2001 s80 turbo - groan after new timing belt...

harvest14 · Post by **harvest14** » 11 Nov 2014, 19:53

I have searched a bit and can't find anyone who's had the specific issue I'm having. I changed the timing belt, tensioner, idler pulley and water pump on a friends 2001 s80 turbo. Car runs smooth now, doesn't leak coolant or overheat and he's very happy. My concern is the timing belt area has a faint groan now and I'm concerned that I may have done something wrong. Since I didn't listen to the car before (mistake) I don't know if the groan was there prior to my work. I've done several timing belts, but this was my first experience with a mechanical tensioner, my 850 has a hydraulic one. Should I be worried about his car? If the belt is a bit too tight could it cause groaning or other problems? Are faulty NEW parts likely?

Thanks in advance...

Post by **oragex** » 11 Nov 2014, 20:10

There are cheap tensioners on the market that can cause troubles. It's even worst with cheap water pumps.

Is the belt centered on the pulleys with no friction on either side? The mechanical tensioner usually has a temperature needle that needs to be set in the middle at room temp. It also has a specific way of putting tension on it.

harvest14 · Post by **harvest14** » 11 Nov 2014, 20:19

Thanks. The tensioner was INA I think? I ordered it in a kit from FCP. I set the needle in the middle as it was about 70 degrees here today and the engine was cold. After running the car a few minutes though the needle was well past the little "window" towards the right (about1:30 maybe?). When the car is hot is this needle movement normal? If so, then I'm not worried about the tension causing the groan.

harvest14 · Post by **harvest14** » 11 Nov 2014, 20:23

Oh, and the water pump was Graf brand. I put the same brand on my BMW 3 years ago and it's been great. Not sure if that is a "cheap" brand or not.... I'm not that savvy on brands.

THAI UNG · Post by **THAI UNG** » 12 Nov 2014, 11:28

Several years back when I did my second timing belt job on my s80 non turbo and I got the groaning sound too.The sound came from vvt cam pully unit(mine is on the intake side).The belt itself was a tad on the tight side,so I reset the belt tensioner a bit to the loose side to relief the tension on the cam pully and the problem solved.Hope it helps...

harvest14 · Post by **harvest14** » 12 Nov 2014, 16:43

That is very helpful, yes. Thanks for sharing that. Sounds identical to my situation.

harvest14 · Post by **harvest14** » 14 Nov 2014, 15:21

Since I complain about threads with no closure, where a question is asked, discussed and suddenly abandoned; I am happy to report that it was in fact simply that the tensioner was a bit tight. I loosened the belt slightly and the groaning noise disappeared. Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.

THAI UNG · Post by **THAI UNG** » 14 Nov 2014, 20:56

Glad to hear that your problem was solve,and you are Welcome...