I'm about to do my timing belt tomorrow. I'm not going to do the water pump, it's not leaking. I usually do the belt every time and the rollers every other time. How often do you guys do the rollers? I also replace the hydraulic tensioner if it leaks at all.

Is most belt failures roller related or just bad worn out belt? My guess is that 1/2 the time you look at a broken belt, you will likely find a seized roller.

Anyway, I'm at 204,000 right now and the last belt sticker says 130,000 6/2006. A older guy had the car, he was probably 62 when he had the belt changed. It's a Volvo sticker so I assume he had it done at a dealer or the person that did it got the belt at the dealer. My guess is that ALL PARTS were replaced last time. For some reason people do not list the "replaced parts" on the sticker, which I do, which would be handy.



I think I'm going to do the belt only. If any of the rollers feel worn, loose, spin freely (not tight and smooth) I will replace them as well. I do have a new tensioner roller and a slightly used idler roller. I don't like the new hollow idler rollers that they are selling.

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So, back to my original question, how often do you guys do the rollers when you do the timing belt?

 

Everytime.

Water pumps. Never, unless they are leaking upon visual inspection.

Contitech are the best kits out their. Continental is second best option. Stay away from Gates, Bando, Goodyear, Dayco.

I don't see why you would replace just the belt, since most all kits include the idler (roller) It is (2) 12mm bolts. Takes literally 1 minute to replace.

 

I have the belt but don't think I have an idler. Tight on cash. I think they're like $45. I have a good smooth one. Also, I don't have good success taking the tensioner roller off. I have stripped 2 of those bolts.

Does it matter what kind of fuel filter I get?

 

Why do you not change the water pump? How long can they last? I just changed the water pump on my 2000 V40 together with the rest of the timing belt system. At 12 years and 80,000 miles the bearing on the water pump I took out felt just like the new one.

 

Depends on the design of the timing belt system. My VW TDI has two tiny idler rollers that really give their bearings a workout, so they get changed every time for sure. My Toyota Sequoia and Tundra have big idler and tensioner rollers and a wide belt, so they get changed every second timing belt change. I just did my 2000 V40. I'm not at all familiar with Volvos so I changed everything to be cautious. My impression looking at the parts I took out was that the water pump and idler roller were fine, so I could have changed the belt and tensioner only. OTOH, changing everything is cheap insurance as these parts are inexpensve compared to the cost of a new engine. Just over a hundred bucks for belt, tensioner and idler roller at tascaparts.com.

 

I guess I need to start checking parts there. When I did my 960 I spent about $300 on the parts, including the water pump. If I had it to give, I would do it all. I guess it's cheaper than a car note and like one said, cheap insurance. I think the idler I have is off of my daughters S70 and may have about 30,000 miles on it. I changed everything in her system because her cam seals were leaking and I didn't know the history. After I got them off and seen that they were in good shape I went ahead and installed the new ones since I had her purchase them (one of us did).

I got the parts I have now about .30 cents on the dollar when my indi shop shut down. That idler is $50 alone.

Timing belt kit: $245 at iPd. It has that hollow idler so I guess that's what Volvo is installing now. Not bad for 7 years and 70k I guess.

As for the water pump, I have heard people saying that they have gotten 250,000 on a water pump. I got about 85,000 out of the pump on my 960 when it started leaking, it was 12 years old. I think age makes a difference as well.

What the heck, the car is old and has over 200k on it. I'll just ride it out to see how long it last. JK

 

I only replace the rollers if there is signs of the bearings leaking out.
Alan has a good post on what to look for in the s80 section.
https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...autions-15166/

As for the water pump I replace mine every time whether it shows signs or not, Id rather spend the extra $80 at the time than have to put out for a head gasket..

 

Keeping old cars on the road is a lot cheaper than new car payments but they are a lot of work. The way I figure, I have put abut $150 per month into this wagon since I got it. A chunk of that was the used tranny and tires. Once I get this belt done, I hope I'll be on easy street for a while.

I didn't know a tossed serpentine belt can jam up the timing belt. There is a write-up that states that you can have as many as 40 cracks per inch in your serp belt. I guess people need to check those more often. I helped a guy do a ac compressor a few days ago and his serp belt was actually frayed. I hope he went and got another one like I told him to.

I miss the days of my 740 when I spent about $200 per year on maintenance/repairs and a tossed timing belt only caused the car to stall.

 

Yeah, I have four cars in the driveway, the newest a 2004. The Toyotas only need routine maintenance though. I actually really enjoy the process of debugging a used vehicle, finding and fixing all the problems. I'm sick, I know.

On serpentine belts, many of these cars have alternator clutch pulleys. My 2000 V40 does. It's important to check that the clutch pulley is operating correctly and replace it if it's seized. There's much more awareness of this among VW owners. Volvo owners, not so much.

OEM timing belt kit for your car, including belt, tensioner roller and idler roller, Volvo 30758260, $94.62 at tascaparts.com. Hydraulic tensioner, Volvo 9146693, $74.76.

 

Just a comparison RS... in the Last 5 years ive only spent $3500.
Thats including 2 sets of tires, all around suspension, and the performance stuff, and everything that i have done... I have an itemized list with part numbers, prices, where to get it in a XLS. Plus all 17years or receipts

Once you get the big stuff out of the way it gets easier.. just like it used to be..

BTW, I guess if the belt got jammed around the crank pulley i guess it could cause a problem for our cars but i think its more of a problem on the 80 series and the P2 and newer chassis..

 

Ok, I just have to ask. Why do you think it's important to do the idlers but not the water pump ??

By the time it's leaking it's way too late. If you have a failure of the water pump because someone isn't paying attention to a minor drip and they lose the bearing the timing belt slips off and you ruin the head by running the pistons into the valves. The water pump isn't a necessity but it's cheap insurance when you are already in there and it's only a few bolts and a few dollars more. I don't know any good technician who doesn't recommend a water pump with a timing belt job when it's driven by it. Especially on an interference engine !! And that recommendation isn't for profit it's to protect the cars owner and to cover your own butt so you have documentation they declined the pump in case it does fail and there is severe damage to the engine down the road.

 

ok, Contitech is a higher quality of Continental. I was a parts guy for 3 years, I have seen part failures, and I know which ones are worth your extra money.

Water pumps on Volvos (transverse im talking about) almost never go bad. Way to often are they replaced for no reason at all. Remember if you remove or replace something you are creating a chance for a leak. If it isn't leaking already don't mess with it.

Main reason to do idlers along with the tensions every time the belt is replaced is because of noise. Over time that idler will make it sound like a serpentine idler pulley that has gotten noisy. In extremely rare cases the idler will lock, and the belt if an older one may break, but not always. A lot of the time it will create a very bad noise and not break.

I have replaced 1st hand idlers that you could barely turn with your hand using a lot of force, but with the idler on the car and the cover off and engine running it was quite as can be and rolled perfectly fine. But I have only ever seen 1 like that out of maybe a couple hundred timing belt jobs on Volvos.

 

Well, on the 960 I had, I had the belt only replaced at 60k because it was 11 years old. A year and a half later I started hearing noise and Tech told me to check the rollers. Sure nuf, that's where the sound was coming from. So I pulled the belt and replaced everything at 86,500 (the water pump was leaking a little). The idler was so hard to turn I had to use both hands. I think it would have locked up and tossed the belt soon. Can't see how that could have "rolled perfectly fine".

Off all the Volvo's I have had, I have seen a couple of water pump leaks. They start real slow and continued for months. On the 960 pump, it was leaking less than a cup per month. Yes it was on it's way out but may have lasted another 10,000+ miles. I wonder if the bad idler caused extra stress on the water pump. I really think it was simply age.

I did purchase a S90 that had a broken water pump. I purchased the car and drove it home about 22 miles (very cold weather, 32 degrees, and carefully watching the temp). When I pulled the pump the perpeller was off, lying in the block. Personally I think you have a better chance of a tree falling on the car or getting t-boned than a water pump locking up and tossing the belt. I believe it will start leaking way before it locks up.

I have heard of people with over 250,000 on their 850's with no water pump change. I think they can go as long as 400,000 but I haven't had an 850 long enough to test that theroy yet. I also believe that parts like the water pump last longer (more miles) on cars that rach'em up. Say a 17 year old car with 80,000 miles on it may need a water pump because the pump is 17 years old where as a 17 year old car may have only had 1 pump in 400,000 miles.

Heck, I guess the bottom line is (and I'm by no means trying to end this thread) if you can afford the parts, replace them every time. However, if you are trying to decide if you want to write a hot check to pay your water bill because you are about to replace a water pump that is not leaking, passing on the water pump may be a better idea. Especially if you have the ability redo the job in 3 years when the pump starts leaking.

 

RS don't confuse the straight engines with the transverse, completely different animals, and engines.

 

Ok, what do you mean by that? From what I could tell, the belt path is almost exactly the same. I understand that the I6 has a larger motor but it can't be that much difference when it comes to the timing belt stuff.

 

I think it all comes down to experience. If you're a shadetree mechanic you have to go by what others say because you're only going to do a timing belt job on your own car once or maybe twice while you own it. Heck, the reason it takes me so long to do a timing belt job is because every time is the first time. First time I've done the job on this vehicle or so long since I did it before I can't remember what I did.

I can imagine getting as fast as lifeisgoodhere - 45 minutes - but for that the whole job from start to finish has to be in your head and you have to remember all the little tricks and short cuts and which tools to use rather than figuring everything out as you go.

After reading this thread I can confidently say I just changed the water pump unnecessarily on my 2000 V40. The one I took out felt exactly like the new one. But until you've done the job a couple of hundred times and have seen a couple of hundred water pumps you don't have the experience to make a judgement like that.

In other news, I have a like-new 80,000 mile water pump available.

 

Doing mine today....Car has 150k...have no idea on the history.
I'm changing everything...For peace of mind.
I have never put 70k on one car, but if I do on the Volvo I wont have to worry about the timing components...

I bought the hole kit from ipd...and the water pump.
Did all new plugs, (ipd)wires and cap and rotor 2 weeks ago..
I have to say I love working on this car!

Did the CV boots a few weeks back also....(only drivers side) passenger side is good...But I have them when the time comes..

I bought this also since its my 1st time....I herd one cam likes to spin so I hope this makes it less frustrating.

[IMG]https://volvoforums.com/forum/

 

I hear that cam locking tool goes in upside down. Have fun with it. I Have done 2 belts on 960's and one or two on these I5's. The cam did move on my daughters S70 but I just turned it back.

I went out to do the belt on mine and one of the neighbors asked me to drop some front brake pads on his Bimmer. Had to get that scratch. I did pull my tb cover just to make sure the pump hadn't started leaking and dang it if I had the hardest time finding the marks on the cams. I have heard people complaining about the marks but I always thought they were not looking good enough. My marks are very faint. But the person before me make 2 paint marks on the cams and cover, not where the cams would be TDC, unless someone pulled my cam sprockets off and installed them anyway they wanted. I do believe the faint marks do line up but I have not checked the camshaft mark.

I have heard that the #1 piston is all the way up when at TDC. How can I verify that? Drop a dial rod in the spark plug hole or something?

 

Yes you can take out #1 plug...but when you line up marks on crank pulley...it should be correct.?

Also in theory I could just remove and replace with cam lock tool...without being TDC right? As long as nothing moves...lol

But I will find TDC just to keep crazy things(ideas) out of my mind..

 

RS. The engeneering is different, even thouugh they may look similer thay have mignute diferences that make the maintenance slightly different.