Parts needed for timing belt job?

[Red-Arrow]

Volvo don't actual make the parts. Sure they can get their name stamped on a belt but its still not made by Volvo.

OEM can be lower quality than other suppliers as accountants play a game for profits. Continental make fine products on the whole. I can't speak for all parts makers here but unless the part is very cheaply made or has a design flaw I would say its ok to use it.

I had ome Mintex brake pads to replace the OEM Volvo ones. The Mintex pads I believe are inferior because the braking feels more laboured. The OEM pads bit harder but made a horrible mess with dust. I will replace the OEM pads with higher performance Green Stuff pads, the price difference is almost 3 times more.

Don't by the cheapest parts you can find. Just buy the best ones you can afford.

[nadz]

Getting to what I originally asked, I just want to make sure that those parts I linked are the correct to buy? I don't care if they are oem or whatever so let's not get into that.

the belt
http://www.fcpgroton.com/product-exec/p ... ory_id/201
idler pulley
http://www.fcpgroton.com/product-exec/p ... ory_id/204

and the tensioner is where I am getting confused, there is a tensioner pulley and a tensioner damper? Which one do I need?
tensioner pulley
http://www.fcpgroton.com/product-exec/p ... ory_id/204
tensioner damper
http://www.fcpgroton.com/product-exec/p ... ory_id/204

[JDS60R]

Not sure what engine code you have but here is the parts list for a B5254FS

number 19 is the coolant pump

[VolvoTurbo850]

Don't by the cheapest parts you can find. Just buy the best ones you can afford.

I will also add to that good quote, Buy the parts which will outlast your ownership of the car. Volvo's are forever, but how long do you intend to keep it? 4 years or what?

Based on my experience with the many cars I have had and more than 10 timing belt changes which i have either sold to people I know or to my own cars, i have not had any problems with good NON VOLVO branded parts.

I will admit I did buy volvo parts for the timing belt on my convertible! But i do want to keep that car ...forever!

[erikv11]

There is a tensioner pulley and a tensioner damper.

In order to follow the advice replace everything, you would replace them both.

At the least, replace the tensioner itself, the "tensioner damper."

Independent of manufacturer, yes those 4 parts in your last link are the correct parts, but you do not include links for the water pump and its gasket. Maybe you already have that sorted out.

[erikv11]

Also, FWIW: for Volvo-branded parts in the blue box, www.tascaparts.com is almost always a few bucks cheaper than www.myvolvopartsonline.com.

[anthonyhicks]

I bought water pump, timing belt and tensioner. But no new idler pulley. Is this a problem?

[rspi]

Hey man, here is the deal. The Volvo engineers recommends that the belt is replaced every 70,000 or 7 years. I once purchased a Volvo that had 53,000 miles on it and was 11 years old. My thoughts was to have the car towed home because the belt was 11 years old. I purchased another 850 that had 78,000 on it. It was 12 years old. Had no evidance that the belt had ever been changed even though it looked good. I drove the car directly to the shop to have the belt changed.

On the 960 which has basically the same setup as the 850, I had the belt done at 60,000. 26,000 miles later one of the rollers started to seize, the idler. Also the water pump started leaking so I replaced EVERYTHING in the path.

Now my thoughts over the past few years have been to replace the belt every 70,000 and replace everything else EXCEPT THE NON-LEAKING WATER PUMP & TENSIONER DAMPENER, ever other change. My thoughts have been that a water pump that is not leaking is fine. It will usually leak and get worse long before it causes a timing belt failure.
See step 16: http://www.atthetipwebs.com/technologyi ... g_belt.htm

The whole deal is to avoid the failure. So, at this point I would strongly recommend changing the following:
- Timing belt
- Tensioner Roller
- Idler Roller
Then have on hand:
- Tensioner Dampener
Other related parts:
- Water Pump
- Front Cam Seals

Again my opinion is "if it doesn't leak - don't change it". During the proceedure you are suppose to slowly compress the tensioner dampener, if it leaks, it's bad and needs to be replaced. So, if you install a leaking dampener, it may loose it's ability to keep the proper tension on the tensioner roller and cause the belt to slip, which will cause damage.

When I do my belts, I have all parts on deck except the water pump and cam seals. I check those before I order parts (usually months before the job is due). When I pull the parts, I check the rollers and tensioner dampener. If they appear to be good I resuse them. However, I would never try to let a roller go more than 2 belt cycles or 10 years. A roller may last 10 years but it will likely not last 15+. I simply don't want to be in the situation like I was with the 960, changing the belt twice in 26,000 miles.

Upon reading some recent post about tensioner roller failures and idler roller failures with less than 30,000 miles on them. I have recently decided that I will NOW replace both rollers every time I do the belts. It's simply not worth the risk. As far as I know, there is very few roller failures with less than 100,000 miles on them but I really don't want to be one of them. To costly for such a low price. I will end by adding this, FCP sells a roller that will bolt on to the tensioner roller bracket. I have gone that option a couple of times and saved about $20. Replace the roller on the tensioner roller bracket other than replace the assembly.

So, if I were you, I'd replace the belt, both rollers, and have a tensioner dampener on had to replace it if it leaks. If you don't use you, you may need it next time, if you have the car that long.

[rspi]

Whenever you do a timing belt job, you should also check related parts to make sure that you won't have to do the job again with the next 70,000 miles. The simplest way to do that is to replace everything in the path. For those of you/us that don't have the luxary of tossing in parts that don't need to be replaced, i.e. on a tight budget, you should do the following:

1. Pull the belt cover off and look for leaks at or around the water pump. If you see any coolant, the pump should be replaced. A few years back Volvo did have leak limits on their water pumps so a small leak was allowable but why risk it when it's in the timing belt path.

2. Check for oil in the area. Any oil will indicate that a cam shaft seal is leaking. This is rare but for those old seals or for a car that has/had a plugged PCV, it's likely or possible. If you see oil, get cam seals. OEM!!!

3. Order your parts, all of them (except water pump and cam seals if you don't have a leak). What you don't use you can save for next time or maybe return.

4. During the proceedure, inspect the tensioner dampener. As explained above, the tensioner dampener should not leak when VERY slowly compressed. If it leaks, change it.

5. During the proceedure, inspect both rollers. When new, these rollers are a little stiff and very smooth. They can be turned with one hand and feel like they are packed with so much grease that you can not feel them turn. If you try to spin them, they will not spin beyond when you let them go. If you can spin them and they turn a few times when you release them, kinda like a skate wheel, most of the grease is gone and it will likely not last to the next change cycle, replace it. If it is grinding or to still to turn, like it's binding, it has already entered it's failure cycle and would likely toss it bearings soon, replace it (I had one that was so stiff it took 2 hands to turn it). If the roller is very smooth and doesn't spin, there is a chance that it will make it to the next change cycle.

6. Install all needed parts, turn the car over manually at least two full crank revolutions and recheck timing marks before starting it and close it up.

I have heard of people having water pumps lasting upwards of 300,000 miles. These were high mileage cars so I don't think I would risk one for more than 15 years but heck, who am I to say a water pump wont last 20 years. I'm about to do a belt job on my wagon that has 197,000 on it. Likely in 2 months. I already have the parts and my guess is that the last guy had EVERYTHING replaced so I may not have to do the rollers and will NOT do the water pump, it's not leaking. But, as explained, I do have all parts on deck, short of the water pump.

[rspi]

I thought I was done with this but I guess I'm not.

When you're done with the belt, do yourself and the next guy a favor and use the sticker to let everyone know what was done/replaced. Clean a good spot off under the hood on the tb cover, ECU cover, fire wall cowl, inside the glove box door, etc. and stick your sticker to with the replaced parts, mileage and date. Here is my example.



Now I'm done. Promise.