Here's a youtube video for an S60 timing belt change. It's almost identical to the S80. I have a (2002) T6 so had to remove the turbo piping on top. Also, on the T6 there's no bolt on the lower timing belt cover, but there is a plastic nipple coming off of the thermostat housing through a hole in the cover. Be careful not to break it (like the guy who was helping me did). In order to replace the nipple, you have to take off the thermostat housing, and it's not easy to get back on due to the wiring needing to be routed through an open channel on the back of the thing. In addition, there's a bleed valve attached to the nipple which might need to be replaced (mine was leaking). The only other thing I found different was the timing mark on the crankshaft pulley. Both alldatadiy and the above mentioned video say it's in between the teeth. I could only find a raised ridge on the outside of the crankshaft pulley which is visible only after you remove the belt pulley. The corresponding mark on the block looks more like a sort of square U shaped thing, with a longer "leg" on the left hand side of the U than on the right "leg". It appeared to me that the mark on the crankshaft pulley lined up just inside the left hand "leg" of the U, so that's where I placed it when I replaced the belt (with the intake and exhaust pulleys lined up with the mark on the top belt cover as it shows in the video). I'm wondering, though if it's designed such that if the mark on the crankshaft pulley is anywhere between the two marks on the block it's OK? Anyway, I'm still waiting for a new expansion tank bleeder hose to get it back together and see if I did it right. To this point, the hardest thing I've run into is getting the lower timing belt cover back in correctly, especially on the front side where it fits in a notch behind one of the pulleys. If anyone knows a good technique, I'm "all ears".

 

*******
see my pic link, as I have a shot of the crank alignment marks from above w/pulleys removed; I reviewed that video at least 5 times before I removed anything & reason I added more white dot marks to ensure alignment.

Still have not seen anyone post more info on the tensioner pulley setting I asked about [I did get it more toward the center position & have been driving the car since w/no issues!].

 

Can you tell me where #1 cylinder is on my S90? I assume it's at the front of the engine, but can't find a reliable reference.

 

Being's you are on the S80 forum, I presume you mean the S80? On the 2002 S80 2.9L engine, if you are looking from the front of the car to the rear, number 1 is far left (nearest timing belt) and they are in exact order from left to right: 1,2,3,4,5,6. That said, if you are having trouble getting the cams and crank in the right position for a timing belt replacement, I suggest you review all the inputs on this thread. The markings are apparently just markings and may not correspond with #1 at TDC.

 

God Bless you Mike

 

For those of us having a T6 engine in an S80 (or XC90?) and/or later model years beyond at least 2002, a bit more information is needed beyond what appears above in this fine thread. [By the way, another good thread containing advice from an obviously experienced Volvo tech about changing the timing belt on an S80 appears here: Volvo S80 T6 trying to get the timing belt of my 03 s80 t6.. (If this link doesn't work, google this string: "4s2qw-volvo-s80-t6-trying-timing-belt-03-s80-t6".) But even that thread doesn't contain the following information…]

Warning: this too-long post might read like accidental comedy…

There are various S80 forum threads bemoaning or cursing the little air bleed line that drops down from the coolant reservoir and penetrates the middle of the outer timing belt cover on the right-hand end of the engine. If you don't know the trick for disconnecting the "fuel fitting" just outside that cover (Volvo # 30680933), mating with a fairly fragile little plastic nipple inside the cover, which threads into the top of the thermostat housing, you may easily break off that nipple in the struggle. Volvo does not offer that nipple separately, meaning that their official approach would be to then replace the (expensive) thermostat housing.

Some shops don't know the trick either, possibly resulting in consequences that can be unfortunate for the customer. So here's the trick to either use yourself, or pass along to the shop changing your timing belt.

Maintain moderate inward pressure on the elbow-tube of that black plastic fuel fitting by pushing on the elbow, while also pulling outward harder by means of the two knurled pads on either side of the fitting, which are part of the sliding core of the fitting. (Because of the cramped space, you may need a tool or sticky finger tips to squeeze and pull on those pads.) While maintaining those conflicting forces(!), you will probably need to rotate the fitting back and forth a little to help it release from the nipple. When it then slips off, your may come to admire this maligned but nifty gadget.

Even if you did manage to disconnect that fitting, you may break the nipple in the struggle to extract the cover from that tight crevice, if you decline to jack up that end of the engine as some people recommend. (I don't know, because I broke the nipple, and I didn't jack up the engine.)

So, if you now have a broken nipple, you will need to remove the thermostat housing to replace it somehow. (Of course, plan for a new housing gasket.) If you don't want to spring for a new housing with the same plastic nipple and face this risk again in the future, there are forum threads describing how to entirely replace that nipple+fitting concept with a custom arrangement in brass. Here I offer another option, which unfortunately is not quite as neat as it first appeared, but nevertheless…

Various after-markets offer a replacement nipple in aluminum (matching the material of the housing, thereby avoiding galvanic corrosion): URO 30-8072-903. It's nifty, but cheap in more ways than one…

This option starts with removing the old nipple stub and thread sealer from the threaded hole on the housing. I drilled out most of the nipple material using a 6mm bit, I think, trying to keep it straight to avoid touching any aluminum thread. This is not tapered NPT thread, but rather M8×1mm pitch parallel thread, which is finer than even typical "fine" metric thread. So to do it "right", you may wish to procure this special tap. I got one from Fastenal: SKU= 0326835, even in stock here. Then you might try to be careful to start the tap cutting into the crap in the thread grooves, rather than the aluminum hills. (I was proud to anticipate that too, although it may not be much of a risk.)

Then you will need some sort of thread sealer for the new nipple. Since the thread isn't tapered, I worried that teflon tape might not be ideal, although now I realize that it probably would be fine. Anyway, I used a thread sealer chosen for tolerance of high temperatures, at least 150°C. In fact, I went for overkill, with Loctite 567 High Temperature Thread Sealant with PTFE, good to 250°C. This breaks free easily, perhaps too easily, but it doesn't seem to leak after you then rotate it back to proper position, which could be handy in the struggle to stuff the belt cover back down into that tight crevice. By the way, 567 cures only by metallic catalysis, not air or humidity, so any thick bead may take forever to cure, but the thin layer next to metal will cure— it's not suitable for plastic thread.

But after all that, it turned out that the aluminum nipple is slightly undersize in diameter: 7.50mm, while the original plastic nipple is 7.90mm!@#$%^&* Apparently, they didn't allow enough for shrinkage as it cooled in the mould. So the two O-rings in the fitting aren't squeezed enough to maintain a good seal, resulting in a slow drip leak while the engine is hot and coolant pressurized!@#$%^&*. I suppose some people using this nipple may not realize why they have to top up the coolant fairly often, because you may not notice that drip if you aren't looking for it.

However, no need to abandon hope. One can replace those O-rings (7.65mm ID × 1.78mm thick) with slightly fatter ones, carefully calculated to be 7.00mm ID × 11mm OD × 2.00mm thick. Which I did. They are available in Viton material— the more common nitrile aka Buna-N is not rated for such high temperatures— from amazon.com, or in Canada, from herculesca.ca as part # MOR-7X2V. [Don't scratch the bottom of the (wide) O-ring groove in the fitting, while digging out the old O-rings, using some little hooky probe. For once, I proudly anticipated the risk, and was careful.] Then, the nipple was snugly gripped by the two new O-rings, even requiring a bit of lubricating antifreeze to engage. But then it still dripped a little!@#$%^&* How is that physically possible? It didn't seem to be leaking from the nipple threads, as it was dripping from the fitting. However, after a day or so, that drip stopped, and it has been fine for several months. Go figure.

 

My advice would be to plan on replacing the nipple or thermostat housing whether you break it or not. The car is up there in age. Lots of hot and cold cycles. That little plastic elbow is a definite weak point. When I sell a timing belt job, I sell the thermostat housing with it. The extra labor is minimal and it covers my ***. What happens if it snaps off two weeks later and the customer overheats and blows the head gasket? "You were just in there. You broke it or didn't notice it. You're fixing it for free."

 

Thanks VolvoMasochist, this was an excellent writeup. I wish someone had explained the way to pull the darned hose off of the elbow on top of the thermostat housing to me prior to the first (and second and third) times I attempted it. The last time I fiddled with replacing the plastic elbow, I had just replaced the thermostat sensor which winds it's way underneath the thermostat housing. (BTW, keeping the new wire in it's channel while putting the housing back in place is not particularly easy. One must hold one's mouth just right and talk kindly to it to keep it from slipping out and having to start the housing installation all over again and again and again.) Anyway, back to the elbow replacement issue, I had finished getting everything back together and in the process of replacing the timing belt cover, I broke the (expletive deleted) plastic elbow. I happened to have a new (plastic) one on hand, but had to pull the housing off (again), do the drilling out procedure, and replace it. All went well until I tried to push the hose back onto the nipple and found that there was a manufacturing defect on the new elbow, and the hose would not clip into place. (Another lesson learned: before you install the new elbow, be sure the hose clips onto it firmly; this also gives you time to practice taking the hose off as described above). Anyway, I was so fed up (plus didn't have another elbow on hand), so I went to the nearest parts store and bought enough fuel line of corresponding size and used hose clamps to secure it to the elbow and the reservoir. This worked just fine for a few hundred miles until, I presume due to the movement of the engine, the plastic elbow broke clean off the top of the thermostat housing and coolant ran all over the place. Of course it did this when I was 100 miles from home and it was late at night, but the tow home is another conversation. Anyway, in the meantime, anticipating this I had ordered and received a metal elbow (EEuroparts?), which I was able to install, and it was working fine when I finally sold the car a few weeks ago (and bought a 2012 S60; I guess I'm also a Volvo masochist). Something else which may be helpful to those doing work on this area of the T6s that have the finicky hose attached to the elbow coming off the thermostat housing; I strongly recommend you either increase the diameter of the hole in the timing belt cover or cut the hole extending it about an inch further toward the bottom of the cover. This will help immensely in removing and putting the cover back in place without damaging the elbow, particularly if it's one of the plastic versions.

 

I, too, just cut the timing cover to get the cover over the basted nipple!

-Ryan

 

This is an old post but was very helpful for me.

I was nervous about removing the crankshaft pulley. However, after 20-30 seconds of impact wrench effort it came out without problem.

I replaced my water pump without raising the engine on my 2004 Volvo S80 2.9L NA; however, it was like a rubix cube getting it in and out near the crankshaft. Lots of debate if you need any sealant other than the gasket on the water pump. I did end up using a light coat of Permatex #3, I figured it couldn't do any harm.

On the timing belt I was concerned about getting the timing right. I debated getting a cam lock, but didn't. I don't think you need it. What was helpful to me was to count the number of belt teeth between the two cams. Then when you put the new belt on, you know where it needs to go to maintain timing. The marks are easy to see.

I did not remove the crank pulley for the timing belt, only for the serpentine belt. Looking down on the crank pulley you will see a notch that you can use to clearly identify the proper timing to keep it the same as your old belt.

I spent more time than I thought setting the tensioner. Now that I have done it, it would go easy in the future. It is hard to see if you have it right, I ended up using my cell phone to take pictures to see and verify the exact position.

 

I would recommend replacing all of the bolts. While doing this, I already planned to replace the tensioner bolt so that was new. The lower idler bolt broke before being torqued to 25nm.

There was another question as to where to get replacement bolts, I did not see any answers to that question.

 

Get replacement fasteners from Volvo if you need them. Minimal mark up on fasteners, really. If you have the p/n's for each that you need, buy from Tasca.

-Ryan