the challenge of taking care of it as I've been working on my own cars since I was 17, and worked vehicle maintenance for a local school district before college. I got a new front wheel bearing, CV axle, starter solenoid, PCV kit, thermostat, coolant temperature sensor, and timing and serpentine belts.

The previous owner told me that he had the full timing job done last time around, about 80k ago, including hydraulic tensioner, rollers and water pump. I stupidly neglected to bring a socket set and pop off the timing cover to confirm this, however. Once I tore into it earlier today, it became evident that the seller lied to my face. Namely, when I was compressing the hydraulic tensioner (<1 turn per hour with a c-clamp), I noticed a bit of oil seeping out which I understand is a sign of needing replacement. The water pump looked a aged externally but there wasn't any coolant to be seen in the timing cover, and the rollers spin freely and without roughness, so I think those things are OK for the time being.

Problem is, I maxed out the money I had set aside to take care of this car, and being a college student don't exactly have the luxury of just getting a bit more right away. My questions are as follows:

1. Would it be OK to reuse the old tensioner for a while? I intend to replace it down the line, but for the time being can't afford it.

2. What's the worst that can happen when a hydraulic tensioner fails on this motor? I understand this is an interference motor, and the implications that lie therein. As I understand it, the little polymer spacer on the end of the tensioner is meant as a buffer to prevent the pulley from completely releasing the timing belt in the even of tensioner failure. Will it do really do this, or will a failed hydraulic tensioner result in a jumping belt, bent valves and a ruined head?

3. In the case that the hydraulic tensioner failing won't drop the belt immediately, are there any means to determine that the tensioner has failed? Will it become immediately apparent?

Thank you in advance for any insight you can shed!

 

You lose the tensioners ability to keep constant tension on the belt and it jumps the gears and you destroy the head and damage the pistons with the remains of the valves embedded into them.

You asked


"Will it become immediately apparent?"

Yup, engine will die and you'll bend at least one vlave.

 

Sigh, understood. I guess it's scrounging time. Thanks for the reply.

 

its either scrounge for a part or scrounge for a car, so could be worse

 

Right you are, strings pulled, money scrounged, and tensioner ordered. Decided it would be a massive shame to have done all this work and put all the parts I've already got into the car only to grenade the motor, not to mention being in debt the cost of the tensioner versus a JY motor.

 

i know how you feel. im in college right now as well so it was hard balancing car parts and books, but i did get most of my car stuff early and then had to cut myself off from ipd lol

 

Good thing you had the wherewithal to do that. I just had to pay $800 out of pocket for textbooks because my financial aid got selected for verification and is now going to come in 6-8 weeks late >.<

Probably wasn't the best time to buy a car, but my little 86 Nissan pickup started failing the finger test on the underside of the frame. I used to do the screwdriver test, but a few weeks back I managed to poke through the bottom of the frame with my bare finger in a few spots. Not enough good metal left to weld anymore, so I had to get something on my extremely limited budget. C'est la vie, I guess.

 

I'm not really the one to ask as I had to change a lot back when I was working on cars as people would ask what's the worst. Usually after I told them the whole engine could be bad starting out with if the spark plug broke inside it could .... and then the piston ....... part of it falling into oil pan ,,,,, everything goes boom.

Understandably after that explanation they were reluctant to have the spark plugs changed I learned to be a bit more mysterious and talk more in terms of we have to get in there and see rather than outlining the end of the world.

Things rarely end up worst case and I'm sorry to beat up on you but in the case of the tensioner leaking and the belt possibly slipping, I think you're wise to look at the "what if" and drive as little as possible until you get a good one in there.

 

There is a chance that the tensioner will last 5,000 miles or 70,000 miles. There is no way to tell. You can only do your best, so out it back on, say a prayer that God has mercy on you, and keep moving. When you get a few $$$, buy a replacement instead of spending it on video games. And when people as you to run them around town or to the next town, tell them to give you a few extra $$$ to help you buy a part for your car. If they don't chip in, tell them you can't help them.

80k Is a lot of traveling, it is possible that the previous owner replaces all of the parts. Looks can be deceiving. Those rollers should NOT spin freely, if they do, they need replaced as well. A lot of people replaced the OEM parts with after market parts that don't last as long. So there is a chance that they pulled good OEM parts that may have lasted another 115km with cheaper lower quality parts that would only last that long. I have read of people having new rollers failing in about 26,000 miles. That would suck but you have to listed to the warning signs. You can replace one of those parts in minutes without disturbing anything else. Just pull the tensioner, replace a roller, and reinstall the tensioner.

Hope this helps. I always tell people to get written proof on that stuff or redo it.

I did a belt on a Honda not to long ago and the tensioner was leaking pretty bad. Not sure how long it was like that.

 

Thanks for the input everyone. I did manage to scavenge/borrow enough cash for a new tensioner, and installed it and a new timing belt last night.