My 2000 Volvo S80 has been a pleasure to drive. Unfortunately, today on the way home from work I heard a whing noise coming from the car as I accelerated. I put the car in neutral and gave it some gas and it still made the whining sound. So, I pulled over and cut the car off, however when I tried to start it back up, it would not start. It is turning over, though. Does anyone have any idea what the problem might be?

 

Could be a belt causing the whining. The alternator can make some noise too if it's not working right, but you're car wouldn't turn if that was the cause.

If I was to venture a guess it'd be one of the belts. I recommend getting it into the dealership for them to take a look. I also recommend having it towed just incase something is seriously wrong, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

 

I checked the belt and it seemed to be fine. It was not loose, cracked, or worn on the ends. Is there anything in particular to look at as far as the belt housing is concerned? My first impression was that the fuel pump had gone bad.

 

PS- Thanks for your reply.

 

Well, I just got it towed to the service center. The technician told that the timing belt broke, which probably bent at least one valve. He gave me an estimate to repair the vehicle- around $3000.00. Is the repair cost correct or should I take it somewhere else. The car has 99,000 miles on it, it has run like a pearl since I've owned it. But, this is a lot of money.

 

Ouch! That is a lot of money! It may be cheaper to put a used engine in it at that price point. I'm no expert though so I'll wait for some of the veteran technicians to chime in with their opinion.

EDIT: Do you have any other dealerships in the area? You can always call around and get quotes to see if that's in the ballpark or not.

 

That is about a normal price for that job.

 

Sounds like you t-belt tensioner came apart.

The timing belt replacement interval is 105,000 miles. At that point you replace the tensioner, which is what you may have heard making noise.

The tensioner should last through 105,000 miles!

I would try talking to a dealer, and see if Volvo would like to assist in the repairs, it's worth a shot. It really helps if you have some service history with the dealer, and a good service history on the car as well.

Good Luck,

B

 

I disagree with the statement about the tensioner.
There is info out there that states the tensioner only has a life of 80K miles and should be changed at 80K.
Even though Volvo says 105K on the timing belt I reccomend changing it every 70k.
I have seen this happen a ton of time when people try to get 105K out of the timing belt.
At 70K the belts look cracked very bad.

 

Thanks for the correction, what info is that you're talking about? Is it from Volvo? TNN,SB?

I have to say, it sounds ridiculous that the belt is ok to 105k, but the tensioner has to be replaced AT 80K. Sounds like Volvo playing CYA!

B

 

I will try to find it in written form to post it.
I agree I think it is also BullS*** that Volvo says the timing belt will last to 105K.
I will save some belts from work that only have 70k on them and take pics and post them of how bad they look and are with only 70k on them.

 

My car has about 67,000 on it and the belt looks great. I looked for any sort of cracking or wear and it looks brand new to me. I'm beginning to think about asking my dealership to change out the tensioner and belt just to make sure that my 2000 S80 doesn't meet the same fate.

How much does it cost to change out the belt and tensioner? I have $600 stuck in my head, do you have a ballpark Tech?

 

Somewhere right around that price range.

 

Thanks for your replies. I have talked to the Volvo dealership and the service manager wants to take a look at the car. He found it strange that the timing belt broke well before 105,000 miles. So there is a possibility that they may repair it or help off set the cost. I'll keep you informed.

 

That's good to hear! Hopefully they help you out with the repairs. When you get the scheduled maintenance done it gives you more of a case with the dealership that's for sure.

I just called my dealer and talked with one of the service advisors. They quoted me right around $800 for the belt, tensioner and idler pulley to all be replaced. That's a little more than I wanted to spend but I'd rather do that then replace the whole dang engine. I'm gonna sleep on it and decide what to do from there.

 

I decided to go ahead and have everything done. I'm getting the timing belt, tensioner, idler pulley and thermostat replaced tomorrow. My quote is $890.00 which is more than I would've liked to spend but I feel better getting this done sooner than later.

 

Do you have a volvo specilist indipendant shop near you?
it would be cheaper there.

 

Well $890 sounds cheap, now, compared to $3000. I have only owned the car since Oct. 0f 2006, I really haven't had any maintenance done to the car except oil changes every 2500 miles, replaced front rotors and pads. Just so happens that the repair shop (specializes in Volvos) that has done some work on the car has gone out of business. The dealership service manager and a technician looked at the car today, hopefully I'll hear something back from them tomorrow. I am really impressed that they came to look at it, it says alot about Volvo and their service team. Their really committed to their product.

 

Also, thanks for the replies everyone sent. Big shouts to TECH!!!! Thanks a million.

 

Glad we are ALLhere to help everyone.