I read elsewhere on the internet that at 105k one should not only replace the timing belt but the tensioner pulley as well. Why is that? In addition you should REPLACE the waterpump. Again, why is that? If they don't fail why would you flat out replace them? Belts wear out, but the other parts, is the dealer just digging their heels in deep?

 

Others can elaborate more, but the main reason to get everything done in one shot is because it does take quite a bit of labor to do any one of those items on their own. Tensioners and pulleys can wear out, water pumps can fail. They've held up okay til now, but are you willing to bet they will last another 105K miles? My mechanic told me he would check the water pump while he was doing the timing belt and give me a call if it needed it. It needed it, so I had him replace it.

The way I look at it is, do I really want to have to bring the car back (or have it towed) if one of those items should fail? In roughly the same amount of time they can take care of everything.

 

you do not really HAVE to do the water pump a 105 because if the pump fails, your engine will not instantaneously die... now, for the timing idler and tensioner... you WILL want to change that.. if any of those fail then the belt can possibly burst and you can read up tech's sticky on the s80 forum about the possible consequences...

 

Most will tell you to change out the water pump because in the event that it did fail later on, you might have to pay the same ammout of labor to get in there. Normally when doing a Ttiming belt, there is a lot of labot to get in there. Since you have essentially paid the labor to do all that, you might as well pay the small amout for the tensioner and also the water pump is right there. Lets say you changed the belt and just do that, and the tensioner starts to go OR the water pump starts to leak, you will essentially have to re-pay the same labor you did when doing the belt to get back in there. Most reputable shops will call it "insurance" as so do I to go ahead and just replace all of it. When I did my timing belt I asked my shop to do it all! The guy told me the tensioner was good and so was the water pump. The pump was $60 bucks extra and the tensioner was like $25 more. I told him I'd rather pay the $85 extra now as insurance then to have something go out......

 

+1
Also if any of those items fails later can cause belt bursting and you might be in for enigine rebuilt $$$$$$$

 

While, like Volvo, not an official factory recommendation, Hondas follow the same program: belt change = water pump & idler change, too. For the same reason -- most of the service bill is labor, and those parts don't always last forever. You're not old enough, probably, to remember "conventional" ignitions. We had to change the points as they were a wear item. We always changed the condenser at the same time as there was no easy way to see if it was good or not, we didn't know how long it would last, and it was really easy to do when changing the points. I'm sure a lot of perfectly good condensers were tossed out, just like water pumps and idler wheels now in the days of OHC belt-driven camshafts.

 

I worked for a Honda Dealer a while back so that's where my philosophy of "change it while you're in there" came from!

 

had to dig back into my old '92 stealth after doing the timing belt because the water pump cracked about 10k miles later...really not something that you would want to dig back into and do a second time, especially if you aren't doing the labor yourself and having to pay for it.

Don't know if Volvos use spring or hydraulic tensioners, but on all I have replaced just to be on the safe side I would replace that as well. Nothing like having to get in there again if your belt skips a tooth or starts vibrating against the timing covers making a buzzing sound because the belt tension was not set properly.

 

I've seen the idlers and pulleys fail when customers decline them at the t-belt replacement. Then you bend some valves and things really go bad. I think that the advisors at my job just automaticlly just sell them when a t-belt rolls through the door.

 

Okay, so we have established that the timing belt, tensioner and water pump should be changed all at once. Are their any other items while my car is in peices? Isn't there one more belt?

 

you can do the V belt/accessory belt since they are working in that same area but that one you can have them inspect and change at your discression. Those 3 are generally done at the same time.

 

I just had to have my tensioner replaced at 64K miles because it was making noises - the bearings were going. Definitely get it done.