850 cam belt...Any Tips?

I'm changing my cam belt, water pump and drive belt this weekend. I have
read through the Haynes manual, looks to be a straight forward
job!........But it would be good to hear from anyone who has done this...Any
tips?

thanks.....ttfn......Alistair

 

http://www.volvospeed.com/Repair/timingbelt.htm

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

One tip: With all the pulleys aligned with the mark, it will be
nearly impossible to pull the right side (non-tensioner side) tight
enough to get the belt cogs to mesh with the pulleys.

The solution is to turn the engine CCW just enough to let the cogs
fall into place. Then, install the tensioner, and turn the engine
slightly CW again to take up the slack on the pull side of the belt.

Also, when compressing the tensioner in a vise, add a thick pad of
rubber, a short spring, etc. You want something with some springiness
that will keep pushing the tensioner in after you tighten the vise a
bit. There's a tiny orfice in the tensioner that keeps it from
compressing quickly. If you try to squeeze it in too fast, it'll blow
the piston seal. The Volvo compressor tool uses a strong spring to
apply constant pressure to the plunger, which lets it retract at it's
own rate.

If you have the tool (Large impact wrench), remove the crank pulley.
It's a major struggle to thread the belt around the back of the
pulley with it in place. I've done it once, and I don't think I'll
try it again.

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I found the article mentioned above very good. Removing the belt from the
bottom pully is definitely possible without removing the crankshaft pully,
but it gets caught on a lip and some manoeuvring is necessary to unhook it.
It's not helped by being in a spot you cannot see very well. The new belt
doesn't get caught going on as you're pushing it the other way. The timing
mark on the crankshaft is VERY hard to find. Mine seemed to be a simple
faint etch mark, and I would never had found it if it hadn't already been
lined up and had to be where I was looking! Try and find it before removing
your old belt.

You need a big vice (vyce?) to compress the hydraulic tensioner, and take
your time.

All up it was a very easy job compared to other similar cars FWD I have
done.

One other point to watch is the auxiliary belt (alternator, a/c p/s etc) -
mine was longer than that shown in both the owner's manual and the Haynes
manual. And it follows a different path. It is obviously a Volvo
improvement as it wraps around the alternator pully more. So make sure you
sketch how it goes back. It took me a bit of time in the cramped space
available the first time I tried to refit it!

Regards
Barry